Adrenaline pumped wildly through Megan’s veins as she stood to run and hide. Holding her purse against her chest, she ran through her house and into the bathroom, locking the door. Breathing frantically, she dumped the contents of the purse on the floor while scanning the house. Glass shattered at the front door and a man stuck his hand through the window and turned the knob. Searching the rest of the house, Megan found the second guy standing in the kitchen. Moving quickly, she shuffled through her things scattered across the floor until she found her cell phone. Fumbling through the contacts, she found the one she needed and pulled the phone to her ear, waiting anxiously as it rang.
Chapter Four
“Drew, it’s Megan. I need your help.” She covered the mouthpiece with her hand and spoke low. The men were beginning to look through the house for her, and she didn’t know how much time she had before they made it to the bathroom. Probably minutes. Maybe even seconds.
“Megan, where are you?” His voice was strong and steady. Exactly what she needed right then.
“I’m hiding in my bathroom and two men are in my house. Please, hurry.” Tears bubbled up in her eyes and spilled over. “I live at…”
“I know where you live. Stay still and I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Don’t hang up, please,” she begged. For some reason, she felt safer with him on the other end of the line. The sounds of an engine came through the phone. He was on his way, but how far away was he?
“I won’t hang up, honey. Just stay as quiet as you can.” Drew kept his voice smooth and she was grateful for it. “Do you know if they have any weapons?”
Moving her eyes until she found them, Megan looked to their empty hands. “I didn’t see any, but they could have them hidden.” She stepped into the bathtub and hunkered down, just in case they did have guns and decided to shoot up the place. Surely, porcelain is bulletproof, she thought. “How far away are you?”
“I’m almost there. I’m going to park a little down the road and sneak up on them.” Through the phone, she heard the engine turned off and his door opened and closed.
“Don’t you need to call for backup or something?” No way could he take both men at once. He’d get himself killed.
“There’s no time.” This time his voice was hushed and serious.
She spotted Drew at the edge of her yard, staying close to the tree line and out of view. Well, for most people, but he was clear as day to her. She assumed it was much like what a normal person would see while looking through night vision goggles. “One of the guys is in my room right now. The other went outside to the backyard.”
“Okay, how do I get to your bedroom?”
On any other occasion, those words would have been music to her ears. “It’s to the left of the living room.”
“I’m hanging up now. Do not open the bathroom door until I tell you to. Got it?” The power in his voice told Megan she would have hell to pay if she did anything other than exactly as he said.
There wasn’t a choice but to sit back and watch the events unfold before her. Drew stealthily snaked into the house, stepping on the broken glass from the door. The man standing just on the other side of the bathroom door must have heard the noise because he called out a dumb, “Who’s there?”
“Police, step out of the room with your hands on your head.” Drew’s gun was drawn and facing the open bedroom door.
The man rubbed a hand over his bald head, contemplating what do to, and then did what she would have never expected. He ran through her bedroom window and didn’t even bother to open it. He just jumped right through, glass and all. Drew ran into the room and straight to the window. Megan looked around for the other man, but they were both gone. She yelled, “Can I come out now?”
First, Drew looked at her bed, then to the bathroom door. “Yes, come out.”
Continuously scanning the yard to make sure they were really gone, she stepped out of the tub and opened the bathroom door.
“You okay?” he asked, placing his hands on her forearms, doing a quick inspection.
“I’m fine, just scared out of my ever loving mind.” Her hands shook and her stomach felt like it was in the middle of tryouts for the gymnastic Summer Olympics.
“Do you know who they were?” he asked, leading her into the living room. She sat dawn and grabbed a cookie.
“No, I don’t.” She looked everywhere but at him. When he sat himself on the coffee table directly in front of her, she had no choice but to face his steely eyes.
“Listen, unless you want those guys to come back and finish what they were here for, you better start talking,” Drew snapped, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped.
With no other alternative, Megan had to come clean. As clean as she could and still keep her secret. “I think they’re the guys who took Laura.”
Drew’s back went straight, his eyes shifting from suspicion to confusion. “What makes you think that?”
“Because… I watched them take her.” She put her head in her hands. “I ran after them. I tried to stop them, but they got away before I could do anything.”
He let out a held breath and rolled up the sleeves of his white button-down shirt. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“I don’t know. I was scared, I guess. They saw who I was.” She twisted her hands in her lap, awaiting his wrath.
“Do you know what they’re driving?”
Megan gave him the description of the vehicle and retrieved the bag containing the cigarettes and explained why she was crawling around on the ground at Laura’s house.
“What did you think you were going to do? Search every house in town ‘til you found her?” Drew looked to the ceiling and closed his eyes. She could see he was doing his best to keep his temper under control.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I was going to do.”
He ran a hand over his face in exasperation and held the cigarettes up. “And this is withholding evidence.”
“It wasn’t on purpose… I mean, it was, it was just that I was going to—”
“Go get some clothes together.” He stood and turned his back to her.
“What? What for?”
“Because you’re going to stay at my place and hope these guys come back looking for you.”
