RETURN TO ME

by Christy Reece

  “One thousand, one hundred, and eighty-two days … little over three years.”

  “How did you finally get out?”

  “A minister came by once a week. Of course, I didn’t want to hear anything he said, since my father pretty much trained me to hate anything to do with religion. But he was a good man … the best I’ve ever known. We’d just sit and shoot the breeze. I began to trust him … told him a few things. He ended up helping me get out and helped me set up LCR.”

  “What was his name?”

  “Milo.”

  A memory caught her … something Eden had mentioned. “He was the man who was killed last year?”

  “Yes.”

  So there was more than one reason for Noah to want Bennett. “How did Milo help?”

  He shrugged. “In more ways than I can count, but one of the most important was his advice. He told me I had two choices. I could let what happened ruin my life, or I could make a difference in others.”

  “So you made a choice to rescue people?”

  “I made a choice to help victims instead of being one.”

  And in that moment, Samara knew she loved him. Probably had from the beginning but had fought almost as viciously as he had to prevent that from happening. Now she knew that with every fiber of her soul, this man was the love of her life. There was a quality inside Noah that had remained unsullied and pure … the part he hid from everyone. Noah was a true hero, though he’d deny it to the death.

  After the heartrending account of his trauma, hers no longer seemed as scary or horrendous. Scooting back on the bed, she held out her hand for Noah to join her. Crossing the room, he sat beside her, took her hand in his, and kissed it.

  She blew out a sigh, determined to stay as factual and unemotional as she could. “I woke up in the trunk of a car. My arms and legs were tied together. I didn’t know where I was, or who had me. Finally, they opened the trunk and threw me on the ground. One of them untied me, because the other one said he liked to see them try to get away.

  “I lay there for a few minutes while they talked about what they were going to tell Mitch about what happened. One of them—a man named Richard—picked me up and slung me over his shoulder. While they walked, they talked about not being able to taste the goodies. One said I looked so young, that I was probably still a virgin. The other one said he should have said something earlier and he would have let him have me.” Samara swallowed thickly. “He said no, I was too skinny, but he wouldn’t mind getting the girl with the big breasts they’d picked up a few weeks ago.”

  “They say her name?”

  “Lara.” She saw the recognition of the name in his eyes. “You know about her?”

  “Met her brother recently.”

  When he didn’t say anything else, Samara continued, “They brought me here and dumped me on the ground. When I heard Mitchell’s voice, I knew it sounded familiar … but not. Then, when I saw his face …” She closed her eyes. “God, I couldn’t believe it.”

  “I didn’t think it was something you needed to know, because I never intended for you to get anywhere near Mitch.”

  “I know, Noah, but seeing him, with your face and the pure evil in his eyes. … It was terrifying.”

  He picked up her hand and kissed it again, apologizing once more.

  “Anyway, they brought me in and threw me on the floor. When Mitch asked me about Noah McCall, I told him I didn’t know any Noah.” She laughed softly. “He said they heard me scream ‘Noah.’ I told him I said ‘no,’ not ‘Noah.’”

  “Smart girl.”

  “Yeah well, unfortunately, he didn’t believe me. He and two of his men sliced my clothes off and then threw me around the room to one another like it was a game. I managed to kick one of them in the groin and got knocked out again.”

  Noticing her voice was getting so thick she could barely understand herself, she swallowed again and cleared her throat. “When I woke up, it was dark and no one was around. I stole a shirt I found and tried to run away. On the way, I heard someone crying. I went inside a cabin and that’s when I saw Ashley and Courtney, handcuffed to a bed. I got them loose and I thought we were going to get away. Mitchell found us. I threw myself at him, told the girls to run.”

  “They brought both girls back.”

  Tears flooded her eyes. “So it was all for nothing.”

