by K. R. Haynes
She was his life.
She was his heart.
She was the air he breathed.
If Chloe wasn’t there with him, wasn’t alive and in his arms where she belonged, Randall would find himself dead within his own body. The realisation of that alone created an ache within him, knowing he’d be lifeless without her.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Turning into the street Chloe lived on, Randall couldn’t believe his own eyes. What the hell had happened to her, to warrant so many emergency services vehicles? Besides the one ambulance parked a few houses down from Chloe’s place, there were also two fire trucks and half a dozen cop cars swarming the suburban street. There was even a goddamn roadblock blocking him from driving any closer to her house.
Pulling over to the side of the road, Randall jumped out of his truck and locked it up before walking swiftly over to the two cops who stood manning the road block. On his approach to them, he pulled free his badge, flashing it to the two cops. Lifting up the police tape, he ducked under it while asking, “What the hell is going on here, deputies?”
“We’ve got a gas leak, sir,” one of the deputies said, pointing in the direction of Chloe’s house. “The woman was lucky to make it out alive after inhaling all that gas.” Randall half listened to what the deputy was saying to him. He tried to make sense of the information but none of it made any fucking sense. A gas leak. It just didn’t add up. Excusing himself away from the deputies, he beat feet and sprinted down to the ambulance. Chloe. She needed him.
* * * *
Chloe sat huddled underneath a blanket in the back of the ambulance. Her body trembled from the pain yet she refused any and all medical attention. “No,” she all but shouted out to one of the paramedics when the woman came at her with a syringe filled with some kind of drug to help ease the pain. The paramedic huffed but stayed back. Chloe knew they were only trying to help her. She didn’t want their help. She just wanted Randall. She tugged the hospital blanket around her tighter, trying to fight off the ever-present coldness trapped within her body.
She wanted to disappear, wanted the pain to go away, and she wanted the nightmare she lived through to never have happened.
Most importantly Chloe wanted her Randall.
Not knowing if or when he would come for her, Chloe refused any and all medical help until he arrived. She had to see him. Had to tell him how sorry she was in once again defying him. The guilt she felt from her own actions was nothing compared to the knowledge at how awfully close she came to being raped by her attacker. She shuddered from that thought.
Lowering her eyes, shame washed over her. So many sets of eyes had viewed her in her darkest hour. They saw how badly her body had been beaten up. They had seen her tattered and torn clothing. They might not know the full details of what had happened to her, but their eyes could see enough to make a clear assumption.
Tears fell from her swollen eyes, sliding down her puffy, bruised cheeks. Lifting a hand up to wipe away the tears, Chloe caught sight of movement out the corner of her eye. Jon?
She whispered his name. “Jon.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
He stopped dead in his tracks when his eyes landed on Chloe’s petite frame. Huddled underneath a blanket, she sat in the back of the ambulance while two paramedics watched on. Randall watched as one of the paramedics tried to approach her, only to hear Chloe yell “No!” to them. She refused medical treatment. What the fuck? His woman knew better than to turn down help when needed.
No wonder Jake had all but demanded to him to get his arse down here. His precious Chloe was causing havoc by not accepting the medical help she so desperately needed.
Slowing his approach, not wanting to scare her, Randall ambled up to the back of the ambulance. He sucked in a harsh breath when his eyes took in the bruising on her face. The bastard that attacked her must have had a death wish, because Randall was going to make sure the dumb fuck died for laying a single hand on his woman.
Her name croaked out from his parched lips. “Chloe.”
Her swollen, battered face turned to the sound of his voice.
“Jon?” Tears ran freely down her cheeks when her eyes landed on him. When Chloe started to apologise to him, Randall moved in close to her. Running his hands soothingly up and down her arms, he was mindful of all the cuts and abrasions marring her skin.
“Shh, precious, you’ve got nothing to apologise for.”
He couldn’t hold back any more. After seeing what the bastard had done to her, his eyes stung with unshed tears. Gently Randall manoeuvred Chloe’s body against him. Laying his head down on top of hers, he let his tears fall soundlessly. He tried not to think about how awfully close he had come to losing her today.
Kissing the top of her head one last time, he eased his arms from around her. Quickly swiping away the wetness from his eyes, he then cupped her face carefully in his hands. Bending down he grazed his lips over the only unmarked part of her face, her nose.
“Precious.” His whispered word was a tortured one.
Feeling her body tremble, he leaned back and gazed into her cloudy, pain-filled hazel eyes. “You need to let the paramedics check you out, lover.”
Hearing her utter “No” again had his Dominant streak kicking into full gear. Brushing his lips over her ear, he whispered. “Little girl, you will let these good medical people check you out. If you don’t I will throw you over my knee and make that fine ass of yours blush.” Nipping at her earlobe, and then soothing the bite with his tongue, he breathed against her ear. “Do you understand me, precious?” Her voice trembled with pain as she said, “Yes.”
“Good girl.”
Standing back up, he nodded to the paramedics to get their gear. Lifting Chloe up, cradling her close to his chest, Randall stepped inside the ambulance and laid her carefully down onto the stretcher. With his fingertips, he gently wiped away the wetness on her cheeks from her tears.
