Torrid Love - Caught!

by Lorie O'Clare

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Not often had anyone been able to infuriate Jordan to the point where he wondered if he thought clearly. He credited himself as a levelheaded man, even in situations where someone tried to get the upper hand with him. And seldom had anyone succeeded. Nor would they tonight, and he glared at the large trailer, concealed in the meadow.

  His phone rang, and Jordan pounced on it. “Yeah,” he said, without preamble.

  “Mr. Hall, this is Officer Houser.” There was static on the line, and Jordan pressed the phone to his ear as he glanced out his car windows and surveyed the dark meadow spreading across both sides of the narrow county road.

  “Where the hell are you?” Jordan wanted the police here now, so they could get Roxanne out of that house. “I called you all a good fifteen minutes ago, and I’m about to go in after her alone if you don’t get here quick.”

  “We’re on our way.” The officer verified directions, and Jordan repeated what he had told the dispatcher. “I’d say we are just about to you,” the officer added.

  Jordan looked in his rearview mirror, and noticed headlights turning off the county road.

  “If that is you, I’d cut the lights so we don’t alarm anyone inside.” Jordan hoped it was the police since he wasn’t armed, and didn’t want to explain to anyone why he sat out there alone in his Porsche.

  The lights in the car behind him went off, and Jordan exhaled, which made him realize how tense he was. He didn’t like not being able to handle a situation, and had considered more than once trying to play superhero and go in and rescue Roxanne on his own. The simple truth was he doubted he would be able to do it. And that pissed him off. They could be torturing her inside that house, and he sat out there feeling helpless.

  The patrol car pulled up behind Jordan’s Porsche, and an officer got out on either side of the vehicle. Jordan opened his own car door and turned to face Officer Houser, who had been to his office just that morning.

  “Her phone is still on. Have you heard everything?”

  “They’re monitoring it at headquarters. And we have backup on its way.” The officer studied the house, while the other officer, the woman who had been with Officer Houser, stood behind the two men, talking quietly into her radio.

  “We don’t have time to wait. We need to get her out of there now.” He would go in there himself, if these cops didn’t act pretty damn quickly.

  “They’re here.” She pointed up the road. “Got two officers in a car at the county turnoff, and three walking across the meadow now.”

  Jordan was impressed at the amount of backup they had. He nodded his approval. “I want to get her out of there as quickly as we can. Are you ready?”

  Officer Houser held a hand out, as if to block Jordan’s path. Jordan stiffened at the gesture.

  “Hold on, Mr. Hall. Let’s let our men who are trained in this area do their job.”

  “I’m not standing here while she is in there having God knows what done to her.” He turned and began walking toward the driveway of the house, and Officer Houser was next to him in an instant.

  Officer Houser walked quickly and grabbed Jordan’s arm. “I can’t let you interfere right now, Mr. Hall. We don’t know what risks are involved.”

  “Miss Isley is at risk,” Jordan hissed at the man. “You better tell your men to act quickly before I go in there and do something that may cause you to arrest me.”

  Jordan yanked his hand free from the officer, and once again turned toward the house. He had almost reached where Roxanne’s car had stopped earlier. Officer Houser grabbed Jordan again, and Jordan exerted serious effort not to turn and belt the man. The officer must have seen the anger peaking within him because he let go of him when Jordan turned to face him.

  “Our men are entering the house now. But we need to get out of sight, and let them do their job.”

  Roxanne stood along the wall, watching the two men and woman who sat at computers and worked while the Robin Hood man stood over them talking to them in a tone she couldn’t hear. It took everything she had to stand there in complete humiliation, with her dress pulled down to her waist, and her breasts exposed. The man had removed her bra before they descended the stairs, and then had guided her to the place where she stood now.

  “For now you will stand here, watch and learn,” he had told her, as he stood close to her and fondled her breasts. “I will not allow anyone to touch you, so you don’t have to worry about that. But your appearance pleases me, and I will enjoy looking over here from time to time and seeing you on display for me.”