  Tilting her face with his finger, he brought her gaze up to his. Gleaming admiration in his eyes healed a small slice of her pain. “That was an incredibly brave thing for you to do. I’m proud of you for thinking so fast. It was just pure bad luck they got caught. You gave them a chance, which was more than they had before you got here.”

  Samara nodded at his praise, wishing with all her heart it had ended with the girls getting away.

  “What happened when Mitch brought you back?”

  “I …” She reached for a water bottle and took several long swallows. “He was furious. He called his people together and told them to go after the girls. Then he shot Richard as casually as you please. …” Her eyes closed on the image she doubted would ever leave her mind. “It was horrible.”

  Noah pulled her into his arms and just held her, apparently knowing that nothing he could say or do would erase that experience.

  “After that, he dragged me back inside and threw me down on the floor. Then he took his belt off and beat me. Then …”

  “What, Mara?” he asked softly.

  “He spread my legs … was about to rape me. … He didn’t.”

  “What stopped him?”

  “You.”

  “What?”

  “You showed up, and he knocked me out. When I woke up, you were there.”

  Waves of rage literally pulsed from Noah’s body. She petted his arm to comfort him. He’d been right. Talking about it had helped. Intellectually, she’d known it would. She’d counseled plenty of victims of abuse, but when it came to talking about her own experience, it’d been damned hard. Perhaps, if she learned nothing else from this ordeal, she’d be able to identify with and understand her clients better.

  A giant yawn attacked her, as exhaustion slammed so quick and hard, her eyes blurred.

  Noah pushed her gently back onto the bed. “Get some rest. I need to go back and see Mitchell again.”

  “But don’t we need to talk about what’s going to happen?”

  “We will later.”

  Too weary to argue, she allowed Noah to pull back the thin blanket and cover her up. Pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead, he straightened and headed toward the door.

  “Noah.”

  He stopped and turned to look at her.

  “Thank you for sharing your experience with me. I didn’t think I’d be able to get through talking about what happened.”

  Emotions flickered over his face before he could mask his feelings. Samara saw them and her heart soared. Compassion and mutual understanding, but most important, tenderness and affection. Before she could say anything, he’d disappeared behind the door.

  Closing her eyes, Samara breathed out a long sigh. For the first time since this whole ordeal began, she finally felt safe.

  twelve

  Noah shut the door behind him, grimly aware he’d let his feelings show. That couldn’t happen again. He turned to walk down the stairs and stopped. Mitchell had one foot on the first step, apparently about to make a house call.

  Mitch jerked his head toward the door behind Noah. “You broke her yet?”

  Pasting on his cockiest, most evil expression, he bragged, “No, but I’ve broken her in real good.”

  An evil, leering grin curled up at Mitch’s mouth as he took a step up to the cabin. “Good. I’ve decided I want a taste.”

  In an instant, Noah was at his brother’s side, grasping his arm. “She’s mine.”

  “The bitch was a loan,” he snarled. “She’s not yours.”

  “I. Said. She’s. Mine.”

  Mitch looked down at the hand on his arm and then up a
t Noah’s hard stare. “She a virgin?”

  He raised an arrogant brow. “Not anymore.”

  “She good?”

  “Good enough till I’m done with her. She won’t last more than a couple more days.”

  Mitch nodded. “I want her before you kill her. She ain’t given us shit so far. If you can’t get it out of her, I can.”

  “If she knows anything, I’ll get it … but she’s mine and nobody else’s till she draws her last breath. Got that?”

  “Ever fuck and strangle one at the same time? They clamp down like a vice on your dick right before they die.” He grinned as if sharing a fun piece of brotherly advice.

  Noah studied his brother. This was extreme, even for Mitch. Was he trying to shock him? Or had Noah somehow maintained a small amount of naïUveté about his brother? Thinking him evil but still redeemable. No, he’d known for years that Mitchell had nothing left in him that held an ounce of goodness or morality.

  Unable to come up with anything better, he just shook his head. “I don’t kill and tell.”

