His Every Desire (Contemporary Romance Box Set)

by Alexis Winter

The tears finally build up and fall over the rims of my eyes as I nod my head. He drags the blunt end of the knife down my chest and between my breasts. Quickly, he pulls it back up, cutting through the center of my bra. It pops open, and my breasts bounce free.

  18

  Callan

  Dinner runs longer than I’d like, and the whole time, I can’t stop staring at my phone. Finally, Bennet pays the check, and we get up to leave. We all walk out together, and Levi says goodbye before climbing behind the wheel of his car. I rush toward mine, but Bennet follows along behind me.

  “Cal, what’s up?”

  I shake my head as I slide into the driver's seat. “Val’s not answering her phone.”

  He shrugs. “So, it’s going on ten? She’s probably in bed, or out with that no good best friend of hers.”

  I shake my head. “No, she hasn’t been hanging out with her. And I don’t think she’d go to bed without me. We had plans.”

  “You think she’s in trouble?” he asks, brows pulling together.

  “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”

  “I’ll follow you,” Bennet says, rushing to his car.

  I slam my door closed and put the keys into the ignition. The car roars to life when I twist the key. I hurriedly shift into drive and hit the gas. I weave in and out of traffic, hitting the highway. Silently, I pray that I don’t hit traffic. On the drive, I call her phone over and over, but every time, it goes to voicemail. I know she isn’t sleeping. No way could she sleep through a constantly ringing phone at her side.

  I drive like a crazy person, going around people on the shoulder of the road at ninety miles per hour. Finally, I see my exit, and I shoot onto it. I blow through stoplights and signs with only a quick pause to make sure it’s clear. Twenty minutes after leaving the restaurant, I’m pulling up to my house.

  Immediately, I realize that her car isn’t in the drive. I throw the car into park and shut it off as I’m stepping out. I’m walking in the front door when Bennet’s headlights shine into the driveway. I run through the downstairs, only finding dark rooms. Finally, I rush upstairs and into our bedroom. The room is dark, but when I flip the light on, hoping to find her asleep in my bed, all I find is a piece of paper. I pick it up and read over it.

  Callan,

  I’m going to spend the day with Kris. We’re going to get lunch and then hit the mall to find her a dress for some party tonight. Be home later.

  Love you,

  Val

  I crumble it up and toss it over my shoulder as I turn for the door, bumping into Bennet.

  “She’s not here?” he asks.

  I shake my head. “She’s with Kris. You got her number?”

  He nods. “I think so.” He pulls his phone from his pocket and starts searching through his contacts. “Yeah, here it is.” He hits the call button and brings the phone to his ear. He holds it there for what feels like forever before she answers.

  He pulls it away and puts it on speaker.

  “Hellllllo?” she slurs into the phone.

  “Kris, it’s Callan. Is Valerie with you?”

  “No, she took off a while ago. She isn’t home yet?”

  “No, where are you?”

  “I’m at a party in the suburbs,” she answers, sounding drunker than when she answered the phone.

  “Give me the address,” I demand.

  She rattles off the address and Bennet and I rush toward the door.

  A little while later, we’re pulling into a crowded street. “There! That’s her car,” I say, pointing at it. Bennet quickly stops, and I jump out, rushing over to it and looking in the window. The car is empty. Again, I pull out my phone and call her. A light shines from inside the car, and I peek in the window to see her phone sitting in the cupholder in the center.

  “Fuck!” I kick the tire just as Bennet comes rushing up. “I found her phone. She must still be here somewhere.”

  “Come on. Let’s ask around,” Bennet says.

  We walk across the street and onto the sidewalk. My heart is pounding, and my nerves are shot. The street is dark, but I can see a hint of something sparkling off in the distance. I quickly walk up to it. Bending down, I find a set of keys. I grab them and lift them to see them more clearly.

  “They’re hers,” I mumble.

  “How do you know?’ Bennet asks.

  “Because I gave her this keychain last week,” I say, holding up the heart-shaped keychain.

