“The doctors said that if you could keep food down this afternoon, they’d discharge you this evening. You’ll need to stay off your ankle for one to three days, though.” Isabella considered the implications. She supposed that since she obviously had to go to the bathroom. That meant that she could stand on her leg briefly, so she could take care of herself in her apartment.
“That will work! How are we going to rescue to the Velardes and the others? Who can we inform?”
“I’ll contact some friends I have in law enforcement, and we’ll use your phone to locate the camp. But I’m not sure the missing parents and the others will still be there. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure they won’t be, but we’ll leave as soon as possible. Caleb will be here within the hour.” She relaxed even more. Knowing that these two men that she had come to know would be taking care of the families she tried to save made her feel like things were finally going to be okay. She yawned.
“Why don’t you get some sleep, and we’ll come back later. We’ll tell you what we’ve found out, and then sign you out.” Leif carefully laid her back against the pillows. He looked at her, and slowly bending down, pressed his lips against hers, sliding them slowly back and forth. Isabella was stunned and didn’t know how to respond. Although she hadn’t been kissed in over five years, the taste, texture and motion of Leif’s soft mouth propelled her into a response. She found herself moving in reaction, her lips parting. As soon as she did, he lifted his head, and gave her one of those killer smiles. “I’ll be back for you, Isabella.” She reached up to touch her tingling lips. Isabella was amazed that someone like Leif Johansen had kissed her. She yawned again and sank into sleep, her fingers still touching her lips.
Chapter 5
Leif had told Caleb that Isabella was much better, but his relief was palpable after seeing her sitting up in bed, with that healthy glow returning to her face. Her complexion had almost a greenish cast to it three days ago when he was here last.
“Caleb!” She gave him a bright smile, much broader than he had ever received when he was volunteering at the school.
“Hello, Bella! You look like you’re ready to be sprung.” He went over and grabbed both of her hands. As her small hands were enveloped in his, he realized just how small she was in comparison to his size.
She looked over his shoulder, causing him to glance over as well. There was no one in the hospital room with them, but she still whispered. “Were you able to find the camp?”
“Yes, honey, we did. But it was empty.” He hated watching her smile fade. “It looks like they’ve been gone for at least four days.” He felt her little hands tremble, and tears began to well in her doe-brown eyes. “We’re going to find them. We have people from the State Police working on this right now.”
“But they can’t be trusted.” She twisted her hands in his grip.
“Leif heard what you said, and went much higher up the food chain,” Caleb informed her. “That piece of shit Harding you spoke to is currently under surveillance. That’s one of the reasons we’re sure we are going to find your missing people. We’re following the officer you identified. That was really great work.”
“What about the deputies?”
“The license plates you wrote down were a big help. Those men are under investigation, but they aren’t doing anything but keeping an eye on them. They don’t want anyone tipped off until the people are found, and everyone agrees Harding is our best bet. You did great work.”
“Yes, it was, but it was work she shouldn’t have been doing. She should have asked for help as soon as Victor called her.” Caleb smiled at Leif’s clipped tone of voice. He had heard him walk up behind him. He wasn’t surprised that Bella flinched and pulled away from him at the sound of Leif’s testiness. It was rare for senior officers not to pale when Leif used that tone of voice. But then she surprised him. She looked up at Caleb, then over his shoulder at Leif.
“There was no time, and who was I to call?”
“The police,” was Leif’s succinct reply.
“That was not an option.” Caleb could see her fingers turn white as she gripped her blanket, something she hadn’t been doing before Leif confronted her. But as he looked at her face, there was no betrayal of her anxiety. Her expression exhibited none of that, depicting instead her determination as she looked steadily at Leif. Caleb’s admiration for Isabella, already high, increased by a couple of notches. Not many people could assert themselves against Leif, especially when he was in a pissy mood.
Caleb stroked his fingers over hers, and little by little pried them loose from the blanket so that they once again rested in his grip. He looked down, admiring the contrast between her amber-toned skin and his own chocolate-suede hands. Thoughts of honey, mocha and cream-colored flesh entwined had him taking in a deep breath. He spared a quick glance at Isabella who seemed not to notice his distraction, but when he then glanced over his shoulder to Leif, he saw that Leif hadn’t missed his reaction. Caleb wondered how often Leif indulged in similar thoughts. When his partner raised his eyebrow, he saw that once again they were in perfect accord. He turned to refocus on Isabella, continuing to stroke the back of her hands, pleased to see her entire body relax. She turned away from Leif.
“Leif explained that all of the children are with families in Fate Harbor. Are you sure that they will be okay?” Isabella’s entire expression changed to one of vulnerability. Her eyes made it clear that she feared the boys and girls she rescued might not get the care they needed.
“I promise you, Bella. Every one of those families will care for those children as if they were their own. We’re going to take you home with us and you will see them soon.”
“Correction—you’ll see them only after you have rested. Your health comes first.” Caleb agreed with Leif’s sentiment, but inwardly winced at the way it had been phrased. This was not the way to woo this woman.
“After I’ve rested, will I be able to see them?” Isabella turned her hands over in Caleb’s and held on. Caleb wondered whether she was aware that she had sought a comforting response from the Nordic Iceman. Before Leif could blow it, he answered.
