He pressed a hand against his heart. “I can’t do that. Imina’s in danger. She needs me.”
“Man, you’re soaking wet and still in a daze. I can’t worry about you while I’m in there.”
“The waiter thought he was helping.” Aiden shook his head, and then raked his fingers through his wet hair.
He’d been out. Then, all of a sudden, an icy wave struck his body. The jittery waiter—and apparently also Kellogg’s accomplice—had tossed a bucket of icy water onto Aiden’s unconscious form. While Aiden had been spitting out water, he’d tried to comprehend the waiter’s rambling apology. Apparently, Kellogg had paid the waiter. The waiter had drugged his coffee. Aiden had passed out. Woke up. Imina was gone. And now, Kellogg was a murderer.
Aiden had only lost fifteen minutes due to whatever drug was in his system. The waiter had balked and not given him the full dose Kellogg requested. Thank God for small favors.
Now, they were outside the Budget Broadway Hotel. Likely not more than a two-star, which was saying a lot for a hotel in Manhattan. After Aiden called Tony and grabbed the security guy, they’d tracked Imina’s phone here.
Jay sat in the back seat. He racked his gun. “Can’t wait much longer for backup.”
“We know she’s been shot.” Tony opened his squad car door. “Reports came through of a shooting just off State Street, matching his description. There’s video, too.”
“What?” Aiden glared at Tony. “Where?”
“Listen.” Tony gripped his shoulder. “I’ll talk to the front desk. Flash the badge and get the room number. Let’s go, Jay. Aiden, stay here and wait for backup. We’re going in.”
Aiden blinked and shook his head, fighting the effects of his drugging. He had to fight the dizziness. To fight the draw to rest his head against the window and close his eyes.
Sirens roared directly behind Tony’s car, so Aiden hopped out and waited by the passenger door.
Lights flashing, a black-and-white squad car skidded to a stop.
Aiden waved them his way.
Two cops exited the car and headed in his direction.
One was much beefier than the other, with a gray bush of a mustache and a scarred nose. The other was Hispanic and looked about nineteen. Their nametags read Kenda and Mendoza.
Beefy guy, Kenda, jerked his head toward the building. “What’s the status?”
“We believe a woman is being kept hostage inside. The captor has already murdered someone during flight, and he has apparently injured her, as well. Officer Tony Antonacci and my private security man have entered the building.”
“Do we know which room they’re in?” Kenda tugged up his pants.
“No.” Aiden pressed open the doors and entered the lobby.
Two pop-pops sounded from within the hotel.
Aiden gasped, bracing a hand against the wall. His heart pounded and sank at the same time. “He’s killed her.”
“Stay here.” Removing his gun, Kenda nodded to his partner. “On me.”
Aiden stumbled then caught himself on the wood-framed chair in the lobby.
Kenda and Mendoza raced up to the counter, shouted a few words to the person behind the desk, and then headed down the hallway.
Two more cops entered the building. One stayed at the front door, while the other ushered nosy guests back into their rooms.
“She’s not dead. She’s not.” He swallowed hard then stood. Each step closer, creating a pressure in his chest. Yet, he had to see. Had to know. Was Imina alive or dead? And how would he live with himself, knowing he hadn’t kept her safe?
# # #
Imina stared down at the body at her feet.
He’d used her as a punching bag for all of three minutes or so, then he’d stepped back to pull down his pants.
She’d known what was next.
Nope. He wouldn’t rape her…or anyone else, ever again.
Enough.
Enough to pull the trigger.
Enough for his death to be justified.
She’d yanked out the gun from under her ripped shirt and plugged two holes into Kellogg’s chest. His eyes had gone wide before he’d fallen. As if he couldn’t believe he’d been bested. As if all the horrors he’d visited upon others were flashing through his eyes. She hoped he burned in hell for what he’d done.
Pounding. In her heart? Her head? Where was all the pounding coming from?
Her entire body ached. And she figured her nose was probably broken. Mouth full of blood, she spat beside Kellogg’s corpse.
