Safer With You

by Trisha Madley

  “Luke. He has been nothing but good to me. I think we need to end this conversation. You’re here now, so you got what you wanted. Just like always.”

  “Nora, you’re acting like I have no right to be here or to be concerned about you. I love you, and I am so sorry about what happened in Miami. How many times do I need to apologize? I’m here because I miss you and want you to come back to me. I was an ass for letting you go.”

  Damn right you were. He is making my head hurt. He looks so handsome, so smart, but his charm isn’t working on me. I know he’s just waiting for me to wilt at any second.

  He continues, “I just want us back to the way we were, not in Miami, but how we were before. I promise I’ll protect you. I’ll keep you safe; I don’t want you to depend on Madsyn.”

  “Luke, I don’t know what to think anymore. Someone just tried to kill me and you want me to let you back into my life after you hurt me? Just give me some time to get better and try to understand what the hell happened to me. I have no idea why someone would hate me so much to hurt me this way.”

  Luke runs his hands through his hair. I close my eyes to settle myself. My nerves are shot and he needs to leave.

  I can feel another presence in the room, so I open my eyes to the sight I’ve been waiting to see all day—Jase. My heart leaps at the sight of him. I can feel myself relax. Jase smiles at me and coolly regards Luke.

  I’d forgotten that Luke was in the room. He stands in front of my bed facing Jase.

  Jase clears his throat. “How is Dr. Saunders treating you?” Jase manages to remain expressionless, but beautiful nonetheless. He completely ignores that Luke is in front of him and walks around him to stand by me. My protector.

  I wonder if he knows the truth about the good doctor. If this was months ago, I would have gone along with Luke’s little lie, but he’s done too much to hurt me. Jase saved me. I’ll never lie to him. I owe him everything, including my honesty.

  Standing up to Luke, I say, “He’s not a doctor. This is my ex—Luke Saunders.”

  I take a peek at Luke, who glares at me.

  “Mr. Madsyn, I would like to extend my deepest thanks for all that you have done for my Nora. But I am here now. You can put me on the list and I’ll take over from here.”

  I can feel the tension in the room radiate to thermonuclear levels. Luke is glaring and Jase still isn’t reacting, at all. He sits down in the chair beside me and takes my hand, completely ignoring the words that spilled from Luke’s mouth.

  “How are you feeling, today?” Jase asks me calmly, as his eyes crinkle with concern.

  “I’m better. The pain is still there, but I think the drugs are helping.” I can feel my face flame at the sexy smile he shoots me.

  “You look much better today. I was concerned when I heard some shouting, and I wanted to make sure things were okay. You need your rest and no stress.” He shoots a vicious stare at Luke from my bedside.

  “I’m fine. Luke and I were just discussing some things. We are okay. Really.” I know he doesn’t believe me, but I send him a reassuring smile.

  “Well, I’ll leave you two to finish. Mr. Saunders, I’d like a word with you when you’re done.”

  Jase stands up and walks past Luke without even a glance. The door shuts quietly behind him.

  “Nora, that didn’t look innocent to me. He ignored every word I said and fawned over you like I was invisible. Who’s the one hurting whom now?”

  Always about him. He’s right, though. If what he’s saying is true, it probably stung a bit to see Jase hold my hand. I need to defuse this before Luke makes things worse.

  “Luke, it’s nothing. He’s a good friend, and family now that Jenny is married to his cousin. I’m tired and I’m in pain. If you haven’t noticed, my face is bruised, I have gashes down my arms and a knife slit my stomach. If you go away now, I’ll make sure you can visit again. Deal?”

  Luke comes to my side and lifts my hand to his lips. “Nora, it kills me to see you like this. What’s even worse is you won’t let me help you, but you’ll let some guy you know nothing about do so. I love you, sweetheart.”

  His green eyes shine with sincerity and he kisses my hand. “I’m going to talk with Madsyn, then I’ll be back after you get some rest. No worries.”

