by D. Love
"Penny, I will be contacting Kain's agent to see if he will be available to schedule some meetings with us. I think it would be good for your fans and the media to have you both together for interviews and even some signings. We will set up a photographer to get some author shots of you two together. It will be great PR for the book," Karen says.
As soon as I hear her words, my stomach drops. I'm so excited just to be able to see him, but still have the jitters every time I think about meeting him in person. My emotions go wild when I start thinking about all the possibilities for the two of us, which bring so many questions and what if's. What if he doesn't feel the same way in person? What is if I don't feel the same way in person? Sometimes it’s maddening. I still wonder every day, how him and I got to this point. Life definitely has a way of taking a turn just when you need it. It also has a way of placing people together at the perfect time. My mind is spinning with thoughts when I hear my phone beep. Sliding the screen I see a text from Tina.
Meeting me at Slingo's?
Sure I need to drop by my house first.
Don't take all day, B there @ noon. Btw Found Kain's asshat friend on FB = HAWT
OMG K
Road trip to Vegas! Me + Asshat = ride em
Ewe C U soon
"So, are we all finished here, Karen?"
"Sure, keep your phone close in case we have any questions."
I hold my phone up, waving it at her as my reply, and then grab my purse heading out the door. Today the wind is gently blowing and you can smell fresh cut grass. I see guys across the street primping the park’s trees and lawn. Getting in my car I drive to my house for a quick second to change my clothes, my mind drifts to Kain. I know I have it bad when I can't even go five minutes without thinking of him. I wonder if he thinks of me as much. My phone rings, pulling my mind back to reality. I see it's Kain, but decide to wait till I am home to talk to him. I pull up to my house, as I place the car in park, I reach down to dial Kain but glance up at my house, seeing something scattered all over my doorstep. Getting out of my car I start walking towards my door. As I come closer I see it's a bunch of roses, but the vase and flowers are broken. Glass and roses lay scattered everywhere. I hear Kain’s voice coming from my phone saying, “Hello, Penny I have a huge surprise for you. Are you ready for it?” I hadn’t realized that I dialed his number. I hold the phone up to my ear, but my heart is beating so hard I can’t hear Kain. I only hear the loud thumping.
"Hello?" Kain says again.
"Kain, something’s wrong," is all I manage to get out. I feel a shaky feeling run through my body. Now, Kain is panicking too.
"Penny, talk to me, what is going on?"
"My house is..." Before I can finish, I notice the door is ajar. I stand there stunned for a minute, and then with an unsteady hand, I push my door open and walk inside. I first notice this raunchy smell. I grab my umbrella that is leaning against the wall, planning on using it as my weapon, quickly closing the door behind me I walk in further but nothing looks wrong or out of place. Nor do I see anyone. So, I keep walking towards my bedroom when my phone rings again.
"Hello?"
"Penny, please tell me what the hell is going on, you're scaring me."
"I came home and there were flowers and a vase broken and scattered all over my doorstep and my front door was ajar."
"Please tell me you didn't go in the house, Penny? You need to call the police." He sounds worried now.
"No, it’s okay, nothing else seems to be bothered in my house." But just as I get the words out of my mouth, I walk in my bedroom and freeze. "Oh. My. God! Kain, help me."
The phone slides between my fingers hitting the floor and I can hear Kain yelling my name. I turn my head back to my bed and there is a dead animal on my bed with blood everywhere. My bed is torn apart and there lays Zack's photo in the middle of it all. Taking a couple steps back and a few deep breaths, I start to feel dizzy. I know I have to pull myself together long enough to get out of my house. Seeing the blood dripping down my walls turns my stomach, the smell from the blood assaults my nose making me feel nauseous. Trying to get my feet that feel like bricks to move is hard. I look back over at my bed. That is all it takes for me to finally start running. I trip over something on the living room floor, knocking me to my knees. I pat the floor feeling for whatever I have tripped over and feel something cold. I latch onto it and bring up my hand to see it when I hear sirens outside knowing the police are here. I bring my hand towards my face to find I am holding a knife covered in blood. I throw it back down, grabbing ahold of the end table. I pull myself back up and run to the door. I fling the door open, running out and slam right into a hard body. I scream so loud it makes my ears ring. The only thing I feel is strong hands grab me and before I pass out, I hear.
