Guardian Groom
Page 24
The truth was, she’d let him walk away all those times, because to beg him to stay would be to admit her need for him. And, while he might not have uttered the three little words she’d longed to hear from him, she hadn’t played fast and loose with them, either.
It shamed her to realize that, when they were married, he’d done all the giving, and she’d done all the taking. When had she ever offered him the comfort he needed and was too proud to ask for? Never.
No wonder he hadn’t been able to open up to her. She’d been so busy trying to stand on her own two feet, she hadn’t been able to see she was driving Steve away. Now, when it was probably too late, she finally understood that being independent didn’t mean that she couldn’t confide her problems and concerns. To need someone was not a show of weakness. It was simply human.
And, oh, how she needed Steve. He was as essential to her as breathing.
If she managed to live through this, Kate vowed she wouldn’t make the same mistakes again. Every day of their lives—together, if she could talk him into it—she’d show Steve how much she loved him and needed him. And if he couldn’t get past his fear of harming her? She wouldn’t let that be an obstacle.
She’d been a fool to think her love wasn’t enough. It was. With time and patience, Steve would see that he was no threat to her. Then, and only then, would he be able to give his emotions free rein.
Kate almost sobbed with relief when the rope gave way and fell from her sore wrists. As quickly as she could, she untied her ankles. Now that she was free, she needed to find a weapon.
Unfortunately, the desk had no chair that could be smashed over the head of an unsuspecting Quincy. And, for some unknown reason, the desk drawers had been locked. Ditto the filing cabinet drawers. No matter how hard she tugged, she couldn’t get one drawer to pull free. That left the mattress—which was too unwieldy for her to lift, let alone swing at anyone—and the candle, which was so insubstantial it might as well be dust.
“There has to be something I can use,” Kate said out loud. “There just has to.”
Even though she couldn’t see a thing, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Going very still inside, she used her memory to visualize every inch of the small room. It was a trick Steve had taught her to recall things she had forgotten. In the past, she’d used it quite successfully to find her car keys and other small items she’d mislaid.
No matter how many times she pictured the room, however, she saw nothing that would work as a weapon. Nothing, that is, except that blasted candle. And her own two hands and feet.
She would have to attack Quincy herself. The minute he opened the door. The odds weren’t good that she would succeed, but she had no choice. Hopefully, the element of surprise would work in her favor.
Out of sheer frustration and fear, Kate batted an arm in the direction where she knew the candle to stand. When she made contact with the thin tube of wax, it toppled over. And made a thunk. A loud thunk.
Kate slowly felt her way across the rear of the desk. To her delight, she discovered the candle had been anchored into a chipped glass ashtray. Somehow—most likely because Quincy had blocked her view of it a great part of the time—it had passed her notice.
Kate pulled the candle from the ashtray and lifted the glass to get a sense of its heft. It felt heavy enough to accomplish its task. Positioning herself behind the locked door, she settled down to the chore of waiting. And building her courage.
What seemed a lifetime later, she heard footsteps echoing up the metal stairs. A moment after that, someone paused outside the door. The sound of a key scratched in the lock.
Holding her breath, and hoping that the rapid beating of her heart wasn’t audible to anyone but herself, Kate raised the ashtray and mentally prepared herself to strike. When the door started to creak open, she was assailed by second thoughts. What if it was Steve? Or someone else who had come to her rescue?
The door opened wider, and she banished the thoughts. This was no time for cold feet. She had to act. She had no choice. She might not get another chance.
Stepping out from behind the door and squeezing her eyes tightly shut so she wouldn’t be blinded by the light, Kate brought the ashtray down with all her strength. The contact nearly wrenched her arm out of her socket. She heard the sickening sound of glass meeting flesh, the thunk of a gun as it hit the floor, and the thud of something big and solid at her feet When her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw with relief that it was Quincy. He was out cold.
“Quincy?” she said, nudging him with her toe, just to be sure. “Quincy?”
The body on the floor didn’t move. Kneeling by his side, she raised one arm and checked for a pulse. When she felt its steady rhythm, she let go of his hand. She had to get out of there before he regained consciousness.
Even though she knew it was hopeless, she found herself screaming at the top of her lungs as she stumbled from the room. “Help!” she cried. “Help! Can anybody hear me?”
