Trent hesitated and then blew out a deep sigh. “All right. I agree it’s a possibility; he might not have been careless.”
With a pained expression on his face, Trent glanced away, then looked back at her. “I’ll clue you in on what I think is going on. Some would like nothing more than to see us fail. Me, more than the company. And namely—Frank Blake. He wants the company, and I think he’d do almost anything to get it.”
“You think Blake would do almost anything…?”
“Yes, and then there’s my cousin… Roland’s been acting strangely, too. Kate, let’s go somewhere private to discuss this. But there is something I have to do before I leave, and I really don’t like leaving you here alone.”
He strode to the gates. After signaling to the guard that he would lock up the site for the night and the man could leave, Trent returned and plunked a hard hat down on her head. “Sorry, about the hair,” he said dryly.
“Funny.”
“Since you’re suspicious, too, I want you to see something.”
Amazed that in a split second he’d decided to trust her, she nodded. However, when they reached the elevator, she paused. She wasn’t so sure she could trust him at all. Perhaps he wanted to throw her from the building.
“I can’t go up in that thing,” she said in a quivering voice.
“I won’t let anything happen to you. Trust me?” He held out this hand.
She hesitated and nodded. He’d believed her, when others probably wouldn’t. She grabbed his hand and stepped with shaky legs onto the construction elevator. Being only a temporary device, the partially open cage was mounted to the outside of the building. The car traveled up a temporary track, attached with cables.
As they rode upward, she snapped her eyes shut and clenched her hands on the railing. Out of the shelter of the ground floor, the wind whipped stronger and blew against her face and jacket. She shivered, knowing how high up they must be in this ridiculous cage, and not feeling safe at all. She started shaking. Oh, how she hated heights.
“Oh, my God.” Her head felt as if it were spinning, and she held her breath.
Trent put his hand on her back. “Kate, breathe,” he said in a low, reassuring tone.
She nodded, keeping her sweaty palms clenched on the railing in front of her. “We’re up how many floors?” she asked with a gulp.
“You don’t want to know, but we’re up nearly fifty. Don’t look down. I found evidence of possible tampering in the penthouse area, and I want to check a few places before I call the police.”
Relief swept through her, taking her breath away. She wanted to hug him. They were on the same page. Someone was doing this deliberately. Trent would help her find out who caused Matt’s death.
When the elevator stopped, Trent stepped off. He held the gate open and reached out his hand, beckoning for her to follow him. Before she could move, the car dropped an inch, then several more inches in small jerks.
The blood drained from her head. “Trent?” She caught his horrified gaze.
The elevator made a loud screeching sound. The car plummeted.
As the floor dropped beneath her feet, Kate clung to the railing and let out a blood-curdling scream.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
After a few terrifying seconds, the elevator slammed to a halt a few floors down. Her breath solidified in her throat, Kate surveyed her surroundings. Aside from her legs and knees taking a pounding, she wasn’t hurt, but exiting was impossible. The car was stuck between floors.
Dear, God. Was Trent trying to kill her?
“Don’t move,” he shouted from above her.
She blew out a deep breath of relief. “I’m not going anywhere,” she muttered to herself and watched him climb down.
Without a safety harness, and like a superhero, Trent descended down the metal track.
Fear that he could fall caused her heart to trip. She’d never witnessed such an amazing feat. “Be careful,” she yelled.
When he reached Kate, he crouched on the roof of the elevator cage and leaned over an opening in the top. “Take my hand. I’ll pull you up.”
She gripped the railing even tighter. “I can’t move.”
A few strands of the remaining cable pinged as pressure caused them to snap.
“Yes, you can, Kate. Do it,” he said in a clear order. “Any minute, the last cable might break. And we’ll both be done.”
She thrust her hand upward. He grabbed her and lifted her through the opening in the roof.
He looped his arm around her shoulder. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” she said through chattering teeth. Her head whipped around as she took in the whirling blur of the city below. “I think so.” She shuddered.
“Don’t look down. We can get to the floor landing from here. If you sit down here, you just have to jump a few feet to the floor.”
The elevator dropped an inch. Trent steadied her. A creaking sound came from the elevator. They exchanged looks of fear.
“No time.” He grabbed her around the waist, and flung them through the opening to the landing. In a protective move, he took the fall with his back. His hard hat whacked the concrete and flew off his head as they slammed to the floor, with her landing on top of him.
Clinging to his chest, she lifted her head.
Inches away, the elevator let out a final screech just before plunging downward, leaving a severed cable whooshing overhead and whipping around in a dangerous loop.
Kate tried to sit up.
He groaned. “Don’t move.” He rolled over on top of her, shielding her with his body, his arms cradling her head.
An explosive sound echoed upwards through the shell of the building as the metal cage imploded at the bottom.
“Trent?” Her voice quivered. “Y-you can let me up now?” When he didn’t respond, she rolled him off of her.
“Trent!” she cried, shaking his shoulder.
Blood dripped down his cheek. With his hard hat gone, the cable had caught his head. A cut streaked through his temple and into his hairline.
