Face Value (Next Generation 7)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “Lauren?”

  Oh no, that was her father’s voice. What was he doing here?

  ***

  “Take your hands off my daughter!”

  Tucker released Lauren and stood to face J.T. The man conversing with the two uniformed officers looked so much like J.T. he could only be his brother. Tucker expected to face J.T.’s wrath eventually, but he’d hoped for more time.

  “Tucker Brooks?” the man in the suit asked, stepping forward.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “What are you doing here, Daddy?” Lauren asked.

  “I was with your uncle Derek when the call came in.” He grabbed Lauren’s shoulders and did a careful survey of her neck and face. “What the hell happened?”

  “One of Tucker’s employees attacked me.”

  “Those are the kind of lowlifes you hire?” J.T. glared at Tucker over his daughter’s head. “Why am I not surprised? Where the hell did you meet him, in jail?”

  As though he felt the need to diffuse the situation, Derek stepped forward. “I’m Derek McCall, the local police chief and Lauren’s uncle.” He offered his hand to Tucker.

  Surprised by the conciliatory gesture, Tucker took a minute to respond. Accepting Derek’s outstretched hand with his good hand, he said, “It’s nice to meet you, Chief.”

  “It looks like you got pretty banged up.” Derek’s eyes drifted to the cracked wall. “How’d that happen? Him or the wall?”

  Tucker looked at his bruised and bloody hand. He knew he wouldn’t be able to flex it, so he didn’t even try. “Probably a bit of both.”

  “He’s being rushed to the hospital now, in case you were wondering,” Derek said, observing him carefully for a reaction.

  “I wasn’t wondering. I don’t give a shit what happens to him.”

  “Tucker, please,” Lauren said, shooting him a warning glance.

  “That bastard deserved everything he got.” Tucker glanced at the welts on Lauren’s neck. They enraged him all over again. The thought of anyone putting their hands on her in anger made him crazy.

  “I’ll need you both to come down to the station to give me a statement. I’ll want to handle his case personally.” Derek set his finger under his niece’s chin, wincing when he saw her face in the light. “You sure you’re okay, darlin’?”

  “I am, thanks to Tucker.”

  The last thing Tucker wanted was to be depicted as a hero. They all knew he was the one who put her in that situation. The only one who seemed to be in denial was Lauren. “Lauren needs to go to the hospital. I can come down to the station with you.” Given the McCalls’ hate on for him, he should probably plan to stay there a while. The thought of hurting his kids again tore him up inside.

  “You need to see a doctor too, Tucker,” Lauren said, reaching out to touch his arm.

  J.T. growled at the gesture. “Let him worry about himself. I’m takin’ you to the hospital.”

  “I’m going to the hospital with Tucker.” Lauren lifted her chin as she looked her father in the eye. She looked at her uncle. “Then we’ll go down to the station to give our statement. Is that okay, Uncle Derek?”

  Derek looked at Tucker. “Yeah, it’s okay.”

  “Derek…” J.T. glared at his brother. “I don’t want her anywhere near him.”

  “Just back off, man,” Derek said quietly. “They’ve both been through hell tonight. They just need a little time to process what happened.”

  Tucker had a new level of respect for Lauren’s uncle. Derek had bought him some time to make sure she was okay before he had to turn her over to her family. “Thanks, Chief.”

  “I get the feelin’ I should be thankin’ you for takin’ care of my niece tonight.”

  “If it hadn’t been for Tucker…” Lauren stared at her father. “That man could have killed me. He tried to strangle me.”

  J.T. sucked in a sharp breath before his eyes landed on Tucker. “You saved her from that?”

  Tucker shrugged, feeling uncomfortable. “I walked in at the right time. Thank God.”

  J.T. carefully set Lauren aside before stepping up to face Tucker. “I have good reason not to like you, but I’ll never forget what you did for my daughter.”

  “I don’t need your gratitude,” Tucker said. His voice was raw and husky when he thought about what could have happened to the woman who’d come to mean everything to him. “I’m just glad she’s all right.”

