by Linzi Baxter
I dropped my phone to the ground and heard the sound of the screen shattering when someone came up behind me and grabbed me around the throat. Life went into slow motion. I used to let Greg do what he wanted because if I fought back, I would get hit harder.
I knew I was in trouble when a second man showed up. He stomped my phone and ripped my purse out of my hands. I tried to claw at the hand wrapped around my throat as the assailant dragged me backward. One of my shoes fell off.
I kicked my foot back, trying to hit the person behind me. With his hands wrapped so tightly around my neck, the world was fading in and out, but my kick landed.
“The bitch kicked me!”
The other man walked over. He had a black ski mask on. He stretched his arm back before he punched me in the ribs. “Stop fighting, bitch. We just want to have some fun.” I screamed in pain, but nothing came out as he tightened his grip around my wrist.
“She’s causing more work than we were paid for. I think I saw an alley down the street—let’s have fun with the bitch.”
They started to pull me down the sidewalk. For a busy city, no one was on the streets. I could feel my wet tears streaming down my face. My foot skidded across the sidewalk. I couldn’t let them get me into an alley. I kicked back with all my might and hit the man in the balls.
His grip loosened enough that I was able to get away. I sprinted toward the front doors of the building as fast as I could, the rocks on the ground digging into my feet. My vision was still hazy from having some man’s hands wrapped around my neck.
I heard the sound of the two men behind me. Just as I reached for the door, one of them gripped my hair and yanked me back. I lost my balance and fell backward. I couldn’t brace myself, and my head hit the sidewalk. The last thing I remember is one of the men saying, “Dude, let's get out of here. Her head’s bleeding.”
11
Jacob
Lily always talked about how she enjoyed cooking and that she wanted to be a chef. When she agreed to go on a date with me, I called one of my longtime friends, the owner of a five-star restaurant, Chef Marcus. He agreed to come to my house and cook us dinner, but I didn’t want him to cook the dinner alone—I wanted him to do it with Lily. Marcus had been on a good deal of food network TV shows, and I hoped it would make her happy.
“Sir, do you want to go up and see if she’s okay?”
I looked at my phone again. Lily hadn’t texted me back. “I’ll be right back,” I told Henry.
I opened the door to the SUV and got out. Nobody was behind the front desk inside the lobby, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up—something wasn’t right. I hurried to the elevator and pressed the up button. It felt like an eternity before the elevator doors opened. I quickly punched the button for the tenth floor and waited for the elevator to climb. I knew which apartment Lily was staying in because the bodyguard I had hired was in the apartment next to hers.
I hurried down the hallway then knocked on the door. Nothing. I jiggled the handle to see if it was unlocked. It wasn’t. I knocked harder on the door and yelled Lily’s name.
The door behind me sprang open. A six-foot-two man with short hair and a black T-shirt stood there. Over his chest was the logo of the security company I’d hired. “Where’s Lily?” I asked. It was the guy’s job to know.
He glanced at the door then back to me. “Lily said she was going on a date with you tonight, so I didn’t think I had to follow her.”
I closed my eyes and counted to ten. I’d paid the company thousands of dollars to make sure Lily was okay. Ignoring the security guard, I turned and ran back down the hall.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found Kat. I hit the dial button as I got into the elevator. Her phone rang four times before it went to voicemail. I clicked the end button and pulled up Lily’s number again. Instead of ringing, it went straight to voicemail.
When the elevator opened, an older man stood at the desk. I quickly pulled up a picture of Lily on my phone. “Have you seen this woman?”
The older man looked from my phone to me and back to my phone. It looked like he wasn’t going to answer me.
“Please, I was supposed to meet her tonight, and I can’t find her.”
“What’s your name, young man?”
“Jacob Black.”
The older gentleman’s eyes widened, probably because my brothers and I owned the building. We used property managers and management companies to run all of our real estate deals, though, and it was my first time setting foot in the building since we had bought it. But for once, I didn’t care that I was using my name to get what I wanted.
“She was attacked outside about a half hour ago,” he said. “The lady staying with her took her to the hospital.”
“Which one?” I demanded.
“St. Joseph’s Medical Center.”
I ran to the waiting SUV, jumped in, and barked orders for Henry to take me to St. Joseph’s Medical Center. As he sped through the streets of Houston, I called Antonio. He answered on the second ring.
“Have you spoken to Kat?” I asked.
I could hear voices in the background. “Yes. Lily’s okay, Kat just wanted to make sure nothing else happened. I’m trying to find someone to come out and watch Lily. I need Kat to come home first thing tomorrow morning. My father was hit by a drunk driver. That guy we hired is a piece of shit. How did he let her go down alone?”
I agreed with Antonio—the security company sucked. “Is your dad going to be okay?”
Henry warned me to hang on as he took the corner at over forty miles an hour. The tires skidded underneath us. We were still a good twenty minutes away from the hospital.
“Yes, but I need Kat to come home.”
“That’s fine. I’m moving Lily in with me as soon as I can.”
Antonio let a sigh. “I don’t think it was Greg. Someone saw a lady with the person outside where she was robbed. It didn’t sound like they were trying to get her into a car or take her somewhere.”
