Take Me Under

by Rhyannon Byrd

  “Jesus. You’re lucky you’re not dead.”

  “Trust me, I know,” she whispered, squeezing his hand.

  Narrowing his eyes, he asked, “What was the driver’s story?” He’d been so frantic to reach the hospital, he hadn’t even put in a call to whomever had been on the scene from the sheriff’s department. Did they even have the bastard in custody?

  “It wasn’t the minivan’s fault,” Connie said, drawing his gaze to the window, where she was standing, arms crossed tight over her chest. Ben had been so focused on Reese that he hadn’t even noticed she was there. “The van was just reacting to the asshole in the truck.”

  His gaze got even sharper. “What truck?”

  Connie’s mouth was a flat, tense line, her face still pale with fear. “I don’t know. It sped off after Reese was hit. But it had been pulling up beside her for some reason, on the wrong side of the road. When the van turned the corner and saw the truck in its lane, the driver swerved, and that’s when she was hit.”

  Ben scowled, wondering why the truck had been pulling up beside Reese. “Did you see who was driving the truck?” he asked Connie. “Or get a license plate number?”

  She shook her head as she frowned. “I’m sorry, Ben, but no. The windows were tinted, so I don’t think anyone got a clear look at the driver. And once Reese was hit, we were all just trying to help her.”

  He gave Connie a look that said they needed to talk more later, then looked back down at Reese. Pushing her hair back from her bruised face, he asked, “What have the doctors said?”

  “That I’m fine, just like I told you.” She struggled to sit up a little higher, until he told her to hold still and reached down, pressing the button on the control panel that raised the head of the bed. She thanked him, then said, “They want to keep me overnight, just for observation. And they’re going to do an MRI in a little while, just to make sure everything’s okay. But there aren’t any real concerns.” A wry grin curled the corner of her mouth. “I’m apparently very bouncy.”

  His chest shook with a breathless laugh. “Well thank God for that,” he murmured, leaning down and pressing a careful kiss to her scraped forehead.

  A nurse came in with some pain meds and to check her vitals, and after making a quick phone call to the station, Ben joined Connie by the window, deliberately keeping his voice too low for Reese to overhear. Despite having survived the ordeal with miraculously minimal damage, he knew the experience had left her shaken. He didn’t want to say anything that would upset her even more at that moment, but he was worried as hell about what the truck had been doing so close to her. Had the driver planned to abduct her? Sideswipe her? Shoot her with a fucking gun? Whatever the reason, his gut told him that she’d been a target, and it made him want to go for blood.

  He hadn’t been talking to Connie for more than a few minutes, the nurse still busy with Reese, when another nurse opened the door to her room and poked her head inside.

  “Ms. Monroe, there’s another visitor here to see you. A Mr. Leighton.”

  Reese’s jaw instantly dropped. “What?” she gasped, looking completely stunned.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Ben snarled, moving toward the door with a hard, purposeful stride.

  The nurse shot a startled look in his direction. “Sheriff Hudson? Is everything okay?”

  “It’s fine,” he barked, his tone sending her scurrying back as he grabbed the door, jerking it wide open. “Tell Mr. Leighton that I’ll talk to him in the hallway.”

  “Ben, no!” Reese protested, trying to lower the safety bar at the side of her bed as the nurse she’d been talking to quickly left the room.

  “Don’t even think about it,” he growled, jabbing his finger at her in an order for her to stay put. “You set one toe out of that bed, Reese, and I’m spanking your ass. You understand?”

  Ben didn’t wait for her response, more than ready to confront this son of a bitch on his own. Shutting the door to her room behind him, he turned and headed toward the hotshot lawyer, who was waiting a few yards down the hallway, near the nurses’ station. Mike stood nearby, back braced against the corridor wall, his dark gaze focused sharply on Leighton, who was dressed in an expensive-looking suit and tie, a young, aggressive looking blonde hovering near his side. Mike had obviously made it clear that Leighton wasn’t getting past him, and the guy wasn’t happy about it. The lawyer’s pretty-boy face was flushed with anger, a scowl wedged deep between his golden brows.

