by Piper Trace
“Evangeline, why are you doing this to me?”
She stopped. She’d never heard him use her full name. “Charley, if I have to walk out of here, I’m leaving.”
Charley shook his head. “You know what the most ironic thing is? I always thought Ford was going to break my heart. I had no idea it’d be you.” She met his eyes, startled. He looked down at her, sadness rolling off him in waves. “I never even saw you coming, Evie. At least Ford loves me enough to give me what he can. You’re just leaving me.”
She stepped backwards as if he’d hit her, her breath catching in her lungs. “Oh Charley.” It was killing her to watch the big man’s heart break. “I’m not leaving you. I’m leaving him.”
He crumpled onto the bumper of one of Ford’s SUVs, no longer meeting her eyes. “He sent me to get you. I would’ve tried anyway, but when you left, he lost it.” Charley looked up at her, and she could see the hurt for all of them churning in his deep, brown eyes. “I’ve never seen him in that much pain, Evie. He said you wouldn’t want to even look at him, so I had to come and find you and make you come back to us.”
She felt her resolve start to crumble. “Charley, I need to show you something.” She took his hand and he allowed her to tug him to standing. She pulled him along to the front of the garage where she pointed to Ford’s shattered back window.
Immediately his posture changed to that of a warrior. “That is a bullet-hole.” He stabbed his finger toward the window and looked at her with accusation in his eyes.
“I know! I think it was John. Do you get it now? I have to leave anyway. You both are in danger as long as I’m here. There’s no reason for John to bother either of you if I’m gone.”
“Evie, why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“I was going to, but then yesterday became so…magical. We were happy. I didn’t want to ruin it. I was going to tell you today.”
He gripped her by the shoulders almost painfully. “I can’t let you leave. John could be out there waiting for you!”
She let her anger spark again, feeling even more desperate to get out of Ford’s estate and take the danger with her. “I’ll be fine if I can just find my damn car. Charley, I can take care of myself! I’ll just disappear until John self-destructs. He’s more than halfway there already.”
She’d barely gotten the last words out when they heard a loud crack from outside. They turned their heads to the sound in unison, and then back toward each other, eyes wide.
“Ford,” they both said in unison before turning and running toward the door.
*****
The only thing she remembered seeing when she emerged from the garage on Charley’s heels was the huge wall of windows at the back of the house, splintered now like the one on Ford’s car. She gasped, hand flying to her mouth, her mind blanking of anything except fear for Ford. She nearly ran into Charley who was stopped outside the side house door, his fingers to his lips.
With a gesture, he told her to be quiet and stay. She shook her head violently and he closed his eyes, flexing his jaw in frustration. He slunk into the house silently and she followed, both of them creeping until they had a view of the living room.
Evie clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp when she caught sight of Ford, tied to a chair, his mouth gagged. A trickle of blood ran down his face. Oh god. Was he alive?
She nearly sank to her knees, her muscles weakened with fear. Like a swarm of bees, panic overran her brain and she couldn’t think. She forced her thoughts to slow. Touching Charley on the shoulder, she asked him with a gesture if he had a cell phone. He shook his head and frustration smacked through her. Her phone had belonged to the firm and she hadn’t gotten a new one since she’d come to Ford’s.
She spotted a house phone on the kitchen counter. Hope and relief washed over her. Silently, she moved to pick it up and clicked open the line. Nothing.
Dammit! John had somehow disabled the line. An icy terror gripped her belly, and she turned slowly, dreading to look out the window that faced down the driveway. She saw what she feared—the open gate, the one that was never open.
Evie said a quick prayer for Boone, but she knew John wouldn’t be in the house unless he’d taken out the loyal guard. Boone wouldn’t have stopped fighting, not if he was still able. She looked back, shaking her head at Charley who crushed his lips together in anger. They listened for a minute, straining their ears but hearing no sounds.
