Runaway Heiress

by Melody Anne

  “Let me help you with that,” he said lazily as he picked her up, their bodies still one, and carried her to his room. She tensed as she looked at his huge bed, wondering if it was too intimate of a step for her to climb in with him.

  As her body tensed, she gripped his manhood, still hard within her, and caused another groan to escape him.

  “No other woman has ever done this to me,” he groaned as his body lit on fire once more. He laid them on the bed together with her locked tightly in his arms and started moving inside her still quivering body.

  It didn’t take her long to feel the pressure building back up, and soon all her worries were forgotten, at least for a little while.

  ***

  Bree gulped down large sips of icy cold water. She finished one glass, then quickly polished off another. As she stood by the sink hydrating her body, she couldn’t help but laugh.

  She’d spent an entire day in bed with Chad, making love over and over again. She was surprised and delighted at how well he knew her body, inside and out. Between making love, she’d managed to catch a little sleep, but hadn’t minded when he woke her, only to send her flying again.

  He was an incredible lover, and she had to fight not to shout out, yes, oh, yes, I’ll marry you, anytime. Lust and love weren’t the same thing.

  She ran her hand over her stomach and smiled. It was obvious they had no problem in the bedroom, but she didn’t know how well they could do outside of it. He’d remained by her side the entire time she’d been in the hospital so that meant something, but still…

  Bree turned off the water and stood for a moment, unsure what she should do. Chad was in the shower and they hadn’t discussed if she was spending the night in his room. She would assume he wanted her there, considering they hadn’t been able to tear themselves away from each other all day, but what if he wanted her to go to her own room now.

  “I’m being stupid,” she muttered out loud, then jumped at the sound of her own voice, causing her to giggle.

  She heard the shower turn off and decided to stay where she was. She wanted to go to his bed, but at the same time, she wanted him to seek her out. There was nothing wrong with maintaining her pride, even if she’d let go of every ounce of self-control that day, already.

  She looked out the window and noticed movement in the backyard. She didn’t really think anything of it since the ranch was surrounded by animals. It most likely was one of his dogs, or maybe even a large raccoon. But something just seemed off.

  The full moon illuminated the area and the barn light was casting eerie shadows across the ground. A shiver ran down her spine and she leaned in closer to the window. Once she assured herself it was nothing more than an animal she’d rest easier.

  She didn’t see anything further, so decided she’d just made a mountain out of a mole hill. It had to have been a shadow. The wind was whipping through the area. It was most likely a branch blowing. She was about to turn when another movement caught her eye. Something was giving her the creeps enough that she couldn’t turn her eyes away from the spot.

  She pressed closer to the cold glass, goosebumps appearing on her skin. Something was out there. An animal – it had to be an animal. She was ready to go to the back door so she could get a better look, when a cloud moved and she got a clearer vision of the backyard.

  It was a person.

  Someone was standing near the barn – looking right through the window at her. Bree made eye contact and felt a shudder ripple through her. She was so shocked; she stood motionless for several moments – until he took a menacing step in her direction.

  She opened her mouth and screamed.

  Chapter Eleven

  Chad was putting the towel around his waist when he heard Bree’s cry. He immediately jumped into action, instinct taking over.

  He grabbed his gun without stopping as he ran from the room and raced around the corner, leading him into the kitchen where he found Bree staring out the window, her body shaking.

  “A man – there’s a man out there, and he’s staring at me,” she cried.

  “Get down, now!” Chad commanded. The authority in his voice overrode the fear coursing through her and she dropped to the kitchen floor.

  Chad hit the light switch over the stove, dropping the kitchen into darkness, making it easier for him to see outside.

  “What’s going on?” Bree whispered as she spotted the large gun Chad was carrying.

  “I don’t know,” he responded, but he could see she didn’t believe him. She stayed silent, though as he slowly popped up and glanced out the window.

  “It may be nothing, but I swear he was looking right at me,” she whispered, her voice thick with fear.

  “Bree, I need you to crawl into the hallway. There are too many windows here and if this is a robber and he shoots, I don’t want you getting hit by the glass,” Chad once again commanded. He watched as Bree did as he asked.

  Then, he went to the counter and picked up his phone.

  “Get over here, now,” he said into the device before quickly hanging up. She didn’t know who he’d called, but obviously they didn’t need more explanation than that.

  Bree watched wide-eyed as Chad slowly popped up and looked out the window. He kept his body to the side, with only a portion of his head in the window while he searched the yard.

  “Where did you see him?”

  “Over by the barn.”

  “You’re sure it was a man?”

  “Yes, I locked eyes with him. It was definitely a man,” she said with confidence.

  “He may have moved closer to the house, or your scream might have scared him away. I’m still not taking any chances. Go into the bathroom and lock the door. I don’t care what you hear; do not open that door. Underneath the vanity, feel around, there’s a secret door, and inside you’ll find a gun. Take it out. If anyone comes through that door, shoot first, ask questions later. I won’t come in without knocking and letting you know it’s me,” he told her.

  “I don’t understand. Secret gun compartments? Crazy stalkers? What is going on?”

