Want Me (Coopers Creek Book 3)

by Bronwen Evans

  Had he really just heard what he thought he had? “You love me? Anna, don’t just say that because of what just happened. You’re upset and scared.”

  She took his face in her hands and said, “I’m not saying it because I’m upset. I’m saying it because it’s true. I love you, Chase.”

  Chase’s heart flooded with happiness and he captured her soft lips in a kiss that conveyed everything he couldn’t put into words right then. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back. He felt her love in the way she touched and kissed him.

  Someone cleared their throat and they slowly broke apart.

  One of the paramedics said, “I hate to interrupt, but we need to get you to the hospital.”

  “Okay. In we go.”

  Chase helped Anna inside the ambulance and soon they were headed for the hospital.

  Chapter 15

  The ER at Good Samaritan Hospital was busy that night, so it took a little while for Chase and Anna to be seen. Chase refused to leave Anna, so when the doctor came, he had to do a joint examination. Blood was drawn from them both to rule out drugs or alcohol involvement, and Chase was sent for an MRI to rule out a concussion. The nurse gave Chase a set of scrubs to change into.

  He’d called Tyler and Brian to fill them in, and Anna had also called her parents. They’d reassured everyone that they were fine and waited for their test results to come back. As they sat on a gurney, holding hands, a man in a suit came into their room.

  “Hello, I’m Detective Purcell. I’d like to ask you some questions about what happened tonight,” he said.

  “Of course,” Anna said, even though she didn’t understand why a detective would be involved.

  He looked at Chase. “In private.”

  Anna said, “No. Please let Chase stay.”

  “Okay. Ms. Spencer, we ran you through the system, and we found out that you have a restraining order against a Greg Lawson from Cincinnati. We also saw that you’ve moved twice over the last few months. Is he chasing you?” Purcell asked, his piercing blue eyes holding her gaze.

  Anna’s heart knocked against her ribs and she tightened her hold on Chase’s hand. She still hadn’t been able to bring herself to tell him about Greg stalking her. There was no way to get around it now. “Yes,” she whispered. “He found me when I moved to St. Paul, so I moved to Chicago, and then to L.A. I thought that I’d shaken him. Why are you asking about this?”

  “Our forensics unit went over your car to corroborate your claim of brake failure. Someone cut your brake line, jammed the fuel valve open, and rigged the driver’s side seatbelt so it wouldn’t release,” Purcell told her.

  “What are you saying?” Chase asked.

  Purcell’s gaze shifted between Anna and Chase. “I’m saying that someone tried to kill you, Ms. Spencer.”

  Anna shook her head. “No. That’s impossible.”

  Purcell said, “I know that this is hard to accept, but I’m afraid it’s true. We also saw your hospital records from Cincinnati. A broken arm, bruises on your face and other places, broken ribs. All consistent with domestic abuse.”

  Anna chanced a glance at Chase. Rage burned in his eyes and his jaw was tightly clenched. She looked down at the floor. “That’s why I got the restraining order against him, but it didn’t do much good. So, I ran, but he found me. He has friends in law enforcement, and I’m sure they’ve been helping him.”

  Purcell nodded. “We’ve seen this sort of thing before. We’ll do a full investigation. In the meantime, you shouldn’t travel around alone. I’d like to post a uniformed officer outside your apartment.”

  Chase said, “Don’t bother. She’ll be coming home with me, and I have a topnotch security team in my building. I’ll also be appointing a security detail to her. Thank God Brenda is at rehab. He might come after all my family, too.”

  Purcell’s brow furrowed. “Are you in law enforcement? Your information says that you’re a businessman.”

  “That’s right, but I have friends in the security business, and I know that she’ll only be given an officer for forty-eight hours. Who knows how long it’ll take to find this sick bastard.” Chase said.

  “That’s not against the law, but don’t do anything that would be considered obstruction or act like a vigilante,” Purcell said. “You do, and I’ll arrest your millionaire ass. Got it?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Purcell nodded. “I’ll be in touch as soon as we have more information.”