“Penny, Luv, it’s me, Kain. I got you. You're safe now.”
Chapter 18
Kain
I hate hospitals. Always have, especially now, standing here, looking through this emergency room window at Penny. My Penny. She has been unconscious for over an hour now. Waiting for her to wake up is becoming unbearable. I have dreamed of the first time we would meet in person, but I never thought it would be like this.
“Kain, she’s going to be okay…trust me…” Wayne says, from over my shoulder.
“I don’t know, Wayne. You didn’t see her face, her house…her room. There was so much blood…” I whisper, with my forehead gently resting against the cold window. Wayne’s hand finds its way along my shoulder.
“She’ll get through this.”
I turn to look him in the eyes, and say, “How can you be so sure?”
“Because you’re here now. I know you. You won’t let anything, or anyone else hurt her again.” He smiles back at me. “You’re like a superhero, just without the cape.”
“Super Kain?” I ask, with a slight smile. Leave it to my best friend to put my mind at ease during this stressful experience. Suddenly, things got a whole lot more stressful.
“Excuse me, are you Kain Brooks?” A stocky policeman asks with a tilt of his head, and an extended hand. Politely, I reach out and shake it.
“Yes.”
“I’m Officer Milstead, and I need to talk to you.”
“You do?”
With an explosive smile he grabs my hand forcefully. “You’re the author of Blood and Bite…right? I love that series! The TV show is crap, too much nudity and not enough character development, but the books are amazing!”
Looking across at each other, Wayne and I say together, “Oh…kay…”
“When my Captain told me that it was THE Kain Brooks involved in this…umm…crime scene, I almost passed out. I’ve been following your career forever!” He shakes my hand again, not noticing that I want it back. “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”
“I told the other officer, at the scene, everything I knew about what happened.”
“Just some follow up questions from the earlier incident. Nothing too urgent.”
Uncomfortably embarrassed, I nod yes. “No problem.”
“You know Ms. Lane?”
“Yes.”
“How well?”
From over my shoulder Wayne chimes in, “Very well!” I swiftly stab him in the stomach with my elbow and cough.
With a wink, Officer Milstead says, “You know she’s an author too…one of my wife’s favorites. Not my cup of tea, but I guess she has a big following.”
“Yes, I am aware of that too. Actually, Ms. Lane and I have just finished a manuscript together,” I say, trying to find Penny through the shiny glass behind the officer.
“No. Way.” His mouth falls open.
“Yes way,” I tease. “It should be out on the market within a few months, maybe even weeks.”
“That’s fantastic!”
“I think so too. Penny has really changed my life, my writing world,” I say, without knowing how drastic I was sounding.
“Penny, huh? I guess you too are close
,” he smiles, inquisitively.
“Very close,” Wayne adds again. I turn to nudge him again but he holds up his hands in surrender, and takes two steps backward. I give him a smile that tells him I’ll get him back for the comment. He smiles even bigger and directs my attention back toward Officer Milstead.
“Officer, she’s become extremely important to me. What happened today can't ever happen again. I won’t allow it. I’ll do anything you need to help find who’s responsible. I promise. But for now, I really would like to see her. Can we continue this talk another time?” I ask, letting the gravity of the situation sit on me again.
“Of course, Mr. Brooks. This is all just follow up stuff anyways.” He shakes my hand again, still blushing a little. “Don’t worry too much. We’ll catch the person that did this. The perp didn’t leave much evidence, but we’ll get the bastard.”