Until I had proof it wasn’t Greg, I didn’t plan on letting Lily out of my sight. I knew she wanted to get to know me better before she let me meet Tommy, but keeping her and that boy safe was my main priority. If something happened to either of them, I would be devastated. “What time is Kat flying out?”
“Kat and I were talking on the phone when the doorman called her. We were planning on Kat leaving the second Lily got home. She was going to jump on a plane and come back tonight. Now, I don’t know.”
“She can leave when I get to the hospital.”
Henry took another wild corner, and my body slammed against the door, but I wasn’t about to tell him to slow down. Over the past couple of weeks, Lily had chatted with Henry when we were in the car together. She got him talking about his grandkids and how he planned to spend his next vacation with them. I learned more about my employee in those two weeks than I had in the past five years.
“I’m not sure she will leave Lily’s side.” I could hear the anguish in Antonio’s voice.
We talked a few minutes longer about Greg. They hadn’t found anything concrete, but the emails he’d sent me originated in Ft. Lauderdale. He wasn’t smart enough to know to cover his IP address. He kept using local coffee shops, which made it harder to find him. He’d used a different one each time and left right after sending the email.
Antonio sent men to each of the coffee shops, but Greg wore a hoodie with a hat, so it was hard to make out a face when he left the buildings. Neal had used technology to trace his steps, but he hit dead zones that we couldn’t locate, and we would lose the trail. The good news was that we knew he was still in Ft. Lauderdale.
My phone buzzed while I was talking to Antonio. I told him that either Kat or I would call him with an update once we had one. I pulled back to see who was calling. It wasn’t a call—it was a text from Seth, letting me know he’d checked Rachele into rehab.
Henry came to a quick stop in front of the emergency
room. I ran into the hospital and straight to the front desk. A middle-aged woman sat behind the counter in a pair of pink scrubs. “Can I help you, sir?”
“Lily Minix.”
She looked at her keyboard and typed a few things. It felt like an eternity before her eyes met mine again. “Are you related?”
“No.” I ran my hand through my hair. “But I need to see her now.”
The lady took off her glasses and gave me a stern look. “Don’t snap at me, sir. You can have a seat in the waiting room. Only family is allowed back in the room at the moment.”
I spun and paced back and forth in the waiting room. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Kat’s number again. She didn’t answer. I let out an aggravated sigh and dialed the number for the tenth time.
She finally picked up. “I’m so sorry. My phone was on silent.”
My shoulders relaxed for a second. “I want to see her. The nurse won’t let me back.”
Kat covered the phone as she spoke to someone. “I’ll be out in a second to grab you.”
I turned and glared at the receptionist. Even if she was just doing her job, it still angered me not to be able to see Lily right away. Kat walked out of the double doors next to the reception desk and toward me. I wrapped her in a hug when she got near. “How is she?”
Kat pulled back and tightened her fists. “I swear if I find out who did this, I will put a bullet between their eyes.”
It sent a chill down my spine. I knew she meant every word that came out of her mouth. “You didn’t answer the question. Is she okay?”
“Yes. Tommy is upset and worried about his mom. And now I have an issue back home and don’t know what to do.”
I stayed in step with her as we walked past reception. The woman from earlier had her ear pressed to the phone and was talking. Kat pushed a button on the wall, and the doors opened. When we were outside Lily’s room, Kat placed a hand on my chest. “It looks worse than it is.”
I took a few calming breaths before I pushed into the pale room illuminated by harsh fluorescent lights. Lily lay in bed with a white bandage around her head. Her right eye was turning black and blue. Curled next to her was a cute little boy, his head on his mom’s chest. Lily’s eyes were closed, but she still ran her hand through her son’s blond hair. On the far wall was a board with the nurse’s and doctor’s names.
When Kat clicked the door shut, Lily opened her eyes and tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she said.
I rushed to her side. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I wrecked our date.”
Tommy looked at me, and I extended my hand. “You must be Tommy. Your mommy talks about you all the time. I’m Jacob.”
He stretched out his arm and shook my hand. “Hi.” Another boy sat on the chair to the side, playing with a phone. I knew that it had to be Ant. He was the spitting image of his father.
“When can you get out?”
There was a soft knock on the door, and Kat let a young doctor and nurse into the room.
“How are you feeling, Lily?”
“Like my head hit the pavement.”
The doctor smiled. “Good news. The X-rays came back good.”
I reached over and grabbed Lily’s hand. When she squeezed and didn’t pull away, I knew she needed me as much as I needed her.
I squinted to read his badge. Dr. Philip continued. “You have no broken bones. The wound on your head will heal within the next week. You do have a concussion, so someone will have to watch you tonight.”
Kat and I both said “I will” at the same time.
The doctor chuckled. “Looks like you have people to take care of you. Nurse Jackie will finish up your paperwork, and you’ll be out of here in no time.”
I sent a quick text to my Chef Marcus and asked him to make a couple meals and put them in the fridge in case she was hungry when we got to the house. I also asked him to make something for Tommy.
The doctor left the room, and Nurse Jackie came over and checked Lily’s vitals one more time before leaving.