The unending thumping continued, louder now.
Then the door to the room burst open. She crouched down, pointing her gun at the door.
“Drop it,” a man in plainclothes yelled.
Good thing he shouted, because her ears were still ringing. “W-who are you?” Her entire body shook, and every blow and her bullet wound stood up and said, Hi! Adrenaline rush over, time for excruciating pain.
“I’m Aiden’s friend.” The guy glanced down at Kellogg. “I need you to drop your weapon, Imina. I’m not here to hurt you.”
She swallowed hard and dropped her gun on the stained brown carpet. “I killed him. I probably shouldn’t admit that without a lawyer, but yeah…so there’s that, and if you wouldn’t mind, I need an ambulance.”
Imina fell forward onto the bed, allowing the tears to flow. Tears of anger. Tears of pain. And tears of triumph. She’d won. Kellogg was gone. And she was safe. Finally safe. The burden of her long-held secret dripped from her soul, and was carried away by the tears pouring down her face.
“Imina.”
She heard Aiden’s voice, but had he whispered or was she dreaming? Glancing up, she saw him in the door and frowned. His clothes were wet. His hair askew. His eyes piercing and troubled. “Aiden.”
Dear God, what would he think of her?
Aiden tried to press past Tony. “Are you all right?”
Aiden’s friend blocked him. “Hey buddy, you can’t come in here. Come on. Back out.”
“Tony, I need to…she needs me.” Aiden kept his gaze locked with hers.
“I shot him, Aiden.”
“I see that, baby. You’re okay. It’s over.”
“Aiden, stay back. I can’t let you in here.” Tony barked the command.
“Fuck you, Tony. He almost killed her.” Aiden glanced at the body on the floor.
She’d avoided looking that way, but her gaze cut in that direction.
Kellogg lay on the floor, two blossoms of red, blooming through his shirt.
Waves of nausea shot from her stomach, choking her. “I-I’m going to be sick.”
Tony knelt beside her, pressing her head down. “We’ll get you out of here in a second. Just breathe.”
She did as he asked, fixing her gaze on the nasty floor. A small leaf had come in on someone’s shoe, so she focused on that instead.
“Damn it, Tony.” Aiden roared from the doorway.
Imina glanced around Tony, meeting Aiden’s eyes. “I’m all right.”
Another cop was holding him back. “It was self-defense. Let her go. She’s injured.”
Tony faced him. “The EMT’s will check her out.” Then he turned back to her. “Even though this is very clear cut. I suggest you hire a lawyer to take care of everything. Let someone else handle…things from here.” He patted her shoulder. “We’ll get a statement from you later.”
Imina nodded. “I was justified.”
Tony gave simple tilt of his chin. “You were.”
She released a long breath. “Can Aiden come in here? Please?”
“No.” Tony shook his head. “He shouldn’t even be where he is.”
A man in a blue uniform knelt down beside Tony. “This our patient?”
Tony glanced his way. “Yeah, take her to Central.”
Imina got poked and prodded then loaded onto a rolling stretcher.
Out in the lobby, Aiden finally came to her side. Her heart skipped a beat as she met his gaze.
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He stared down at her, keeping pace with the EMT’s “After you get out of the hospital, Imina Lesedi, I’m never letting you out of my sight. I love you, my brave, brave woman. I love you.”
“I-I don’t…” Imina shivered. He loved her? Her? Hadn’t he seen what she’d done? In cold blood? Because, she’d known what would happen, calculated everything, waited for the prime moment before she’d shot Kellogg. Was that brave? Did she deserve love? She turned away as a tear slid down her cheek. “I’m cold.”
“Don’t you dare go into shock.” Aiden’s glanced at the EMT then back at her. “You need to live. We’ve got more pictures to take. Don’t you dare die on me after I just told you I love you.”
“Right, yeah. Love.” Imina nodded. “I think…I’m passing out now.”
Aiden stopped back as the EMT’s lifted her into the ambulance.
Blue and red lights flickered against the walls. She watched the colors spin, spin, spin. Nauseous, she closed her eyes and welcomed oblivion.
