Beauty from Ashes: A Christian Romance (BlackThorpe Security Book 5)

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  Adrianne didn’t like the idea that perhaps they were going to face another attack in the near future. While it was true no one had lost their life, people had definitely been negatively impacted by what was going on. Alex had been shot, though it had ended up being something he recovered from quickly. Alanna, on the other hand, appeared to be having a little more difficulty. Though Adrianne hadn’t spoken directly to the woman—they hadn’t been close even before she was kidnapped—she’d heard from Melanie, who had heard from Justin, that Alanna was having a hard time being separated from Caden and Justin.

  Adrianne couldn’t even imagine how the woman must have felt during her ordeal. To be taken by someone who had once abused her, Alanna must’ve been very afraid. Thinking about what the woman had gone through, Adrianne felt her perspective on her own life shift a little bit.

  So what if she didn’t have a husband or children. So what if she couldn’t find a house to call a home. She had her health. She knew her family was safe and sound. She didn’t have the nightmare in her past of being abused by someone who was supposed to love her. No doubt there were many women in the world who would trade places with her in a heartbeat. Adrianne knew that she needed to be more grateful for what she did have and stop dwelling on the things that she didn’t. Because when it came right down to it, she had much more to be thankful for than she did to be angry or sad about.

  Adrianne didn’t participate much in the meeting until it came time for her to report on the latest fundraising efforts of the company. Traditionally, this time of year was a challenge for any type of fundraising. Having just been through Christmas and New Year’s, the donations were in a slump. Still, they had their regular donors like Tyler’s stepfather, who had been a staunch supporter of the BlackThorpe Wellness Center since Tyler had been a resident there. They also had a handful of other donors who gave semi-large donations on a regular basis. Adrianne was thankful for each and every one regardless of the amount they gave, but she knew that if the Wellness Center wanted to be able to expand their programs and help even more people, they needed more donors.

  When the meeting was over, Adrianne collected her flowers and headed out the door. Once back in her own office, she studied the card again, but there was nothing identifiable on it, no florist address or anything like that. As she stared at the bouquet, Adrianne wondered if perhaps whoever was sending them was also creating them. Most florist shops tended to have some sort of identifying mark on their floral arrangements. At the very least, the driver who delivered the flowers would be able to identify the company since he delivered from there regularly.

  There was a knock on her door, and Adrianne looked up to see Connor standing in her doorway. Her heart skipped a beat as she drank in the sight of him. She supposed because he was there as part of the team, Connor was dressed in casual business attire. His long-sleeved, light blue button down shirt was tucked into a pair of pleated black slacks. With his hair styled perfectly, he looked every bit the man of Adrianne’s dreams. It was just too bad she couldn’t get over their past.

  “Hi, Connor. What can I do for you?” Adrianne didn’t invite him into the office but that didn’t stop him from stepping inside and resting his hand on the back of one of the chairs across the desk from her.

  “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  Adrianne searched her mind for a good reason to say no, but if she was going to try to get over what had happened, she needed to be able to talk to Connor and not avoid him at every turn. “Sure. Have a seat.”

  As Connor settled into the chair across from her, Adrianne folded her hands in her lap, her fingers squeezing tight as she watched him.

  “I know we’ve already talked once about what happened all those years ago, but I wanted the chance to follow-up to make sure that you really were okay with me continuing to stay in the apartment.”

  Adrianne’s grip increased, pressing her palms together tightly. Now was her chance. She could tell Connor that she wanted him gone. She could tell him that it wasn’t working the way she’d thought it would, and it would be better if he left. The words tumbled around in her mind, teasing her tongue with the chance to say them, to spell out the hurt she endured at his hands.

  “I think it’s going okay. I won’t lie. It has taken some getting used to, but I think it’s okay for you to continue to stay. If that’s what you want, of course.”

