His Last Redemption

by Clarissa Yip

  When he’d answered the phone and realized it was her, his heart had stopped at the panic in her voice. He’d vowed to stay away from her at her husband’s funeral, because he knew he had to. The desire and longing at the cemetery had thrown him for a spin when he’d found himself wrapping her in his arms, pulling her close, reminding him of what he’d walked away from. Now that she was in front of him, the lecture he’d given himself was forgotten.

  One second she stood still, unmoving, the next she threw herself at him. His arms closed around her as she landed against his chest. His fast-beating heart calmed a little, but the horror of the night kept him on alert. He’d been afraid to contemplate what he might have found. If something happened to her… What if she’d never called him? What if he hadn’t picked up her call? What if he’d been too late?

  She sobbed against him, gripping him tightly and burying her face in his shirt.

  “It’s okay,” he murmured, stroking her hair. “You’re okay now, I promise.”

  She sobbed harder. “I thought I was going to die.”

  He leaned back and cupped her cheek, looking down into her watery amethyst eyes. “I’m here. You’ll be fine.”

  Lauren stared at him. She shivered, then she slid her arms to his neck and rose on her toes. Her lips touched his. Kane froze. The softness of her mouth and body pressed against him did him in. He groaned and kissed her, drawing in her terror, her relief, blending in with the fear that overtook him the moment she’d called him. Her sweetness and femininity clung to him as he tightened his hold, crushing her breasts against his chest. His tongue swept across hers. Need wrapped its desperate claws around him. Her soft whimper made his insides clench. She met him with vigor, the effects of the events probably catching up with her, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t stop. The emptiness in his chest contracted, making him all the more aware of the time he’d spent apart from her.

  Panic had rushed at him when he’d first heard her words on the phone. She was in danger. Adrenaline pushed him into action. He’d driven like the devil while Ryan cursed next to him in the car. And all he’d been able to think about was his kid sister—he couldn’t allow Lauren’s fate to mimic Lily’s. He couldn’t allow her to come to harm.

  “Yo, Kane.”

  Kane broke free, whipped around, and shoved Lauren behind him before settling his hand on the butt of his gun. His guard resurrected, preparing him for danger. His partner stood in the doorway, a wide grin plastered to his face. Kane relaxed from his alert stance. “Did you get him?”

  Ryan moved into the room, amusement fleeing his expression. “No, he got away. He’s fast. I sent a couple of the guys to continue searching around the neighborhood.”

  Kane nodded.

  “You all right, Ms. Burke?” Ryan asked.

  Kane threw Lauren a glance. She stood, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. Lips swollen, she shook her head slightly, but didn’t say anything. When he noticed Ryan’s appraisal of her nightwear, irritation pushed him to take off his coat and wrap it around Lauren. She gave him a flimsy smile. His knuckles brushed against her cheek; her eyes rose to meet his. He felt the tremor that ran through her body. Quelling the urge to pull her into his arms again, he took a step back, putting distance between them before he faced Ryan again. The tightness in his chest didn’t ease. He could still taste her on his lips. Memories of their past time together rushed at him, along with the longing and loneliness he’d pushed aside over the years.

  Ryan moved into the room. “Are you okay enough to give a report, Ms. Burke?”

  Lauren looked up from the floor. “Sure, let me…” Her voice trailed off. Her complexion whitened.

  Kane followed her gaze to the gaping hole in the door. He quickly slipped an arm around her waist and led her over to the bed, sitting her down before she fainted. “It can wait. Let me go downstairs and check in with the other guys. You can tell Ryan when you’re ready.”

  As he started to leave, Lauren gripped his hand, but she quickly dropped it. Concern warred with the need to distance himself from her, but he didn’t want to let her out of his sight. He crouched in front of her, settling his palm on her knee. The silkiness of her skin reminded him of the feel of her pressed against him. He swallowed hard. “What happened?”

  Lauren slowly shook her head. “I-I was…just up here reading and getting ready for bed. Then I heard glass breaking downstairs and I called you. That was it.” She ended her words with an exasperated note.