Chapter 15
A week had passed and Imina still hurt all over, but she knew the pain was mostly mental. She stared out the window of her apartment. She’d avoided Aiden’s calls. Karen’s calls. Food. Sleep. Life. And certainly mirrors. Her face looked like a mountainous region on a very colorful map. Greens. Purples. Deep yellow-browns. She’d likely have to schedule plastic surgery for her nose. She also needed physical therapy for her leg. She sighed and pressed her forehead against the chilled window. Gray skies loomed. Rain was forecasted for the day. This she knew because she had the TV blaring 24/7. Anything to occupy her mind.
Nothing made sense. She’d killed a man. Taken a father away from his children. Sure, she’d saved her own life, but at the cost of another? How was that right? Or fair? In the moment, she’d been so sure. Felt so righteous, but now, she just felt…sad.
Her hands hadn’t stopped shaking since she’d pulled the trigger. And she was so cold. She kept thinking of the cop who had interrogated her for five hours. Asking the same questions, making her tell her story from the very beginning, revealing everything. Making her feel as if she’d been the one guilty of tracking down Kellogg to kill him. “No. That’s not true. He would’ve killed me. Get over yourself, Imina.”
All the evidence pointed to Kellogg’s guilt. Drugging Aiden. Kidnapping her. Shooting her. Beating her. Plus, he’d killed the dishwasher in cold blood. What about that poor man? What about his family? The whole thing was a nightmare she kept seeing in the daytime, as well as in her dreams.
She wasn’t quite sure what the future held for Infidelity, either. The police were aware of the company now. She’d tried to keep them out of her confession as much as possible, but everything about her and Kellogg was linked through that place.
She liked the lifestyle her job afforded, but was that worth more than her peace of mind? She understood why Infidelity worked, but being an insider, having to keep so many secrets, wasn’t how she wanted to live her life anymore. Again, she sighed and limped toward the kitchen. Maybe a cup of decaf would warm her. It hadn’t so far, and at this point the bitter brew was actually upsetting her stomach, but she needed something in there to swirl around with all the acid. She’d probably created a couple of ulcers by now.
Karen had visited her in the hospital, patting her shoulder, offering words of comfort, but her eyes were bloodshot and baggy. She’d been working on keeping Infidelity safe by meeting with lawyers.
Imina kept waiting for a cop to appear, read through her rights, and then throw her in a cell. “What the hell is the matter with you?” She picked up a coffee cup and threw it across the room. It hit the living room wall and shattered. “Stop it! You’re stronger than this. Quit wallowing in self-pity.”
She gripped her right side. Kellogg had gotten in a few rib shots, and they still ached. Having a fit probably wasn’t such a good idea. She rubbed her throbbing temples. “So, what now? You basically killed your demon. Time to move on with Aiden. You can do this. He says he loves you. Gets all giddy and shit. Buck the hell up and love him back.”
Love was so stupid. The word was stupid. Saying it didn’t mean shit, but she felt something stirring in her heart. Something hard and deep, and maybe that was love.
After picking up the bigger pieces of the broken cup, she tossed them in the garbage.
Aiden had shown her a new path. Not everyone would hurt her. Not everyone would leave. Maybe he could show her more and lead her along this whole open-hearted trail.
Easing onto her couch, she read through his texts. Some were funny. Some were desperate. But all were tinged with love and a desire for her to “hear” him. She did. Loud and clear.
He’d seen her after she’d pulled the trigger, and he still wanted to be with her. Wanted to stand beside her during the upcoming trial, and whatever else came their way.
“Stupid man.” She grinned and read through the messages again. He’d lost his mind, but she couldn’t let him go.
She texted back. Shall we continue?
Smiling like a goofball, she used her good leg to lever off the couch and off her lazy ass before hitting the shower. She had a long night ahead of her. Once more, Aiden would hear her truths. And while she knew they had a lot to talk about, she really hoped there’d be more showing than telling. Definitely more showing.
