“Where are you?”
“In a crawl space that leads outside,” she answered. She continued to move forward.
“Do they know where you are?”
“I don’t know.” What if they did find her? What if Derk hadn’t been able to push the chest of drawers back into place? Fear took hold and she started to hyperventilate.
“Mackenzie, calm down.”
“Derk,” she sobbed.
“Derk will be fine, I promise,” he said calmly. Too calm. How could he maintain his composure at a time like this? “But we don’t want him worrying about you, so we need to make sure you’re safe. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“If you don’t hear anyone coming through that crawl space, Mackenzie, I want you to stay there. Do you understand me? Do not go outside,” he said firm. She heard a car door slam in the background of the call.
“But he told me to get out of the house.”
“We don’t know if there’s anyone outside watching the house, honey. Stay there unless your hiding spot becomes compromised.” Smith’s tone grew cold and unyielding. She didn’t know he possessed that kind of harshness.
She hadn’t considered there might be people outside. Watching. And she didn’t know the area well at all. She hadn’t bothered to familiarize herself with her new surroundings yet.
“Okay,” she choked on her whisper.
“I have to call some people, Mackenzie. The phone’s on silent, right?”
“Vibrate.”
“Good. I’ll call right back. It’ll only be a minute,” he assured her.
“Please hurry, Smith,” she sobbed. “Please.”
She didn’t know if he disconnected before she begged or if he’d heard her. She prayed Smith came to their rescue.
***
An eternity passed before Mackenzie heard anything. Smith hadn’t called her back like he said he would, and when she tried to call him, it went to voicemail. The clock on the phone ticked by at an achingly slow pace. She hadn’t moved since Smith told her to stay put. She knew where she was, toward the end of the house, which meant there had to be either hidden steps or a slide or a drop that went to ground level in order for her to get out of the house. Should she make her way out? Should she listen to Derk or Smith? If Derk told her to leave their home, he meant it for her safety.
She was about to continue her progression that led outside when the crawl space bedroom door opened and a burst of light bathed the entire space.
“Mackenzie?”
She remained as quiet and still as a petrified, cornered animal. Because that’s exactly what she was. The blinding light backlit whoever was at the door, and she had no idea who called to her.
“Mackenzie, it’s Smith, honey. Come here.”
She couldn’t tell if it truly was Smith. A dark shadow hid his features. When she didn’t budge, he came in after her. She remained cemented in place, unable to move. Fear gripped her.
When he was directly in front of her, her vision grew clear. She broke down and sobbed, tossing herself into Smith’s arms. He held her tight for only a moment.
“Let’s get you out of here, Mackenzie.”
“Derk?”
“He’s on his way to the hospital. I’ll take you there,” he said as he awkwardly crawled out of the space with her on his lap.
“Is he all right?”
“Did you find her?” another strong male voice yelled from inside the bedroom.
Smith didn’t answer either question.
When he finally reached the bedroom, Jack appeared and crouched down, held out his arms to help her out.
“Come on, Mackenzie. We need to get you to the hospital. Derk’s going batshit crazy worrying about you,” he said.
“He’s okay?”
“He needs to get into surgery, but he’s too much of a bear and is fighting everyone. We need you to calm him.”
She scrambled to her feet and rushed out of the room. Before she flew down the steps, she was grabbed from behind and spun around. Carl shook his head. “I’ll take you out of the house, honey. But you have to bury your head in my jacket and close your eyes. Get it?”
Oh God, what was down there that they wanted to shield her from?
“What happened?” she whispered.
“Your boyfriend fought like hell, that’s what happened. And he came out the victor. That’s all you need to know.” A tiny smile played at his lips.
“What is so funny?” she snapped. “Our home was invaded. They wanted to kill Derk.” Her body started to tremble again.
“Shhhh,” he said and patted her back. “I’m not laughing, sweetheart. I’m in awe of your crazy ass boyfriend.”
Oh.
Her puppy was going nuts downstairs, his high-pitched bark filling the entire home. “Bob.”
“Who’s Bob?” In a nanosecond, Carl changed from lighthearted to a man ready to go Rambo.
“My dog.”
“He’s fine.” He shook his head. “Let’s go, Mackenzie. We can’t waste anymore time.”
With that, she buried her head into his chest and closed her eyes tightly. Next thing she knew, she was lifted into the air and placed into a car. She prayed Derk calmed down enough to allow them to fix him. She prayed whatever was wrong was able to be repaired. She prayed she didn’t lose him, just when he’d found her.
32
Derk tried like hell to dislodge himself off the gurney, but security and hospital staff had put him in restraints. If someone didn’t get him to his girl, he was going to put a cap in everyone’s asses as soon as he freed himself. And he would. He’d already managed to escape one of his confined legs.
His stomach burned and a searing pain ripped through him every time he moved an inch, but he used that pain to keep himself alert instead of succumbing to the blackness that called to him. He needed to get to Mackenzie. He needed to save her. No one could tell him if she was safe, without a scratch or hair out of place. Not a single person he knew came into the room to give him any information. And the fucking hospital staff could give a shit less, all they worried about was getting him under the knife. As if one knife to the gut wasn’t enough.