  Planting himself in the middle of the hallway, Ben crossed his arms over his chest and locked his hard gaze with Leighton’s. “What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded in a gritty rasp, thinking it was a good thing he’d left his gun locked in his glove box. If he found out this prick had tried to hurt Reese, he knew he’d be tempted to shoot him.

  Looking thoroughly insulted by his question, Leighton said, “I could ask you the same thing. I happen to be here to see my wife.”

  Ben gave the jackass a sharp smile. “Ex-wife. Let’s not forget that she divorced your sorry ass.”

  The lawyer’s pale blue eyes narrowed with suspicion. “If I had to guess, I’d say that you’re not here in a professional capacity, Sheriff Hudson.”

  “And you’d be right,” Ben drawled, watching Leighton’s face get redder as his breathing quickened. The guy looked like he was hanging on to his control by a thread, and Ben had every intention of pushing him further, needing to see just how violently the arrogant prick would react. “And now you’re going to tell me what the fuck you’re doing in Moss Beach.”

  “That’s none of your business,” the blonde sneered, curling her lip as she plastered herself against Leighton’s side. Ben would have been willing to bet some serious money that this was the infamous Lizzie, whom Reese had caught her husband screwing. He couldn’t imagine what the idiot had been thinking, cheating on his wife with this bitter bitch. She had the curves and a store-bought finish—towering heels, a pricey business suit, and makeup that looked like it’d been professionally caked on—but it wasn’t hard to see that beneath the glitz, she was hard as stone.

  “I told you to keep your mouth shut if you came with me,” Leighton muttered under his breath, jerking his arm out of the blonde’s hold. Then he turned his attention back to Ben. “I’m in town because I wanted to make sure that Reese was doing okay after the move. The last time we talked, she sounded . . . upset.”

  Lowering his arms, Ben took a step closer. “She told you she was fine and to leave her alone.”

  Those pale eyes went wide, then narrowed again to hot, glittering slits. “You were with her when I called, weren’t you?”

  Hooking his thumbs in his front pockets, Ben curled his lips in a sly smile. “Reese and I are neighbors now, so we get to spend a lot of time together.”

  A shudder moved through Leighton’s stiff frame. His nostrils flared. “You fucking touch her and I’ll—”

  “You’ll what?” Ben pressed, knowing damn well the lawyer didn’t have the balls to fight him. It was written all over the asshole’s face. Leighton might be pissed, but he was still a fucking pussy. He’d never go up against someone bigger and meaner than he was, but God, Ben wished he would throw a punch so that he could go ahead and wipe the floor with the smarmy bastard.

  Ready to cut through the bullshit and start getting some serious answers, he opened his mouth to ask his next question, but was cut off by Reese’s tense voice coming from behind him. “What are you doing here, Drew?”

  “What the hell?” Ben growled, shooting her a dark look over his shoulder. “Get back in bed, Reese!”

  Completely disregarding that sharp bark of command, the stubborn woman started shuffling toward him, arms holding the overlapping sides of a robe closed at the front to hide the thin hospital gown she was wearing. She had scrapes on her forehead and chin, the way she was favoring her right side no doubt the sign of some serious bruising on the left side of her body. But the steely look in her eyes was any
thing but cowed.

  Leighton’s next words came out hoarse with concern. “My God, Reese. Look at you. Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine.” She moved a little closer to Ben’s side, but kept her eyes locked on her ex. Ben noticed that she hadn’t even spared a glance at Lizzie, who was still hovering near Leighton like a protective pit bull. Voice surprisingly steady, Reese said, “You shouldn’t be here, Drew.”

  A possessive gleam burned in the lawyer’s eyes as he held her stare. “I know you’re angry, but I’m not going back to Boston until we talk. I miss you and I want—”

  “Don’t come near me!” she snapped, when he took a step toward her.

  Leighton’s jaw tightened. “What the fuck, Reese? You’re my wife.”

  She pulled her shoulders back. “Not anymore. Which should be evident by the woman you’ve brought with you today.”

  “Lizzie came as my friend,” he said emphatically. “Nothing more.”