  “Come on. Maybe she realized she lost her keys on the way in and she’s looking for them,” Bennet says, walking forward.

  We walk through the party and search every room. We ask everyone we can if they’ve seen her. I even pull up a picture of her to show them, but they all say no, they don’t know her or haven’t seen her here tonight.

  “Fuck, where could she be?” I ask, getting anxious, pissed, and worried.

  “Maybe she got a ride home to Mom’s,” Bennet says, stepping off to the side and pulling out his phone.

  “Mom? Is Valerie there?” he asks.

  His eyes meet mine, and he shakes his head. “Alright, Mom. Thanks.” He hangs up and slides the phone back into his pocket.

  “Let’s try somewhere else,” I say, refusing to give up.

  We walk back through the house and out the front door when I think to ask the guys hanging out front.

  “Hey, have you seen this woman?” I ask, showing him a picture of her on my phone.

  He nods. “Yeah, I tried talking to her tonight, but she blew me off.”

  “Do you know where she went or even what direction she went in last?”

  He nods toward the street. “I think she was leaving. She walked out of the yard and took a right on the sidewalk.”

  “Was anyone following her, or did someone leave after her going in the same direction?” Bennet asks.

  The guy stops and thinks for a moment. “Now that you mention it, yeah. She left, and it wasn’t a minute later that a guy walked out of the side of the fence and went the same way.”

  “Do you know who it was?” I ask.

  “Nah, I never saw him before.”

  “What did he look like?”

  He takes a drink and leans sits on the porch railing. “I’d say he’s about my height, but a little bigger. He had dark hair, and he was wearing a dirty Cubs hat. I didn’t really get a good look at his face. It’s dark, you know?”

  Bennet looks at me. “Does any of that sound familiar?”

  I nod but think it’s a long shot. “Thanks, man.” I slide my phone back into my pocket and take off running toward the car with Bennet following along behind me.

  “Hey, where are you going? Do you know who that guy is? Damnit, Callan. Tell me something.”

  “I think it’s the guy that attacked her at the club that night.”

  “What? Why would it be him?” he asks, climbing behind the wheel.

  “This guy was pissed that she wouldn’t sleep with him. I guess they’d been hanging out, flirting and kissing for months. She always left him hanging, though.”

  “Okay, that explains why he tried drugging her, but why would he abduct her?”

  “I tracked him down and beat the shit out of him. I took his drugs in hopes of saving another girl. I also tipped off the police. I said he’s attacking women and selling drugs to kids.”

  “So you think he’s taken her as a way to get back at you?”

  I shrug. “I have no idea, but it’s worth a shot.”

  Bennet’s grip on the steering wheel tightens, and his foot gets a little heavier as he steps on the gas, throwing me back in my seat. “What’s the address?”

  I rattle off the address and tell him ahead of time when he needs to turn. Since his apartment is in the rougher part of Chicago, it takes us a while to get there with all the late-night, Saturday traffic.

  We pull up to the apartment building a little while later, and Bennet shuts off the car.

  “What’s the plan?”

  “
We storm in there and search the place.”

  “And if she’s not in there?” he asks.

  “If she’s not in there, I’ll beat the shit out of him again and demand he give us some answers.”

  “You know this is a home invasion, right? We could get in big trouble for this.”

  “It’s worth the risk,” I tell him, opening my door and stepping out.

  I lead him up to his apartment, and just as I’m about to kick the door in, Bennet places his arm across my chest, holding me back.

  “What the fuck, man?” I whisper.

  “Just stop and listen for a second.” He places his ear to the door to listen for any sounds.

  I stand there, bouncing from one foot to the other, adrenaline pumping through my body. Every muscle in my body is tensed and ready to go, to break down this fucking door and turn everything upside down until I find her.

  I hear a shriek from inside the apartment, and I push Bennet aside as I ram my shoulder into the door. The wood pops and cracks, but it flies open. It bounces off the wall with a loud bang.

