His Last Redemption

by Clarissa Yip

  The poor innocent animal in her room had been tortured. And the word drawn across her wall had put her in shock. Nausea continued to beat at her. Kane left her downstairs once his partner and the lab coats arrived. A female uniformed officer took her report and now sat on the other couch, but she still couldn’t stop shaking.

  Her bed had been violated; her house had once again been invaded. And no one had ever called her anything so vile. Slut? Really? She hadn’t been with anyone but Daniel since they’d gotten married, and their sex life was nonexistent even before she’d left. Memories of the kiss in the fitting room flashed before her. Unless the derogatory term was referring to Kane… She shook her head. Impossible. What did this killer want from her? Why did he want her dead? And what had she ever done to him?

  The questions ran rampant through her mind. She took another sip of her tea and set the cup on the coffee table before she spilled the dark liquid over herself. The afghan around her shoulders didn’t dispel the chill that continued to rack her body. She felt sick. Make it go away, please.

  Desperation called. She didn’t know what to do. One thing was sure, though: she couldn’t stay here. Her home had been her haven, the one place she could feel safe from the outside world, and now that security was ruined. She thought she could survive staying here after her first attack—to prove that she was strong and could face anything that came her way.

  But this…

  Maybe she should move to another state, but what about her store? What about continuing her parents’ roots here? What roots? You’re never getting married again, remember?

  Her gaze circled the room. Photographs of her parents on the mantel smiled at her. The decor was kept plain after she’d gotten rid of Daniel’s retro furniture and replaced it with her mother’s old stuff, but it still didn’t hold the same warmth as when her parents were still alive. The house had been in the family since her grandparents. But those good memories would never make her forget that poor cat. Or the threat on her life. She shivered.

  “Lauren.”

  Her head jerked up. Relief poured through her. As much as she didn’t want Kane’s help, she was glad he’d followed her home. “Yeah.”

  Kane crouched down next to her and swept a strand of hair behind her ear. She noted the others in the room watching them and she swallowed hard. She wanted him to put his arms around her and make the cold go away. “I don’t think you can stay here tonight.”

  She nodded her head in agreement. She didn’t ever want to come back here, but she had nowhere else to go. No one to call, no one to come to her rescue. She’d isolated herself too well. Her heart ached. “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

  Kane threw his partner a glance. “We talked upstairs. It’s best for you to go to a safe house until we catch the person who’s done this. And with what happened last night, this is probably the killer’s warning to you.”

  She froze. “I don’t understand. Why are they after me?”

  He ran a hand over his face, tension lining his features. “We’ll figure out who did this.”

  Distressed, she drew in quick breaths. Cold chills tore through her body.

  “Pack what you need and I’ll drop you off at the safe house.”

  A knot formed in her chest. He was dumping her, and she couldn’t have that. She wanted to live her life, run her business, and go on as if all this was not happening, and now he wanted to drop her off at some strange place where she’d be by herself. Just like her marriage. Being with Daniel had felt like that—locked up in a foreign place with no one there with her. She thought about it. “No, I’m not going. I’ll move into a hotel for as long as it takes.”

  His eyes widened as he stilled. “What do you mean you’re not going? It’s not safe for you. We can’t protect you if you stay in someplace so public. Be reasonable!”

  She shrank from his bark. She’d seen him angry many times when she’d done little things that had threatened her safety. No matter, the man cared for her even though she wasn’t good enough to love. “I’m not going to a safe house.”

  “Lauren, you seriously can’t stay here. The best place for you is the safe house. This whole thing is getting too complicated. Once we catch him, then you can return here.”

  She spotted the vein pulsing in his neck. His fingers clenched at his sides. “If you want to keep me safe, then let me stay with you.” She froze at her own words.

  Kane stilled. “What?”

  Drawing in a deep breath, she took a step toward him. “Let me stay with you.”

  A shadow crossed his taut features. His mouth dropped open, then clamped shut, lips pressing into a thin line. A storm brewed in his eyes. She could tell he was battling the idea in his head. Deep down, she knew she had made the right choice. She thought about his confrontation with his mother. She needed answers, and this would be her chance to find out what he was hiding…or fighting.

  “It’s…” He shoved another hand through his hair.

  “Kane, that might be a good idea,” Ryan said.

  With a tortured frown, Kane slowly nodded.

  She reached out and placed a hand on his chest; his heart beat unsteadily against her palm. “I know you’ll protect me.”

  …

  I know you’ll protect me.

  Who was she kidding? Kane couldn’t stop the panic from rising in his throat. It had worsened as he’d watched Lauren pack, then settled her in his car and drove her to his place.

  Now that they’d arrived at the house, he didn’t know what to do with her. He helped Lauren out of the car and settled an arm around her waist, leading her to the door. A tiny tremor ran through her body, and he couldn’t blame her. He’d be scared shitless, too, after what he’d seen tonight. The killer was giving her a warning. The brightly painted word on her wall and the mangled cat on her bed was enough to tell them the killer was pissed. But why? Why would the killer call her that?