Charley pulled her close to him, whispering in the barest voice, “I can’t hear him. Maybe he’s upstairs. When I give you the signal, we’re going in there. I’ll untie Ford’s hands. You get his feet. As soon as you have his feet free, you go back through this door to my truck. I’ll carry him there.”
She nodded. “It’s John.”
Charley looked grim. “I know. That’s what I’m worried about. He’s not right in the head, I don’t think.”
Evie blinked rapidly, trying not to panic. She didn’t do well handling fear, but she had to keep her head about her. Ford needed her—needed them both—to get out of this alive. She was not going to lose it.
Charley signaled for her to follow him and they both crept out into the living room. Charley was at the chair checking Ford’s pulse before Evie was halfway there. She saw Charley’s body nearly collapse in relief and her heart soared. Ford was still alive! They might all make it out of there. Stepping softly, she moved low and quick. Charley glanced up at her from his work on Ford’s bindings and his eyes popped wide, a look of terror in them.
“Behind you!” Charley yelled.
She had only a moment to register his words when something huge and solid hit her from behind hard enough to make her skull snap forward.
Blackness sucked her down into the deep.
CHAPTER FOUR
“EVIE…EVIE PLEASE.” Someone was kissing her face, and she felt a cold chill on her exposed skin. She tried to will her eyes open, but her lids felt as if they were made of lead. “Love, open your eyes. Please.” She felt soft lips murmuring against her skin as the kisses moved over her eyelids, her cheeks, her mouth. She tried to speak to tell the kisser she was okay, but all that came out was a groan that sounded as if it came from inside a tunnel.
“Thank god!” she heard a different voice say.
“Thank god,” the first voice murmured too. Then louder, “Evie, wake up!” The voice sounded heady with relief.
She opened her eyes, her pupils focusing on Ford’s vibrant, green eyes and long lashes. “Ford?” she mumbled. “Where am I?” She tried to sit up.
“Don’t move, love. Lie still for a minute until you feel better.” Ford was kneeling on the floor next to her, his face hovering over hers, his hand stroking her hair. Charley was on her other side, moving his eyes from her to Ford and back, as if looking for Ford to fix her.
“My head hurts.” She reached up to touch her hair, but he caught her hand in his.
“Don’t. Lay still, love.”
“So cold.” She felt chilled to the bone, her arms breaking out in gooseflesh. Ford lay down next to her pressing his warm body to hers, and wrapped an arm around her, using the other to prop his head up. He looked down at her. “Better?”
“Yes.” Her head clearing, she suddenly remembered the events that brought her there. She winced as a rush of anxiety created a fresh wave of pain through her head. She squeezed Ford’s hand, her eyes startled. “What happened? Where’s John? Are you okay?” Her chest was tight.
“We’re in the walk-in fridge—he locked us in here.” Ford kissed her cheek again, taking a deep breath in her hair. “What were you thinking, both of you?” He looked up at Charley, who touched Ford’s face, wiping away blood with his thumb. “Why did you come back for me? You should have left.”
She ignored Ford’s question. “We’ve got to get out of here before John comes back.” She squeezed her eyes shut, trying think.
“No.” Ford’s voice was grim. “The refrigerator locks from the outside. Charley alr
eady tried it. And it’s strong. Charley tried to kick it down.” Ford’s gave a lopsided grin to Charley, his dimples threatening to make an appearance. “Rest for a moment, Evie. I don’t know how badly you’re hurt. He hit you and you hit your head on the marble.”
Evie recalled the events, working her way backward through the morning. The pain Ford had caused her and Charley sliced through the last of her fog. She pushed him away from her. “I’m okay. Let me up.” Her voice was as cold as the temperature in the mansion’s industrial fridge. She sat up slowly, looking for her duffel bag. “Where’s my bag?”
“John took it,” Charley answered. “He had a gun. After he knocked you out, he took your bag and made me carry you in here. Then he went and got Ford.”
“Thank god you were with her, Charley. We can’t let him get her alone. God knows what he might do to her.”
Evie shook her head, and her voice dripped in sarcasm, “Don’t like to share your toys, Ford?” She met his eyes, hers defiant.