  “Call the police,” I tell Bennet, rushing through the apartment. I walk through the living room and into the hallway. I hear some banging from inside the room in front of me, and I slowly open the door. On the other side I find Decon, back against the furthest wall. He has Valerie against his chest, facing me as he holds a knife to her throat. It feels like time freezes. All I can do is look at her. Her dark hair is matted with blood, and it’s been running onto her forehead where it dried. Her face is red like he’s smacked her. Her lip is busted and bruising, and her eye is black and swollen. She’s completely topless, and he’s stripped her of her pants, leaving her in just a pair of panties. Her entire body is either red or bruised, and she has tiny nicks and cuts that are dripping a small amount of blood. It’s easy to see what his plan was here.

  “Don’t fucking move or I’ll slit her throat,” he spits out.

  Valerie whimpers as tears fall down her cheeks.

  “Let her go,” I demand. “Let her go, and we’ll walk out of here right now. No cops. No trouble. Just let her go.”

  He laughs. “The cops are already here. They’ve been parked outside for weeks now. I didn’t make sense of it until I saw you guys together last night. Then, everything clicked: why you came here, why the cops were suddenly everywhere I went. You fucked up my life. It’s time I fucked up yours.” He pulls the knife away from her throat but jabs it in her side. She lets out a scream that pierces my ears. I rush forward, and he pushes her into my arms as he runs toward the door. But I don’t bother to chase him because I know Bennet’s there and he’s never getting out.

  I lay her down on the bed and grab a sheet to ball up.

  “I’m so sorry, Val, but this is going to hurt.” I quickly kiss her on the head before applying pressure to her side with the balled-up sheet. She lets out a moan and her body tenses.

  “I know you’re in pain but stay with me. Keep your eyes open. Focus on me.” I dig my phone out of my pocket and call 9-1-1.

  “9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

  “My girlfriend has been stabbed. I need an ambulance,” I tell them, rattling off the address. I don’t listen to what she has to say. I can’t. I can only focus on Valerie. The way her skin is growing paler by the moment, the way her eyes seems to glaze over, the way her breathing becomes shallow and slower.

  “Stay awake, Val. Look at me,” I cry out, placing my fingers on the inside of her wrist to check her pulse. It’s weak, but it’s there.

  Bennet rushes into the room. “I caught him and knocked him out. I found a zip tie and I tied him up,” he says before his eyes land on Valerie laying lifeless, bruised, and bleeding.

  “Go outside and direct the EMTs,” I order, but he doesn’t move. He’s frozen, eyes locked on his sister’s beat-up body.

  “Go!” I yell, snapping him out of it. He nods, turns, and runs for the door.

  It feels like hours go by, but it’s only minutes before the EMTs are rushing into the room. They check her over quickly and load her up onto the gurney. As I’m walking out to follow them to the hospital, the police walk in and cuff Decon.

  One of them looks up at me. “Did you have probable cause to enter this residence?”

  I nod. “I heard her scream.”

  They both nod and lift a bloodied Decon from the floor. I guess Bennet took a couple hits for himself.

  “We’ll have a few questions for you later, but right now, you can go to the hospital.”

  Bennet and I follow the ambulance to the hospital, but we’re told to wait in the waiting room while she’s examined. Bennet calls Maddie and his mother while I pace back and forth.

  I’m so engrossed in my thoughts and worries that I don’t notice him leave, but he comes back and hands me a coffee.

  A nurse walks up. “Are you the family of Valerie Windsor?”

  “Yes!” we both jump to say.

  “We’re moving her into surgery now due to internal bleeding. I’ll update you when we know more.” She rushes back through the swinging doors before either of us can ask any questions. We both collapse into the chairs, neither of us talking. I think we’re both in shock at tonight’s turn of events. We’re both sick with worry, anger, and sadness.

  Maddie and Valerie’s mom both rush into the ER waiting area and up to Bennet. He explains what happened and how they’ve moved Val into surgery. Everyone is now panicked, anxious, and worried.