  “We don’t have time right now, please, just do what I asked,” he commanded. Bree scooted away to the end of the hall and waited on the other side. She wasn’t quite ready to head to the bathroom.

  She poked her head around and watched as Chad flipped on the back porch light and looked through the window. She saw him staring out it, looking in every direction. He moved to the back door and looked through that as well. It didn’t seem real, with him standing there in nothing but a towel, holding a deadly looking black gun in his hand, with all the lights off inside.

  Then the first shot rang out, seeming to echo through the house. The kitchen window shattered and Bree felt her face drain of any color that might have been left. She decided it was time to listen, and scrambled to the bathroom, shutting and locking the door.

  There was a night light casting shadows in the large room. Though there were no windows in it, she still crawled to the vanity, where she felt around for the secret compartment Chad spoke about.

  It took her several minutes, but finally she found the latch and opened the small door, reached her hand inside and came out with the gun he spoke of. Her fingers shook as she took the weapon in her hand, then crawled over to the back wall and sat there huddled.

  Please don’t have to use this, please don’t have to use this, she repeated over and over in her head. What if she fired it and hit Chad? What if she hit her own leg? She wasn’t used to weapons and didn’t know the first thing about how to fire a gun. She just hoped she wouldn’t have to have her first lesson on a real live person.

  ***

  Chad waited to hear the click from the bathroom door before he moved forward again. He didn’t know where the guy was – didn’t even know if he was alone, or he had help. All he knew was that he wasn’t going to let them near Bree again, not while he was still alive.

  He glanced back out and caught a flash of light glinting off
metal. It was an instant red flag and he quickly dropped to the ground as the gunshot rang out and slammed through the kitchen window.

  He covered his head as the window shattered to his left, littering the kitchen floor with shards of glass. He kept his ears tuned toward the back of the house, making sure the door didn’t open. Bree needed to stay out of there. He could hold them off, but he needed to know she was safe.

  He crawled back from the door, wishing he would’ve put on some pants after his shower. He felt too vulnerable in nothing but a small swatch of cotton.

  The next shot rang out and hit the stone columns on his porch. He knew he just had to wait them out. He wanted to rush into the yard, take down the bastards daring to shoot at his home, but he couldn’t leave Bree. That was probably what they were hoping for.

  Chad moved to the hallway as more bullets besieged the house. He listened for several moments, noticing a pattern to the shots. They were ringing out exactly two minutes apart. He waited, counting, and sure enough, the next shot came right on time.

  As soon as the shot went off, he moved back toward the window and peaked into his yard. He saw the glint of metal from the trees near his barn. There was a slight movement, then exactly two minutes later, another shot rang out. Holy Hell! It wasn’t a person firing. They had some sort of device set up. He needed to get to Bree.

  He heard glass shattering in one of the back bedrooms and he immediately ran for that area. The gun was nothing but a diversion to keep him busy. The stalker was coming after her.

  Chad’s body tensed as he made his way down the hall, looking through each open doorway, before quickly passing by them. He reached the room he’d heard the glass breaking and looked inside. A man wearing a full black mask was looking right at him through the open window. Chad lifted his gun and fired a shot but the man ducked out of the way at the last minute.

  He never popped back up and Chad was torn between chasing after him and ending the hunt for Bree, or staying in the house to keep her safe. If the guy had a partner and Chad left the house he’d never forgive himself.

  “Chad, it’s me,” Mark called out as he rushed in through the front door, not even considering his own safety.

  “Back here,” Chad called, and he heard Mark’s footsteps echoing down the hallway as he ran through the dark house.

  “Where is he?” Mark demanded, his own weapon drawn.

  “I just fired at him through the window. Bree’s in the bathroom, watch her, I’m going after this guy,” Chad said as he stepped forward to jump through the window. Mark grabbed his arm.

  “The guys are on their way, along with the sheriff. Get some pants on and guard Bree. I’ll go after him,” Mark said before rushing toward the window.

  Chad wanted to argue, but Mark was right. He needed to get some clothes on. He was too vulnerable in nothing but a towel.

  “Fine,” he grimaced as Mark jumped out the window.

  Chad quickly moved into action and rushed to his room, where he threw on his pants, a pair of shoes and gun holster in less than twenty seconds. He didn’t bother with a shirt, there was no time. He quickly rushed back to the window Mark had jumped out, and didn’t see anything. He wanted to chase after him, but he wouldn’t leave Bree.

  “Chad,” Trenton called. Chad changed directions and ran toward the front door.

  “Right here,” he answered so they’d know it was him. “Bree’s in the bathroom. Knock and tell her who you are before opening the door. I told her to shoot first if anyone tried to enter,” Chad warned as he rushed past Trenton and out the front door.

  He stayed low to the ground as a shot rang out near his barn. He needed to get out there. He skirted the barn and came up behind the trees, looking in every direction, making sure he wasn’t headed into an ambush.

  Just as another shot rang out, he rounded the back of the barn and spotted the contraption firing at his house. Chad was filled with rage as he approached the rotating gun. He quickly disarmed it, trying to be careful not to touch too many areas, just in case they were able to pull prints from the weapon. He had a feeling the stalker was smart enough not to leave prints, though.