He looked at her for a moment, his lips pressed together in a thin line. Then he scooted back against the shelf opposite her and leaned against a box of produce, pulling his knees up. “So you were really leaving me?” he asked, his voice tight.
She braced her arm on a cold shelf and pushed unsteadily to her feet. Ford rose with her, reaching out to help her but she batted his hand away.
Charley moved to her side, supporting her, and she let him.
“Yes. I’m leaving.” She lifted her chin and tucked her hair behind an ear.
“For how long? You only had one bag.”
“Forever. I’m not taking the things you gave me.” She tried to keep her voice even like his.
“And your money?” His voice was cold.
“I don’t want it either. I’ll find another way to pay off John.”
He looked down and ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. “I paid him what you owed him already.” He met her eyes steadily, and he lifted one shoulder in a shrug.
Her mouth hung open. “What?”
“He left a message on the house phone intended for you, but I got it instead and I paid him. I wanted you out of danger.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you wouldn’t have liked it. You would have felt like you owed me money.”
Evie thought back on the day that Ford had spanked her over his desk, and how happy he’d been with her afterward. Before he left, he’d retrieved a fat manila envelope from a drawer. The envelope must have been full of money—money he’d given John to protect her.
“Did you know about this?” she asked Charley, sounding outraged. He shook his head, his eyes wide, looking at Ford with the same surprise that she felt.
She remembered Ford’s car. “The gunshot! Ford, you came home from that meeting with a bullet-hole in the back window of your car! Did John shoot at you?”
Now it was his turn to be confused. “How do you know that?”
“I saw you come home. You were really mad. What happened?” She forgot to deny her concern for him. “He tried to kill you?” The high-pitch of her voice betrayed her worry for him.
“He wanted more than the money. He wanted you. I wasn’t going to let him have you.”
“Ford!” She uncrossed her arms and reached for him, touching one muscular, tanned forearm lightly. “Why didn’t you call the police?”
“Because he threatened to keep hunting you if I did.”
She lowered her head and closed her eyes, ashamed for all the trouble she’d brought with her decision to get involved with a man like John. It fortified her resolve not to repeat her mistakes. She had to get away from this town and these men and start over.
She dropped her hand from Ford and hugged her arms around her body. If they got out of this alive, she’d find a way to get over Ford and Charley…but she was afraid she was ruined. Being submissive to Ford’s demands had fed something in her she hadn’t known she needed. She didn’t think she could be satisfied without it.
She’d have to find a way.
She looked back at Ford. “Why did you do that? Why did you pay that money for me?” Her voice was small.
“Because I want to take care of you.” Ford said angrily, running both hands through his hair again. Looking up to the ceiling, he added softly, “Like you take care of me.”
Evie felt her heart jump, but mentally shoved it back into submission. Ford didn’t love her. She would not listen to this. He was a master manipulator, just like John.
“I just wanted to keep you safe,” Ford finished.
“Why?” Anger rose in her as his words threatened to soften her to him. He’d all but called her a whore earlier. “Is it because you have insurance for all of your precious possessions except me?”
“I don’t know why!” Ford’s voice boomed, making her jump. “I don’t know.” He finished more quietly. “I pushed you away as much as I could. I used you. I demanded that you please all of my sexual whims as callously as I wanted so that you’d know me at my worst, know what I was capable of. So you wouldn’t love me, and so that I would remember your place and not…” He trailed off.
Not what?
Evie stared at the floor, refusing to look at Ford.
“I prayed you both left me.”
Charley and Evie looked at Ford in unison, Evie sure that hurt and confusion reflected in Charley’s eyes, just as in her own. “I mean when John broke in. I was on my way to the garage, following you both. I couldn’t let you leave. But then John burst through the door…” Evie glanced at Charley but Charley was frowning at Ford.
“What happened?” he asked his best friend.
“John came in the front door with a key. That’s when I knew Boone was in trouble. He shot at me but missed.”