  “Thank you,” Anna said.

  As soon as Purcell left the room, Chase said, “Anna, how could you not—”

  He was interrupted by the arrival of their doctor. “Mr. McIntyre, all of your test results are normal. No concussion and nothing came back in your blood tests or urinalysis.”

  Chase said, “Good. Thanks.”

  “Ms. Spencer, may I speak to you in private?” Dr. Malone asked.

  Anna shook her head. She didn’t want to be alone after learning that someone had just attempted to murder her. “It’s okay. Chase can stay.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Chase said, “I can step out. It’s okay.”

  “No, please stay,” Anna said.

  “All right.”

  Dr. Malone said, “Your tests also came back negative for drugs or alcohol, but—are you sure you don’t want him to step out?”

  Anna grew testy. “I’m sure. Chase stays.”

  “Okay. You need to make an appointment with an obstetrician. We always do a pregnancy test as a precaution. By the looks of it, you’re not quite six weeks along,” Dr. Malone said.

  Anna shook her head. “No, that’s impossible.”

  “Why?” Dr. Malone inquired. “Did you have your period recently?”

  “No, but I’m not always regular,” Anna said.

  “Are you on birth control?”

  “No.”

  “Are you and your boyfriend intimate?” he asked.

  Chase said, “She can’t be pregnant because I’m sterile. I’ve been tested. So, your tests are wrong.”

  Dr. Malone shook his head. “Both her urinalysis and her blood tests show that she’s pregnant. It’s highly unlikely that both would be wrong. Like I said, make an O.B. appointment. You’re all set to go. Take care.”

  * * *

  Chase looked at Anna and she suddenly seemed like a stranger to him. There was so much about her that he didn’t know. He’d been a damn fool not to press her more about Greg, but she’d never mentioned anything about a restraining order or being on the run from him. What else had she not told him? Had she been seeing someone else all this time? He should’ve had her investigated. Once again, he’d jumped the gun on something and now he was in the middle of one hell of a predicament. When would he ever learn?

  Anna’s eyes were huge as she started speaking.

  “How could this happen?” When she started to speak he held up his hand. “This is not the time or place. Not until we get home.” Hurt and confusion turned his voice icy. “Let’s go.”

  Chase ignored the tears in her eyes as she passed him on the way to the hallway. He followed her out to the waiting room where Brian was waiting for them.

  “Hey! Are you guys okay?” he asked, hugging Chase.

  “Yeah. We’re fine.”

  Brian gave Anna a hug, too, which she accepted stiffly. “I couldn’t believe it when you called me.”

  “I can’t believe it, either.” Chase sent Anna a hard stare.

  She lowered her eyes and Brian gave Chase a confused look.

  Chase said, “Let’s go home. Thanks for picking us up, Brian.”

  Brian arched an eyebrow over Chase’s use of his real name, but refrained from commenting on it. “Yeah. You guys need to rest.”

  Chase nodded and they followed Brian out to his gold Toyota Camry. He seated Anna in the back and got in the front seat. The drive to Horizon was largely silent and Chase resisted the urge to look at Anna in the side-view mirror.

  Somehow
, he kept his turmoil inside when he felt like smashing the window out. Pregnant. Anna was pregnant. His stomach hurt so bad that he felt nauseous, but his heart ached even worse. She’d been sleeping with someone else. How could she accuse him of cheating when she’d been screwing some other guy all along? He took a deep breath and let it out slowly to keep from barfing or crying.

  As they pulled into the Horizon building, Chase said, “Brian, can you take over for me tomorrow? You know everything that’s going on.”

  Brian nodded. “Absolutely. I’ll give you a report at the end of the day.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  “Take care, guys. I’m so glad that you’re okay,” Brian said.

  Chase and Anna walked into the building and passed through the security check. Once they’d gone upstairs, Chase immediately went to the kitchen and unlocked the cabinet where he kept liquor. He took a bottle of JD into the living room. Anna was seated on one of the couches, so Chase sat on the other one. He couldn’t bear to be near her right then.