  Roxanne had wanted to spit in his face, but she kept her expression blank. He stood very close, with his face inches from hers, and his hot breath made her skin crawl.

  “I want you to know,” he added, and she watched as his eyes stared at her unblinking, a mixture of green and blue that appeared very clear and determined, “if you do anything that doesn’t please me, then I might decide to let the others touch you too.”

  Roxanne felt her body quiver, and she fought not to shake uncontrollably in front of the monster who now offered her a small smile. “You will be a good girl though. I believe you only want me to touch you.”

  She didn’t move a muscle when he leaned forward and smothered her neck with his hot breath as he kissed her collarbone.

  When he backed away from her, she could see the three people at the computer had turned and watched the show. The man clapped his hands and told them to get back to work, as he adjusted his pants and moved to stand behind them. They did as he said, but each of them glanced over their shoulder at her from time to time.

  Tears fell down Roxanne’s cheeks as she glanced around the finished basement. From what she could hear of the conversation, this man, who the others referred to as Robin, was stealing from accounts all over the world. His setup looked so simple, she realized, as she took in the modestly furnished basement. But then again, all he needed were the computers and the knowledge to move around on them and hack into people’s accounts.

  She noticed sliding glass doors on the other side of the basement stairs, and realized the doublewide not only stood on a foundation with this basement, but also must have been built on a hill. Someone had gone to some effort to make the place appear a lot simpler from the road than it actually was.

  She stared at the glass doors, and at the blackness beyond them. No outside light shone, and she had no idea what was out there. But at the moment, those doors, or the stairs, were her only means of escape. And neither looked too promising.

  She jerked her head toward Robin when he walked back toward her.

  “You appear to be daydreaming, my dear,” he said in a calm voice that chilled her. “How will you learn if you don’t pay attention?”

  He raised his hand as if he would strike her, and Roxanne took a step backward in spite of his previous instruction not to move.

  “No, don’t,” she whimpered, and turned her head from him, squeezing her eyes closed as she waited for the strike. She felt her muscles shake, and although she tried to stop them, she feared her legs would give out, and prepared to fall.

  What sounded like an explosion blasted through the air, and Roxanne screamed, not sure at first what had happened. She covered her head with her arms, and collapsed to the floor, squatting as she began to cry harder. Her knees burned as they scraped the carpet, and her hands and elbows followed, as her dress twisted around her waist. It dawned on her that others were screaming too, and she looked around her through her tears. Robin had turned from her, and she scooted on all fours away from him.

  More people had entered the room, and appeared to be wrestling with the men and woman who had been at the computers. That was when she noticed the KCPD letters on one of the men’s jacket, and she cried fresh tears of joy. She slipped her arms through the sleeve holes of her dress, and tried to slide it up her body. The material twisted around her, and she looked down, trying to cover herself, and stay clear of the growing commotion
in the room.

  She had to get out of there, and she wasn’t going to run before she had her clothes back on. She heaved a staggered breath as her dress finally straightened, and then fought to stand on trembling legs.

  The officers all had guns poised on the small group who had been in the basement, and everyone seemed to be talking at once. More people entered, and she realized then that someone had broken through the glass doors, and fragments of glass lay scattered across the floor. An officer approached her, and spoke to her, but Roxanne could hardly make out what he said. He had a jacket extended and wrapped it over her shoulders, then began guiding her through the confusion toward the darkness that lay past the basement doors where the police had entered.

  The night air hit her like a damp washcloth against her tear-soaked cheeks. The officer held onto her as she struggled to walk over the rough terrain behind the house and around the side of it, where lights seemed to shine from everywhere. She realized that several cars had their headlights beamed at different angles, and a tall, dark figure walked with long strides toward them, silhouetted by the lights. She pulled from the officer when she realized the figure was Jordan.

