by Lisa Eugene
He shifted his weight, thinking about his friend. If he weren’t feeling so miserable, he’d laugh out loud.
“I’m pissed! I was supposed to wear this out tonight! Now I’ll have to go home and change! I think this blouse is ruined!”
“I’m sorry. I’m done for the night. I’ll just be wrapping things up, so you can leave now if you want to,” he tossed over his shoulder as he headed back to his office. Bea was mumbling under her breath, still unloading her vexation behind him.
Brad walked into his office and sauntered towards the large colonial windows that overlooked the city, thinking about Chloe’s troubles. He had to think of a way to help her.
He’d had the private investigator run a background check on Phillips. Phillips had come from nothing and built Omega from the ground up. Omega was still a private company, but according to the investigator, Phillips planned on going public in the near future. Having a new Alzheimer’s drug would guarantee Omega a spot with the pharmaceutical giants, and make Phillips millions. Without Fusso’s funding, Phillips was lost. When Fusso pulled out of their deal, he’d apparently approached other investors who’d turned him down. Several scientists left the project, and a few employees jumped ship. It appeared as though Omega was unraveling from the inside out. This unconscionable plan of his to test the drug and provide proof that it worked had seriously gone wrong. Framing an innocent nurse for the deaths was just another evil act of desperation, and Brad was determined more than ever to see Phillips pay for his crimes.
He stuffed his hands into his suit pockets and rocked back on his heels. He hated to think of Chloe alone and defenseless in the vast city, and fear again dug a crater in his gut. He felt bruised and battered from the emotions he’d been fighting since she disappeared. Bea had once said—or her wise mother, really—‘you keep walking through beehives, one day you gonna get stung.’ He gritted his teeth, experiencing a biting sting as another emotion sucker punched him hard, and he could do nothing but absorb the painful blow. Why hadn’t she contacted him? After everything he’d done, she still didn’t trust him. Did she not care about him? Fiercely independent Chloe. God forbid she would ever admit that she needed him!
Where the fuck is she? Is she hurt or…worse? He needed to find her. And when he did, he was going to kill her for putting him through this hell!
“Where’s Bea? Did she leave?” The question came from behind him, and Brad turned to see Larry coming through the door.
He folded his arms across his chest and regarded his friend quizzically.
“Well? Did she get the chocolates?” Larry asked, his eyes bright with anticipation.
Brad nodded slowly. “Oh, she got them, all right…”
“What do you mean?”
He walked towards Larry. “She got them all over her blouse. The chocolates melted. One of the boxes leaked all over her.”
Larry’s jaw draped open as he sucked in a breath. “No way! Oh my God! She must be livid!”
Brad’s lips twisted wryly. “Mild mannered Bea? Naw…she takes everything in stride.”
Larry looked at him and sighed, ignoring the obvious sarcasm. “I just can’t get a fucking break!” He sank into a chair and chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. A brow went up. “Did you happen to see which box leaked?”
“It was the white chocolate.”
“Noooo! Why did it have to be the white chocolate?”
Brad regarded his friend with a frown, shaking his head in disbelief. “You are an ass. You can’t tell what type of man she likes by what she eats! Women are not that simple, and they don’t just like one type of man. Why don’t you just ask her out?”
Larry huffed indignantly. “I can’t just ask her out! What if she says no? You just don’t understand. You’ve never been in love. She’s my world. She’s all I want.”
Brad stared unblinking at Larry. Just stared, because for the first time, he thought he understood. What he understood was that his world and heart was filled with a big empty hole and it hurt like fucking hell.
Larry returned his blank gaze. “What? No snide comment? No witty repartee?”
“No,” Brad murmured softy, scrubbing his hands over his face.
“Is everything okay? You’ve been really on edge. I know everyone’s been stressed, especially with the police and the news reporters hanging around the hospital and poking around, and with what’s going on with Nurse Bennett.”