  “I want to know everything about Greg. We’ll deal with that first,” he said. “Do you have a picture of him? I need one.”

  “What about the fact I’m pregnant?”

  “One problem at a time.”

  Anna’s eyes filled with hurt and her bottom lip quivered. “No, I don’t have a photo of Greg. Why do you want one?”

  “To give to the security company and my guards so that if he comes around, they can nab his ass. And so I know what he looks like, too. Did it ever occur to you that he might come after someone you became involved with? Or Brenda? I wouldn’t know him from Adam.

  “It’s partly my fault because I should’ve asked more questions. I was just too afraid of upsetting you. Little did I know that you’re not quite the innocent, delicate flower you pretend to be,” he said.

  Anna’s eyes widened in anger. “I’m sorry about not talking to you about Greg. There just never seemed to be a good time, and it’s hard to talk about.”

  “Never a good time? You’ve had plenty of opportunities to tell me!” Chase could not help the anger sounding in each word. “I told you about me being sterile! I trusted you, but you didn’t trust me.” He let out a snort of derision. “Speaking of trust, you had the nerve to accuse me of cheating on you. Who have you been sleeping with?”

  Anna’s hands clenched on her lap. “I didn’t sleep with anyone else! I swear! Get me a Bible or do a lie detector test! I’ll pass it with flying colors. Outside of Greg, you’re the only man I’ve ever been with.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I swear to you that—”

  The bent up hurt and anger exploded before he could help himself. “Bull fucking shit! I’m sterile! I can’t knock you up, remember? God, how I wanted to, but I can’t.” A dreadful thought filled his head. “Did you sleep with someone to have a baby because you knew I couldn’t? How could you do this to me when you knew how much it hurts me?”

  “I didn’t! I wouldn’t! I love you, Chase, and I would never cheat on you,” Anna shouted back. “I would never get pregnant with another man’s child without it being a joint decision. This pregnancy is just as much a shock to me. I always thought I would only have a child once I married.”

  “How am I to believe you when you’ve held so much about yourself back from me?” Chase said.

  Anna stiffened and fell silent.

  “Now, here’s how this is gonna go. In the morning, I’m calling a security company I use and having a detail assigned to you. You won’t be able to call them off because they answer to me,” Chase said. “They’ll be with you until they catch this fucker. And I will catch him.”

  “You? You’re going to find him?”

  “Not me personally, but I’ll have my security company on his ass ASAP. Not only that, I’m gonna offer a reward for any information leading to his arrest,” Chase said.

  “What if he has an alibi? What if this wasn’t him?” Anna asked.

  “Who else would want you dead?” Chase asked. “It was your car, and you always drive it. That seatbelt wasn’t rigged to trap me. No, they were after you. This time. He might decide to take revenge and come after me or even one of our family.”

  She went completely white, and Chase was afraid that she was going to pass out. He relented. Even though she was carrying someone else’s baby, he didn’t want any harm to come to the innocent little life. There was already a risk of her miscarrying after jumping from a car and being so scared.

  Upsetting her further wasn’t good for either of them. Chase cursed his sensitive heart as he looked at Anna. Even after her betrayal, he loved her and wanted her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything would be okay, but it wouldn’t be. It would never truly be okay again.

  “Go to bed, Anna. Get some rest. I’ll take care of everything in the morning, and we’ll go from there,” Chase said.

  She stood up. “All I know is I have slept with no one but you. You say you can’t have children, well, either this is another immaculate conception or you were wrong.” She poked him in his chest. “Go and speak to a specialist. Then you’ll know I’m telling the truth.”

  She looked at him for a few moments and then left the living room, heading down the hallway to the guest rooms. A door slammed shut and silence descended on the living room. Chase took his bottle of booze and called Lola to him. After greeting him, she’d slunk off when things had gotten loud.

  She came out of the dining room and Chase soothed her. He snatched up his cellphone before taking Lola down to the yard. He flopped down in his lawn chair and took two huge swigs of whiskey. The burn of the alcohol didn’t come close to matching the pain in his heart. Was Anna telling the truth? Could he be the father? He wanted that so badly but he would not let himself believe… if it turned out she lied, it would destroy him to get his hopes up.

