Chapter Twenty-One
“You all right?”
Paige turned from the window and smiled at Bailee as she came into view with Dylan resting on her hip.
She had just changed the little guy’s diaper in one of the back bedrooms of Ben’s house.
Paige had taken advantage of the moment of solitude to study the neighborhood through the front window, careful to stay out of sight of anyone passing by as Ben had instructed her to.
“Honestly, I think I’m going a little stir crazy.”
Bailee chuckled as she placed Dylan on the floor where he could play with his toy cars. Ziggy watched the little boy with feigned disinterest from the platform of his scratching post. Bailee curled her legs underneath her as she snuggled deep into the couch cushions.
Paige said in a chair next to her. Ziggy took the opportunity to jump from his perch and crawl into her lap, as had become his habit over the past few days. She’d grown accustomed to him, so her lap never felt right unless the furry monster was snoozing on it.
“I guess this seems like overkill, doesn’t it?” Bailee gave her a sympathetic look that Paige loathed to see, even if she did appreciate her new friend’s presence.
“No, I understand why I have to lay low.”
Alex Crandell broke the news to her the day after she met with everyone.
She had been caught in a background shot by one of the news cameras in Ivy Springs.
The footage only aired on a local news program, but it was still a public broadcast, one that could have been seen by anyone with cable access or an online subscription service.
One that could have been seen by Darius Boyd.
Since then, she’d been confined to Ben’s house with Bailee, Reagan, and Melody taking turns staying with her when Ben wasn’t home. The others were chasing leads like a dog chasing its tail, and the results, so far, proved just as futile. Her frustration was rivaled only by her boredom.
Bailee regarded her. “It’s hard, but you’ll be safe as long as you do what we ask of you.”
Paige blew a breath out of her mouth, and it stirred the hair falling to her forehead. “I know, and I will. I’m just used to staying busy, and I ran out of things to do yesterday.”
“Yeah. I noticed you could eat off the floor, it’s so clean in here.”
Paige shrugged. “What can I say? I get anxious. I clean. It’s what I’ve done just about every day for the past year.”
“I can kind of understand what you’re going through. Has Ben told you how Easton and I met?”
“Not really.”
Bailee accepted the car her son handed her.
When he went back to playing, she started her story.
“He lives next to my Gran. I was a police detective in Kentucky, and after I arrested my partner for murder, I needed a break. I came for a visit and tried to busy myself with home improvement projects. Easton offered to help, so he could flirt with me.”
Paige chuckled. “I haven’t known your husband very long, but that sounds just like him.”
Bailee smirked. “Sounds like you’ve known him long enough. He’s a good man, though. They all are.”
“I see that.”
Bailee tilted her head as if weighing what to say next. “You seem to be settling in here just fine.”
Paige raised a brow. “Why do I get the feeling you have a question you want to ask me, but you’re not sure you should?”
“Because I do, but it’s none of my business.”
“I’m guessing it’s about Ben.”
Bailee nodded. “He cares about you. I can’t help but wonder what will happen when this is over, and you’re free to live your life as before.”
Paige shook her head. “There’s no going back to before. I’m a different person now. And I care about Ben, too. I don’t know what that means beyond the here and now. I really can’t think that far into the future.”
“Fair enough,” Bailee said. “Has he kept you up to date on the investigation?”
“He has. I’m just ready for it all to be over.”
Ziggy raised his head a minute before she heard Ben’s key turning in the lock. The cat ran to greet his owner as he stepped through the door. Dylan toddled over to Ben, too, talking to his uncle in the hurried speech of a one-year-old that was a mixture of gibberish and mispronounced words.
“Hey,” Bailee greeted as she stood to her feet. “Welcome home. Any news?”
“Nothing new to report today.”
Ben swung his nephew into his arms, and Paige’s heart melted at the sight.
The man had a way with people, especially children, which fascinated her.
He certainly knew how to make her feel special.
Each day she’d been staying with him was spent visiting with his sisters-in-law and finding ways to keep busy.
Each night, she shared a meal with Ben as he told her news on the case, which hadn’t been much.
They ended their evening in front of the television, snuggling together on the couch.