Chapter 16
Aiden shifted his bag on his shoulder and knocked on Imina’s door. Finally, he’d returned to this place. Finally, she’d reached out. Though unsure of where they’d go from here, and unsure of what she’d say, he wanted to find out. After reading her playful text, he’d wrapped up his photo shoot and come straight over.
She opened the door wearing fleece pajama pants and a tight white top with a big purple heart across the middle. “Come in, Aiden.”
The soft scent of vanilla lingered in the air as he shuffled inside, placing his bag by the coffee table. “I know we have a lot to talk about, but first, I want to show you something.” He dug the photo album out of his bag then took her hand and led her to the couch. Resting the book on his lap, he turned and faced her. “Will you look through these with me?”
She nodded. “Of course.”
He handed her the album. “Open it.”
Inside were pictures of him from the day she’d stolen his camera, pictures of her in the park, pictures of her outside her building, and pictures of the two of them in bed.
He brushed her hair over her shoulder. “These say it all. Look at your smile. The carefree look in your eyes. The love between us. Because it is love, Imina. I do love you.”
Her lower lip wobbled, and she leaned against his side.
“Don’t cry.”
“I hate that I’ve become this stupid waterworks factory. I’m confused and lost. I don’t know what to do next. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel. And most of all…I’m more sorry about Kellogg’s family than I am about killing him. What kind of person does that make me?”
“Human.” Aiden eased her back so he could gaze into her deep brown eyes. “He hurt you. He would’ve killed you and then himself. Tony called me today and said they found a suicide letter in Kellogg’s glove box.” He hated to mention the news, but he thought the words might soothe her conscience a little.
“I know. I saw it on the local new channel earlier.” She bit her bottom lip, eyes still watery from her tears. She sniffed. “He had two kids.”
“Yes.” Aiden hated to see her so torn. She would work past this, he knew, but seeing her so distraught hurt his heart. “Kellogg was a monster.”
“True, but that doesn’t make it okay for me to be his judge and jury.”
“Yes, actually, it does.” Aiden tipped her chin with his index finger. “You did what you had to do.” Aiden tried to keep his tone soft, but when thinking about that day, he struggled. “I almost lost you.” He rubbed a hand against his heart. “All I would’ve had left were these pictures, and a whole lot of regret because I never told you what you’re s
aying to me in these photos. I never said how I felt behind the lens. What these reveal. Every picture of us shows…love.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “I love you, Imina Lesedi. Now, you need to say the words back. Erase all the darkness inside with light. I promise you’ll feel better.” He grinned and waggled his brows.
She shook her head. “I took someone’s life. Someone’s love. How can I deserve love for myself?”
“You can. Stop blaming yourself for everything. It’s okay to feel happiness. It’s okay to feel confused and lost and everything else you’re feeling right now. But feel it with me. Be with me.”
“I am with you.”
“Then say it.”
Straightening, she took a deep breath and met his gaze. “I love you.”
He smiled as all the tumblers aligned in his heart and the organ began pumping began, free and clear. “There. Don’t you feel better now?”
“No, but I think I will if you come with me.” Standing, she tugged on his hand and led him to the bedroom. “Get undressed, then get on the bed.”
Hands on her hips, she spoke in a tone that brooked no argument. Fine. She needed to feel in control. He could do this. Even though, he wasn’t sure this was the smartest decision, considering her injuries. “Imina, perhaps we should wait to celebrate. You’re injured.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Did you or did you not just say, be with me?”
“I did, but—”
“Nat! No.” She held up a hand. “Shut up and take off your clothes.”
After kicking off his shoes, he tugged his shirt over his head, unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, and then he did a little shake so they’d tumble to the floor. “This enough?”
“Quiet!” Frowning, she flicked a hand at his crotch. “Take those off. I said get undressed and that means everything. I suggest you listen.” Done with her orders, she turned and pulled two long lengths of black silk from her side table’s drawer. “Get on the bed, and raise your arms above your head.”
“Shouldn’t we have a safe word?”
“It’s yellow.”
“Very original.” He smirked.
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