  Connor stared at her for what felt like forever, almost as if he was trying to judge the truthfulness of what she’d said. She supposed she couldn’t blame him for that. After all, it would make more sense that she would be eager for him to go.

  Whatever he saw on her face must’ve supported her words because eventually, he said, “Between the commitment I made to your brother with regards to working with BlackThorpe and being close to Rebecca like I promised her I’d be once I retired, it would be easiest to stay at the apartment. But I don’t want to do that if it’s inconvenient for you.”

  “It’s not an inconvenience since I’m looking for a place of my own anyway.”

  Connor nodded, no doubt remembering the conversation from that night a few weeks ago. “How is the house search going?”

  Adrianne relaxed the grip her hands had on each other. “There are a lot of houses out there for sale but none seem to be exactly what I’m looking for.”

  “Have you considered building a house if you’re not finding what you like already built?” Connor asked.

  “It has crossed my mind,” Adrianne said with a shrug. “But to be honest, I’m not one hundred percent sure what exactly I want.”

  Connor’s brows drew together. “How do you know what you’re looking for in a home if you don’t know what you want?”

  “Oh, I have a general idea of what I want. The number of bedrooms and bathrooms. But I’m just not as sure about things like the layout of a home or just even having enough knowledge to understand the building process. For now, finding an already built home seems like what would work best for me.”

  “Knowing that about yourself is probably a good thing in a process like this.” Connor’s gaze strayed to the bouquet of flowers that sat on her desk before he looked back at her. “I’m curious what exactly it is you do here at BlackThorpe. Alex never really explained it much when he gave me the tour.”

  A bit surprised at the change of subject, Adrianne decided to answer nonetheless. “I work as a client liaison as well as being in charge of fundraising for the Wellness Center.”

  “Do you enjoy what you do?” Connor asked.

  “Yes, I find it very gratifying. Both aspects of the job actually. I enjoy working with our clients as well as raising money for very worthwhile projects.”

  “For some reason, I always imagined that you’d end up as a teacher or something like that.”

  Adrianne stared at Connor. She decided to ignore the part of his sentence that her heart wanted to latch onto. The part where he’d made it sound like he’d thought about her over the years. “Actually, I did go to college to become a teacher, and even taught for a couple of years, but when Alex and Marcus decided to set up the Wellness Center, I volunteered to help them raise money for it. Pretty soon it became apparent that they actually needed someone in the position full-time, so they hired me.”

  “And you enjoy this more than teaching?”

  “Both jobs have their positive aspects. I did enjoy teaching, but this position allowed me to help with something that I could also feel comfortable questioning, if need be. With teaching, I sometimes found it frustrating because my hands were tied with regards to certain things. With this job, I’m helping to provide a service for people who need it, but I’m also able to question things or make suggestions for improvements. It makes it a lot more enjoyable because of that.”

  “I can see how that—”

  A loud popping noise interrupted Connor, and Adrianne pushed to her feet, her gaze going to the open door when she heard people shouting.

  Suddenly, Connor was in her space
, shoving her chair back and pushing her downwards. “That’s gunfire. Get under your desk.”

  He spoke right into her ear, his voice low and intense. Adrianne immediately dropped to her knees and scrambled under the desk, losing a shoe in the process. Connor was beside her, pressing her up against the wood panel that ran along the front of the desk that faced the door. His shoulders blocked the light, his body shielding hers from being seen by anyone who might round the desk.

  Adrianne’s head was pressed against Connor’s chest, her forehead against his neck. Without conscious thought, her hand reached out to grab a fistful of his shirt. She could feel the even beat of his heart beneath her ear while his chest moved with the steady breaths he took.

  Adrianne’s heartbeat, however, was anything but slow and steady. She felt as if it was going to jump right out of her chest. Especially when she heard more shouting and several more gunshots. Her body was at odds with itself, partly heated from the close confines with Connor, but other parts of it chilly with fear. Fear not just for herself, but for her brother and the people she considered friends who worked at BlackThorpe.