Drew obviously expected his words to be final and walked to the door to inspect it.
Shaking her head, Megan watched him squat down. “I’m not staying with you.” No, it was simply impossible. She would go crazy at his place. She liked her home and her privacy even more. When she turned eighteen, she decided to never stay in a house she didn’t feel comfortable in again.
“Right now, you don’t have a choice unless you want me to arrest you for obstruction of an investigation and withholding evidence.” He pointed to the bag of butts on the coffee table.
Squeezing her eyes shut, Megan prayed she would wake up from this horrific nightmare. Opening her eyes, Drew was still there, looking at the door, and she still had no choice. Honestly, jail didn’t sound much worse than living with Drew. Even if it was for a short period of time. “Can I please just stay here?”
Drew didn’t spare her a glance. “Sure, but I stay here with you.” He rose and looked around. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea. They’re more than likely to come back here if they think you’re here alone.”
“No, I meant…”
“I know what you meant. It’s done. I’ll have someone bring my things over. For now, we need to clean this up and put something over it so we’re not exposed.” He strolled past her to the bedroom to inspect the window.
She trailed him, but stayed far enough away to keep from stepping on the glass. She heaved a breath, defeated. “I have a guest room upstairs.”
“I don’t need one. I’ll be in here with you.” He slowly turned around and gave her a wicked grin. The energy flowing between them was almost tangible. She wrung her hands together. No. No way was she going to be able to do this.
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��Then I’ll sleep on the couch,” she told, him raising her eyebrows.
Drew shook his head slowly, still grinning. “No. That won’t work. I need you close by and they can’t know I’m here. If they see one of us camping out in the living room, they will turn and leave.”
That made sense, but sleeping in the same room as him? “I warn you, I stay up late, and wake up early.” Megan hoped that would deter him from this whole fiasco. Never in a million years would she have imagined she would be in a situation like this. Especially one where she was arguing with Drew Calloway, the man of her dreams, to stay out of her bedroom.
He continued to look amused as he watched her. She pushed her bangs away from her eyes and pointed toward the living room. “I’m going in there.”
He lifted his chin. “Try to stay away from the windows and don’t touch the doors. We’ll need to fingerprint them.”
Ignoring him, Megan focused on cleaning the mess the intruders had made. She retrieved a broom and dustpan from the laundry room and swept up the mess, trying not to scratch the newly resurfaced hardwood floors. Bending to her hands and knees, she searched the floor for hidden pieces of glass she would undoubtedly find with her bare feet later. Feeling confident she got it all, she stood, picked up the dustpan, and turned to find Drew leaning against the door jamb watching her. The shaking of her hands caused the glass inside the dustpan to start rattling. The man unnerved her.
“Need something?” she asked, not moving an inch. She wanted to move, but her brain refused to remember how. It was like her feet were super-glued to the floor.
He chuckled. “No, I’m good.”
“Hmm, okay.” Megan remained statuesque while waiting for Drew to make the first move and hoping he didn’t have any moves he wanted to make. She held her breath when he finally moved and it was toward her. Fortunately, he stopped short and plopped himself on the couch, grabbing the remote. “You have cable?”
“Yes?” Not exactly what she was expecting, considering the way he was looking at her, but she was relieved… sort of. Dumping the glass into the trash bin, she repeated the same actions in the bedroom. While there, she started to wonder why Drew was being so calm and collected, watching cable television, while his sister was only God knew where.
Moving to the living room, Megan sat in her favorite leather chair. She’d bought the chair in Tulsa at an estate sale for a steal. “Why aren’t you out there looking for Laura instead of staying here with me?”
“Because you’re my best bet at getting her back. Like it or not, you’re my only lead.” Drew spared her a glance and refocused on the evening news.
“It still doesn’t make sense.” She shook her head and ignored his sigh.
“She’s alive, and they aren’t going to hurt her ‘til I give them what they want.”
“How do you know?” He was hiding something and she was going to drag it out of him one way or another.
“Because they told me so.” His eyes bore down on her. “The night she was taken, they left a note for me.”
“And?” She sat straight. This was huge. This meant Laura wasn’t dead in a ditch somewhere because Megan didn’t stop them. “What did the note say?”
“That’s confidential.” Drew shifted to get more comfortable and turned up the volume.
“Don’t you think it’s a little late for that?”
“How do you figure that?”
“Well, because you’re going to be here, in my house, and if they already made a connection with you then it’s more you using me as bait than anything.” The thought of him using her didn’t settle well. Not to mention he had information he wasn’t giving up.
“If you would have been up front with me to begin with, I could have set up surveillance on you and I’d probably already have her home.” As Drew spoke, his voice rose. Megan sat back in the chair and took it, wanting to cry, but fought back the tears. This was partly her fault and she had to take it like a woman.
“I’m really sorry.”
Drew turned off the TV and gave Megan his full attention. “This a bad situation, and right now, there’s nothing to do but sit and wait. These guys aren’t killers. They’re stupid, and it won’t take long ‘til they get themselves caught and she’ll be home.”
Another lightbulb went off in her head. “How do you know they aren’t killers? Do you know who they are?”