  “Chad, get over here,” Mark hollered.

  Chad turned toward the sound of Mark’s voice and jogged to the front of the house.

  “What have you found?” Chad asked.

  “I’m going to kill someone,” Mark replied. Chad was surprised by his words. Mark was normally the mellowest guy he knew, though Chad knew his best friend could certainly be counted on. He was afraid to know what it was that had gotten him so riled up.

  “They left this.”

  Chad turned to see a bloody doll on his front steps with a sign attached to it.

  We got her once, we’ll get her again.

  “Who are these people,” Chad shouted. He quickly calmed himself down. He had to stay strong, he couldn’t afford to lose his composure.

  ***

  Bree sat shivering in the bathroom. She heard the men shouting in the hallway. Trenton was there, along with Mark. She didn’t know who else. She couldn’t make herself move, though. She still clutched the gun in her hand, pointing it toward the door. Fear of any small movement would make her fire the dang thing, but she couldn’t force her arms to lower the weapon.

  She listened as footsteps ran up and down the hall, doors slammed, and voices shouted. What was going on? Who would want to harm them? Chad hadn’t seemed surprised, confusing her even more. Why wouldn’t he tell her if something was going on? Would he really be so stupid as to think she couldn’t handle the information?

  Considering she didn’t really know what she could handle or not handle, maybe he was right not to tell her. The thoughts just kept running over themselves through her mind, leaving her in a constant state of terror as she waited for Chad to come back.

  The worst part was the image of that man staring at her. She didn’t think she’d ever get the picture of those deadly looking eyes from her mind. The moment had seemed to stretch on forever, their eyes locked together. A shiver ran down her spine.

  Bree shut her eyes and shook her head, trying to dispel the man from her mind. Chad wouldn’t let anything happen to her. She knew that – she somehow had complete faith in the man – faith that he’d never let harm come to her – not if he could help it.

  Finally, the shots stopped firing. She hadn’t realized she’d been counting them until the midnight silence. Ten shots – ten agonizing booms in the night. Each time the gun fired, she’d clenched, praying one of those deadly bullets didn’t hit Chad.

  The silence was almost worse than the exploding sound of bullets. She at least knew something was happening, could pinpoint where the danger was when there were shots fired. In the silence, she strained her ears, trying to pick up any sound.

  What were they doing?

  Why wasn’t anyone coming to reassure her?

  Were they dead?

  She was terrified and hanging on by only a very short thread. She didn’t care what Chad had told her to do. If someone didn’t come soon, she was leaving the bathroom. She’d rather face the masked man than sit in the dark, not knowing, weak with trepidation.

  “Bree, it’s me, Trenton. I’m going to open the bathroom door now. You can put down the gun, okay?”

  It took a couple of seconds for the words to process in her head. She stared at the doorknob as it slowly started to turn. Her arms never moved - the gun still aimed straight for whoever came through the opening.

  “Bree, can you answer me. I’d prefer not to get shot,” Trenton said with a nervous chuckle.

  The door opened and he looked around the side of the door. She met his eyes; hers rounded in shock, the gun aimed toward him.

  “Are you going to put the gun down, Bree? It’s over. You’re safe now.”

  She didn’t move, didn’t say a word, just looked at him blankly.

  “Listen, sis, you’re in shock. I need you to lower the gun. You don’t even have to let go of it, just l
ower it. Then I’ll come in and help you, okay?”

  She couldn’t make herself move. She told herself to do what he asked, but she couldn’t make her muscles listen to her mind.

  “Chad,” Trenton called. He wasn’t afraid of getting shot, but he didn’t want Bree traumatized any more than she already was. She obviously wasn’t coping, and if she did shoot at him, or actually hit him, she’d be filled with regret and sorrow.

  Chad quickly came running through the house, arriving at the door and looking inside. Bree’s eyes seemed to clear a fraction when she saw Chad standing there.

  “It’s okay, baby. I’m going to come in now, and I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t shoot me,” Chad said as if he were talking to a child. He slowly stepped into the bathroom and started walking to her. He stayed close to the wall, trying to keep out of range of the weapon, just in case her finger twitched and she accidentally shot it.

  Upon reaching her, he quickly sat down. She turned her head and made eye contact with him, her body beginning to tremble in earnest.

  “I’m going to take the gun now, okay?” he asked, reaching up and gently releasing her fingers from the weapon, sliding the gun across the floor to Trenton, who stood back and watched.

  As soon as the weapon was taken away, her arms dropped and tears poured from her eyes.

  “It’s okay, we’re all okay,” Chad reassured her as he pulled her onto his lap and started rocking her. “You’re fine, Bree. Your family is here, there’s no sign of the shooter.”

  She fell against him as the shock turned into fear and she rocked in his arms. Her own arms wound around his neck and he continued to rock her, running his fingers through her hair, giving her time to cry out her fear and confusion.

  Finally, Chad stood with her cradled in his arms and walked from the bathroom. Trenton had turned on the house lights, casting the eerie shadows away. Chad went straight to his room, where he gently laid her on his bed, continually whispering soothing words in her ear.