  Was this how it all would end? Was this the culmination of all the attacks they’d faced over the past year?

  “Adrianne.” She felt Connor speak as much as she heard his voice, still low, rumbling deep in his chest. “It’s going to be okay. Take a deep breath and let it out. Breathe in. Breathe out.”

  She found herself having to concentrate hard to hear his words and in doing so, she wasn’t as focused on what was going on outside her office.

  Breathe in. Breathe out.

  “There you go. Just keep focusing on your breathing. You’re going to be just fine.”

  Breathe in. Breathe out.

  As she continued to breathe as Connor had instructed her, Adrianne felt some of the panic that had threatened to overtake her begin to recede just a bit. She tried to focus on anything but what was going on outside her office.

  The steady beat of Connor’s heart.

  The scent of his cologne.

  The roughness of his stubble as his jaw rubbed against her forehead.

  The strength of his arms as they held her.

  The security she felt knowing that he would protect her.

  But most of all, the irony of knowing that the one person who had hurt her more than any other was now there to protect her with his own body.

  12

  Adrianne continued to focus on her breathing and Connor’s nearness. She had never been this close to him before, and for a few brief moments—because she needed to escape the horror going on around them—she allowed herself to imagine a life where the past didn’t stand between them like a towering brick wall. Where his reason for being in her office that day was similar to the reason Tyler stopped by Melanie’s. Where being in his arms was a natural thing, not an aberration brought on by horrific events. Where—when they crawled out from under the desk—he would continue to hold her and reassure her that she was safe.

  As if he could read her thoughts and was put off by them, Connor began to draw back from her. Instinctively, Adrianne’s hand tightened its grasp on his shirt. His movements stilled as he covered her hand with his.

  “Your brother called the all clear, Adrianne.” His voice was still low and soothing. His breath feathering across her forehead as he spoke. “It’s safe to come out now.”

  The words took a few seconds to sink in, but as they did, Adrianne released her hold on Connor and allowed him to move out from under the desk. She didn’t follow him. Instead, she stayed pressed against the underneath of the desk and kept her eyes closed. She wanted to stay where she’d felt safe and protected just moments ago. Connor was equipped to handle situations like what had just occurred. Her, not so much.

  “Come on, Adrianne,” Connor said in a firm yet calm voice. No doubt he thought she was too afraid to come out, and that was definitely part of it. “Your brother will want to see that you’re okay.”

  “Just tell him to come here,” Adrianne mumbled as she opened her eyes and saw the hand he held out, her heart rate increasing once again.

  Connor dropped down to one knee. “You can come out of there now. There’s no danger now. You’re safe.”

  Adrianne stared into Connor’s dark blue eyes. There was no sign of impatience on his face. He just continued to watch her, one hand held out toward her. She could hear the conversation outside the office, but Connor never looked away from her. Finally, she put her hand in his and allowed him to help her out from underneath the desk.

  When she had slid her foot back into the shoe that had come off and was once again steady on her feet, Connor released her hand. He didn’t move away from her as she lifted shaking fingers to smooth over her hair. Even though the danger had passed, Adrianne was finding it difficult to calm her body down.

  “Adrianne?” She turned toward the door to see Alex coming toward her. Connor stepped back as her brother reached to pull her into his arms. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  Adrianne clung to Alex. “I’m glad you’re okay too. I was scared.”

  Alex loosened his hold enough so that he could look down at her. “I think we were all scared. No one should have been able to breach our security that way.”

  “Who was it?” Adrianne asked, only noticing as she did that Connor was gone.

  “We don’t know yet. Unfortunately, he was killed. We’re going to have to wait on the cops for identification, no doubt.” Alex laid his arm around her shoulders. “You might want to stay in here for the next little while. Maybe you could call Rebecca and Melanie and let them know what’s happened and that we’re okay. I would rather wait until the police have arrived before you come out.”