Reaching over, he pulled the back doors of the ambulance closed to give Chloe some sort of privacy. When he went back over to her, she reached out a hand to him. Taking her outstretched hand within his, he sat his ass down on the bench beside her.
The two paramedics went about administering pain relief to her. They checked her vitals and gave her some much-needed oxygen to help her breathe easier after inhaling all that gas. Randall had to hold back the urge to shield Chloe’s body from the two women who were attending her when one of them raised the blanket draped around her. The only reason he allowed them to work on his woman was because they were female. Seeing firsthand Chloe’s tattered and torn clothing, and the bruising covering her body where the bastard had marked her skin, enraged him.
Chloe whimpered as the paramedics poked and prodded her to see if she had any internal injuries or bleeding. Randall grasped her hand and squeezed it gently, letting her know he was here with her, that he wasn’t going anywhere. He felt her faintly squeeze his hand back.
Bending forward, his lips softly caressed her forehead. “Good girl,” he whispered to her as one of the paramedics injected her with a relaxant to help her rest more comfortably.
Soon as they were done checking Chloe out one of the women attending her turned to him. “We’re going to take her to the Royal Hospital in town. You’re welcome to join us on the ride over there, or follow behind us.”
Glancing down at Chloe, he could see she was resting comfortably now, and would not notice him being absent for ten minutes while they all headed to the hospital. “I’ll follow you,” he told them. Brushing his lips to Chloe’s ever so softly, Randall released her hand from his and slipped out the back of the ambulance.
Seeing Jake leaning against the side of one of the cop cars, Randall made his way over to him.
“How is she?” the PI asked upon seeing his approach.
“She’s in pretty bad shape. No internal bleeding by the looks of things. There’s a good chance she has possible rib fractures though and a concussion. They’re taking her to th
e hospital now.”
“I’ll stay here if you like and monitor things.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that.”
Just as Randall turned to walk over to where he parked his truck three firemen came racing around the side entrance to Chloe’s place yelling for everyone to get back. The place was going to blow. And sure enough, as soon as everyone took cover, a huge fireball erupted. Glancing up over the hood of the cop car he had taken cover behind, Randall felt gutted for Chloe. Her whole home had blown the fuck up. There would be nothing left for her to salvage once the firefighters had extinguished the roaring blaze.
Everything she had owned would be forever destroyed. All her memories, all her possessions, and all her keepsakes would be gone with no way to replace them.
Moving away from the cop car once it was safe to do so, Randall sombrely made his way back to his truck. Climbing into the driver’s seat, he took a moment to stare back at the smoke and flames billowing out from the ruined remains of Chloe’s home. He would be the one to tell her about her home going up in flames. After everything that had happened to her today, Randall be would the one to tell Chloe about her house and about losing all she owned. It was the least he could do for her. That, and also to try and replace everything she had lost today.
Turning the key in the ignition and pulling away from the curb, he headed over to the hospital where Chloe had been taken, too.
Chapter Forty
Forty-eight hours. That’s how many hours she spent in hospital, having multiple tests and drugs pumped into her system. Now that she had been discharged, Chloe finally found herself in familiar surroundings of home. Well, not her home. She was back at Randall’s place, to be more precise. She didn’t have a home anymore. She didn’t have anything other than a few items of clothing here at Randall’s place. All her possessions, everything she had ever owned, had all gone up in flames when the gas leak sparked a fire.
Not that she cared much for the items lost in the fire. They were only things after all. Possessions one collected over their lifetime. Some of the items lost could be replaced. Others couldn’t be. The one item Chloe did feel the loss of was the framed print she had hanging in her kitchen. It had meant something to her. Even the words inscribed on the back of the picture were words she valued close to her heart. Still to this day she had no idea who had given her the print.
Lying on the sofa in the lounge room of Randall’s place, Chloe could picture herself gazing at the swirl of colours canvassing the print. She could see the love the artist portrayed in the painting itself. Now it was gone. Everything she owned had gone up in flames.
Telling herself there was no point in her dwelling on all the things lost in the fire helped to a degree. Besides, not everything had been lost in the fire.
The most important possession in her life today was still very much present in her life. Even if a permanent scowl adorned his beautiful, handsome face. Randall. He was the one who told her about the fire at her place, even promised to take her back to the ruin remains so she could get some, well, closure, she guessed.
She’d been through a lot of shit over the past few days. Any evidence that could have been collected back at her place had been destroyed from the fire. The clothing she had worn on the day of her attack been taken, bagged and tagged as evidence. Plus, she had had to relive her ordeal in excruciating detail in the presence of Jon and two cops, who were total strangers to her. Chloe still had to remind herself almost hourly that she had survived the attack.
Yes, her body might be battered and bruised. Yes, she might be in pain every time she so much as breathed or moved. However, she was alive and she should be sincerely grateful for that.
She knew all this. It didn’t seem to help though.
She shook her head slightly in an effort to remove the despondent mood that seemed to be weighing her down. Carefully sliding her legs off the sofa and gingerly sitting upright, Chloe cringed inwardly at hearing Randall reprimanding her again for moving on her own.