  “So am I.” J.T. turned toward his daughter. “Will you let me take you to the hospital?”

  “Tucker and I will be fine. I’ll meet up with you at the station later.”

  Derek nodded to one of the uniformed officers. “Bennett here will take you.”

  Tucker suspected the police accompaniment wasn’t optional under the circumstances, so he merely nodded. “Sounds good.”

  “He’ll bring y’all back to the station as soon as you’re through,” Derek said.

  Lauren slipped her arms around her uncle’s waist. “Thanks, Uncle Derek.”

  “I love you, honey,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “I’m just glad Tucker was here.”

  ***

  Lauren watched the nurse dress Tucker’s hand. Thankfully it wasn’t broken, but it would put him out of commission for a few weeks.

  “This might put a crimp in my plans to finish the house on time,” he said, grimacing when the nurse applied pressure to his wound.

  It was difficult to ignore the way the pretty young woman tended to Tucker. She was generous with her smiles and gentle with her touch, making it painfully obvious she was interested in treating him to her own brand of tender loving care. Lauren glared at the back of the nurse’s head when she ran her hand up Tucker’s forearm.

  He smiled at her, further incensing Lauren. Hello, she was standing right there! He had the nerve to flirt with another woman?

  “About that concussion,” Tucker said, looking up at Lauren, “you heard the doc. You shouldn’t be alone tonight. Your place or mine?”

  Lauren smiled when the nurse raised an eyebrow in question. Ha! “Mine’s closer.” She knew she should offer to stay with her parents instead, but they would hover and she wasn’t up for that.

  “Yours it is,” he said. Looking at the nurse, he asked, “We about done here, darlin’?”

  Lauren clenched her teeth when the woman lit up like a Christmas tree. Had she no shame? What happened to professional propriety? Tucker was her patient, for God’s sake.

  “I think so.” She smiled. “Just remember to follow the doctor’s orders and get that prescription filled.” She cast a glance at Lauren as though she was trying to decipher their relationship.

  Lauren smiled sweetly at her rival. “Thank you so much for taking such good care of him. I can take over from here.”

  Tucker’s lips twitched, but he said nothing.

  “If you’re sure,” the nurse said, raking her eyes over Lauren’s oversized sweatshirt. Her eyes fell to Lauren’s left hand, obviously looking for a ring. “If he needs anything else-”

  Lauren moved closer to Tucker, resting her hand on his thigh. “He won’t, but thank you… again.”

  Tucker waited for his caregiver to leave before he chuckled. “You can retract the claws now.”

  “Can you believe that?” Lauren released a disgusted breath. “She acted like I wasn’t even here.”

  “Forget about her,” Tucker said, easing her between his legs. “I’m more concerned about you.” He gently touched her swollen face. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  The tenderness in her eyes made her throat close. How could he be so kind one minute and so violent the next? “I’m fine.”

  “The pain relievers are helping?”

  She didn’t have any of the concussion symptoms the doctor outlined, aside from a headache. “Yeah, my headache’s almost gone. My uncle Derek called. He said we can just meet him at the station first thing in the morning, since it’s getting so late.”

  “He seems like a dec
ent guy.”

  “He’s the best.” Lauren couldn’t miss the look of trepidation that passed over Tucker’s face. “You have nothing to worry about. I’ll make him understand you did what you had to to protect me. He’ll understand.”

  Tucker ran a fingertip over the welts on her neck, barely skimming the surface of her skin. “I think we both know I took it a little too far.” A muscle in his jaw flexed. “But if I had it to do again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

  Lauren ran her hands up his legs. “Thank you for being there for me tonight.”

  “Why’d you shut me out?” he asked quietly.

  Could she tell him about the photographs? Was she ready to face the truth? If he’d really done those things to Amanda, she couldn’t look past it. There was no excuse for a man abusing a woman, and hearing Tucker defend his actions would only cause her to lose respect for him.