  Laughing hard, Mitch backed down off the steps. Noah breathed out a low, relieved sigh. It would have screwed up everything to show his hand this soon, but if Mitch had taken another step toward Samara, his brother wouldn’t have lived another second.

  “Come to the cabin. I got some news.”

  Noah followed Mitch. Anyone looking would see two men who looked as though they were as identical on the inside as the outside. Noah had known almost since he was a toddler that something was wrong with his twin. He hadn’t known what it was at the time, but he and Mitch had never played together like brothers do. From the time they were able to walk, his father had catered to his brother and Noah, thank God, had followed his mother around. He always wondered if his mother had seen the evil in Mitch. If so, she’d never treated him any differently, until he refused to have anything to do with her.

  They entered the small cabin. A pair of lavender panties lay on the filthy kitchen table. Shit. He picked up the delicate lace underwear. “Looks like you’ve been tasting the merchandise yourself.”

  “Naw, ripped them off your bitch when she first got here.”

  Jaw tight, Noah wadded the material and shoved them into his back pocket. “I’ll put ’em back on her before I dump her.”

  Mitch grinned. “It’s the least you can do.”

  Grabbing two beers from the cooler, Mitch handed one to Noah and sat at the table. “Truck’s coming day after tomorrow. We pick up the last piece of merchandise tomorrow night in Arkansas.”

  “What happens when they get here?”

  “We’ll load ’em up and head to the boss’s warehouse.”

  “He’s got a ware house in Biloxi?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And he’ll come and check them out?”

  “Oh yeah, he likes to take personal inventory. Once that’s over, we’ll load up and ship them.”

  “They’re all going to Thailand?”

  “Hell if I know. That ain’t really my concern. Once we get our money, we’ll head out for a little rest. The boss’ll call us back in a week or so.” Mitch took a long swig of beer. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I been working for the boss going on three years. It’s ’bout time for a promotion. I called and told him about you. If he approves, he might let you take over for me.”

  Noah propped his feet upon the table, took a swallow from his can, and belched. “What’s it pay?”

  “Two thousand per ass, but you have to split that with the help. I’m pretty generous when it comes to that ’cause I want their loyalty. Sometimes, if it’s a real sweet prize … say a real young one, he’ll pay extra. That’s mostly profit. I don’t share those ’cause they’re damned rare and hard as hell to get.”

  Noah gave an understanding nod.

  “So, you interested? Want me to set things up with the boss man?”

  “Hell yeah, I’m interested. But what are you going to be doing?”

  “Don’t know yet. Boss likes to keep all his businesses separate. Once I’m done with this, you probably won’t see me again.”

  “Fine by me.” And never had Noah been more sincere or honest.

  Mitch grinned, not one bit insulted. Both men knew the hatred still existed and always would. “That’s what I figured … but I owed you something for taking the heat for me all those years ago. But we’re square from here on out. Right?”

  Like hell. “Yeah, we’re square.”

  Mitch’s eyes skittered briefly away. When he looked back, Noah was shocked to see his eyes filled with tears. “I haven’t mentioned this to you, ’cause it’s so hard to talk about. You know Daddy’s dead, don’t you?”

  Oh yeah, he’d gotten drunk to celebrate when he’d heard the news. “Yeah, I’d heard.”

  “Broke my heart. I know he was a tough son of a bitch, but damn, he was fun.”

  Yeah, a riot a minute. “Yeah, he was.” Mitch didn’t know he meant he was a son of a bitch and not that he was fun. The only time his daddy ever seemed to have fun was when it involved beating his wife or sons.

  Noah knew he shouldn’t but said it anyway. “You know Mama’s dead, too, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, the bitch got what was coming to her.” He slanted his eyes over to Noah. “Though you were always a mama’s boy. Bet you pissed your pants when you heard she died of AIDS. Daddy said she was screwing around on him. Guess he was right.”