She was at the top of the stairs when she heard someone shout her name. Leaning over the railing, she saw Steve step out of the shadows. Never in her life had a sight been more welcome.
“Steve!” she cried. “Up here!”
“Kate!” he cried back, his gaze flying to hers. “Are you okay?”
She gave him a wide smile. “I am now.”
“Don’t move. I’ll be right there.”
He took the stairs three at a time, and then she was in his arms. His wonderful, strong arms. He held her so tightly she couldn’t breathe, and rained her face with kisses. She didn’t complain. She was where she wanted to be, where she wanted to stay forever.
“I thought I was too late, that I’d lost you forever,” he said between kisses.
Kate’s heart swelled with love and need. “You’ll never lose me, Steve. Haven’t you realized that yet?”
He looked around them. “Where’s Quincy?”
She nodded over her shoulder at the open doorway. “In there. I knocked him cold with an ashtray.”
“Good girl.” He ran his gaze over her. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
Kate thought of her jaw, which miraculously didn’t bother her at all, now that Steve was here. “No,” she said. “He didn’t hurt me.”
Along with his cell phone, Steve pulled a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. After handing the cuffs to Kate, he placed a quick call.
“We’d better restrain him before he wakes up,” he said when he disconnected. “The police will be here any minute.”
“What’s going to happen to him?” she asked.
Steve gazed at her with understanding. “He’ll never be able to hurt us again. Not only won’t his brother-in-law be free to do his bidding, but this time he’ll be guarded around the clock while he awaits trial. Trust me, Kate, Quincy Ellis will never walk the streets again.”
“That’s what you think,” Quincy growled.
Too late, Kate sensed movement from the open doorway. “Steve!” she screamed as Quincy launched himself at them.
Steve thrust Kate out of the way, leaving her to watch helplessly while he grappled with Quincy on the narrow walkway. While Steve was in much better physical shape than Quincy, Quincy had desperation on his side. He had nothing to lose, which gave him a strength that far surpassed his normal abilities.
Kate inched her way to the open doorway. She couldn’t just stand there and hope that Steve would be able to subdue Quincy. She had to help. Somewhere, inside that dark room, there was a gun. And she was going to find it.
Sobbing with worry and terror, she inched around on the filthy floor. She finally found the gun against the wall under the narrow bed. When she reached the doorway, the sight that greeted her eyes took her breath away. Steve was bent backwards over the narrow railing, and Quincy had his fingers around Steve’s throat.
She raised the gun. “Don’t move, or I’ll shoot,” she commanded in a voice that was surprisingly strong considering how terrified she was. If Steve fell...<
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Fingers still around Steve’s throat, Quincy turned his head. When he saw the way the gun wavered, he laughed.
“You going to shoot me, Kate? Your hand’s shaking so bad, you couldn’t hit the side of a barn.”
“You willing to take that chance?” she challenged. Through sheer effort of will, her hand steadied. The gun now pointed directly at Quincy’s head.
“You willing to hit your lover here?” he taunted.
His words almost made her lower the weapon. She didn’t know the first thing about shooting a gun. What if she hit Steve by mistake?
Mercifully the question went unanswered, because Steve took advantage of Quincy’s distraction to attack. With a roar of rage he brought his feet up and kicked Quincy in the midsection. While Quincy went flying against the wall, Steve fell to the floor, coughing.
“The gun, Steve!” she cried, tossing it in the air as Quincy found his feet. Steve deftly caught it, and charged his former best friend.
The battle ended a minute later, with Quincy facedown on the floor. Steve straddled his back and held the gun to his head.
“This is the last time you’ll ever threaten her,” he vowed in a voice of raw fury. “Do you hear me?”
“The only way to make sure is to finish me off,” Quincy said. “Do it. End it here, now. Otherwise you’ll be forever looking over your back.”
Heart thumping, Kate held her breath. No, Steve, she begged silently. Don’t do it. Please don’t do it.
For what seemed hours, but was probably only seconds, Steve sat motionless. A dozen emotions flitted across his face as he stared down at the man he had once called friend. Fury. Hatred. Confusion. Resignation.
“No,” he finally said, shaking his head forcefully. “No.”