  Kane sighed, not wanting to upset her any more. He knew he had to go downstairs and see what else was found, maybe analyze the scene one more time. The tension in his gut wasn’t a good sign. “I need you to come downstairs and see if anything is missing.”

  “Okay.” Lauren kept her gaze to the floor, her body trembling ever so slightly. He pushed aside the desire to tuck her against him, erase the horror of the night, and once again taste the sweetness of her mouth. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, then squeezed her knee. “Why don’t you change really quick before you come downstairs? I don’t want you to stay here by yourself. Do you want me to call someone for you?”

  She looked up at him. Her expression closed up. The same walls he’d witnessed every time he came within speaking distance of her rose between them. Any flicker of emotion disappeared and she sat up straighter. “I’ll be fine. This is my house. I’m not going anywhere. Just go do your job.”

  Kane frowned. He waited for her to back down from his stare, show him the need, the helplessness she’d displayed when she’d opened that bathroom door. Nothing. Standing up, he glanced at Ryan, who stood silently watching their exchange. His partner’s mouth twitched with amusement and Kane glared. “You got something to say?”

  Ryan shook his head and held up his hands. “Nope.”

  Kane grunted and headed to the door.

  “Kane.”

  He stopped and turned around. Lauren clutched the lapels of his coat tighter around her. “Thank you.”

  The urge to cross the room and sweep her into his arms overwhelmed him. She looked lost, yet her expression held a touch of ice. The politeness in her voice irked him. His fingers clenched.

  “Detective Hollister, Detective Montgomery.”

  Kane spun around. One of their officers stood in the doorway with the tiny ax he’d seen earlier encased in a bag at his side. “Is that all that was found?”

  Officer Pipe nodded. “So far. Lee just came back. He said they lost sight of the intruder down Farris Avenue.” He handed the weapon to Ryan, whose eyes widened as he held the evidence.

  “Stay here with Ms. Burke, for now,” Kane ordered. He left the room with Ryan hot on his heels.

  “Holy shit, if she hadn’t called, who knew what would have happened?” Ryan said.

  Kane shuddered. “I know. I want to take a look downstairs.” Nothing felt right. The intruder was clearly after Lauren, but why?

  Ryan sighed loudly as they reached the bottom of the stairs. “I have a feeling we’re not going to find anything.”

  Kane’s gut clenched. That’s what he was afraid of.

  …

  Lauren shook. She didn’t know if it was from the damaged door or Kane. Her brain recalled the horrors of the splintering through the wooden panel. Not long after she disconnected the phone, silence had filled the tight space. When she’d heard her name being called and recognized Kane’s voice, she’d flung herself from her hiding spot and whipped the door open. Relief had speared through her when she’d seen Kane standing in her doorway, looking at her from head to toe as if he didn’t believe she was real. She didn’t think. Just acted, wrapping her arms around him. What had made her kiss him like that?

  She bit her bottom lip, still tingling from the taste and feel of Kane. The warmth she’d found in his arms didn’t last long. Half drugged from his touch, she hadn’t known what was going on until he’d pushed her behind him and settled his hand on his gun. Then she’d seen his partner smirking in the doorway. Reality crept
up on her, and she’d felt like she’d just woken from a nightmare.

  Tugging Kane’s jacket tighter around her, she drew in a deep breath. His musky, masculine scent teased her nose, reminding her of all the times she’d spent with him in the past before he’d hightailed it out of town, leaving her without another word. Anger blended with the false sense of security wrapped around her. Knowing that Kane was close by gave her some peace, but she didn’t want it.

  The feeling wasn’t going to last. She knew that. She couldn’t depend on Kane just as she couldn’t depend on her ex. She almost laughed out loud. Kane had mentioned calling someone for her. Who? She didn’t know anyone.