  A tired laugh slipped past her lips as she shook her head. “I couldn’t care less why she’s here. I just want you both gone. But first, Drew . . . first I want to know how you got my new number.”

  His lips thinned. “You gave it to Valerie before you left town. She gave it to me when I asked for it.”

  “Who’s Valerie?” Ben murmured, sliding a supportive arm around Reese’s waist, since he needed to hold her, and she looked like a strong wind might blow her over. But he knew she was a hell of a lot tougher than she looked.

  Reese glanced up at him as she answered his question. “She’s a friend I worked with in Boston who I thought I could trust.” Glaring at Leighton again, she added, “I was obviously wrong.”

  The guy turned a violent shade of red, his furious gaze taking in the way Ben was holding her, before cutting back to her face. “It was just a fucking phone number.”

  “One that I didn’t want you to have, so please don’t call it again.” She took a deep breath, then quietly added, “And don’t text me, either.”

  “I haven’t sent you any damn texts,” he bit out, rubbing a rough hand over his mouth. Then his pale gaze slowly darkened with understanding. “This is about more of that stalker bullshit, isn’t it? God, Reese. You can keep throwing it in my face like you did in Boston, but I’m not the one responsible.” He shoved his hair back from his brow, before muttering, “If the asshole even exists.”

  Reese stiffened with outrage. “You think I made it up?” she said chokingly. “That it was me? That I mutilated a cat to get your damn attention?”

  Leighton worked his jaw. “I think you were confused and wanted to come back home.” He flicked a contemptuous look at Ben. “Then something changed your mind and you ran.”

  “I didn’t run, Drew. I came here to start a new life. And I think it’s time that you left.”

  “You heard the lady,” Ben muttered, jerking his chin toward the double doors at the end of the corridor. “Time to get the fuck out.”

  Leighton studied them for a moment from beneath a heavy scowl, then smirked. An ugly laugh rumbled up from his chest. “I don’t believe this shit. Are you actually letting this asshole fuck you?”

  Ben made a low, guttural sound, ready to toss the son of a bitch out himself, but Reese simply said, “I don’t owe you any answers, Drew. My personal life no longer has anything to do with you.”

  Those soft words made the jackass flinch, as if she’d physically struck him. “Like hell it doesn’t,” Leighton shouted, suddenly lurching forward and grabbing her arm. She cried out, his fingers digging into her bruised flesh, and Ben reacted with a swift surge of rage. With a visceral snarl, he drew back his arm and slammed his fist into Leighton’s mouth. The violent force of the blow knocked the bastard off his feet, the lawyer’s body making a dull thud as it crashed into the wall behind him.

  “You don’t lay a fucking hand on her!” Ben growled, trying to gently pry Reese’s hands off his arm as she held on, doing her best to hold him back. Leighton’s lip had been split open, blood spilling over his chin and throat, soaking into the snowy white collar of his shirt. The noise had caught the attention of the hospital staff, who were trying to intervene, but Mike was holding them back, telling them the situation was under control.

  “Ohmygod! Drew!” Lizzie glared daggers at Ben as she rushed to Leighton and crouched beside him. “I told you this was a waste of time!” she hissed near his ear.

  He threw her arms off, using the sleeve of his tailored suit jacket to wipe the blood from his face as he staggered back to his feet. “And I told you I wanted to see my wife. Stay out of it, Lizzie.”

  She crossed her arms as she stepped back, her face composed into a smooth, expressionless mask that looked fake as hell. “You’ve seen her, Drew. And her new boyfriend, too. Don’t you think it’s time we got out of here?”

  “Fine,” he forced through his gritted teeth. “We’ll go.”

  Realizing Reese was now shivering at his side, Ben stopped trying to extricate himself from her grip. Instead, he pulled her against his chest and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. It was a caring, protective embrace, and he hoped Leighton got a good, long look, because if he ever tried to hurt her again, Ben would go after him until there was nothing left on the ground but a stain. Staring over her head, he locked his steely gaze on the bastard and said, “Before you slink off, I want to know where you were this afternoon.”

  Voice tight, Leighton asked, “What are you getting at?”