Brad continued to stare. Just hearing Chloe’s name had acid roiling like sour chyme in his gut. A sharp ache tumbled through his chest. He wished he could confide in Larry, but the fewer people who knew about his connection to Chloe, the better he could protect her.
“Are your parents still giving you a hard time about the conference?”
His parents were plaguing him, still chastising him about missing the event, and trying to get him to commit to a future date. They couldn’t stop voicing their disappointment, and were concerned because this wasn’t like him. He’d always been the highly motivated, overachieving son. He sighed, thinking of Chloe’s words. Maybe I,m tired of being me.
Larry offered a grin. “Wanna go out for a drink? We could talk, and you can help me strategize some more about Bea.”
Brad shook his head. All he wanted to do was go home. He planned on calling the detective again to touch base, then if he had to, he’d scour each city block himself one by one.
Larry shrugged. “I guess I’ll have to come up with another plan.”
Brad winced. Plan X…
“Just make sure to leave me out of it.” He shot a crooked smile at his friend. “Hey, look on the bright side. She opened the box with the white chocolates first.”
Larry’s face lit up like a Christmas tree, and Brad couldn’t help but chuckle. They were two besotted fools.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Chloe heard the elevator door ding and saw the large body exit and walk to the apartment door. Swallowing nervously, she approached with small, tentative steps, her sneakers silent on the lush carpet. She’d been waiting in the stairwell for hours, trying to gather her courage. Now, uncertainty and apprehension fueled a rapid fluttering of her heart. What if I’m sent away? What if I’m bad news? Trouble by the shitloads. Not worth it. A repulsive pariah. Or worse, what if that gorgeous woman is waiting beyond the door?
She knew when he sensed her presence behind him because all the muscles in his tall body tensed, and he stood as rigidly carved as a totem pole. Brad swiveled to face her and she froze solid from the devastating impact of his fierce anger. His fiery gaze blazed bright blue as he scanned her face, almost seeming to question her presence. Chloe suddenly panicked. The past week she’d been so used to running that her fight or flight response kicked in, and she turned to flee back into the stairwell.
Oh, God… I’ve made a mistake!
She must have made it two steps when she heard a rough growl.
“Oh no you don’t!” Brad grated harshly before barreling up behind her. His steel arm banded around her abdomen, and she was swooped off the floor before she had time to exhale a breath.
He held her easily with one arm while he opened his apartment door with the other. She beat uselessly on his arm, afraid to make a sound for fear of alerting his neighbors. He kicked open the door, slammed it shut behind him, and then unceremoniously deposited her in his foyer.
Chloe took a step back when he rounded on her. Her body shook so badly she almost cracked her teeth. He was in a dark gray suit, his body hulking, looming over her. His square jaw was locked stiff and his blue eyes bore into hers, their depths swirling with an angry tornado of emotion. Chloe swallowed hard. What had she been thinking coming here?
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have come! I don’t mean to get you involved in this mess!”
“Where the fuck have you been?” he roared.
“I—I –I’ve been…”
He was right in front of her now, and she was forced to tilt her head to look up at him. She could
n’t quite get her tongue to work with his disconcerting nearness. Her hoodie had fallen off, and her hair was in a tangled knot behind her head. Her backpack slid from her shoulders to the floor.
“I’ve been going out of my fucking mind, Chloe! I’ve been so worried about you!”
Her brain struggled with his words. She remembered seeing him in front of his building with the dark haired woman. Obviously he hadn’t been that worried. The thought of him with that woman carved an aching hole in her chest, and instead she told him a partial truth.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to get in trouble for helping me. I was thinking of your reputation. I thought you wouldn’t want me contacting you, considering…”
Air whooshed from her lungs when he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against the wall. His lips crushed hers in a bruising kiss, a claiming of flesh, heart, and soul. He was branding her, stealing her breath and infusing his taste and essence into every vibrating fiber of her being. His tongue whipped around in her mouth as if signing his name in bold, unequivocal strokes. Finally he lifted his head, his face mere inches from hers, his warm breath puffing like a cloud, stoking the desire that rushed over her in waves.