  Lauren had already been through hell. She didn’t want to add that conversation to the mix. They would have to talk about it eventually, but there was always tomorrow. That night, she wanted to remember Tucker as he’d been when he pummeled her attacker: brave and fearless. If he was the coward who beat his wife, she would find the courage to say good-bye to him again. Somehow.

  “Can we talk about that later?” she asked, circling her temples with her index fingers. “Right now, I just want to go home, crawl into bed, and sleep for a week.”

  “Remember what the doctor said about waking up during the night as a precaution.”

  Lauren groaned as she closed her eyes. “Don’t remind me.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lauren took a shower while Tucker made her a snack. One bedroom. His mind kept drifting to that one big bed. He’d give anything to crawl in beside her and offer the comfort he knew she needed, but that would make it even harder to walk away.

  He’d given her a chance to acknowledge the elephant in the room, and she’d asked for a reprieve. That said it all. She believed he was capable of violence against women, which told him everything he needed to know. She didn’t respect or trust him, which meant she could never love him.

  “Tucker?”

  He turned to see her standing in the doorway of the kitchen towel-drying her hair. The bright pink terrycloth robe nearly swallowed her up, but he still saw the garish bruises marring her delicate skin. “Why don’t you crawl into bed?” he suggested. “I can bring this tray in as soon as the toast is ready.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. Go.”

  Lauren had claimed she wasn’t hungry, but when she admitted she hadn’t eaten anything since a muffin at breakfast, Tucker insisted on feeding her before he put her to bed. Taking care of her seemed like the most natural thing in the world. Too bad it was only a temporary assignment.

  He prepared the tray with orange juice, raisin toast, and grapes before carrying it down the hall to her bedroom. Nudging the door open with his foot, he swallowed when he saw her propped up against the pillow wearing a black nightgown with thin straps over her shoulders. “What don’t I leave this? Call me when you’re ready-”

  “No, I want you to come and sit with me.” She patted the bed beside her. “I don’t want to be alone tonight, Tucker.”

  He wasn’t surprised. She’d been attacked by a madman. “Sure,” he said, setting the tray down on the free side of the bed before sitting down near her feet.

  “Thank you.” She smiled at him before inspecting the items on the tray. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble. I’m really not all that hungry.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I made toast, washed grapes, and poured juice from the container. I didn’t make a gourmet meal. Now stop talking and start eating.”

  They shared a smile before she offered him one of the slices of toast.

  “Thanks, but I grabbed a bite while you were in the shower.”

  “Weren’t you supposed to pick up your kids tonight?” she asked, taking a bite of toast.

  “I called Amanda and told her what happened. She said I could see them on Sunday.”

  Lauren cast her eyes to the tray at the mention of his ex-wife’s name. “How was Mason’s hockey game?”

  “It would have been better if you’d been there.” When she didn’t respond, he added, “At least that’s what he said.” Picking up a grape, he popped it in his mouth and chewed slowly. He wanted to confront the issue driving a wedge between them, but he didn’t want to lay all of that on her tonight. She’d been through enough.

  “Your kids really are great.” She finished her toast and laid back against the pillows with a sigh.

  “Why don’t I take this away so you can get some sleep?” He reached for the tray. “I’ll set the alarm on my phone so I can wake you every-”

  “Wait,” she said, reaching for his hand. “Can you sleep here tonight?”

  He’d like nothing more, but he didn’t want to cross any boundaries. “Um, I think it might be best if I took the couch.”

  “Tucker, I need you tonight.”

  Tucker couldn’t have said no to her quiet plea if he tried. He would be there for her as long as she needed him. “Okay, let me take this out to the kitchen. I’ll be right back. You mind if I grab a shower?” He kept a change of clothes in the car because he often got dirty at job sites, and he’d brought his bag upstairs with him. At least he could crawl into her bed without the vile residue of the horrible night lingering on his skin.

  “Of course, help yourself,” she said, gesturing to the ensuite bathroom. “There are fresh towels in the linen closet.”