  The more he thought about the case, the more frustrated he became. Knowing the two victims were tied to Burke didn’t help. He’d have to go to the station and pull up Burke’s file on his death. Something didn’t seem right, and he couldn’t put his finger on it at the moment. Especially not with Lauren staying with him. And she expected him to protect her. What if he failed? What if something happened to her under his care? What if he didn’t stop the killer in time?

  Lauren paused at the dead bushes that lined the walkway and stared at the run-down structure. “It’s a house.”

  “Yeah.” Embarrassment bit him as he noted the chipped paint from under the porch light.

  “Why?”

  He frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Why not an apartment?”

  He finally understood and drew in a deep breath. “I didn’t want to live in an apartment. I wanted more space, so I’m renting this place for now.”

  “For how long?”

  “Until I’m ready…to leave…again.” Suddenly aggravated, he moved up the porch steps. He heard a relieved sigh and whirled around to face her. She was smiling at him. His eyebrow lifted at her open expression. “What’s your problem?”

  Lauren came up the steps and her smile deepened. “You scared me for a second. I thought you were gonna say that you planned to stay here permanently.”

  He swallowed hard. The thought had crossed his mind, but he knew it wasn’t possible. There was too much at stake here. If he hadn’t needed to be closer to Lily and his exhaustion from the city hadn’t taken hold of him, he probably would have found another town to live in. Missing the place he’d grown up and knowing Lauren and his mother were here were part of it, too. He’d admit those facts only to himself in the quiet of the night when his mind wasn’t running dry from his day-to-day need to solve every case thrown across his desk. “You know how I am. I don’t like to be in one place too long.”

  “I know.”

  It bothered him that she thought so, but he didn’t say anything.

  “You never did tell me why you
left so suddenly back then.”

  He stiffened. Jamming his key into the lock, he twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open. Maybe he did owe her an explanation. But not right now. He didn’t want to dredge up the past or feel the regret or wonder what the consequences would have been if he stayed. “The place is a little shabby. I haven’t gotten around to doing anything with it since I’ve moved in.”

  He allowed Lauren to slide past him after he’d turned on the foyer light. Her hand accidently brushed against his groin and he stifled a groan. Lauren looked up at him in surprise and folded her arms across her chest. “Sorry.”

  Shaking his head, he shut the door. “You can stay upstairs in my bedroom for now and I’ll sleep downstairs. The guest room is used for storage at the moment.”

  She glanced around at her surroundings, her gaze stopping at his bare living room, which held just a couch and his TV and stand along with a lamp. “You haven’t bought much furniture, huh?”

  He cleared his throat. What could he say? He lived in limbo. His apartment in the city had only been a studio and held much less. “I haven’t had time to furniture shop. Sorry.”

  She shrugged. “I’m not surprised, and I’m only staying here until the killer is caught, right?”

  That bothered him. He could actually see Lauren settling into his place, making it into a home for him just as she’d done with his old place. Before he’d picked up and left. “We’ll see. Follow me upstairs and you can go take a shower while I get your things from the car.”

  He took her hand and led her up the stairs. Once they reached the landing, he tugged her along to the master bedroom and turned on the light. His bedroom held only a king-size bed with two nightstands. Nothing else.

  “Big room,” she commented, moving into the room and sitting down on the burgundy covers.

  He watched her take in every detail of her surroundings. She looked small and fragile, like a child in a foreign place. He wanted nothing more than to lay her on the sheets and stretch out beside her, run his hands over her soft skin, and taste her once again. The memory of her response in the fitting room sent a surge of desire through him. His pants suddenly felt too tight and he shifted on his feet, hoping she wouldn’t notice his reaction. No matter how much he wanted to make love to her, he couldn’t. It’d be opening doors he’d long closed off, and he couldn’t do that to her. She’d been through enough over the years, and now this whole debacle of her life being threatened by a killer who was after her for who knows what reasons. But he planned to find out soon.

  Awkwardness fell over them. He shoved a hand through his hair. “The bathroom is through there,” he said, pointing to the side door. “You should find what you need. I keep extra soap and shampoo under the sink.” He turned to leave until he heard his name.

  “Yeah?”

  Lauren stood up and gave him a small smile. “Thank you. I know you don’t want me here, but I’m really grateful.”

  His throat closed. He gave a forceful nod and jetted out of the room.

  She didn’t know how much he wanted her to stay.

  Chapter Ten

  Lauren stared up at the speckled ceiling. The buzzing of the heater filled the room with a light hum. The sound should have been soothing, but every cough it gave out, she jumped. She couldn’t sleep. How could she?

  Who would have imagined that her life would change in a matter of days with the announcement that her husband was murdered? Instead of being released from her marriage, she got more than she’d hoped for. A dead husband, the return of her inheritance, her home violated by some psychopathic serial killer, whom she firmly believed was now intent on killing her for whatever reasons. Being so close to Kane, her heart ached.

  She was torn.

  The practical side of her told her she probably should have stayed at a safe house, but all she could think about was being locked up, put away…and maybe forgotten. It reminded her of days she’d waited for Daniel to return. For her mother’s death to be a dream. For Kane to come back to her.