“Damn it, Chloe, if you need to move just ask me and I’ll help you, precious.”
She glared up at him. Not appreciating the fact he was only trying to help her, the flare of anger rose swiftly within her. Chloe knew damn well Randall felt just as helpless in this whole mess as she did. Forcibly she had to hold back the spiteful words wanting out through her cracked lips. Frustration ate at her. She hated being couped up inside even if it had only been a few days. It probably didn’t help matters that she was refusing to take the medication prescribed for her to ease the discomfort from the crack ribs and the beating she had taken.
Breathing long and deep through her nose, Chloe tried to calm herself down. There was no point in yelling at Jon. He had done nothing wrong and didn’t deserve her frustration either. Glancing away from his sky-blue eyes, she whispered her apology to him.
“Chloe, there is no need to apologise. Yes, you’re cranky. I understand that.”
“Thanks,” she muttered under her breath.
Taking her hands in his, Randall crouched down beside her. “I know the past few days have been hell on you, Chloe. I know you are in a lot of pain, too. My only wish is for you to resume taking the medication prescribed for you. You will heal quicker that way, lover.”
“I know.” She shook her head and sighed deeply, regretting the action instantly. Immediately pain shot up her sides, causing her to bite down on her bottom lip to stop herself from crying out in agony.
* * * *
Randall could clearly see how much pain Chloe was in right now. However, he couldn’t force her to take the medication prescribed. Hell, the more he had asked about it, the crankier she had gotten. But he knew forcing her to take something she didn’t want to take wasn’t the right option. Rubbing his thumb over her knuckles, Randall pressed on when Chloe remained silent.
“What is it, Chloe? Is it about your house? Something do with your attack even? Or is it something else entirely that has you so down today?” he asked her.
“I just keep thinking that none of this would have happened if I…”
He lifted her chin up with his fingertip when she didn’t continue saying what had been on her mind. Looking deep into her hazel eyes, Randall could see the despondency shining there.
“If you what, Chloe?” He urged her to continue on opening up to him.
“If I hadn’t gone out in search for freedom, a freedom I wanted so desperately yet didn’t deserve.” She said the last few words in a mere whisper. So quiet were her words that he barely picked up on what she said. “All I wanted, Jon, was an hour or two, tops, to be on my own, with my own thoughts. And not have someone there watching over me.”
Her gaze met his.
Randall could see the strength it took her not to shed the tears wanting to fall.
“I know it was foolish of me to leave Mary J’s house alone. I know I still need to apologise to her for leaving her place without leaving a word of where I took off to. I also know that once I am fully healed I will accept any punishment you’ll give me for once again defying your orders.”
“Chloe, love, listen to me as I’m only going to say this once.” Seeing her nod her head, Randall continued. “I think you have been through enough punishment and guilt without me adding to it. I will not reprimand you this time. However, if you so much as defy my command again I will double your punishment, little girl,” he said, smirking at her.
Chloe couldn’t help but return a faint smile herself.
“Now, speaking of Mary J,” he said to her, “I have invited her over. She has been bugging me and Mick for days now about how you are. So she’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“Oh, shit.”
“This is your chance, Chloe, to mend the bridges broken between the two of you.”
“I know. I guess I’m a little afraid of the reception she’ll give me is all.”
Hearing him laugh softly at her, Chloe asked him what was so damn funny. He only told her, “Nothing, precious. No
thing at all,” before he stood up, dropped a kiss to the top of her head and left the room to go answer the front door.
Randall left the two women to talk and catch up on the past few days’ events while he went out to run some errands and to get the script filled the ER doctor had given Chloe for the pain. After dropping off her script at the chemist, the store next door caught his eye. They were selling particular items that would help replace something lost in the fire. Stepping inside the store, it didn’t take him long to find what he was looking for. Paying for his purchase and having it gifted wrapped for him, he headed back to the chemist to pick up the awaiting script.
At least his gift could replace one thing that he believed had meant an awful lot to Chloe.
Dropping the medicine and his gift on the seat beside him, Randall drove to the next shop on his list of things to do. Knowing Chloe wouldn’t be up for shopping for at least a week or more, he took it upon himself to purchase a few pieces of clothing she could lounge around in while recovering from her injuries. However, he found himself getting kind of sidetracked when his eye caught an array of lacy, satiny underwear in various colours hanging up along the back wall. Knowing Chloe’s preference and taking into account what he liked seeing her in, Randall chose a few sexy pieces of lingerie for Chloe as well as some normal clothing for her to lounge around in. He was glad he had checked out all her clothing sizes before he left the house.
Grinning to himself as he left the store, Randall was beyond pleased with the purchases he’d made for her. He knew Chloe would be thrilled with the few surprises she’d find inside the bags for her. Hopefully his sexy little surprises would be enough to put a smile on her face for a while. It bothered him that she seemed so down on herself today.
Even though it had only been a few days since the attack, Chloe had been closing herself off from him more and more each day. He couldn’t allow it to continue on. She was hurting on the inside as well as on the outside. He knew this. What he didn’t know was what he could do to help her move on, to heal.