Driven By Love

by D. Anne Paris

  They both collapsed on each other, bodies entwined in the enclosed space. He looked up and noticed they weren’t moving. Reality hit him like icy cold water on a hot summer day.

  “Anne, the cars…”

  “Are gone,” she said with a smile.

  Dean wrapped his arms around her and sat up to look in the rearview mirror. There was no one behind them. In fact, they weren’t on a road at all--they were parked in the middle of a forest and he had no idea how they got there.

  “Are you sure?” he whispered as he looked into those warm captivating eyes.

  “Yes. There’s no one around for miles. Hawk knows all the secret hiding spots.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “Now then… Is that all you got, soldier?”

  Dean’s cock stirred to life again an evil grin formed on his face. “That’s just the beginning…” He took hold of her gently brought her back down to the seat and kissed her again.

  *

  Anger was not the word he would use to describe his mood. They were so close to her and yet they failed. Now he had lost her. He caressed the picture on his smartphone. So pretty and so powerful! Damn that car of hers! There was no possible way something that ancient could have outrun them. He was determined to have her.

  He opened an app on his phone and started to strategize a new plan.

  Chapter 14

  As she pushed up her sunglasses, Anne sighed heavily as she slowly walked over to the coffee cart in the street where they were going to be filming that day. She felt Dean’s presence right behind her as she smiled at the man and asked for a double shot espresso with extra cream.

  Hopefully, the coffee would clear the wooziness she still felt from the night before.

  They miraculously made it back to Dean’s boat without anyone following them and continued their passionate affair below deck. Shortly after they made love, her mother called them to let them know that Missy woke up and was actually talking to all of them. Her heart leaped when she heard her sister’s voice over the phone as Dean wrapped his shirt around her shoulders then wrapped an arm protectively around her waist.

  “You had us all worried!” Anne practically screeched over the phone.

  “I know. I’m just glad I’m alive,” she murmured through her drug-induced state.

  “We all love you, Missy. Don’t forget that.”

  “I won’t.” With that, she hung up and Anne put her phone back on the night stand and began kissing Dean again, which soon ignited their passion once more.

  He was so gentle and tender to her, making sure that she was fully satisfied every time. It surprised her, especially with his strict demeanor.

  The blast of a boat horn broke through her memory and she beamed at Dean as he ordered a straight black coffee. It felt like they were high schoolers and they both had a dirty little secret that no one knew about. For now they had to keep last night’s encounter a secret. The saboteur was still on the loose and it was best if he thought that Dean was just her bodyguard.

  “So what’s your schedule like today?” he asked her as they took their drinks.

  The coffee's scent invigorated her as she held the hot liquid in her hands. “I have to shoot the chase scene through downtown today.”

  “And that’s going to take the whole day?”

  She took another sip of her coffee as she began to walk towards her trailer. “Yup, we have to shoot it a couple times and then they choose the best shot.”

  “Seems like a waste of time to me.”

  “You didn’t seem to complain last night when I wanted an encore.” She flashed him a seductive smile.

  They stopped at her trailer and Anne smiled to the security guard.

  “Good morning, Ms. Stevens.”

  “Good morning, Alex,” she chirped as she walked up the stairs to her trailer.

  Dean began to follow, but the ring of his cell phone stopped him. Based on the ring tone, he knew that it was Keith calling back.

  “I’ll be up in a minute,” he told Anne as she opened the door and walked into her trailer.

  Dean walked a few feet from Alex and answered. “Hey, Keith, what did you find?”

  “Guy’s name is Emelio Vezquez. Got a pretty long rap sheet ranging from burglary to drug dealing. Looks like he’s a con for hire and will do anything if the price is right.”

  “Why the hell would he want to cut the brake lines on Evan’s car?” Dean’s frustration could be heard in his voice as he paced outside the trailer.

  “Did he piss anyone off?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “Did his girlfriend piss anyone off? She was in the car with him he might not have been the target.”