  She shuddered as she returned her gaze to the door. The officer stood just outside, staring over the stairwell. Conversation drifted from below but she couldn’t make out the words. Another shiver traveled down her spine. She’d been lucky that Kane and the police had arrived when they did, otherwise… Images of the ax flashed through her mind. Maybe the guy had intended to rob her; maybe he’d heard her upstairs and come up to scare her a little. She’d lost her sanity in those minutes when she’d locked herself in the bathroom. That’s all. Don’t lie to yourself. You could have been dead or raped or whatever burglars did. That’s what you were thinking when you called Kane.

  Pushing the thoughts aside, she forced herself to stand up on her wobbly legs. The officer gave her a questioning glance. “I’m just going to change.”

  He nodded and turned his attention back downstairs. Lauren made her way to her walk-in closet and flicked the light switch before slowly opening the door. She peeked in to make sure no one was in there. Images of the bogeyman popped in her head. She was such a wuss. Convinced it was safe, she locked herself in the closet and dropped Kane’s jacket along with her nightgown on the chair. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a cream-colored blouse, and slipped her feet into tennis shoes. As much as she was glad the officers were there, she wasn’t going to traipse downstairs in her nightwear.

  Once she finished, she found a hair tie in the bathroom and tugged her hair into a ponytail before returning to the closet to grab Kane’s jacket. Walking up to the officer, she forced herself not to look at the splintered door, knowing it would only escalate the fear she’d felt earlier. No way was she going to sleep tonight, at least not with the gaping hole in her door and who knew what her downstairs looked like. But where could she go? She knew no one. And she wasn’t close to her neighbors.

  “I’m ready to go downstairs,” she told the officer.

  The man nodded and led the way. Her heart beat erratically as she followed, dreading the sight that she’d soon find, no doubt, but she had confidence she could pull through all this. Then she could go on with her life as normal. She needed normalcy. This was another roadblock she would deal with and move on from—just as she’d done with her mother’s death, Kane’s departure, her husband’s cheating. She could handle this. She had no choice.

  …

  Kane stared at the scene. The shards lay on the floor like crystals. The patrolmen moved carefully around the area. Questions racked Kane’s mind. He frowned as he considered the events of the night. He would have wanted to believe that it was a random break-in, but the perp was specifically targeting Lauren. That much was obvious. Did it have to do with her husband’s murder? Her job? A disgruntled client?

  “What are you thinking?” Ryan asked.

  “I don’t know. The intruder came with a motive. It doesn’t look like he was after anything material, otherwise he wouldn’t have gone through all the trouble of going straight up the stairs and trying to break down the door. He knew where Lauren was at this time of the night.”

  Ryan nodded. “The neighbors said that all the lights usually go out after nine, so it’s not a surprise that people would know when Ms. Burke retires for the night. Guess your Ms. Burke is pretty predictable.”

  Kane’s frown deepened at Ryan’s words. Your Ms. Burke. A pang struck his chest, but he ignored it. He hated the name Burke…and the bastard who had given it to her. Her husband had broken his Lauren and now she wasn’t the same woman he’d left behind. What they shared upstairs had probably been out of desperation from what happened, but the icy resistance that came from her after irked him more than anything. How could she so easily close herself up…from him? One second she’d been on fire, the next cold as the dreaded winters in the Northeast. He didn’t like it. None of it.

  Officer Lee, the patrolman they’d seen chasing the crook, moved to Kane’s side. “I couldn’t catch the guy. He was too fast.”

  “What did you see when you got here?”

  “I pulled up into the driveway and next thing I knew, the guy was running across the lawn.”

  “Did you get a good look at him?”

  “No, sir. I’d say medium build, short hair under a black cap. It was too hard to see anything else.”

  Kane sighed. It didn’t help. “Have everything checked for fingerprints.”

  Ryan moved in close to him. “We should probably hand this case over and not get involved.”

  “What’s your point?” Kane crossed his arms.

  Ryan shrugged. “Well, we’re still working on Burke’s murder and you wouldn’t want anything to…”

  Maybe his partner did know him too well. He’d never discuss his and Lauren’s past, but he wasn’t surprised that Ryan picked up on the tension between them or had already made assumptions from what he’d witnessed so far. “Lauren called me.”