From behind him, inside Penny’s room, I see Tina waving for me to come in. My heart races causing me to stumble over my words. “I hope so.”
“Still can’t believe all the blood in that room, though. Someone must really hate Ms. Lane,” he says aloud, though it sounds as if he was talking to himself. “Going to be a bitch to clean up.”
Just then, Tina pops open the door, making eye contact with Wayne just long enough to catch his attention. Then, she concentrates on my face. “She’s waking up.”
“I’ll letcha go, Mr. Brooks. I can see by the look in your eyes that we’re done here,” Officer Milstead says, kindly. Quickly, he turns to walk away, but I stop him.
“Officer, is it safe for her to go back home?” I ask.
“I think so. There will be patrolman stationed around her neighborhood for the next few weeks. Nobody’s getting back in without being seen.” He smiles.
“Okay, good…” I sigh, relieved.
“Her place just needs a good cleaning.”
“Cleaning? You mean the blood’s still there?”
“Yes. We only dispose of the carcass, and collect any evidence. There wasn’t much of that to do, just a shitload of blood.” He smiles wild-eyed. “Kinda like one of your books!”
“Thanks, Officer,” I say, not feeling comforted in the least. Quickly, I walk into Penny’s room, and Wayne and Tina have already huddled up in the corner of the room, beside Penny’s bed. I ignore them and focus on Penny’s tired face. Even after all she’s been through, she still looks unbelievably beautiful. A bit pale, but her eyes captivate me in a matter of seconds. Scooping up her hand in mine, I lean down to her.
“Kain?” Penny whispers.
“I’m here.”
“You’re here? In Virginia…but how…” she says, still groggy. I smile above her, and trace the lines of her cheek with my finger.
“Surprise,” I whisper.
With the force of a runaway train, she lunges forward, wrapping her arms around me. “Kain!”
Though her embrace is almost too tight, I wither in her arms, breaking down. I am completely hers now. I will never leave her side again. Never. I dreamed so many times what it will feel like to hold her, to touch her, but now that it is a reality, I know it’s right. It’s meant to be.
“What are you doing here?” she whispers in my ear. Her breath on my skin is absolutely habit forming. Her delicate fingers caress the back of my neck, devastating me in her collision of truth.
“Crashing.”
Chapter 19
Penny
Surprised by all the events that are happening so fast, I feel dizzy. Here I am in the hospital, hanging on to Kain like he will disappear. Quickly, my mind is shifting back to why I am here.
“Oh my gosh, my house. Someone broke in my house, the blood, the dead animal, and Zack in the middle of it all. Please, someone tell me they got my photo of Zack?”
“Calm down, honey, we will take care of everything,” Tina says, as she pushes past Kain, taking my hand from his. She grabs the brush off the table by the bed and begins to brush my hair. Bending over she whispers in my ear, “Don't worry Penny, I even wiped all your slobber away. You can thank me later.”
The doctor walks in, asking everyone to step outside so he can check me out before releasing me. I automatically feel panic shoot through me at the words, they are sending me home. How am I going to be able to tell them I don’t want to go home and not sound like a wimp?
“Penny, there are no injuries that I can see. You probably passed out from all the emotional distress you were going through. I’m going to release you now, however, if you have any concerns, call my office and we can schedule you an appointment,” he says, as he is writing on his clipboard and leaving my room. He motions everyone to come back in with a wave of his hand. Everyone is looking at me, but it was Kain who asks, “You ready to go?” Taking a deep breath, I let ‘yes’ come out with a hitched breath. I must look scared because it's Tina who speaks up next.
“You’re not going back to your house, Penny, till we get it all cleaned up. Kain will take you to a hotel that I booked. Wayne and I will head to your house to clean it up, or at least call the pros to do it,” she says, as she shoots a huge smile Wayne’s way. I instantly feel sorry for the poor guy, spending the day with her. I can't help but laugh at the thought, as I tell her thank you. The nurse comes in, pulling the curtain, telling me to get dressed and then she will go over my release forms with me.