“Yes, of course, Bella. After you’ve rested, you can see the kids. They want to see you, too. They’ve been worried about you.” She rewarded him with a smile that was like watching a bud burst into full bloom. She pulled their clasped hands to the warmth of her chest and held them there, gazing into his eyes.
“Caleb, my heart thanks you. Not just for this, but also for the care that you gave the children when I was ill. I know that it must have been difficult. They must have been scared. Thank you for caring for all of them.” He could feel the swell of her breasts beneath the thin cotton hospital gown, and now parts of him were beginning to swell. He took a deep breath, willing his body back under control. He was almost a forty-year-old man, for God’s sake. He was beyond the point of feeling a woman’s breast and getting an erection. But that was before he’d met the right woman, before meeting the woman. Caleb shut that shit down, smiling at the young woman he would be bringing into his home.
“Bella, they were great. Now let’s talk about getting you out of here. I brought you a change of clothes, and Leif is going to finish up the paperwork to sign you out.”
“Thank you, Caleb.” She shifted to look over his shoulder to Leif. “I have handled the paperwork. I’m ready to be discharged.” Caleb could only see Isabella’s expression, but he could guess at Leif’s. They had decided together that they would pay for her hospital stay. They knew that neither of her jobs provided her health care coverage, so they intended to cover the expenses.
“Isabella, how did you manage to pay your bill?”
“I provided them with my insurance information.” Caleb chose to call her tone haughty as she responded to Leif. However, Leif might consider it snotty. God, he wished he could position himself differently so that he could see both of them. Since Bella was still holding his hands up to her breasts, though, there wasn’t a chan
ce in hell he was going to pull them away, no matter how much he wanted to see Leif’s expression.
“You don’t have insurance.”
“I most certainly do have insurance!” Isabella’s haughtiness was fast approaching anger.
“Neither of your jobs offers health care.” She released Caleb’s hands and he did a quick turn and stepped backward to watch the show.
“I purchased a private policy. It was the responsible thing to do.” Isabella’s hands gripped the blanket in tight fists as she glared at Leif.
“You make peanuts! How could you afford that?” Leif queried. Caleb could see the concern behind Leif’s belligerent questions, but Leif wasn’t really thinking. He’d forgotten that Miss Camarena had paid cash for an SUV when she needed it. She was holding out on her financial situation and Leif was missing the boat.
“I budget my money carefully, and this is not your business.” Her right hand made a slashing motion and she turned toward Caleb. “Where are my clothes? I need to get home.”
“You’re going—” Leif started.
“Bella, honey, come with us so you can be near the children. They need you.” Caleb shot Leif a look to keep his mouth shut. He watched as she debated with herself, breathing deeply as if attempting to calm herself. It seemed Leif had managed to work her into a temper. When he first met Isabella, she was very reserved and deferential toward them both. But when she had injured her feet, she hissed at them like an annoyed kitten. Now this was no kitten, this was one pissed off woman! Yes, there were a lot of complex layers to this woman, and he was going to enjoy getting to know each and every one of them.
“Caleb,” she began. He reached out and grabbed one of her hands, and brought it to his lips, savoring the soft skin for a brief moment, while watching her confusion and amusement.
“Please, Bella, for the children?” Then he winked and she laughed. He didn’t have to look over at Leif. They’d backed one another up in enough situations that Leif could read from Caleb when it was right for him to take the lead. This was definitely one of those times.
“Are you feeling okay to get changed, or should we have a nurse come in to help you?” Her beautiful honey-colored skin, flushed with health when he first arrived, now paled a little as her ire rose.
“I’m fine.” Caleb hesitated and she squeezed his hand. “I’m fine, Caleb,” she reassured him. “I’ll be ready in less than five minutes.” The way she said his name with that Spanish accent killed him. He’d just gotten himself under control, and now he was sporting wood again.
“We’ll wait outside.” Caleb gave her an easy smile, turning quickly for the door. As soon as the door shut behind them, Leif started to laugh.
“Really dude? You’re going to laugh at me, when you showed all the finesse of a tank? I saved your ass.”
“I’m not denying that, Caleb. I’m just saying you’re whipped already and you haven’t even kissed the woman.” Leif followed him down the hall as Caleb looked for a vending machine. He needed some sugar. It was moments like these that Caleb really regretted giving up smoking. It might have been fifteen years ago, but some situations just called for a cigarette. He turned the corner and found what he was looking for, and it had Baby Ruth bars. Score!
After he took the two bites to finish the bar, he turned to his friend. “Are you as serious about Bella as I am? Because I thought we were on the same page.” Seeing Leif’s look of surprise, he realized that they were on the same page.
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Because it seemed to me that you were doing a lot of things to push her away.”
“That girl needs a keeper.”
“That woman seems a hell of a lot more capable than we originally realized,” Caleb corrected. “And you don’t seem to be giving her credit for that. You seem bound and determined to question everything she tells you, and it’s pretty damned disrespectful.” Caleb was satisfied to see Leif was listening to what he was saying.
“She put herself in grave danger. She could have been killed.”