A middle aged doc strolled into the room, along with a plethora of other staff. “All right, Mr. Forester, we’re going to get you up to surgery now.”
“No!” he roared like a lion about to attack everyone in the room. It was a sound he’d never heard come from his own lips. “Mackenzie!”
“Mr. Forester−” the doctor attempted to reason with him, but before he got out another word a ruckus came from outside the room. Security ran from all directions. Loud voices drifted their direction.
And then she was there. In the doorway. His woman. His everything. She rushed to his side and grabbed his hand, threw herself on top of him and openly sobbed. “Derk.”
“Mac,” he breathed, his entire body relaxing. As soon as the tension released, the pain tore through his body, from head to toe. He moaned. “You okay, baby?”
“Yes.” She stood upright and scanned him, catching the blood that seeped through the bandages and gauze.
“Mrs. Forester, we need to get him into surgery.”
“Will he be all right?” His girl didn’t attempt to correct the man.
“The wound is shallow, but we need to surgically repair it.”
“Please come back to me,” she whispered.
“Mac, get me out of these things so I can hold you.”
“He can’t be taken out of the restraints,” a nurse protested.
His awesome woman ignored the staff and made quick work of untying him. As soon as one arm was freed, he wrapped her up and held her close. If he hadn’t woken in middle of the night, the outcome would have been far different for both of them. If his sixth sense hadn’t kicked in to warn him something was off, they’d both be dead, though who knew what they’d have done to Mac before they killed her. Derk closed his eyes, stamping down those thoughts, unwilling to go there. He took in
her sweet scent, the vibrant smell committed to memory. He’d spend the rest of his days looking out for his girl. He’d spend the rest of his life loving her and giving her anything her heart desired. He’d spend forever making certain her happiness ruled above everything else. Mackenzie managed to unman him. Fuck him, he was perfectly fine with it.
EPILOGUE
Lying on the Hawaiian beach, Mackenzie watched Derk splash around in the clear ocean water. Again, he tried to pretend a shark got to him. Yeah, she'd only fall for that once. She remained on her towel, laughing at the fool. It amazed her how different he was when it was only the two of them together. No jobs. No friends. No dangerous psychos pointing guns or threatening with knives. His sometimes juvenile sense of humor was a quirk she adored.
Derk's arms flailing and going under routine only lasted a minute until he caught on she wasn't buying it. She watched him laugh then dive back under the soft waves.
Glancing down at her right wrist to the artwork that proudly displayed her commitment to Derk, she appreciated the italic design of his name permanently imbedded into her skin. One of two tattoos that showed her heart belonged to him. Remembering their inked sessions from three weeks ago, she'd never been happier in her life. No, she didn't have a wedding band or an engagement ring, but she didn't need one. Their forever marked bodies told of their commitment to one another. After Derk had her name tattooed over his heart, his back, and his pelvis‒good lord−she had his imprinted onto her right dominant hand's wrist and the small of her back. Talk about turning a man on. Nothing like giving him something to aim for when he took her from behind.
When they first arrived at this very beach two days ago, they pledged their loyalty and love to each other with the moon shining down upon them like a spotlight put in the sky specifically for them. It was their own private ceremony where they'd both promised never to break their vows. She'd sat on his lap, facing him, her legs wrapped around his trim waist and arms around his neck. He'd held her and gently caressed her face with small kisses and whispered how he'd die for her or take another knife for her. A dark scar reminded them daily of how close they came to losing everything. But that mark gave them a personal reality check on how much they’d missed in life before they’d found each other. And what they’d lose without one another.
They were for life. Derk took care of her better than her first husband. Hell, better than any man she'd ever been with. He might be the tough guy no one pissed with, but that didn't deter from how much he loved her. And she knew it. To her core.
No, they wouldn't have children, neither was interested in giving up their lives or felt the need to be parents, but that wouldn't take away from their bond or the tiny family they were creating between the two of them. Derk was her everything and she was his.
"Hey, sexy momma. Where's that head at?" Derk surprised her, causing her to squeak. He chuckled, leaned down, and kissed her while he dripped water over her.
"Sorry," she said. "Thinking of you."
"Hmmm," he purred and plopped down beside her. His large hand slid up her thigh to her black, string bikini. "I like that I'm on your mind." His lips were on her body, sending chills across her sensitive skin. While his mouth worked her neck, down to her chest, she sighed, contented.
"What do you want to do today, baby?" he whispered.
"What do you want to do?" she asked, even though she knew the answer. Her man was insatiable.
"Fuck you," he answered factually.
"What about the other twenty-three hours and fifty minutes of the day?" she teased.
He sat up, his warm breath leaving her skin. Well, that wasn’t want she wanted.
"Not funny." He narrowed his eyes. "Let me show you just how long I can work your body." And he attacked her, right there on the beach. Luckily, it was pretty much deserted, but Derk didn't care if he was in public when he wanted to take her. With her, he'd have his way in the middle of the grocery store if she'd allow him.