After being released, I now sit beside Kain in the car as he drives up to the hotel. We are getting out of the car as Tina and Wayne walk up next to us. Kain introduces me to Wayne, who flashes me a bright smile and shakes my hands. “It’s nice to meet you, Wayne.”
“So maybe we should have some dinner and then we will take off to clean your house, Penny,” Wayne offers.
We decide on grabbing a sandwich at the bar in the hotel. We have been sitting around the table for an hour laughing and listening to Wayne and Kain joke back and forth with each other. I’m starting to feel back to normal. I keep stealing peeks at Kain, now that I am over the shock of the ordeal with the break-in. Nervousness starts building inside me, with him actually sitting next to me. Each time I look at him, he gives me a sexy half-cocked smile. We must have been in our own world, because I hear Tina and Wayne start giggling like teenagers.
“Maybe we should leave and get the house clean, Tina,” Wayne tells her, bouncing his eyebrows up and down.
“Sure, but don't get any funny ideas,” she smirks back. I notice that her smile is different and there is a glow to her today. Realizing that soon Kain and I will be left alone, my stomach starts doing summersaults. He is more gorgeous in person, so sexy in his movements. We all get up and get ready to go our separate ways, when Tina asks to speak to me alone. Walking by the doorway, she grabs my arm and starts whispering.
“Hot damn, you see how his muscles penetrating through his shirt, Penny?”
“Really, Tina, you better get a hold of yourself or you're not going to be able to clean.”
“Silly, I am not talking about that asshat, I am talking about Kain. “How are you going to control yourself is the better question?” she says, with a big toothy grin.
“I will manage. Here is hoping you can control yourself.”
“Control myself nothing, pfft, I fully plan on throwing a saddle on that bad boy and going for a ride!”
“Good God, Tina!” We both crack up laughing and walk back to where the guys are huddled up talking.
I feel Kain place his hand on the small of my back as if it’s a natural reflex, sending shivers up my spine. As we stand there, unmoving, listening to Wayne making arrangements for us to meet back here for breakfast in the morning. But Kain interrupts him, “Let’s see how the day goes, and we will call you.”
Watching Wayne and Tina leave, I turn my head towards Kain. “You think they will be okay?”
“I have no clue,” he responds back, laughing. Kain turns facing me and asks, “So, what would you like to do or do you just want to go to bed for the night, and I can come pick you up tomorrow?”
“Sure, should I drive or you?”
“I’ll drive,” I say with a huge smile. He tosses me the keys, as we walk to the car. We talk nonstop all the way to our destination. It’s almost like Kain and I are natural together. Like walking is natural, or hearing or using any sense for that matter. Kain is like one of my senses. Arriving at our location I look over at Kain, to see his expression. He smiles at me, giving me a wink, as he reaches for his door to get out. At this precise moment, I know, I am totally captivated with Kain Brooks. Without conflict, he is willing to bear with me through anything. He walks around the car, grabbing my hand as we walk through the cemetery gates. Someone must’ve just mowed the grass because you can smell it in the air, along with a mix of rusted iron and fresh dirt. Once we get to Zack's tombstone, I turn, facing Kain. “I just wanted....” But before I can finish my words, he lays his fingers softly over my lips. “It’s okay, Penny, I understand.”
He uses his hand to push me back a few feet, and then he returns, staring at the stone that now marks Zack’s life. I watch him rock back on his heels a couple of times, shoving his hands in his front pockets before he starts talking. "Hey, Zack, my name is Kain. I am here to plead with you, that you give your blessing to Penny, so that she can learn to love another." I listen as he continues to talk to Zack as if he is standing right in front of him. “I will never love her the way you did, but I will love her my way. You know she deserves to move forward and share her heart with another. I hope that other will be me.” He stays still for a few more moments, then turns, walking towards me. I can tell he's thinking, by the muscle that is jumping in his jaw.