“Kat, you know you have to head home,” I said.
The retired assassin gave me the evil eye. “I will head home when Lily’s okay.”
I squeezed Lily’s hand then reached in my pocket and pulled out my wallet. “Hey, Tommy, can you and Ant do me a favor?” The little boy nodded. “Right outside the room is a vending machine. Can you grab us a couple of candy bars?” He nodded again then climbed off the bed. He and Ant left the room.
“Lily, Kat probably hasn’t told you, but her father-in-law was in an accident. She just found out before you got hurt. She and Antonio planned for her to fly home tonight when you got back from our date.”
Lily let out a gasp. “You need to go. I’m fine. Tommy can look out for me tonight.”
“Not going to happen. You and Tommy are coming home with me. You were attacked outside your place tonight.”
She didn’t answer right away. The only sound in the room was the steady beeping from the monitor next to her. “All of our stuff is at the condo. We can’t impose on you. Do you know what it’s like to have a five-year-old running around your house?”
“It’ll be fine. I can send a text to Henry, telling him to go grab your things, or we can run by there tomorrow. Please, Lily.”
“Fine,” she grumbled.
I had her moving into my house. I just had to convince her to stay there and never leave. Over the past couple of weeks, Lily had come to mean a lot to me, and I would finally get to spend time with Tommy too.
12
Lily
My head felt like a million little men were playing the drums inside. I rolled over and looked out the window. The view was different. The room was masculine, with dark wood furniture. I closed my eyes for a second, and the night before came rushing back—the attack, then Kat having to go back to Ft. Lauderdale. I’m in Jacob’s house, in his huge room, in his bed.
I glanced over to find his side neat and still intact, obviously not slept in. My head shifted on the pillow, and I got a scent of his cologne. The bed smelled like him. I heard a giggle come from outside the bedroom. Tommy’s up. I went to sit up, but I did it too quickly, and shooting pain rushed through my head.
A couple pills and a glass of water were on the bedside table. I reached over and popped the pills into my mouth, followed by a swig of the water. Another giggle came from the living room. I knew I had to get up and take care of Tommy.
I slowly sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. My arm brushed against my side, causing pain. I pulled up my shirt to see a large black-and-blue spot on my side.
My feet pushed into the plush carpet, and I used the bedpost to help me stand. Once I was up, the world spun for a second before I got my balance. When my vision was no longer fuzzy, I headed for the open door and followed the sound of laughter down the hallway. I felt like I was walking through a giant maze. I thought the condo I was staying in was large.
I faintly remembered arriving the night before and Jacob leading me to a room and helping me get ready for bed. My face heated as I remembered him helping me change into a shirt and shorts of his. The shorts were double rolled at the waist so they would stay up.
When my vision got hazy again, I stopped and held on to the wall while I waited for my sight to clear. A memory from the night before of Jacob running his hands over the scars on my body came back. At first, I’d thought he was disgusted by the sight of my body. But he wasn’t. He was angry that someone could have done that to me.
I slowly continued my journey down the hall toward the noise. When I rounded the corner into the living room, my feet were stuck in place. Jared and Jacob sat on the floor, surrounded by toys. It looked like every toy from the condo was there.
Jared had a kid’s cowboy hat on his head and was brandishing a fake gun. Jacob wore a police hat. The two brothers were in character, talking back and forth. Tommy was giggling as the two brothers argued over who was i
n the wrong. Tommy spotted me before the brothers and ran over to grab my hand. “Come on, Mom, we’re playing cowboys and cops.” When Tommy tugged me forward, I lost my footing and fell to the ground. My little boy and the two men were next to me in a second.
“I’m sorry, Mommy!” Tommy burst into tears.
I sat up, reached over, and pulled my son into my arms. My elbow hurt from the fall, but I hated to see tears in my son’s eyes. I took a couple of deep breaths. “Don’t cry. I’m fine.”
“But I made you fall.”
“No, honey, I just tripped.”
Jacob raised his eyebrow, and I shook my head.
Jared reached down and pulled Tommy out of my arms. “Hey, buddy, let’s go look at the space rock Jacob has in his office.”
“But my mommy’s hurt.”
Jared looked at him softly. “Nope. She’s going to be okay. Let's give her some time to get better. Jacob will help her, and we can go play.”
Tommy finally nodded, and the two left the room.
“Are you sure Jared is going to be okay with a five-year-old?” I asked.
Jacob let out a laugh. “Jared raised Jax and me from little babies. He’s really good with kids. Now tell me what really happened. I know you didn’t trip.”
The room still spun a little, but I’d experienced that before. It wasn’t my first concussion, and sometimes the next day, my vision would still be off a little. My side hurt as well. “I can’t move too fast. The room is still spinning.”
Jacob reached around and gently pulled me up off the floor. “Then why did you leave the bed?”
I rested my head on his shoulder. “I heard Tommy. I don’t want you to have to take care of him.”
He didn’t say anything until he placed me back in bed. He ran his finger down the side of my face. “Tommy and I were having fun. Now relax and get better.”
The clock next to the bed read ten a.m. “But we are all late for work.”