  “Dear God, my love! Oh, thank God you’re okay!” he exclaimed, and opened his arms so that she could fall into him.

  “Jordan, I’m so glad you’re here,” she cried, and let him hold her, never wanting him to let her go. “I was so scared.”

  “I know you were, sweetheart. We got you out of there as soon as we could.”

  She didn’t pay much attention to the commotion after that. Jordan led her to his car, and held her hand as they drove to the station.

  “Did that bastard hurt you?” he asked when they got out of the car, and he ran his hands over her, as if confirming for himself that she was okay.

  “No. He threatened to, but I’m not hurt.” She smiled up at him, and then collapsed into his chest, still feeling shaky, and wanting nothing more than to be wrapped in his protective embrace.

  Jordan held her for a moment, resting his chin on top of her head, and she pressed her cheek against his chest, feeling his heartbeat and the warmth of his body permeate through her. Jordan’s hand brushed up and down her back in a gentle stroke while his other arm gripped her shoulders, holding her next to him. She let out an audible sigh, and felt her muscles relax further under his touch.

  “I realized something while waiting to get you out of that house,” Jordan said.

  “What’s that?” Roxanne asked, not moving from her very comfortable spot.

  Jordan didn’t answer right away, and Roxanne finally let curiosity get the better of her, and leaned her head back to look up at his face. “What did you realize?” she asked again.

  Jordan put a few inches between them, which was too much space for Roxanne. He cupped her face with his hands, and she met his gaze.

  “You used our love as a sign to me that you were in trouble.” He stroked her cheek, loving the way she nibbled at her lower lip when he reminded her of the words she’d chosen to use to alert him that something was wrong. “And it’s something I should have told you sooner. But I’ve never said this much in my life so it’s going to take some getting used to. Roxanne, I love you.”

  Jordan’s words hit her so hard, her heart exploded into a rapid pitter-patter while energy surged through her, and the desire to jump into his lap, wrap her arms around him, and hold on to him forever, enveloped her.

  “I love you, too,” Roxanne whispered, unable to stop the grin that spread across her face.

  Jordan lowered his head to kiss her, and she went up on tiptoes to meet him halfway, her mouth as eager as his. In spite of the exhaustion she had felt moments before, and the aching muscles worn out from being clenched in fear, Roxanne grabbed his shoulders and pressed him to her.

  She collapsed against him, feeling his strength, his heat, the comforting power that flooded through her.

  She was thoroughly out of breath when their kiss finally ended, and their faces parted enough so they could stare into each other’s eyes, and she could see a calm settle over his face that she hadn’t seen before. He smiled down at her with the peace of a child coming home, she thought, and knew no one had ever graced her with such love before.

  “Could I ask one favor?” she said, and he nodded before he said anything.

  “You may have anything you want,” he told her.

  Roxanne ran her hands down those powerful arms. “Could we not do it in parking lots anymore?”

  Jordan glanced around them and his smile faded. “Oh baby, I’m sorry.” And his expression grew so serious that she suppressed a giggle. “No more parking lots,” he assured her, and then held her close as they turned and walked toward the large judicial center.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Roxanne opened her eyes when she heard the door open.

  “If you don’t get out of there soon, you’ll still be covered in bubbles when your friends arrive.” Jordan stood in the doorway of his bathroom, and Roxanne smiled lazily at him.

  “I don’t think they’d mind,” she teased him, and then giggled when Jordan straightened, and gave her a stern look.

  His expression softened immediately, and a wicked glint appeared in his eyes as he approached the tub. Roxanne shifted in the warm water, and ran her hands over the surface to bring the mounds of bubbles around her.

  “Maybe I should present you that way then,” he growled in a tone she recognized as one meant to torment her.

  Jordan reached into the water and lifted her up from underneath her arms as water and bubbles slid down her body. She reached for him, laughing and trying to get him wet, but he held her at arm’s length and surveyed her nakedness with blackened orbs that seared her skin with need as they gazed over her.