  I nod as he leaves. I am drained, so I roll over and think of Jase’s calming smile and shut my eyes, knowing he’s out there, protecting me.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jase

  Tucker is standing still as a statue as I walk out of Nora’s room. My composure has vanished; I held it together for Nora.

  Tucker informed me that a nurse named Jackie helped Luke with his stunt to get into Nora’s room. I let it play out, only because Tucker is close, but when I heard her voice raise, I couldn’t leave her alone with him.

  I’m not sure how she could have gotten involved with a guy like Luke, but he has to be behind her attack. He’s stupid enough to have put her in harm’s way.

  Pacing in this sterile hallway isn’t me; with each step, my adrenaline kicks up a notch. That stupid bastard knows something, and the second he walks out the door, he’s done. But before I can even finish my thought, he steps out into the hallway and our eyes meet. He straightens his shoulders and strides towards me.

  I stand with my fists clenched at my sides. I need to hear what he has to say before I punch his teeth down his throat.

  He stands before me with a cocky grin on his face. I try to remain passive and let him speak first. “Madsyn, you wanted a word?”

  “Start explaining, now!” So much for passivity.

  “I don’t have to explain anything about Nora to you. She has been mine for years and you think you can swoop in here with your money and take her away from me? I know exactly who you are; you can’t threaten me. My uncle won’t allow it. You can’t afford to be an enemy of his.”

  I move quickly and wrench him up against the wall by his necktie, making sure to choke him a little in the process. “I don’t give a fuck about your uncle. You better start talking about what you know about her attack.”

  Luke grits through his teeth, “I have no idea who would have hurt her, and I had nothing to do with it.”

  “You know something. I’ve had to cover for you enough to know what a fuck up you are!”

  He spits, “I will keep her safe, not you. She is not your business. She is mine and will always be mine!”

  I push him harder against the wall. “You do understand how this works, how I work?”

  I loosen my grip so I can hear his response. Luke coughs and says, “Fuck you!” I ball my other hand into a fist and pound him in the stomach. He slouches over and gasps for air.

  “Mr. Madsyn, can I take care of that for you?” Tucker says calmly behind me.

  Taking my hands off of him, I say, “I’ll be watching every step you take, Malone,” then back away before anyone notices our altercation. This is the last thing Nora needs to find out about.

  I turn from Tucker and Luke, lean against the wall to inhale a deep breath, and close my eyes. My brain function is returning. What is she doing with a fuck up like Malone? He is the last person I would think that Nora would surround herself with, and why the fuck is he going by Luke Saunders?

  I try to compose my thoughts. Things were certainly out of hand. I knew Michael worked for the senator as a gofer. He had been given a few projects, all of which he failed.

  The last being that Senator Malone’s mistress threatened to go to the media about their affair. Isaac, Michael’s cousin, decided to take care of the girl by severely beating her. Luckily, while it was happening, Michael called the senator, who then called me to handle the situation. I was able to stop Isaac before he killed her and I arranged for her to be relocated.

  Now I have all these questions swimming in my mind. If he could stand around and watch Isaac hurt Senator Malone’s mistress, an innocent woman—what could he have done to Nora before…and did he attack her this time?
>
  I know there is no way I’m going to let Luke/Michael near Nora again, but I can’t tell her what I know without putting her in further danger. But I’m now certain that whatever happened to Nora, happened because of Luke.

  I need to find out more about their relationship. As I head out of the hospital, her apartment is the only place I need to be. The security team swept it the day before, but maybe I can find something they missed.

  I leave Tucker and a few other security officers at the hospital. I know she is in good hands. Her family is also there, so now I can concentrate on other aspects of this case.

  I get in my Mustang and turn up the radio to help channel some calming thoughts. I hate that son of a bitch, and the thought of him being around Nora kills me. I have to walk the thin line delicately. It’s clear she isn’t over him and cares for him, but she has no idea what he is capable of, and I’m not sure I do either.

  My car stereo chirps, indicating a call. I don’t even bother to look at who is calling.