“Do you ever stop asking questions?” He leaned his head back and tossed his arms in the air.
“Not when I know I’m being hosed!”
Drew had the nerve to laugh. He pulled off his shoes and propped his feet on the coffee table. As annoyed as she was, Megan still found him very attractive, laid back on her couch, making himself at home. She also found it extremely odd that she was able to talk to him without freaking out and running away. Why now? What had changed?
Drew looked at her sideways and ran his hand through his sexy, blonde hair. He glanced at his watch. “It’s getting late. The police will be here first thing in the morning to take prints. Why don’t we get some sleep? Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”
“They’re not coming tonight?”
“No, the department is small and the guys have their hands full right now.”
Nodding, the nervousness instantly came back when she thought about what he said concerning sleeping in the bed. She was first into the room and rummaged through the drawers until she found a pair of flannel pajamas. Her regular sleepwear of a tank top and panties were out of the question. When Drew walked in the room, they eyed one another before she hid in the bathroom like a coward. In her hurry, she nearly tripped over the forgotten items covering the floor.
“You alright in there?” Drew asked from the other side of the door.
The wall fell away, and he was so close to the door, it was like he was only inches away from her. Her stomach jumped. She reached out her hand as if to touch him then pulled back. “I’m fine.”
She wasn’t. She was anything but fine.
Smiling, Drew pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it on the bench at the foot of her bed. Megan almost fell again, but this time it was from flat-out awe of the glorious sight before her. He didn’t have the farmer’s tan she had come accustomed to seeing on men who lived in the area. No, he was tanned all over and chiseled like a Roman statue.
Megan finally understood what Brandy had meant by comparing men to meat products.
This man was Grade-A prime meat and she would love to take a big piece of that steak.
Pass the A1, please!
“You sure you’re okay?” Drew asked again. He unbuttoned his pants and Megan couldn’t do anything except stand there and gawk at him. Her mind yelled, Take it off, take it all off, but it was wrong and she forced herself to look away.
“Yes,” she said with a sigh.
Putting the walls back up, Megan began undressing. Maybe it was a little strange, but it felt too personal for her to take off her clothes with Drew seemingly right in front of her. She hurried herself and redressed in record speed, leaving her bra on for extra protection. Picking up the items on the floor, she tossed them in her purse before looking in the mirror. Her hair was all over the place and her mascara was smudged under her eyes, making her look much like a raccoon. How embarrassing, she thought as she washed her face and brushed her hair, making a mental note to get her hair trimmed soon.
Knowing she couldn’t stay in there forever, Megan took a deep breath. Dirty clothes in hand, she opened the door and walked straight through the room and to the laundry room. She took her time putting a load into the washing machine and starting it. If she took long enough, there was a chance he would be fast asleep by the time she made it back. Turning to exit the laundry room, she collided with Drew.
“Oh my goodness, don’t scare me like that!” He nearly made her pee her pants, and she kept her legs together, just in case.
“You can’t just go off like that. I need to be with you everywhere you go.” Drew rubbed his wash
board stomach and put a hand out for her to lead the way. Brushing past him, her arm came into contact with his bare skin and she jumped like she had been burned, but kept moving.
Once in the bedroom, she stared at the bed. Drew came in carrying a couple trash bags and duct tape. He covered the broken window with the bags and taped around the edges. Tossing the tape on the dresser he looked at the bed, then at her. “Calm down. I’m not asking you to have sex with me, for Christ’s sake.” He grinned and sauntered to the bed, “Unless you want to?”
“Uh, no!” Wanting to and going to were two totally different things, and she didn’t dignify his question with an answer. “I’ll make you a pallet on the floor.”
Drew’s hands rested lazily on his narrow hips, pushing down his boxers to show a thin trail of hair. Megan tried not to ogle him, but it was such a stark difference from his bare chest. She couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to make her way down his chest and see where the trail ended.
Never going to happen, she reminded herself and refocused on his face.
His smirk made it clear he knew exactly what she was thinking. “Can’t sleep on the floor. Bad back.” He shrugged and got into bed, crossing his legs at the ankles, and raised an eyebrow at her. “Coming?”
The king-size bed didn’t look so big with Drew on it. Why she had bought a bed that large, she didn’t know, but she was beginning to think this was the reason. Seeing the future wasn’t one of her ‘gifts’ but it no doubt had been sort of female intuition for self-perseveration.
She handed him a throw blanket from the bench at the foot of the bed and crawled under the covers, pulling them to her chin, and staying as far away from him as humanly possible.
“I’m not going to bite you,” he chuckled. She glanced at him and he had an arm covering his eyes.
She pulled the cord on the lamp beside the bed and prayed he didn’t. “Just stay on your side.”
Chapter Five
“Time to get up, Buttercup,” Megan heard next to her, pulling her from a wonderfully sexual dream of Drew and his happy trail. Slowly opening her eyes, she found herself face to face with, literally, the man of her dreams. Her leg was wrapped around his like a pretzel and half of her body lay on top of him. She didn’t move just yet.
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