  I slide back into my seat and lean my head against the wall while my eyes drift closed. All I see is her. Her smile; her shining green eyes. I can feel her soft skin against mine. I can smell her sweet scent. I can taste heavenly lips against mine. I pray that she’ll be okay, that she’ll return to me.

  19

  Valerie

  I hear a soft beeping sound. It goes on and on, never stopping. My body is flooded with pain, and all I want to do is give in to it, let it pull me back under so I no longer have to feel it. But that damn beeping sound keeps growing louder and louder. My eyes flutter open, and I find myself in a hospital bed. I let out a sigh, happy to see that I’m out of Decon’s and still alive. I turn my head and find Callan, asleep at my side.

  “Callan,” I say softly, unable to make my voice any louder. My throat is dry and sore. It feels like I’ve had a red-hot branding iron shoved down it. “Callan,” I say again, a bit louder.

  He jumps awake, and his eyes lock on mine. His mouth drops open as he moves closer to me. He picks up my hand and gently squeezes it as he falls to his knees beside my bed. “You’re okay, Val. Everything is going to be okay,” he tells me, over and over. I’m not sure if it’s for my benefit or if he’s trying to convince himself.

  I nod. “Drink?” I motion toward my throat.

  “Of course,” he says, getting up and grabbing a Styrofoam cup with a lid and a straw. He holds it to my lips and allows me to swallow down a big gulp of water that burns my throat even more, but it’s cold and wet, so it relieves the pain I feel.

  “They said your throat might be sore after the surgery from the endotracheal tube.”

  “Where’s the doctor?” I ask, trying to get myself pushed up in bed.

  He places his hand on mine. “Don’t move. You don’t want to rip open your stitches. I’ll get him; just don’t move.” His eyes are wide and serious as he turns and runs from the room.

  I nod and stop trying to get myself up.

  Moments later, Callan and a doctor walk into my room.

  “How are you feeling, Valerie?” the doctor asks as Callan kneels back at my side. I don’t know how long I’ve been here, but I’m starting to wonder if he’s left my side at all.

  I nod. “I’ve felt better,” I admit.

  He chuckles but grabs the chart at the foot of the bed. “I’m sure you have. It appears that you will be fine. You had some internal bleeding from the stab wound, but everything has been cauterized and stitched up. We’re going to keep you on fluids and antibiotics fo
r a couple of days. We don’t want you getting an infection, and you were rather dehydrated. All you need is time, and you’ll be as good as new.”

  “Thank you, doctor.”

  His eyes scan the chart one last time. “Oh, and it appears the baby is fine and healthy.”

  “The what?” Callan and I both ask at the same time.

  The doctor seems surprised by our confusion. “Yes, it shows here that you are about eight weeks pregnant. You didn’t know?” he asks with a raise of his brow.

  We both shake our heads, but I think back eight weeks. That must have been our first weekend together, the time that we both woke in the middle of the night only to have unprotected sex and go back to sleep.

  “I’m…we’re…?” I stutter, unable to form words due to shock.

  The doctor nods. “That’s right. You’re going to be parents. Congratulations.” He smiles wide before setting the chart down and leaving the room.

  I look up at Callan, and he looks down at me. “Did you know about this?” he asks.

  I shake my head. “I had no idea. I mean, I’ve been on birth control since I was fifteen.”

  “You didn’t miss a period?” he asks, sitting on the edge of my bed.

  “My periods have never been regular. It’s completely normal for me to go two or three months without having one at all.”

  We both grow quiet as we think about the information we were just given.

  “How do you feel? What do you think?” I ask Callan when he doesn’t speak up.

  He falls back onto his knees as he picks up my hand and presses a kiss to the top. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I was so scared that I was going to lose you.” His blue eyes begin to fill with tears.

  I smile. “I’m fine, but what do you think about being a father? We never talked about it before.”

  He smiles wide. “I already knew I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life. Having a baby, it just makes everything better.” He stands up and pulls me in for a long, slow kiss.

  The door opens, and he pulls away to see Bennet, Maddie, and my mom come walking in. They all rush to my bed, gathering around me.