  The week after Joanie and David’s wedding, Jordan and Roxanne had taken some time off and gone to stay in his cabin buried in the Rockies. It was time both of them needed, after having worked many long hours at the office, and then dealing with the ordeal of so many accounts coming up short.

  The doorbell chimed downstairs, and Roxanne wiggled in Jordan’s grasp.

  “Are you two decent?” Millie hollered up the stairs.

  Jordan placed Roxanne on the floor next to the tub, and looked toward the open bathroom door. “Well, one of our guests has arrived,” he said, and then turned back and reached for her nipple.

  She slapped his hand away laughing. “Better go be a gracious host,” she said, between giggles when Jordan grabbed her and yanked her toward him. She had learned that he didn’t like to be denied access to touching her whenever he pleased, and enjoyed his aggression whenever she decided to push his hands away from her.

  Jordan pulled her in for a quick kiss, and then spanked her bare rear end, which made a loud slapping sound against her wet skin. Roxanne felt the heat instantly on her rear, and a swelling ache develop at the same time that she knew she wouldn’t get satisfied for at least the next few hours.

  By the time Roxanne had dressed, she could hear laughing and chattering on the deck out back. She hurried down the stairs and ran a hand through her still damp hair as she hurried out to the large deck that had been well-lit for the planned gathering that evening. Jordan had waited for the office environment to return to its normal busy atmosphere before deciding to have a gathering for all of his employees, and a few of their friends, over at his house. Roxanne had loved the idea, since she hadn’t had time to see Joanie since her return from the honeymoon, and Roxanne wanted her friends to meet Jordan in a more relaxed atmosphere than their first brief meeting. She had hardly had time to even talk to Joanie on the phone, and laughed out loud when her friend spotted her the second Roxanne walked out on the deck.

  “There you are,” Joanie said, handing David her drink, and then hurrying over to wrap her arms around Roxanne.

  The two of them laughed and talked at the same time, immediately trying to share everything that had happened to them since they had last seen each othe
r. Roxanne heard Jordan’s baritone chuckle, and turned in that direction.

  “Would you look at those two,” Roxanne said to Joanie, as the two of them turned their attention to Jordan and David, who leaned against the railing on the other side of the deck. “I take it Jordan took care of seeing that reintroductions were made. Those two are talking like old friends.”

  “Yes, he’s made us feel right at home.” Joanie nudged Roxanne with her elbow, and Roxanne turned to see her friend’s mischievous smile. “And I am looking at those two. They are definitely the finest-looking men I’ve ever seen.”

  “I’d have to say you’re right,” Roxanne said, and then turned her attention to the men who now were both looking their way. Roxanne put her hand on Joanie’s shoulder, and whispered, “They’re watching us.”

  “Yeah, and they’re trying to figure out what we’re saying about them,” Joanie whispered back, and the two of them broke into giggles.

  “Of course they’re assuming we’re talking about them,” Roxanne laughed, and turned to see that both men now had inquisitive expressions on their face.

  “We are talking about them.” Joanie looked so beautiful with her streaming long blonde hair, and her laugh was contagious.

  Roxanne noticed several men from the office turned their attention to her, and Roxanne wrapped her arm around Joanie’s and headed toward Jordan and David.

  Every employee from the office managed to show up for the gathering, even Dorothy, who had seemed so subdued after finding out her niece had become involved with the Robin Hood thief. She had insisted that she should resign when she learned that her niece had used cleaning the office as a prime opportunity to access Hall Enterprises files after Robin had taught her what to do. Roxanne wouldn’t hear of it, and insisted that Dorothy stay on at the office, reassuring the older lady that no one had ever suspected her of having any involvement with the deeds of her niece. Roxanne watched as Dorothy stood over chatting with Millie, and helping her as the housekeeper prepared two rows of picnic tables in the yard where they would all soon enjoy the barbeque, which could be smelled cooking on several grills.