  She rolled over and stared at the window. A tree swayed in view, dancing along the breeze that pushed up against the glass. The leaves scraped against the pane and she shivered. Maybe she was getting paranoid. The big bed almost seemed too big and she was cold even though the heat poured through the vents into every corner of the room.

  Throwing the covers back, she got out of bed and picked up the sweatshirt she’d left on the end of the mattress. She slipped her arms through the sleeves and pulled it close to her. It’d been so long since she’d dressed down, but it’d seemed appropriate when she was packing her bag, knowing she was staying with Kane. Just like old times.

  Slowly cracking the door open, she carefully made her way down the stairs, her hand sliding against the wall with each step she took. Once she reached the bottom step, she looked into the living room and noticed that Kane’s comforter and pillow sat folded on the couch. She moved toward the kitchen. Glancing farther down the narrow hall, she saw the dim light from his office door.

  Her feet moved involuntarily until she stood at the entrance, and she peeked through the crack. Kane stared at the computer screen, his hands shoved in his hair. She studied him, noting the deep lines by his eyes, the taut planes of his face. He hadn’t changed much. Definitely matured a little, and maybe wiser and tougher in a sense.

  When she’d first met him, she’d been drawn to him right away. At the time, she’d worked at a coffee shop down the street from the precinct and she’d served the law enforcement guys lattes and espressos every day, but Kane had stood out from everyone. The way he walked into the tiny shop, proud in his uniform, determined and alert at all times, yet easygoing and serious with a commanding flair. She knew every time he came in even before she saw him. She’d feel his eyes on her, guarding her, watching over her. One laugh had turned into many, until he’d asked her out.

  Like the naive girl she was, she was flattered and instantly enamored.

  He’d teased her out of her depression and given her something to live for.

  Until he decided she wasn’t worthy to stay with.

  Backing away from the door, she retraced her steps to the kitchen. Moonlight filtered in through the one window above the sink. She couldn’t find the light switch so she opened the fridge instead. The shelves were quite empty besides a container of milk, eggs, a thing of bacon, and deli meat. She sighed and took out the carton of milk before she went about searching for a pan in the dark, hoping she could feel it out. He was still living like a bachelor even though she knew he could cook a mean steak and whip up some crazy concoctions like his mother. It amazed her how he used to ensure that she ate, but when it came to taking care of himself, he didn’t make the effort.

  “What are you doing?”

  Lauren jumped and spun around, the carton fell to the floor, and she bent to pick it up the same time Kane did. Their foreheads collided. Pain struck. Her hand flew to rub her head as Kane whipped the container off the floor.

  Kane grinned. “You okay?”

  She held the spot and winced. His head was still harder than a rock. “I was before you scared the crap out of me.”

  “Then you shouldn’t have been sneaking around this late in the dark.” He let out a laugh. The sound sent a surge of warmth through her. She couldn’t help smiling.

  “It’s not that dark,” she retorted.

  Kane flicked the switch underneath the cabinet and the yellow glow filled the kitchen. His presence overwhelmed her, and the area suddenly seemed smaller. She watched as he grabbed a handful of paper towels, then bent to clean up the mess. “What are you doing up this late?”

  She tugged her sweatshirt closer around her and shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep.”

  His eyes flickered to her face before he straightened and threw out the milk-sodden towels. “Did you want a glass of milk or something?”

  “I guess.”

  “You should have told me. I could have done it for you.”

 
; A tightness squeezed in her chest. It reminded her of those times that she had stayed at his old place and he’d been insistent on doing everything for her. She’d grown to expect him to be there for her—to need her, love her. “I can do it.”

  Kane frowned. “Okay.” He opened a door and pulled out a saucepan, then set it on the stove.

  She closed the distance and grabbed the milk carton he’d placed on the counter and poured the liquid into the pan. They stood there in silence before Kane moved to the breakfast bar and pulled out a stool.

  “We should probably talk about what’s going to happen.”

  She stilled at the seriousness in his voice. She had a feeling she wasn’t going to like what he was bound to say. “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t think it’s safe for you to go to work or leave this house until the killer is caught.”

  She spun around. Not go to work or leave the house? No way. “I can’t. I have a business to run. Why can’t you just follow me to work and back here?”

  He sighed. “I have to work, too. If you stayed at the safe house, it would have been better.”

  Her fists clenched at her sides. She hated the thought of him having to babysit her. Sure, it’d been her idea, but she had no other choice.

  “Lauren, it’s your life we’re talking about. We don’t know what this guy is going to do next.”

  Finding it hard to breathe, she latched onto the metal handle of the oven. Her gaze circled the small kitchen, past the dining table to the open living room. She couldn’t stay trapped here and put her life on hold. How was she going to survive? She needed to keep busy, needed to keep some sort of normalcy. That was all she ever wanted, besides cutting her ties with her husband. But she saw where he was coming from. “For how long?”

  “Like I said. Until the killer is caught.”

  She bit her lip. The tightness in her chest expanded. “So if this psychopath isn’t caught, then I’m basically going to be locked up here forever?”