Reaching under her skirt, she removed her slip. With shaky hands, she folded and pressed the material to the wound on his head. “Speak to me, please,” she cried.
His eyes fluttered open.
Relief assailed her. “Oh, My God. You’re okay. I was so afraid. Why did that happen?”
“I’m not sure.” With a groan, he pressed his hand to this temple and tried to sit up.
“No.” She pressed her palm on his shoulder to keep him lying flat. Realizing she still had her purse on her shoulder, she retrieved her cell phone. “I’m calling an ambulance.”
He grabbed her hand. “No, ambulance.”
“Yes. You need medical attention.”
Pain etched his brow as he struggled against her hold and sat up. “I was momentarily stunned, that’s all.”
“It’s more than that. You’re bleeding. Let me call 911.”
Holding her slip to his wound, he rose to his feet. “No, Kate. No doctors. I don’t like them—no offense—but not if I can help it.”
“Well, you’re hurt and this is ridiculous, but then we have another problem,” she said in a shaky voice. “How are we getting down? Will we have to stay up here for the night?”
“There’s another elevator on the other side of the building.”
“Are you kidding me?” she blurted out. “I’m never going to get on one of those things again.”
“We don’t have a choice. The stairwell is not completed up to this floor.”
“What if—?”
“I’ll check the cables. I’ll get us down.” He pinned her with his dark eyes. “Trust me?”
She let out a deep breath and gave him a curt nod. She wanted to argue that he was supposed to have kept her safe coming up here, but then she supposed in the end he had.
“Thank you for saving my life,” she said, giving him a brief smile. “I can’t believe you climbed down to save me. You didn’t even pu
t on a safety harness.”
“With the elevator cable frayed, Kate, there wasn’t time.”
“But you risked your life for me.”
He shrugged. “I couldn’t let you fall.”
As they walked through the corridor, he leaned on her. She could feel him trembling. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. You’re a slight thing, Kate. Am I hurting you?”
She shook her head and bore his weight. “I like to think I’m stronger than I look.”
* * *
Kate drove into a hospital parking space and shut off the engine, not caring that Trent wouldn’t like it one bit. He was seeing a doctor—if she had to pepper spray him to get him into the emergency room. “Do you want me to go into the ER with you?” she asked sweetly.
He leaned back in the seat. “Why the hell are we here, Kate? It’s just a minor cut, and I told you on the way over, you’re wasting your time. I’m not going.”
Kate exhaled a deep breath. “You banged your head, too. I’m not driving you anywhere until you go inside and have a doctor look at you.”
“Stubborn woman.”
“Stubborn man. I’ll help you inside.” In case he anticipated driving off with her car, she retrieved the keys from the ignition and walked around to the passenger side. When she opened the door, he grunted at her like a bear in pain—typical wounded man when injured.
“Come on,” she said, grasping his arm. “Let’s get this over with.”
He pushed up and out of the car with a groan. “I admit I’m lightheaded. Maybe you’re right.”
Panic caused her to catch her breath in her throat. What if he was worse than she thought? “Should I get the paramedics?” she asked.
“No.” He took a deep breath. “I can make it.” She offered her support by putting her arms around his waist.
They checked in at the desk, then while they waited in the emergency room to be seen by the doctor, Trent called the police and reported the incident.
Afterwards, he punched in the number to the manager of the building site. “Sam, there’s been an accident at the Karger site.” Trent told him what had happened. “Tomorrow, you’re to report this to OSHA and shut down the site. We’ll stay closed until we can go over every piece of equipment to make sure it’s safe.”
* * *
Two hours later, and after a round of x-rays, Trent sported ten stitches in his hairline and a neat bandage. He was free to leave the hospital.
Kate winced when she saw Trent in his bloodstained t-shirt. They came so close to being killed. She wanted to put her arms around him, and press her face into his chest, but that wouldn’t be appropriate. He was her boss, no matter how much he’d tried to sway her to become otherwise.
Brushing away the tears from her cheeks, she sent a prayer of thanks to God that Trent was alive. He could be gruff at times, and polished at others, but she thought inside he was a good person, if he’d let someone get close to him. She wanted to help him. Something about this man bore into her soul, even though she shouldn’t let him. There were too many of her lies between them now, and he had his own trust issues.
“Don’t worry, honey. He’ll be all right.” The nurse handed Kate a bottle of pills. She must have assumed they were something more than employer and employee. “Just make sure you check on him a few times during the night.”
Those instructions left Kate with a dilemma that she pondered as she drove out of the hospital parking lot. “Where should I take you?” she asked, giving him a sideways glance. Concern washed over her that he looked a little worse for wear with his head leaning back against the passenger seat.
“To my condo.”
“Will someone be there to help you?” she asked, trying to keep the jealousy out of her voice. Would he call a girlfriend?
“No, I’ll be fine alone.”
“You heard what the nurse said—you can’t be alone. Should I call your mother?”
“No! Don’t make a big deal out of this, Kate.”
“Then I’m taking you to your grandfather’s house.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Well, I find it strange that you won’t even go to your family in a situation like this. You’re lucky to have a family, you know?”
“I don’t want anyone fussing over me.”
“You mean like your mother?”