  “Was anyone else hurt?” The last time there’d been a gunfight, Alex, Marcus, Justin and one other employee had been injured. While she was grateful that Alex appeared to have remained unscathed, she hoped that everyone else had as well.”

  “Than took a bullet to his upper arm, but it appears to just be a flesh wound. Eric was also hit, but again, it doesn’t appear to be serious. Whoever that guy was, he didn’t have a lot of experience aiming a weapon, apparently. Or, his adrenaline was so high he couldn’t control himself for his shots. Thankfully, our guys are much better equipped for situations like that.”

  Adrianne sank down into her chair, her shaking legs finally giving out as she realized how much worse it could have been. “I’ll just make those phone calls now. Do I need to contact Lindsay or Stacie?”

  “Than and Eric have already called them both, and they’ll be meeting them at the hospital. Just call Rebecca and Melanie.”

  With a nod, Adrianne reached for her phone, and as she pulled up her contact information, Alex left her office. She decided to phone Melanie first since it was likely that she would hear about the shooting before Rebecca did. As it turned out, Melanie hadn’t heard about the shooting, and after Adrianne had given her the details, her sister got off the phone quickly in order to phone Tyler.

  After taking a few deep breaths since her nerves were still jangling, Adrianne phoned Rebecca. Thanks to the conversation with Alex and then with Melanie, Adrianne felt more in control by the time her sister-in-law answered her phone.

  “Hi, Rebecca. This is Adrianne.”

  “Hi, Adrianne. What’s up?”

  “First of all, I want you to know that we are all okay.”

  It was a beat of silence before Rebecca said, “Why wouldn’t you all be okay?”

  “There was a shooting here at the office a little while ago, but we’re all okay. The gunman was killed, and though two of our employees were injured, no one was seriously hurt. I’ve spoken with Alex and with Connor, and they’re both fine. Alex wanted me to call and let you know since he’s tied up dealing with the police. He didn’t want you to hear about it from anyone else.”

  Again Rebecca was silent before speaking. “I don’t even know what to say. I’m glad no one was hurt. Can I come see Alex?”<
br />
  “I understand why you want to come here, but I have a feeling that Alex would be angry with both of us if you did. As long as we don’t know for sure that the gunman was working alone, there is still an element of danger. I know that Alex would not want you to be exposed to that when you don’t have to be. You probably won’t be able to reach him just yet, but I’ll keep my phone with me, so if you need to talk to someone, give me a call. I’ll also tell Alex to call you as soon as he can.”

  “And you said Connor was okay too?”

  “Yes. Connor is fine.” Adrianne considered telling Rebecca how her brother had protected her but then thought better of it. If Connor wanted her to know, he could tell her about it. “I’ll see if he can give you a call too.”

  “Thank you, Adrianne.”

  After having taken care of the two calls that Alex had requested her to make, Adrianne laid her head on her arms on the desk. With nothing to occupy her, she felt herself trembling intermittently, the memory of gunshots and yelling popping up without her permission.

  Breathe in. Breathe out.

  She didn’t like the fact that she’d felt safer in the midst of the chaos than she did now, even with the knowledge that the gunman was dead. What would she have done if Connor hadn’t been there? Would she have remained frozen where the gunman could’ve seen her and fired on her? Would she have had the good sense to hide? She felt as if she’d failed the test on how to protect herself.

  Connor, on the other hand, had acted quickly and without hesitation. She knew that it was likely that his previous job had trained him for such scenarios, but it still made her wish that she had reacted better on her own. That she would have been strong enough to not need Connor Mackenzie to protect her.

  ~*~

  Connor stood to the side of the large open room with Tyler and Ryan next to him. He’d been keeping watch on Adrianne’s door to see when she came out, but so far there’d been no sign of her. He’d left her alone with Alex, knowing that the brother and sister needed a little time to be reassured of the other’ s safety, but Alex had come out of the room several minutes ago without Adrianne.