  “Jase, baby, where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you.” Samantha’s shrill voice echoes throughout the car.

  I sigh and rub my hand down my face, hoping to peel some of my aggravation off with it. “Why are you calling, Sam?”

  Her voice is low and sexy—too bad that’s never worked on me. “Baby, you were just scared. I won’t push you to marry me until you’re ready. I know you still want to marry me; you didn’t even ask for the ring back.”

  I wish she could see the disgust on my face. There is nothing appealing about the thought of making her my wife.

  “Just so you know, I haven’t told anyone it’s over for us. I’m still showing everyone this exquisite ring you slipped on my finger.”

  “Samantha, what are you trying to do? I ended it with you. We are over; you need to move on,” I say slowly and clearly so she understands.

  “Oh, baby,” she whines. “Don’t say that. We are so good together. We know all the right people, we have money, and above all, we have power.”

  I pull the Mustang off to the side of the road. Power? Does she even know what that entails? I am powerful; I bring grown men to their knees begging for me to spare their lives. She is just a pawn for me to gain more power.

  Her parents own several hotels that are located in several different countries. I used her to meet and gain their trust. Eventually, they sold their hotels to me. Simple, a business deal. I broke off the engagement when she set a date. I use the hotels to conceal clients until a more secure location can be established.

  I know I sound like a dick, but she has no feelings for me either. We both got what we wanted from each other. “Samantha, we had a good run, but you know I’m not the marrying kind, and besides, I told you from the beginning, I only wanted the hotels.”

  A growl rips throughout the car. “You bastard! A worthless piece of shi…” Click!

  Thank God for the end button. Of course I’m a piece of shit to her; I have to be. She’s an attractive girl, nice, good in bed, but there wasn’t a connection. I didn’t truly understand that until Nora walked into my life.

  I speed my car down Nora’s road toward her building. I park in the empty spot near her window, overflowing with her pink and orange daisies.

  Tugging the key from my pocket, I head into the entryway. I notice her door is ajar. My throat goes immediately dry and my instincts kick in. I rip my gun from inside my jacket pocket. I use the barrel of the gun to nudge it open a little more. As I creep further in, glass crackles under my feet. Spotting the light switch by the door, I turn it on with the barrel of my gun, ready to shoot anyone who doesn’t belong. I aim my sight with the gun and survey the room, ready to shoot. No sound, only silence and destruction.

  My eyes quickly examine the room. All the drawers are open, tables, chairs, cushions all turned over. Papers are scattered across every surface. Catching my attention immediately is a picture of Nora with her family and a knife gauging through the frame with Nora’s face as the target.

  I know not to touch a thing. I creep quietly through the ransacked living room. My eyes land on the small breakfast bar that separates the rooms. The kitchen has also been trashed. Everything has been thrown from the cupboards and thrashed to the floor. Every item is broken or shattered.

  Someone is clearly looking for something. What the fuck has she gotten herself into? I have no doubt this is Luke’s fault. She is not capable of an enemy like this.

  Off of the kitchen is a small hallway that leads to a tiny bathroom. It has also been touched. I don’t even bother to look further. I need to see what her bedroom looks like.

  The door is closed. I grip my gun tighter and aim, ready to fire. The door squeaks as I gingerly push it open. Walking through, my eyes immediately gravitate towards her bed.

  It is made and pillows are neatly placed, but marring the normal scene is a long slash in the fabric through the mattress. It starts in the pillows and ends at the bottom of the bed.

  I freeze.

  A banging sound catches my attention. This room hasn’t been touched like the others. Panic spreads through my veins, not for me, but for Nora.

  I walk to the window where the shutters are clanging against the open window. Whoever did this is gone. Removing my cell phone, I dial Tucker.

  “When was Nora’s apartment checked last?”

  “Sir, eight hours.”

  “I’m at her apartment now; someone’s been here. Make sure no one gets in her room; I mean FUCKING NOBODY! You got me? And if that fuck Saunders comes anywhere near her—take him down!”