  The fact that Farrell Stoddard screwed everything he could get his dick in and had given their mother the disease evidently never occurred to his brother. Too bad his father died in a drunken bar fight before he could waste away himself.

  The chair Noah sat in screeched across the floor as he moved to get up. If he stayed any longer, he’d kill the bastard and accomplish almost nothing, other than the peace of mind of having one less Stoddard in this world. He had to remember this wasn’t about him and his revenge. It was about doing the right thing. When the time was right, Mitch would join Farrell Stoddard in the fiery hell pit they could call home for eternity.

  “I’m going to get some shut-eye. Be back later.”

  Mitch grinned as if he knew exactly what Noah was going to do and it had nothing to do with sleep. And he was right. Noah wasn’t going to sleep, he was going to contact his LCR operatives standing by and give the good news that this nightmare was almost over.

  Then he would return to Samara and tell her goodbye.

  Cozy and pain free for the first time in days, Samara rolled over and felt a hard, warm body beside her. A hand covered her mouth before she could let loose a scream. Noah’s calm voice whispered, “Shh. You’re fine.”

  Shivering from shock and fear, Samara did what she’d wanted to do for days: she threw herself at him. Masculine arms, warm and comforting, wrapped around her. Samara closed her eyes in thankfulness. She hadn’t been sure she’d ever be able to be close to a man again. She should have known that Noah, a man who could infuriate her faster than anyone she’d ever known, would be the one man she would be able to trust. Even while angry with him for so many things, she’d always felt safe.

  “You okay?”

  She nodded against his chest. “You just startled me. Sorry.”

  His arms tightened, his voice fierce. “Don’t you dare apologize. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be in this situation.”

  “I don’t blame you, you know that. You didn’t plan for this to happen and it was my decision to get involved.” She paused for half a second. “But just how are we going to get out of it?”

  “Let me worry about that. You just go back to sleep.”

  “Don’t treat me like a child, Noah.”

  “The truck is coming tomorrow.”

  “And?”

  He held his body stiff against her and she could almost hear him arguing with himself. There was something he didn’t want to tell her. No, she refused to be in the dark again. She had a right to know what was coming. What they both faced.
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  “What, Noah? Don’t try to protect me by not telling me. I deserve to know your plan.”

  Noah blew out a sigh and began to talk. The more she listened the more terrified she was. Not for her … for him.

  “Are you serious?”

  “Trust me, babe, it doesn’t get more serious than this.”

  “But Noah, how … what …?”

  A hand smoothed her hair. “That’s why I didn’t want to tell you, Mara. You’ll just worry about it and there’s no need for you to worry. You’ll be fine.”

  Furious, she jerked away and sat up. “Hell, Noah. Do you think I’m only worried about me? Don’t you think I’m worried about you, too? Do you think I could bear it if something happened to you?”

  Noah pulled her back down into his arms again. “I’ll be fine. I promise.” He pressed a kiss on top of her head. “If you’re not going to sleep, let’s talk about something else.”

  “Like what?”

  “Are you still in love with Jordan?”

  They both jerked at the question. Samara got the idea he was as surprised as she was that he’d asked it. This was one of the few personal things Noah had ever asked.

  “I admire him tremendously and care for him, but I never loved him … at least not the way I was supposed to.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because I would never have just stood by and let him marry Eden … not without fighting for him.”

  Her head vibrated against his chest as he chuckled. “Yeah, I can see you doing that.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  She felt him stiffen briefly before he answered, “Sure.”

  “Can you tell me how LCR got started? I mean, you’re only what, early thirties, but from what I can tell, you’ve got politicians and law enforcement eating out of your hand.”

  “It’s not quite as good as that, but LCR does have some powerful allies.” He settled more comfortably in the bed. “Milo was about ten years older than me and a hundred years wiser. We started working together, training, learning what we needed to learn. I happened to be good with languages, he was good with self-defense, so we taught each other.”

  “How’d you get so good with languages?”