"Derk," she protested as his body ground against hers, his lips sucked on her breast through her barely-covering-her-body triangle top. "Not here."
He lifted his head, those eyes blazing with lust and need. "You don't get to tell me where...or no."
She laughed. "Yes, I do."
"Uh,uh." He slid down to her body, kissing her flat stomach.
"Derk." She squirmed and laughed as his day old scruff tickled her belly. "Please, take me to the cottage. Not here, out in public."
"But I like fucking you in public, baby." His calloused hand slid into her bottoms and a large finger into her swollen channel.
Her head flew back, and she moaned at the fantastic invasion.
"That's it, baby," he breathed. "That's my girl. You're my girl, right?"
"Yes," she whispered.
He added another finger, pumping in and out of her body. "I love you, M."
"I love you." Her eyes fluttered open to find his zeroed in on her.
"M−" He clammed up.
"What, Derk?" she was barely able to ask as the heel of his hand worked her sensitive nub.
"M, I love you. I fucking love you."
Whatever was going on inside his head clearly overwhelmed him. She sat up and took his face into her hands to look him directly in the eyes. "I love you, Derk. I will for the rest of my life. You own me, body and soul. I'm yours."
He yanked his fingers out of her body and licked them clean, his eyes never leaving hers. "Baby," he whispered, "you have me. I love you."
For some reason she didn’t comprehend, he couldn't say it enough.
"I love you," Mackenzie assured him.
Suddenly, he stood and scooped her up into his arms. "Now, let me show you how I last more than fucking ten minutes, M. You won't be able to walk by the time this honeymoon is over."
"Honeymoon?"
He stopped and grinned, her weight meaning nothing to him, as if he was carrying a loaf of bread. "What do you think this is? This is you and me and our forever. No, it's not a church and a room full of people that don't really give a shit about us, pretending to watch us say vows that we'll break the minute one of us gets pissed off. It means a hell of a lot more to me than any of that bullshit. This is us. This is how we work. This is how we'll do us for the rest of our lives. I don't give a shit about some minister or justice of the peace or what the fucking law says. I only know what I know. And all I know is you."
He had an awful way with words, but she understood him, and it was the most romantic thing he'd ever said to her. It was far from a Hallmark card, but she'd take it.
"It's perfect," she said softly.
"Come on, woman, my dick needs inside you," he said seriously.
Tossing her head back, she laughed. He'd never beat around the bush with her either. He would never play games. He'd tell her like it was, good or bad. Laying her head on his chest, she relished the feel of Derk's large arms wrapped securely around her. This was her life now. Derk was her happy-ever-after. Sighing, deep within her soul Mackenzie knew this was the path she was meant to be on.
Kicking open the door to the cottage, Derk strode straight to the back bedroom, tossed her on the bed and loomed over her. "Get naked, baby, because I'm about to lose myself in you every fucking day for the rest of my damn life."
###
A Note From The Author
I would like to personally thank you for making Dangerous Love and Derk and Mackenzie part of your library. In today's saturated market of romance novels, I'm honored that you chose Dangerous Love to take the time to read. If you've loved Derk and Mac's story, I'd be grateful if you left a review, which is extremely important to all authors, no matter the genre.
Keep an eye out for the fourth and final novel of The Love Series to be released in June 2015. All of your favorite characters will come together for the final installment in this series.
If you'd like to read more about your favorite characters, make sure to visit my website for the freebie tab. There you'll find free and new sh
ort stories that consistently pop up about some of your favorite Casey Clipper characters. So be sure to check those out.
Again, thank you!
~Casey
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Killion Group and Jenn, who manages to keep me on the edge of my seat with every novel I've turned over to her to edit. It's nervewracking to give your novel to an editor and wait for their notes. I consider myself lucky that Jenn answered my desperate posting when I'd been in a bind last year, and that we've worked together on The Love Series.
Those fantastic Casey Clipper ebook and paperback covers are created by the fantastic Joanna Chlasta from Book Cover Master Class. There's a reason why authors should always hire a cover designer, because they "see" things that we don't. And Joanna does that with all of my novels. She understands branding, what I like, and what I'm looking for with each cover. And she's incredibly patient and professional.
Dangerous Love wouldn't be where it is without the terrific help of my beta readers. My core group of honest readers, who understand the feedback of what I'm looking for when I send them my novels. And yes, they do give me honest feedback. I couldn't do this without you ladies. Thank you.
Clipp's Crew Street Team are a group of women who are my biggest cheerleaders and for that, I love and am entirely grateful for each and every one of them. They take their own precious time and decide to help promote my novels because they believe in my work and have fallen in love with these characters.
Book blogs and pages that have posted my novels' release blitzes, reviewed, posted sales, or anything else to help support my work I can't thank enough. I do know who are my cheerleaders and trust me, it does not go unnoticed.
And last but definitely not least...my readers. I cannot begin to express how much I love you. When you contact me about a character or a novel or ask questions about my next release, I still get surprised, humbled, and excited that you've connected to the story. I can't begin to express how honored I am that, out of all the books available, you choose one of my novels to spend your precious time with. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And thank you.
Dangerous Love Page 17