“When are you going to get it through your thick skull that I care about you, that you’re special to me?”
Chloe blinked, then blinked again. Stunned. She desperately wanted to believe his words. But men lied about their emotions. They said things and changed their minds.
Why? Why would he say such a thing? Did he feel sorry for her? She knew she wasn’t the only woman in his life, and had accepted the fact that he didn’t do relationships. She felt tears pool in her eyes and she tried to blink them away, her fragile emotions in turmoil, her body physically weak.
“Oh, Chloe…” Brad whispered, pulling her into his arms and sealing her against his hard body.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m just so…scared,” she cried against his suit.
“I know you must be, baby.”
He dragged her towards the couch and pulled her onto his lap.
“Why did you run?” He held her face between his big hands.
Chloe wiped her eyes. “I…I…can’t go to jail. I didn’t kill those patients. I can’t leave my mother.”
Brad took a deep breath. “I believe in your innocence. And we will prove it.”
“Gordon is dead.” Her voice came out as a whimper.
“I know.”
“I saw him.”
“You what?”
“I went to his apartment. I found him there. Dead. Someone attacked me, but I managed to get away.”
Brad swore roughly and squeezed her tight, cradling her head against him. “Oh, God…I was afraid that his death was because of the information we asked him to get.” He gripped her face and held her gaze. “Chloe, you have to turn yourself in. It’s too dangerous.”
“No. I can’t. They won’t listen to me. They’ll arrest me for murder.”
“We will get the best lawyers. We’ll subpoena the research data from Omega. We’ll prove that the patients died from Memoram.”Chloe was shaking her head even as the words were budding from his lips.
“Dammit, Chloe!” His grip tightened on her face. “Listen to me. If you’re dead, this case is wrapped up. It’s an easy solution for Omega. The hospital and police will just say you were disturbed and committed the murders. You’re in danger. If Phillips killed Gordon, he’ll try to kill you too.”
Chloe returned his even gaze. “I can’t be arrested, Brad. I’ll be in jail while they try to figure this out and subpoena the information, and that’s if a judge can even be convinced. Who will look after my mother? Who will help my brother? Plus Omega will probably destroy the research data before they hand it over. ”
She could see the anger brewing again in his eyes. “So you stay on the run? That’s absurd. It’s amazing that you’ve managed to evade the police this long. You still won’t get to see Rose. The police are watching the building.”
Chloe dropped her gaze to her hands. “I saw her on Wednesday.”
“Last week?” He frowned. “But Maria—”
“Is loyal to me. She wouldn’t tell anyone. I haven’t been back since Gordon’s murder because I’m…I’m afraid.”
“As well you should be! It’s not hard to figure out your next of kin. How did you manage it last week?”
“My mom’s building connects to the adjacent one. I accessed her apartment from the fire escape in the alley. At night, the super opens the rooftop and I can get access.”
“How’ve you avoided the police for this many days?”
She shrugged. “I’ve been moving around the city. I mostly stayed on the subways and in crowds.”
Brad nodded, a line of worry snaking across his forehead. His strong arm was braced across her knees. “I see you’ve adapted quite well to life on the run. Nice to know you’ve been able to outsmart New York City’s finest, but they don’t want to kill you. Omega does. I’m more afraid of them.”
“I’m aware of the danger, Brad!” she fumed, jumping out of his lap.
“Dammit, Chloe! Listen to me!”
“I can’t go to jail!”
Brad glared at her. “I don’t want you in jail either, but I don’t want you dead!”
“I’ve managed to survive so far on my own.”
Brad exhaled a long breath.
“So far…” He chuckled with angry sarcasm, observing her with a critical eye. “Are you a master criminal now, skulking around the city, sneaking into buildings? How did you manage to get into this building, anyway? Scale the walls to the forty-eighth floor?”