  “You know exactly what I’m getting at.” Reese went tense in his arms, no doubt bracing herself for the question she’d guessed was coming next. “How did you know to come looking for Reese at this hospital?”

  “The clerk at the hotel recognized Drew when we were trying to check in,” Lizzie snapped, rushing to Leighton’s defense before he could respond. “We only just landed an hour ago and took a taxi instead of renting a car. So it couldn’t have been Drew who hit that stupid woman.”

  “Which hotel?”

  “The Davis.”

  Ben wasn’t surprised. The Davis was a privately owned resort right on the beach, catering to those who could afford its outrageous prices.

  Lizzie continued her explanation in a belligerent tone. “The clerk’s girlfriend was in town when the accident happened, and she called him to gossip about it.”

  “I’ve stayed there before, with Reese, when we were here visiting. That’s why he thought to tell me about the accident,” Leighton added in a raw voice. He looked at Ben with sullen eyes. “I don’t give a shit what you think is going on, I would never do anything to hurt her. She’s . . . just know that I don’t plan on letting this go.”

  “I don’t know why,” the petulant blonde muttered. “She’s nothing special. Just look at her.”

  Ben had had enough. “Get this trash out of the fucking hospital, Leighton. Now, before I have you both thrown out. And you can expect a visit from one of my deputies at your hotel.”

  “I’ll escort them out of here,” Mike offered. “You just take care of Reese.”

  “Thanks, Mike.” Picking her up as carefully as he could, Ben cradled her in his arms as he carried her back to her room, the scent of the antiseptic they’d used on her scrapes still lingering on her skin. There were a few muttered curses behind him, but he knew Mike could handle Leighton and his mistress. Connie, who’d been watching the whole thing from the doorway, held the door open for him, and he carried Reese to the bed, keeping his face close to hers after he’d laid her down. Then, using his most intimidating tone, he said, “You move again and I’ll damn well tie you down.”

  Despite the shitty scene she’d just been through, her blue eyes were shining with humor. “Promises, promises,” she whispered, somehow managing to sound both sexy and adorable at the same time.

  It took everything Ben had to choke back a gritty laugh. “Don’t sass me right now, you little hellion. I’m not happy with you.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m not all that thrilled with
you, either.”

  Well, hell. “Are you upset that I hit him?” he asked, straightening to his full height.

  “No. Of course not. He had it coming. But I wanted to be the one who busted his lip,” she grumbled.

  His own lips twitched with a grin. “I’ll let you hit him next time.”

  She smirked. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

  Pushing a gleaming lock of hair back from her face, Ben asked, “Did you know he was coming here? To Florida?” The last he’d heard, Leighton wasn’t scheduled to fly home from that legal conference in California until Sunday.

  Her eyes went wide. “What? No! He’s been trying to reach me since you gave me my phone back, but I’ve been ignoring his calls.”

  Before Ben could respond, Connie joined them, standing on the other side of the bed. “Well, this has certainly been an eventful day.”

  “Tell me about it,” Reese murmured, noticing that her sister still had that pinched look she got when there was something she wanted to rant about, and she knew she’d be getting an earful the next time they were alone. She’d already suspected that Ben had blabbed about her stalker problem when he and Connie had been talking, just before Drew’s arrival. But even if he hadn’t, her sister would have heard enough from what was said in the hallway to get the gist of the situation.

  “Since Ben seems to have you covered here, I’ll get out of your hair for a while. But I’ll be back first thing in the morning with some decent food for you guys. God knows you can’t live off the stuff they serve here.”

  Reese smiled. “Thanks, Con.”

  “Hey, we sisters have to look out for each other, right? And speaking of sisters, I’ll call Cami and let her know you’re okay.” A wry grin crossed Connie’s lips. “If Mom gets to her first, she’ll probably have poor Cam thinking you’re already dead and buried.”

  Reese wasn’t as close to Cami as she was to Connie, but she hoped to change that. Cami had hated Drew’s guts, which had made it difficult for them to spend time together. But Reese had a feeling her older sister was going to get on great with Ben. “I haven’t seen Cami in so long,” she murmured. “Tell her I miss her.”