  “How did you know…”

  “All over the news, man. They even know that Jeri has been visiting. They showed her leaving the hospital last night. Do you have a security detail at her house?”

  Keith’s concern over Jeri was truly genuine, and after all this chaos was over he would sit Keith down, give him a beer and find out what the heck was going on between him and his sister.

  “I’ll make sure that she’s protected.”

  Hawk began to sound his horn and his lights flipped up and down repeatedly. Dean looked over at him. As far as he knew, the car didn’t have a security system, so there was no reason for the commotion. His engine started up and roared as his windshield wipers swished up and down.

  Dean’s gut told him something was wrong. “Keith, I gotta go.” He hung up his phone and pointed to the trailer. Hawk’s engine roared again.

  He sprinted towards the trailer and jumped the stairs two at a time. He yanked the door handle only to discover that it was locked.

  He stopped and concentrated to unbolt the lock and open the door.

  A burly man hovered over Anne, who was gagged and bound on the floor. A distinct red bump formed on the front of her head and her expression was dazed.

  The man grabbed his gun and brought it up only to have it knocked out of his hands. The thug swung his fist towards him, but Dean moved to the right to avoid the blow and managed to block the other fist that flew in his direction. He swung his hand and smacked the guy in the upper lip, bursting it open. The man moved as Dean swung his other fist toward him and he took the opportunity to grab his arm. The red eyes on the dragon tattoo snapped Dean into the realization that this was Emelio Vezquez. He used the momentary distraction to throw Dean against the coffee table in the room and he slid off of it right onto Anne.

  Emelio ran out the door and right past Alex who just stood there and looked perplexed.

  Dean got up and lifted himself off of Anne. The tears in her eyes just made him ache as he removed her gag.

  “Are you okay?” he asked her as she stared at him half-dazed.

  “Go catch him,” her tear-strained eyes pleaded as her head continued to ache.

  He kissed her gently. “I’ll get him, I swear.”

  He ran out of the trailer and nearly knocked over Alex. “Anne is hurt. Get an ambulance here and get her to the hospital.”

  He scanned the area but didn’t see which way Emelio went. He heard Hawk’s engine wind up again and he realized that he would have to take him in order to find the bastard.

  He yanked the door, sat down and began to drive before Dean even had a chance to put on his seat belt.

  “I take it you know which direction the guy drove off to?”

  The wipers came up and down.

  “Good. Let’s find the bastard.”

  Hawk jumped down the road and took a left, which lead to the main road. Dean glanced at the speedometer and could see that the car was pissed. 60…70… He passed by a mini-van, sedan, tanker, all while not slowing down his speed. Finally there was a gray extended cab pickup in sight ahead of them, and Hawk accelerated.

  “That him?”

  The wipers swooshed.

  “Let’s get him.”

  The truck seemed to know they were being followed and he made a sudden stop. Hawk swe
rved to the right and missed the ditch by a half a foot. The truck sped up again and Hawk got his tires back on the road to continue their pursuit.

  The truck made a right turn onto a small side road marked with a sign that read, “Public Camping Area.”

  “Oh, shit.”

  There would be a ton of campers around with summer in full swing. People would be everywhere and a huge truck like that could easily kill anyone who was in its way. Dean knew he had to warn everyone.

  He laid into the horn and followed the truck who headed right down the road towards the campsite area. Hawk's tires crunched against the gravel as he inched towards the truck.

  The door to the truck opened and the man jumped out, tumbled and ran off towards the main road. Dean was about to slam on the brakes, but not before he noticed that the truck was still racing down the road.

  “He must have jammed the gas!” He swerved around the truck’s right side and noticed that there was a patch of pine trees on the left right before the entrance to the campsite.