The snuggling led to kissing and touching, and before they slept, Paige would fall apart in Ben’s arms during a sizzling round of sex.
Sometimes they would make it to the bedroom.
Other times they never made it off the couch.
Though she was still plagued with the occasional nightmare, Paige slept better in Ben’s arms than she had in the last year. He made her feel cherished, but more than that, he made her feel safe. It was a feeling she never wanted to take for granted.
Bailee gathered her son and their things in short order. Giving Paige and Ben a hug, she was out the door in record time. Paige stepped into Ben’s arms as he drew her close for a searing kiss.
“Damn, I missed you,” Ben breathed against her lips, and her stomach did a flip.
“I’m happy to see you, too.” Her smile was serene but happy.
He lifted his head, and his eyes searched hers.
She wasn’t sure what he was hoping to see, but her eyes spoke the words she hadn’t said out loud.
This man was special to her. If she could come out from under the danger she was in, she wanted to be with him.
Moments like this, when she was in his arms, and they exchanged passionate kisses that left them both hot and bothered…
well, they were her proof that Ben wanted to be with her, too.
“I love you, Paige.”
Her smile froze on her face, and her eyes grew so wide she expected them to pop from the socket. “Ben, I—”
His hand rested lightly on the side of her neck. “My timing sucks. I get it. I just wanted you to know how I feel.”
Her brow furrowed. “Is something wrong? Did something happen today?”
His intense expression relaxed. “Shit, no. Sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. I missed you, and having you in my arms, having you here when I get home, it feels right. It’s made me realize how much you mean to me.”
Her hands framed his face and pulled him in for a sweet kiss that showed him she felt the same way.
“I love you too.”
“Paige, I didn’t tell you because I expected—”
She placed a finger over his lips to stop him. “I’m telling you because it’s true. And tonight, I’ll show you it’s true.”
Ben’s nostrils flared, and heat simmered in his eyes. “I like the sound of that.”
They kissed again. This time, the kiss was frantic. They devoured each other as if they couldn’t get enough. And she was sure she never would.
His hands gripped her hips and then slid up under her shirt to touch the skin of her waist and her stomach. Goosebumps rose in response to his touch, and waves of pleasure rolled over her. She fantasized about this, about him. But reality was... So. Much. Better.
He pulled back and touched his forehead to hers, as was becoming his habit. She loved how he seemed to always want to touch her. He held her hand, or draped an arm over her shoulders, or touched foreheads. The attention made her feel special and wanted.
“Oh, baby, I want to take you into that bedroom and strip off your clothes until you’re standing in front of me like the naked goddess you are.”
She smiled wickedly. “Sounds perfect to me.”
“In due time, sweetheart. The first order of business though is a shower and dinner . We’re going to need our strength for the night I have planned.”
She laughed. “I guess I can live with that. Go. Grab your shower. I’ll start dinner, and then our evening together can begin.”
He dropped another kiss to her lips. “I can update you on your case over dinner.”
“I thought you said there was nothing new.”
He shrugged. “There’s not really. But I want you to be kept in the loop every step of the way. It’s not fair to keep you in the dark when your future is on the line.”
Paige sighed. “I appreciate that, but let’s not talk about the mess I’m in tonight. I just want to focus on us.”
“Us. I like the sound of that.” His lips spread in a slow, sultry smile. “I’ll be quick.”
She watched him move toward his bedroom, her eyes drinking in the sight of his broad shoulders, bulging arms, and firm ass.
Her mouth watered to think of the night that awaited her.
They’d only reconnected a short time ago, but somehow, she felt like she had yearned for Ben her whole life.
To hear that he loved her was everything.
Her smile was wide as she went to his kitchen.
She searched the cabinets and refrigerator before deciding on what to prepare for dinner.
She wasn’t much of a cook, but what she did know how to create was pretty good.
And tonight’s dinner had to be the best she’d ever prepared.
She wanted their time together to be perfect.
She placed fettuccine noodles in water to cook and began preparing a creamy sauce when her phone buzzed .
She stared at the device, surprised to be getting a call when only a select few had her number.
Of those few, Ben was the one who used it often.
Turning the heat down on her sauce, she reached for the phone only to see that the call came from an unknown number.