“I’m not disagreeing with that. We still need to make it clear that there will be no more Lone Ranger shit, ever. But what’s with you basically calling her a liar about having health insurance?”
“I didn’t want her to be taking care of the bill and putting herself in debt.”
“So say that.” Caleb watched his best friend since elementary school take in his words. He waited, one heartbeat, two heartbeats, then…there it was. It registered. Leif grabbed the back of his neck.
“She’s so young, Caleb!”
“Maybe in age, but she’s got a spine of steel. You can tell she’s been taking care of herself for years.”
“She shouldn’t have been,” Leif said, clearly frustrated.
“Shit, Leif, by that age you’d made lieutenant. How many men were you responsible for?” Caleb watched as Leif again weighed his words.
“I hear you, Caleb. Now, let’s go take our girl home.” Caleb relaxed as he followed his friend back toward Isabella’s room.
Chapter 6
“You live together?” Isabella asked Leif.
Leif waited for Caleb to answer. He still needed a few moments before he could talk. His frustration levels were through the roof. This woman was going to be the death of him. Leif looked at Isabella Camarena, seated on the sofa in his home with her leg propped up on a pillow, and didn’t know if he wanted to fuck her or throttle her.
He walked over to the kitchen in the open-spaced area, somewhat out of earshot, just needing some space. Leif remembered meeting this woman almost three weeks ago and being absolutely positive that she was submissive. At this moment, however, he didn’t think Isabella had one ounce of give in her entire body. The only reason they managed arranging for her to stay with them was so she could keep tabs on the children’s welfare while she recovered. Though the doctors had been perfectly clear that she was to stay off the ankle, she was adamant that she could have taken care of everything herself from her own apartment. How the hell she thought she could do that was beyond him.
After that bit of nonsense was done, she finally agreed to stay with them. The three of them went to her apartment to pick up the things that she would need. She insisted that she could navigate the stairs up to her apartment on the crutches, despite their best arguments. It wasn’t until she hit her leg against the corridor that Leif shut her down. He swooped her up in his arms, with Caleb easily catching the crutches before they had a chance to hit the ground. She squawked her objections like a bird, but they had made it the rest of the way up the stairs without incident.
When they arrived at home, Leif reached out to carry her into their house, but she insisted on using her crutches since there were no stairs. He’d seen Caleb’s expression. Obviously, Caleb didn’t wanted Leif to push it, but fuck that. Miss Caramena was just going to have to learn what it was like to be cared for!
She was still pointedly ignoring him, but after carrying her inside, his body sure wasn’t ignoring hers. So, Leif had gone into the kitchen, with his lower half shielded by the kitchen counter. He was frustrated. His body was frustrated and his mind was frustrated, and it was all Isabella’s fault. He reached into the fridge for a beer and realized he was smiling. He couldn’t ever remember having had this much fun pursuing a woman.
“Caleb, would you like a beer?”
“That’d be great,” Caleb gave him a smirk. Leif shot him a cool look back, but inwardly he was grinning as he saw the flash of annoyance that woman was shooting his way. Oh yes, he might be frustrated, but he was definitely having fun!
“Then you better come and get it, soldier.” Caleb’s smirk turned into a full-fledged smile as he sauntered over to the other side of the kitchen counter and grabbed the bottle out of Leif’s hands. Leif kept his expression even, not wanting Isabella to know just how much she affected him. Caleb read through his subterfuge, and they were both definitely enjoying the ratcheted sexual tension. He got the frustration and
his enjoyment, that’s what made them such good partners.
“Next moves?” Caleb asked.
“Rest, then children. Agreed?”
“Affirmative.”
“Are you talking about me?” Isabella asked, her voice firm.
“Yes.” Leif’s voice was equally firm.
“I’m right here, and I think you should include me in any conversation that concerns me.” Her tone was practical, but there was just a hint of a quaver. Damn it. As much as she put on a brave face, Isabella had just rescued fourteen children, had just been released from the hospital, and was still sick and injured. Immediately, Leif found himself no longer aroused but concerned. He left the beer bottle on the counter, made his way to the sofa and crouched down beside her.
“You’re right, we should. We were just saying that you need to rest, then we’re arranging for some of the kids to come and visit.” The smile that blossomed across her face was breathtaking. She was a natural beauty, but it wasn’t just her features. Her inner joy and caring that so clearly shone through made her so stunning.
“Oh, Leif, I can’t thank you enough!” Isabella’s hand shot out to touch his face, but stopped short, hovering. He grasped it and brought it to rest against his cheek, savoring the feel. Their eyes tangled, and he found himself holding his breath as she struggled to say something more. “It’s more than just keeping the children safe. Thank you for bringing me here. I really didn’t want to be alone.” Leif could sense Caleb approaching them.
“Isabella, we don’t want you to be alone. Do you understand what we’re saying?” Leif continued to keep eye contact with her. He had been anticipating a slow seduction after she was under their roof, under their care. Neither of them had really considered the dichotomy of Isabella Caramena, however. At times she seemed a shy virginal girl, at other times a warrior. She was their Athena.
Isabella's Submission [Fate Harbor 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 7