  “Thanks.”

  He carried the tray out to the kitchen before grabbing his overnight bag and retracing his steps to the bathroom. He paused in the doorway when he saw her curled up under the white duvet with a pillow clutched in her hand. The contrast between the angry mark on her face and the white sheets was startling, stirring Tucker’s anger all over again. He hated himself for not being there sooner.

  Images of the past few hours tormented him as the water pounded him, washing dried blood down the drain. He would never forget the way he felt when he walked into that house and saw Lauren pinned, helpless to defend herself, completely at that bastard’s mercy.

  More helpless cries echoed in his head as he was transported to another time and place. He heard his sister’s pleas, her tears, and the animalistic grunts of that monster who stole her innocence. Tucker would never forgive himself for not intervening, but at the age of six, he’d believed he was helpless. By the time he felt stronger, it was too late. Sarah was gone.

  Tucker pushed the past to the back of his mind. He stepped out of the shower and dried himself off. The only way he could survive was to relegate those memories to a locked compartment in his mind. But they always surfaced when he was pushed to the limit of his control and he wanted to protect someone he loved.

  Slipping on a pair of black boxer briefs, he considered wearing jeans to bed, but it seemed pointless. They’d already made love. The door on propriety was already firmly closed. He brushed his teeth with the extra toothbrush he’d stashed in his bag, set the alarm on his cell phone, and treaded lightly into the bedroom.

  He watched Lauren for the longest time. Her face was bare, and her long blond hair fanned out on the pillow. Her eyelashes dusted her cheek, and her breathing was shallow. She took his breath away.

  Pulling the duvet back, he slid into the king-sized bed, grateful there was enough room to afford her some space to maintain her distance. But instead of doing that, she rolled over and curled into him.

  Tucker held his breath, wondering whether she would realize her mistake and move to the other side of the bed.

  Instead, a contented sigh slipped past her lips and she murmured, “’Night, Tucker.”

  He was so in love with that woman. How the hell could he let her go?

  ***

  “If not for Tucker, I may not be able to tell my story,” Lauren said, glaring at her uncle. “I don’t understand why you’re trea
ting him like the criminal. That son of a bitch tried to rape me. He would have killed me!”

  “Just calm down, honey,” Derek said, cupping her shoulder. “No one is treating Tucker like a criminal.”

  “How can you say that? He’s been locked in that interrogation room with one of your men for the past two hours.”

  “We just want to get the full story. I have no intention of lettin’ Rob get away with what he did to you. It’s my job to bring him to justice, and Tucker can help us.”

  “I hate that he got dragged into this. Given his experience with cops...” She smiled when her uncle raised an eyebrow. “You know what I mean.”

  “Look, I know you’re grateful to him for bein’ there for you last night, we all are, but that doesn’t mean you should start seein’ him again.”

  If seeing Tucker meant sharing the same bed, Derek’s advice was a day late. Nothing had happened between them though. Tucker just held her when she woke up from a nightmare. He’d been so kind and supportive. She couldn’t reconcile that man with the one her uncle claimed had beat his wife. She knew she had to confront him about what happened between him and Amanda. Speculating about it was driving her slowly crazy.

  “I appreciate your concern, Uncle Derek, but what happens between Tucker and me is my business. Not yours and not my parents.”

  Derek heaved a sigh and slid his chair away from the table. “You can’t ask us to stop caring about you, or wanting to protect you when you’re gettin’ mixed up with a guy who could be dangerous.”

  “Would someone who wanted to hurt me defend me the way he did last night?” Lauren couldn’t get the image of Tucker pummeling Rob out of her head. He was sick with guilt about what had almost happened to her. Surely that wasn’t the behavior of an abusive man.

  “Look, I don’t know what he was thinkin’.” Derek scrubbed his hands over his face, looking weary. “I’ve dealt with too many criminals over the years to believe that one good deed means he’s a changed man. He’s violent, Lauren. Last night was just another example of that.”