  “Granddaddy, I wish you were here. If ever there was a time I needed you and Nana, it’s now. I don’t know what to do.” He leaned his head back and gazed up at the stars. “Anna would not do that to me,” but did he really know her. Did you really know anyone fully?

  Lola came to him and jumped up, placing half of her large body over his lap. Chase stroked her silky head and accepted her doggie kisses. “You love me no matter what, don’t you? Yeah. What would I do without you?”

  Wrapping his arms around Lola’s neck, Chase gave in to his anguish, comforted by her presence and unconditional love. When his tears were spent, he let her go, picked up his bottle and took Lola back inside. Unable to face his bed where he’d made love with Anna so many times, he laid down on one of the couches. Chase watched the sky gradually lighten as his mind swirled with questions, and he planned his course of action.

  * * *

  Anna had spent the night curled in a ball as agony tore at her. Finally, near dawn, she’d sank into an exhausted slumber. When she awoke, she saw that it was nearly noon. Rising from bed, she winced at the pain that accompanied the action. She was stiff and sore all over. Going out to the living room, she encountered Lola, who greeted her enthusiastically.

  She petted the pooch before continuing to the kitchen. A note lay underneath the saltshaker on the table. Picking it up, Anna read it and crumpled it in her fist as anger rushed through her. He’d gone to Denver? How could he leave when they needed to talk? How could he not believe her? Was what they shared love? Real love?

  No. You would stay and talk. It was such an easy solution. All he had to do was get his sperm count tested. He should not have needed that proof. He should trust her. Without trust, what did they have?

  His note had also said that a security detail was right outside the door. Anna stomped to the front door and ripped it open. Sure enough, two large men were stationed in the lobby.

  “Morning, ma’am,” one of them said. “I’m Paul and this is Harper. You’ll be safe with us.”

  Anna was so angry that she couldn’t even respond. She shut the door again and quickly went to Chase’s bedroom. She stopped im
mediately when she saw the bed. Was that where their baby had been conceived? Or maybe in the shower? They’d made love in so many places that there was no way to tell.

  To defend herself from the crushing pain in her heart, Anna clung to her anger over Chase’s desertion. If he thought that she was going to stay there like a good little girl, he was dead wrong. She wasn’t going to allow him to control her the way that Greg had.

  Gathering up the outfit of jeans and a blue tank top that she’d left at Chase’s the other night, she went to the bathroom and took a massaging shower. It helped ease some of the soreness in her muscles. As she washed, she did her best not to see Chase in there with her that first time. How sexy and masculine he was. Tried not to see his gorgeous smile or hear his infectious laugh.

  She finished the shower and dressed. Then she threw her ruined clothes from the night before in the trash and gathered up the other things she’d left at Chase’s. She shoved them in her overnight bag and sat it by the front door. Then she knelt on one knee and hugged Lola. The dog whined and pressed against her, giving her a doggie hug.

  Anna hung onto her as tears slid down her face. “I love you, Lola. Be a good girl, okay?”

  Lola whined again as Anna stood and looked around the place that had almost become her home. She gave Lola a last kiss and stepped out into the lobby.

  “I know that you’re only following orders, but I’m not happy about having you with me,” she said to the guards. “I didn’t ask for you, but I guess I’d be silly to ignore the help.”

  The smaller one of the two, Harper, said, “That’s okay. We’re used to that. But your boyfriend’s instincts are good. So, try not to be too mad at him.”

  She’d expected them to wear suits like the bodyguards in the movies and on TV, but they were dressed in casual clothes.

  “We shall see about the boyfriend part but yes, Chase usually has good instincts—usually.” Anna’s heart cracked a little more, but she lifted her chin. “I’m going home.”

  Paul, a handsome black man with a shaved head and a surprisingly friendly smile for a bodyguard said, “Yes, ma’am. Wherever you want to go, we’ll take you.”