  “I’m sorry, Hawk.” He hit the gas again and got alongside the truck, then jerked the wheel to the left, hitting the truck. The hit moved the truck to the left slightly and Dean gripped the wheel tighter as he turned the wheel to the right for a moment, and then slammed Hawk against the truck two more times before he was convinced that the truck would hit the trees. He slammed the brakes and swerved Hawk to the right, missing the entrance sign by a hair.

  The crash of the truck’s impact caused everyone to run out and look to see what happened. Steam began to escape from the radiator as coolant drained from the engine and pooled around the bottom.

  With the truck incapacitated, Dean turned Hawk back toward the road and gunned it. The bastard wouldn’t be too far, running on foot. The downside was the area was densely populated by woods, any of which would provide ideal cover for someone trying to hide.

  As he headed down the road, he saw a woman waving her arms to make him stop.

  He slowed down and rolled down the window.

  “I’ve been carjacked!” she shrieked as she frantically tried to place the loose blond strands of her hair back into the pony tail.

  Alarms went off in Dean’s head as a pit began to form in his stomach. “Which way did he go?”

  “He went down the main highway heading north.”

  “What kind of car?”

  “Blue ‘05 four door car. I don’t remember my plate numbers.” Her face turned red as tears began to form in her eyes.

  “Call the police. They should have a phone at the camp office. I’ll go search for your car.”

  She nodded and looked around the area for the office.

  Dean gunned Hawk again and they headed north down the highway. He grabbed his phone and found Stan’s number to give him an update on what was going on. He was going to find the bastard, even if it took him all night.

  Chapter 15

  Dean’s jaw ached as he ground his teeth in frustration. After driving around with Hawk for almost twelve hours he knew that he lost him. He turned down a corridor in the hospital looked for room 12, the room where Anne was kept during her treatment.

  A few feet down, he saw a door open, and a man and woman flanked Helen as she exited the room.

  “Helen!” he yelled as his feet clanked against the tile.

  She turned and smiled when she saw him. Her face showed signs of exhaustion and held out some hope.

  “Dean!”

  The man and woman walked right in front of Dean before he could reach her.

  “He’s a family friend, for pete’s sake!” she muttered as she tried to pry between them.

  He grabbed the studio issued ID and showed it to both of them and they moved aside to let Helen through.

  “Go and wait for me over there,” Helen spat at them as the frustration became laced in her voice.

  “Mrs. Stevens, we can’t…”

  “Don’t make me angry, James, just go!”

  The fire in her eyes made him and his partner back away a few feet which gave Helen some room. “You see that? I can’t go anywhere now without these two following me. Same thing with everyone else in the family. We can’t go anywhere without a bodyguard. I don’t understand why Anne hired them! This is insane!”

  “She just wants you to be safe.”

  “This doesn’t make me safe--it makes me crazy. Tell me that you caught the guy.”

  A pit formed in Dean’s stomach. “He got away.”

  Helen’s face grew pale. “He’s still out there somewhere?”

  Dean nodded, “He nearly killed a bunch of people at a campground, then he carjacked another car and drove away.”

  “Oh, no…”

  Dean took hold of her arm and reassured her. “We’ll find him, Helen. Stan has a good description of him and the car. All the police are out there looking for him right now.” He decided to change the subject. “How is Anne doing?”

  Helen sighed and looked back at the hospital room. “She’s fine, no concussion, just some minor bumps and bruises.” As she turned back towards him, he noticed tears form in her eyes. “Mentally, I think this has shattered her completely. Whoever it was that tried to abduct her may not have taken her physically, but he has taken away her spirit.” She wiped away a tear with the back of her hand and continued, “First Missy, now Anne. It’s like someone is targeting our family. Ken was right Anne should have never gone to Hollywood.”

  A spark of sympathy for Anne came across his heart. “Helen, why don’t you go back and check on Missy. I’ll bring Anne over once she’s ready.”

  “All right.” Her voice was merely a whisper as she walked over to James who led her down the hall to take her back to Missy’s room. Dean looked at the female bodyguard who was assigned to Anne in his absence.