Chloe narrowed her eyes and stared back, piqued at his high-handedness and cutting sarcasm. She took a deep breath and tried to calm down, ignoring his question. She was happy to see him, to feel his solid presence, but he was starting to piss her off.
Clown suit…bozo hair…red nose… Clown suit…bozo hair…red nose…
“I’ll figure out what to do.” She noticed his eyes darken and his lips pinch.
“Independent Chloe. You’ll figure it out.”
She jutted her chin and fisted her hands at her sides, again wondering why she’d come.
But she knew why. She’d missed him terribly, like a part of her soul had drifted away. She was exhausted, and terrified, and mentally drained. After she’d been chased on the street, she’d become even more vigilant and stuck to crowds, always skittish, and barely sleeping.
She paced the floor in front of him, her arms hugging her torso. She’d withdrawn all the money from her account. She needed it to pay Maria for her overtime shifts. She didn’t know what she would do after it was exhausted; she hadn’t planned that far ahead. She’d also missed the meeting with her mother’s case worker, and had no idea what the future held.
She had to figure out a way to get the information she needed about Memoram, and she needed some time to just sit and think without fear of being discovered, or attacked again. She knew she was being selfish by coming here, but he always made her feel that the cruel world could spin away, and everything would be okay.
“Come here, Chlo,” he whispered, reaching out a hand.
Her feet stilled, and she slid her fingers into his warm palm, gasping when he gripped her hand and pulled her back down against him. She was stretched across him, half on, half off, her head braced against the couch. Only the dim light from the foyer pushed the shadows back. Brad stared down at her, his gaze skipping over her face. The angle of his jaw was sharp in the feeble light, and dark shadows poured into his dimples.
“Okay. No police,” he relented, cupping her chin gently. “We’ll figure something out. I have an idea, but you have to promise me you’ll stay here. You’ll stay put.”
Chloe struggled to sit upright, shaking her head. “I can’t. I’ve already taken a big chance by coming here. If anyone finds out, you’ll be arrested for harboring me. I just wanted to…” See you, be with you a little. “…think.”
“This is not up for debate,” he said harshly. “It’s late. Let’s get you some food and rest. I can tell you’ve had neither.”
Chloe nodded, not about to argue with him. She couldn’t remember what a decent meal consisted of. Right now she wasn’t planning on going anywhere. Tomorrow might be a different story. She needed some time to figure out a plan.
“A bath.” She sighed. “I’ll do anything for a bath.”
“Anything?” He lifted a brow and she saw the slash of a dimple wink in his cheek.
God, he’s panty-dropping gorgeous! So fucking sexy… Despite everything…I want him.
“Within reason,” she amended with a smile, but heat bloomed on her face.
“Well you owe me, Nurse Bennett.”
She shot him a puzzled grin and he nodded, his eyes dark with promise. He feathered his soft lips across her cheek. “You owe me for making me worry so much about you, and I intend to be completely unreasonable when I collect.”
She didn’t get a chance to respond as he shifted her off his lap, then took her hand and led her deeper into his apartment. She was too tired to look around, but got the sense of open space and being high above the city. All around her seemed to be glass windows looking out at a breathtaking skyline. She followed him through another room with the same view, then into a master bathroom. Left in a large, sleek space, her only desire was to curl up on the thick rug and sleep.
An hour later, Chloe was bathed and seated at an elegant glass dining room table across from Brad. She’d gotten a chance to see a little more of his apartment, and it was magnificent. It could easily fit three or four of her tiny apartments. She’d worried earlier about making noise and alerting his neighbors, but she now realized that his apartment must take up the entire forty-eighth floor. It was sleek and contemporary with postmodern furnishings accented with abstract art in vivid splashes of color.
Brad had fixed a quick meal and now they sat eating as he informed her of his plan to contact Mr. Fusso.