  I put my gun in my pocket and throw my phone down on the bed. A note is lodged between the mattress and the knife. I’m not really good at leaving things exactly as found, as the cops prefer, and there was no way I was leaving that note untouched.

  My mind wanders to the thought that maybe this person has to do with the senator? How had I missed the link between Luke and the senator? Had this all been my fault? Did this person see me with her?

  The thought is making me physically ill. I can’t wait any longer. I yank the note without dislodging the knife. I unfold the lined notebook paper and inhale a deep breath before I read whatever evil words are scribbled down.

  “It’s a shame you never noticed me. I’ve been by your side always!”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nora

  Jase hasn’t been in to see me since yesterday. He left right after Luke did. I heard from one of the nurses there was an altercation between the two of them, but she swore me to secrecy. I have to admit, the thought of Jase standing up to Luke thrills me.

  I’ve never been one to catch the attention of men like my sister, let alone have them fight over me. Especially a man like Jase.

  My parents and sister have been in and out today, but no one has mentioned either Luke or Jase. I’m starting to feel much better, and the doctor has even mentioned me going home in a day or two.

  I still have no memory of what happened, but at this point, it’s alright. Maybe it’s best I don’t remember. I’m not really sure who did it or why this happened to me, but I have a feeling whoever did this knew me. I just don’t have a clue who would hate me so much to try to almost kill me.

  Jenny was in earlier and helped me clean up. I feel more like myself. My long dark hair is down and brushed. I put on cozy pink yoga pants and a white T-shirt. I don’t usually care what I look like, but I’ll try anything to distract from my face full of bruises.

  I am lost in my own thoughts when Jase coughs. My heart rate picks up and heat spreads to my face. I pull the blanket up towards my chin, trying to hide my reaction to just the sight of him.

  “Wow, you really are looking better. Some of the bruises are starting to fade and it looks like Jenny got her hands on your hair,” Jase says, as his lip curls into a smile.

  “Hey, cowboy.” I can’t help myself; he looks gorgeous. He isn’t wearing the usual dress shirt. Today, he’s wearing a black leather jacket with a Ford Mus
tang T-shirt underneath, dark jeans, and black boots. Sexy and trouble.

  “Haven’t heard that for a while. Are you ready to go home?” he asks.

  “Of course, I can’t wait to be in my own bed. I’m sure my mom and Jenny will stay with me until I’m feeling better.”

  Jase strides away from the door to stand beside me. I can’t gauge what he is going to say next, but whatever it is, he’s serious.

  “I checked out your apartment. I don’t think it’s safe enough for you to return to, so we need to find a more secure location.” His eyebrows furrow, waiting for my response.

  All of a sudden, I’m pissed. I can’t go home? What?

  “Jase, what aren’t you telling me?” I feel the tears start to well up. “I don’t understand why this happened to me. I keep trying to be brave and act like it doesn’t scare me to death that whoever hurt me wanted me dead.”

  His arms wrap around me and I am instantly comforted. He nudges my chin so that I look at him. His blue eyes are determined. “Please, look at me.”

  I don’t want to; I don’t want him to see what a coward I am. “No.”

  He nudges me again, but this time my eyes can’t look away. “Nora, you are the strongest woman I’ve ever met. I’ve been here for days and watched your family and friends fall apart at the sight of you. Never once did you sound afraid or complain. You’ve held your head up high and have given strength to everyone you love. You have every right to feel whatever it is you feel. Someone put you through hell, and yet here you are, strong and giving everyone hope.”

  The tears flow faster as his hands hold my cheeks. His lips softly land on mine. He slowly leans away, but rests his forehead against mine. “Baby, it’s okay. I promise no one will hurt you again. You can stay with me…at Uncle Joe’s.”

  Oh, God, I don’t even know how to react. That would be…perfect…too perfect. “Thanks for the offer, but I couldn’t impose.” I pull away from him. Things are starting to get a little intense. The thought of being alone with him in his home, well…