  “You can go with him, too. I’ll take care of Anne.”

  “I doubt that. You’re the reason why she’s here.”

  A flash of anger filled him as he stomped over to her. “You don’t know anything about what happened. Now get the hell out of my way.”

  “Someone’s got it bad for Ms. Hollywood,” she smirked back at him. “Let me give you a little tip, Mr. Bodyguard, don’t get involved with these big stars. All you will get is a ton of heartbreak.”

  With that, she turned on her heel and went off after James and Helen.

  Dean brushed off the conversation and knocked on the door to Anne’s room. He heard a muffled, “Come in.”

  Inside, the curtain was closed and beneath it, he saw Anne’s feet wearing only socks.

  “Sorry, I didn’t know you were getting dressed.”

  “No, it’s okay.” Anne told him as she shimmied into her jeans. “Mom just left to go back to check on Missy. Did you catch the guy?”

  Frustration laced his voice. “He drove his truck into a campground that was filled with people. Hawk and I had to ram it into a bunch of trees.”

  The curtain flew open and Anne stood before him in only her jeans and bra. “Oh my God! Is everyone alright?”

  Dean’s mouth went dry at the sight of her. Their one night inflamed such a passion for her that he just craved constantly.

  He cleared his throat. “Everyone’s fine. Hawk and I managed to drive it into a bunch of trees.” His gaze went to the bruise on her forehead. Gently, he moved a lock of hair away from it. “That bastard hurt you.”

  She smiled that smile that made so many men long for her. “I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt.” She pressed her body against his and took his lips softly in hers.

  Dean wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss as he inhaled the sweet smell of her. Her body was crushed against him and he became acutely aware that she was half-clothed. His hands touched the soft supple skin of her back, then lower still until they rubbed her jean-clad rear. He was thoroughly convinced that this is what heaven was like— just drifting in the slow throb of passion.

  The chirp of a cell phone broke through their cherished moment.
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  Anne looked at the bedside stand. “Crap, it’s my agent.” She pulled a shirt on that was on the bed, much to Dean’s dismay.

  “Hi, Jacob.”

  Jacob was so loud that he could hear the whole conversation as Anne sat down on the hospital bed and rolled her eyes.

  “Jacob, I’ll be fine.”

  “Fine!? Fine!?” Jacob’s voice screamed over the phone Anne moved the phone away from her ear. “You were almost abducted, Anne! I’m going to demand a full investigation as to what happened! You could have been killed! And where was your bodyguard!?”

  Anne looked at Dean and saw the guilt and anger in his eyes. “I asked him to give me a moment of privacy so I could change.”

  “You did what?” he screamed. “From now on, he follows you everywhere, even to the can. I want you safe!”

  “I know. I’ll be careful.” Her defeated voice tore through Dean’s heart. She tried to bring the phone to her ear again but couldn’t.

  “I’m getting some extra security for your house and the movie set! Until that lunatic is caught I want extra security around you at all times!”

  Dean was glad this guy was in show business because someone as loud as him would have never been included on any secret ops team. With his bellowing voice, he would have given out their position to the enemy ten times over.

  “Fine. I have to go. I want to visit my sister before I head home.”

  “I heard she’s awake.”

  Dean sighed. The whole world knew that Missy was awake. Well-wishers created a shrine to her in front of the hospital. Her website had more hits than the White House and Vatican combined and donations to her favorite animal welfare charity almost quadrupled overnight.

  “Yeah, she is.”

  His voice finally toned down enough for her to bring the phone to her ear.

  “Thanks Jacob.”

  With that she hung up the phone and grabbed the plastic bag with the prescribed pain medications.

  “He’s right. I should have been there.”

  Anne grabbed Dean and gave him a long deep kiss to knock him off his feet. When she released him she looked into his eyes. “There was no way that you could have known that someone was waiting for me in my trailer. It’s been guarded day and night.”