She almost didn’t answer. After all, she had a sexy man in the shower who promised her a night to remember. And an unknown member usually meant the call was spam. On impulse, she swiped to accept it before it went to voicemail.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Paige.”
The deep voice held no emotion. The tone was even and calm, but Paige recognized it instantly. Her hand shook, and she tightened her grip to keep from dropping her phone.
“H-how did you get this n-number?”
Her heart pounded so loud that she almost didn’t hear him over the rush in her ears.
“That’s not important. I don’t want to waste time talking about subjects that are not important.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. Memories surged to the surface despite all the time that had passed.
She closed her eyes to will them away, but she ended up giving them room to play in her mind.
He had come from nowhere, grabbing her from behind when she left her photography studio.
His glove-encased hand clamped over her mouth hard enough to leave faint bruising on her face.
The hold that secured her arms to her body had been strong, like a vise ensnaring her.
The voice in her ear threatened to kill her if she made a sound.
Not only had she made a sound, but she damaged his shin trying to escape him.
“What do you want?”
“I think that is obvious, Paige. I want you.”
“Forget it, asshole. You can’t have me.”
He made a sound that could have been a laugh, but there was no humor or joy in the noise.
“When you hear what I have to say, you’ll change your mind.”
Steam started shooting up from the pasta, and she hurried to turn off the stove eye underneath it and the pan with the pasta sauce.
“Somehow, I doubt that.”
Her retort was met with silence, and she checked her screen to make sure the call was still connected.
“Charlotte? You there?”
Her hand snapped the phone back to her ear. “Ms. Miller? Oh my God! Are you—”
“It’s a shame,” the man continued. “For this old woman to be in danger because of you, and she doesn’t even know your real name.”
“If you hurt her—”
“Idle threats are cliché, wouldn’t you agree? There’s only one way for me not to hurt this woman. You come to me. I let her go. It’s as simple as that.”
Paige’s mouth went dry, and her stomach lurched. She closed her eyes to stave off the nausea. “I don’t believe you. Instead of letting her go, you’ll kill us both.”
“But you’ll come anyway, won’t you, Paige?
I’ll make this simple for you. Take your boyfriend’s SUV.
If you leave now and drive straight through, you can be here in four hours and ten minutes.
Just in case, I’ll give you four hours and fifteen minutes to make it.
If you’re not here in that time, she’s dead. ”
“Wait! I can’t do that. If I take the SUV, he’s going to track me down. What if there’s an accident on the way? What if I run out of gas on the way? You can’t—”
“I hold all the cards, Paige. I can do whatever I want. But I can be a reasonable man. Let’s make it four hours and thirty minutes. If you’re late, she’s dead. If anyone follows you, you’re all dead. If you tell anyone where you’re going, you’re...All...Dead.”
The call ended, and Paige felt her heart stop when she realized he never told her where she was going.
In the next moment, a text came through with an address in Biloxi, Mississippi, and she almost fainted in relief.
A sob escaped her throat, but she ruthlessly pulled herself together. Now wasn’t the time for a breakdown.
Her thoughts raced. She no longer heard the shower, which meant Ben would be back any second.
All dead. The man’s words played on repeat, ringing in her ears with a sinister finality she couldn’t escape.
She shoved her phone in her pocket and ran toward the door.
Ziggy trilled behind her as she snatched Ben’s keys from the table in the foyer.
Her hand landed on the doorknob when she heard Ben behind her.
“What are you doing?”
She didn’t turn around. If she did, she’d lose her nerve.
“I have to go.”
“I heard. I’m not letting you go alone.”
She closed her eyes. “I have to. He’ll kill her.”
“He’ll kill her either way. And you, too. You have to trust me.”
She whirled around. “I do. But I don’t have a lot of time.”
She could see the different emotions warring on his face, and her eyes pleaded with him to understand. Finally, he hardened his expression and dipped his head in a single nod.
“Go. I’ll find you. We’ll end this.”
Paige nodded, tears falling down her cheeks. “I love you, Ben.”
She slipped out the door and ran to his Tahoe, giving in to the sobs and the fear of what faced her at the end of the road trip.