  She needs me. He stopped at the thought. Images of his kid sister stormed his mind. He closed his eyes for the barest second at memories of the bruised little body on the ground. He hadn’t been able to save Lily, and if he’d arrived later, who knew what would have happened to Lauren. Shaking his head, he swallowed the tight knot in his throat. What was he doing? Why was he getting involved again? The best thing to do was get the hell away from Lauren, hand this case over to another detective, and get out of her life. And stay out.

  “Kane.”

  His eyes drew open and he turned. Lauren stood before him, holding out his jacket. She’d changed into jeans and a blouse, her hair pulled into a ponytail. She seemed frail and exhausted. Dark circles sat underneath her tired eyes. He took his coat and slipped it on. Her light floral scent blending with his musky cologne teased his nose as he tugged at the collar. “You okay?”

  Lauren looked around, her gaze purposely avoiding the glass all over the floor. She stared at the metal frame of what used to be her door before she nodded. “I’m fine.”

  “Do you see anything out of place? Missing?” Ryan waved an arm to the living room.

  She glanced at his partner; her eyebrow rose. “You mean besides my smashed glass door? No. You guys probably scared him off before he could rob me.”

  Ryan frowned. “We don’t believe that whoever did this was actually here to rob you…”

  Lauren shook her head. “What else could it be? What other reason would the burglar have for coming here?”

  “Have you had any arguments or disagreements with anyone? Anyone come to mind?” Kane asked. Deep down he knew the answer to his question. Lauren didn’t dare offend anyone. Her kind heart and even temper kept her out of trouble. The many times his own hot temper flashed, she’d been the one to soothe him, calm him, and convince him not to let his anger get the best of him.

  Lauren shrugged. “No. I don’t do anything but work in the office, usually. I may have dealt with a few disgruntled brides in the past few weeks, but not many at all.”

  “Would it be possible that it’s one of your clients from the store?”

  “No, because I rarely take on clients. I have employees who do that. I only work on the floor and handle bridal appointments if we’re short-staffed or overbooked. I have regulars who come specifically to me, but otherwise, no.”

  Ryan threw him a frustrated glance.

  Kane moved forward. “What about your husband? Do you think it could have been anyone that he’s offen
ded and would be after you?”

  Her eyes widened before she crossed her arms and glared at him. “He’s dead. And I haven’t had any interaction with him for months, nor would I know whom he socializes with. Never wanted to know. Why would anyone that he knows come after me?” She waved a hand toward the glass. “It’s just probably someone who was looking to steal something and I probably scared him when he realized I was home.”

  He frowned. The hard press of denial shone through her gaze, but he’d caught the slight tremor that ran through her body. “Lauren, it’s not a burglar. The perp had purpose. He was after you—otherwise he wouldn’t have gone straight upstairs to your bedroom.”

  She shook her head continuously. “No. Maybe he got the wrong house.”

  Disbelief coursed through him. He shared a look with Ryan. As much as he wanted to grip her arms and shake her into reality, he stood still. The old Lauren would have faced whatever problem came at her and tried to solve it or fix it, but this woman in front of him was hiding something. He couldn’t read her thoughts through the stubborn tilt of her head and firm press of her lips. “Lauren, be realistic. You know it’s not that simple.”

  She swallowed hard. “I need to go to bed and get some sleep. I have to work tomorrow.”

  His mouth dropped open. “You can’t stay here.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” She stood her ground.

  He glared, studying the light tremor that tore through her body. “It’s not safe here.”

  “This is my home. This is all that my mother left me.” Fear shone in her eyes, but she swallowed hard, then glanced at the mess on the floor again. “Fine. I’ll go to a hotel for the night or something.”

  “Detective Hollister.”

  Kane whipped around at the sound of his name. “What?” He couldn’t keep the aggravation from his tone. His gut told him he needed to keep her safe, needed to get her the hell out of here before the perp returned for her, but he understood her need to be here, to be close to her mother. He couldn’t use force to move her from the premises. Otherwise he’d never hear the end of it from his captain. Nor could he mess up since he’d just transferred back to the precinct. He needed to make it up to Lily for his absence.