He snorted and gave her as much of a chuckle as a bear could in pain. “Kate, Eden’s never been the type to hover over me when I’m sick.”
“Any mother would be worried. You need to call her.”
After setting the GPS system, he pressed the button on the door, lowering the passenger seat a little more to reclining. “You don’t know my mother, plus it’s just a scratch. Take me to my condo.”
“As if ten stitches and a slight concussion are nothing serious? Frankly, I don’t know what the problem is with you and your mother,” Kate muttered under her breath. Then she blew out a frustrated breath. “You leave me with no alternative. You can’t go home alone.” She turned off the GPS.
“Damn it, Kate. I’d like to know what you propose to do with me since you’ve just passed my street. If you’re taking me to my grandfather’s, I assure you I will walk home. His health is deteriorating. I don’t want him worried about me or about what happened at the site tonight.”
“That’s not where I’m taking you,” she whispered.
A few minutes later, she pulled into her driveway and shut off the car. She had to be crazy to bring him to her house where he could find out so much about her. “You can stay with me.”
He flicked her an ironic, but steamy gaze, so she quickly added, “In my guest room.”
“And here I thought you were inviting me for more,” he said dryly.
She gave him a retiring glance. “I don’t think you are up for anything more.”
“Humph. Don’t count me out.”
“I’m only taking pity on you and I’m helping you like you did for me the day I fainted. The only thing that would complete this is if you were wearing a hospital gown.”
“Should I be hopeful you want to see my buff backside?”
She chuckled softly. “No comment.”
He stepped out of the car. “What are you laughing about?”
“That image. That would take you down a notch.”
“Ah, because of my arrogance, you think?” When he took a step, he winced, as if he felt more pain than he admitted.
Guilt swept through her. “Sorry. It wasn’t nice for me to laugh when you’re hurting.”
After they entered the front door, she turned on the lamp. The warm glow filled the living area of her homey house. She’d have to hide Matt’s pictures.
Trent appeared weak from the exertion.
Kate frowned. “Let’s get you in bed... I mean to your room, so you can lie down in the guest bed.” At the heat rising on her cheeks, she whirled to lead him down the hall. “Are you still in a lot of pain?”
He sat on the bed. In the light, his normally tanned face was pale. “Some.”
She concluded he was hurting badly and had to curb her impulse to put her arms around him.
Oh, Dear God, help me. Getting involved with him would only bring her heartbreak.
Her eyes burned as she turned to the dresser. Opening a drawer, she extracted a large t-shirt that read: musclemen rock.
He flicked his gaze to hers. “Ex-boyfriend’s?” She noted a hint of jealousy in his eyes.
She shook her head and did her best to keep the sadness out of her voice. “No. I have a few things of my brother’s here from when he used to stay overnight. There should be a pair of shorts in the top drawer. If you need anything else, just yell. The guest bathroom is across the hall. I’ll put a new toothbrush on the sink and bring you a glass of water.”
* * *
After sleeping for a couple of hours, Kate awoke and decided to check on her patient. She shuffled down the hallway to the guest bedroom and flipped on
the light. Trent had dressed in sweat shorts and a t-shirt. He was sprawled on his back on the queen-sized bed. With his tousled, dark hair and, and one muscular leg that had worked its way out from under the sheet, he looked incredibly sexy.
He opened his eyes.
“I was only checking on you, Mr. Farrington.”
“Are you back to calling me that? Call me Trent. After all, I am a guest in your house.”
“All right, Trent. I’m sorry. I sort of kidnapped you, and you’re in bad mood. Let me check your bandage.”
He grimaced. “You’re the doctor.”
Guilt reverberated through her. How would he react if he found out she wasn't a psychologist at all? Biting her lip, she shoved the thought away for now. She lifted the bandage. “No bleeding. Go back to sleep. Okay?”
“But now I’m awake and thirsty. I feel too weak to even lift the glass of water.”
Kate caught the slight curl of his lip. She narrowed her eyes. “Going to milk this for all it’s worth?”
His lip slightly curved. “Why not, when I have my chance?”
Knowing she played with fire, she put her arm around his neck to lift his head. She brought the glass to his lips. As he sipped, she was conscious of how close his face was to her breasts, and by the gleam in his eyes, so was he. Slowly and seductively, he let his gaze slide over her. Her nipples tightened beneath the thin nightgown and robe, while desire sent her heart hammering.
Biting her lip, she lowered his head to the pillow. “I think you’re feeling much better.” She set the glass on the table and crossed to the door.
“I like your hair down, Kate. It’s beautiful.”
Blood rushing to her cheeks, she put her hand to her hair. She had forgotten to twist it up before she came to check on him. He already knew about her charade at the masquerade, but she’d hoped he wouldn’t read more into why she had not told him up front about herself and ask questions.
Frowning, she headed to the door.
As if he read her mind, he murmured over his shoulder. “What I’m waiting for is for you to tell me why, Kate? Why did you hide your identity at the party?”
Her breath catching in her throat, she flipped off the light. What could she say?
Disguised with the Millionaire (Dangerous Millionaires Series Book 2) Page 18