Relief surging through her, Kate scrambled to his side and placed the handcuffs around Quincy’s wrists. They used the rope Quincy had bound Kate with to secure his legs. Then, leaving him where he lay, they strolled hand in hand outside and into the sunlight.
Kate didn’t realize that tears were streaming down her cheeks until she saw the worried look on Steve’s face.
“What is it?” he asked. “Are you hurt? Why are you crying?”
“It’s just...I’m so happy. You stopped. You stopped, Steve. If you couldn’t bring yourself to harm the man who was threatening both our lives, you’ll never hurt me. Surely you can see that now.”
And, suddenly, she knew that he did see. The wonder in his eyes filled her heart with joy and love. To Kate it was like watching the sun appear over the horizon for the first time.
“I stopped,” he repeated, his voice filled with awe. “I really stopped.”
“Yes,” she said. “You did.”
His gaze met hers. “I’ll never hurt you, or anyone else.”
“No, Steve, you won’t.”
He pulled her so close that she lost all sense of where she ended and he began. “I love you, Kate.”
“I love you, too.”
“You sure you want to hook up with me again?”
She tightened her arms around his neck. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
Neither of them paid any attention to the wailing sirens that hailed the arrival of the police. Inside the abandoned warehouse lay a man whose life, by his own choice, was essentially over. But theirs had a new beginning. A wonderful new beginning.
Epilogue
“What is it that you ask for this child?” the priest said.
Kate looked down at the sleeping infant in her arms, and a wave of love washed over her. “Baptism,” she and Steve answered in unison.
They were surrounded by those they loved most. Kate’s father had traveled up from Florida with his new bride to attend the momentous event. Mrs. Edmund and Clara Mae Edgington beamed at them from the front pew.
To Kate’s right, Martha stood, her joy at being selected godmother written all over her face. And to Steve’s left stood all six of her brothers.
Kate supposed it was rather unconventional for one small child to have six godfathers. The one thing she’d learned from her experience with Quincy, however, was the importance of showing those you love how you feel. When it came down to it, she hadn’t been able to choose which of her six brothers on whom to bestow the honor of being godfather. So she’d chosen them all. One thing was for certain. Her daughter was going to grow up showered with love from her father and all six of her overprotective uncles.
And she’d probably rebel just the way Kate had. Such was life.
“Happy?” Steve asked when the ceremony was over and they walked out of the church together. As always, the love shining in his eyes made Kate’s heart turn over.
“I’m so happy it should be illegal.”
“Me, too.”
So much had happened in the two years since she and Steve had remarried. He’d sold his grandparents’ home, and they now resided in the house she’d bought Quincy had never gone to trial. The night before he was to be tried, he’d used a sheet to hang himself in his cell. While Kate was saddened by the waste of his life, in a way she was also relieved. Never would she or Steve have to look over their shoulders and wonder if Quincy would once again try to get even.
As for Steve’s fear of confrontations, things hadn’t changed overnight. In the beginning, he’d still had the tendency to try to walk away whenever things had gotten tense. But, little by little, with the passage of time and Kate’s patient persistence, he’d learned to air his feelings. Each time he had done so without the worst happening, his confidence had grown. Now it was simply routine for him to blow off steam whenever things got to be too much. The bottle of antacid that had been his constant companion was history.
And now this wonderful child, this beautiful little girl they’d named Sarah Elizabeth, had entered their lives. Things couldn’t be more perfect.
“I should have fought for you, Kate,” Steve said as he helped settle the baby into her car seat. Since their remarriage, it was almost uncanny how he always seemed to read her thoughts without her saying a word. “Back when we were first married, I mean. I know that now. I warn you, if you ever try to leave me again, you’ll be in for the battle of your life.”
Kate turned to her husband and kissed him on the lips. “Trust me,” she said with a smile. “That’s one battle you will never have to fight.”
ISBN : 978-1-4592-5895-2
GUARDIAN GROOM
Copyright © 1999 by Shelley Cooper
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 300 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017 U.S.A.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Letter to Reader
Dedication
Books by Shelley Cooper
About the Author
PRAISE FOR SHELLEY COOPER’S DEBUT INTIMATE MOMENTS NOVEL, MAJOR DAD:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter
11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
Copyright