“He hit the windows?” Charley asked.
“Yes,” Ford said, “but I could see his second shot wouldn’t miss, and I was so afraid he’d follow you two that I just put up my hands and surrendered. He tied me up and hit me with his gun to knock me out.” Ford crossed his arms and shook his head, then he looked at them both with eyes as honest as Evie had ever seen them. “I prayed you’d both left and you’d never come back. I didn’t want John to hurt you, and I couldn’t keep hurting you, no matter how much I want to keep you both.” Ford took a deep, shaky breath. “I don’t deserve either of you.”
Charley was silent next to her, and she wasn’t sure any of Ford’s words even mattered if he wasn’t capable of seeing a new future with them.
“Why did you try and save me?” His question was directed at both of them and his voice held true curiosity. “Why didn’t you run?”
Charley and Evie looked at each other, knowing what the other felt. Finally Charley answered for both of them. “There was never a question. We weren’t leaving without you. We love you.” Suddenly Charley stepped close to Ford. “You told us you loved us. Do you? We might not make it out of this. I have to know if we could’ve tried to make it work. The three of us.” Charley’s voice held desperation. “Do you love us, Ford?”
Ford looked from Charley to Evie, and his eyes held something new…surrender. He reached for them. Suddenly the refrigerator door banged open, and Ford and Charley stepped in front of Evie protectively.
CHAPTER FIVE
JOHN STOOD AT the door, training his gun on them. He smirked, “Isn’t this cozy. Look at the heroes. Don’t you know you’re supposed to protect worthy damsels? Evie’s just a slut.” He craned his neck upward in an exaggerated effort to see Evie.
“Evangeline,” he drawled her name out, relishing in the power he had over her at that moment. “So you’ve been here all this time, sucking Ford Hawthorne’s dick? His too probably. Am I right?” he asked, gesturing at Charley. She couldn’t help it when she felt her face grow red. “Holy shit. Him too? Evie, my god. I thought I was a better judge of character than that, but I underestimated you. You’re twice the whore I thought you were.”
Charley lunged at
John, but John jumped back, cocking his gun. “Now, now, gentlemen.” When he felt in control again he turned his small eyes back to Evie, smiling at her pleasantly. “I can’t say I’m surprised. You always did suck dick like a pro.”
“Fuck you, John!” she screamed at him, and Ford put a restraining hand on Charley’s arm, the man barely staying under control.
John laughed, and then his voice turned serious. Apparently he was done tormenting Evie. “We’re moving to the library. I’ve been through rich boy’s desk, but I can’t find what I need, so we’re all going in there so you can help me. Move along now.” He gestured with his gun for them to exit the freezer.
Evie looked around frantically for something to help them, and her eyes fell on the cheese platter. Five cheeses and one sharp, well-balanced, all-steel knife. Ford complained every time she’d put the platter back into the fridge with the knife still on the tray. Relief for her irresponsibility washed through her.
As the men slowly moved forward in single file out of the fridge, hatred in their stiff postures, Evie grabbed the knife, tucking it quickly into the waistband at the small of her back, hiding it with her shirt.
When Ford and Charley were in the kitchen, John kept his gun on them until he grabbed Evie by the arm, putting the pistol to her head. Charley and Ford both stiffened, looking like panthers coiled to spring on their prey.
“Turn around, boys,” John growled. “Move nicely into the library and your hooker won’t get hurt.
Evie jerked her arm out of John’s grip. “The gun can touch me, but I don’t want you to.” She marched into the library behind the two men. John made Ford and Charley sit on the two chairs facing the desk and pushed Evie around to the other side.
“Here’s the situation,” John announced. “You’re going to transfer twenty million dollars into my bank account.” He gestured at Ford. “And then I’m going to take Evie and leave.”
“No!” Ford lunged out of his chair, but John aimed the firearm at Evie’s head again. “Do you think I have anything to lose?” he asked. Ford stopped, fists clenched again at his side, a murderous look on his face.