by Lacey Thorn
Phillip glanced around, as well. “No, they have to be inside. Chase would have texted or called if they’d gone somewhere else. I told her I’d meet her at Jocelyn’s, and they were just pulling up when we disconnected.”
“Maybe, something came up, and she didn’t have time to get in touch?” Seth suggested.
Phillip shook his head. “No, she would have taken the time to let me know. Especially after what happened.”
Seth seemed to come to attention before Phillip’s eyes, and Phillip finally saw the soldier Seth had once been. “Then where’s the car?” Seth demanded.
Just then a scream split the air.
“Fuck!” Seth yelled. He raced beside Phillip to the door. “That’s Lauren.”
Phillip had his gun drawn when they reached the house. He was glad he’d donned his shoulder holster out of habit before leaving for the station earlier. He was motioning for Seth to wait when they heard Lauren again.
“Chase!” she screamed, and everything inside Phillip went cold. He temporarily froze, and Seth reached the door first and tried the knob.
“Locked,” he grunted and threw his shoulder against it.
“I’ll go around to the back,” Phillip yelled. “I’m calling for backup, now!”
He had his phone to his ear as he ran. He cut off the voice that answered, immediately identifying himself and requesting backup as he explained the situation as best he could.
Another scream rent the air, sending a surge of adrenaline through Phillip. He found the back door and tried it. It was locked, as well. He pointed his gun and fired two shots then threw his shoulder into the door, ramming it open. He headed inside cautiously, darting and weaving as he made his way toward where he heard commotion.
There was a crash from the front, and he knew Seth had finally busted his way in. They both hit the main room at the same time. There were only three people in it—Chase, Lauren and Nicole. Nicole was bent over Lauren, and Seth was headed toward them. Phillip rushed over and dropped to his knees beside Chase.
“Chase.” He ran his hands over her then patted her cheeks. “Chase. Open your eyes, baby.”
She didn’t move. It was like seeing her in the hospital all over again.
“Phillip,” Lauren croaked, pulling his attention to her.
He turned to see Seth with his hands wrapped around Nicole’s throat, squeezing the life out of her. He crawled over and shoved him.
“Seth, let go!” he yelled at the other man. “Seth!”
“I’m going to kill her,” Seth stated calmly. “I’m going to choke the life out of her just like she did Jocelyn.”
Phillip’s eyes darted to Lauren, who nodded her head, tears streaming down her face.
“Choked…Chase…” Lauren managed before going off in a coughing fit.
“Seth!” Phillip hit the other man hard enough to loosen his grip and gain his full attention. “If you kill her, it’s murder.”
“I don’t care.”
“I do, and Jocelyn would. So, back the fuck off.”
He shoved Seth again, and this time, Seth finally released Nicole who lay gasping, her hands holding her throat while she coughed and sucked in air.
“Turn her over and cuff her.” Phillip handed Seth his cuffs and moved back to Chase. He felt for a pulse and found it, weak and thready.
“What happened here?” He turned his head to look at Lauren.
“I don’t… remember,” Lauren said. “We pulled up, and I saw Nicole come to the door. She told me to park in the garage since it would make it easier to carry boxes out to my car. I pulled in and parked. I got out and we were chatting when I noticed Chase still in the car. She looked like she was having a panic attack. I opened the door, and it was like she couldn’t breathe. I was talking to her, trying to find out what was wrong when…”
“When what?” Phillip asked.
“When I was hit from behind.” Lauren glanced over at Seth and Nicole. “Everything went black. Next thing I know, I’m waking, tied up and hearing Nicole and Chase yelling at each other. Nicole started choking Chase. She said… She said she’d show her how Jocelyn died.”
“You fucking bitch,” Seth rumbled and punched Nicole hard enough her head snapped back.
“Don’t fucking kill her,” Phillip ordered. “I want her to suffer, and she won’t do that dead.”
Seth grunted and moved over to Lauren.
“Let me untie you,” he said.
Phillip turned back to Chase and loosened her bonds, as well. Once again, it looked as if he’d be waiting for Chase to wake up. Jesus! He hoped she remembered this time. At least, it sounded as if Lauren had heard enough to make sure Nicole went to jail and stayed there.
“Is she breathing?” he asked Seth, motioning toward Nicole.
“She’s alive,” Seth grunted. “More than she fucking deserves.”
“Lauren?” he questioned, glancing toward her as he stroked his fingers up and down Chase’s arm.
“I’m okay,” she replied. “Just…a little shaken up. You two arrived before she did much damage.”
“Help is on the way,” Phillip promised. “Seth, I need you to go out and meet them. I’m calling now. I’ll have them patch me through to the first responder. When they ask your name, tell them who you are and that you’re here with Detective Wade from Chicago PD.”
Seth nodded and moved toward the door. “I’ll let them know.”
It was inevitable Chase would go back to the hospital. The first thing he’d do this time when she was released was make sure she understood she would marry him. He’d get her promise that she would spend the rest of her life not having someone try to kill her and take her from him. He just couldn’t handle losing her.
* * * * *
Chase startled awake, sitting up with a distressed cry. She looked around frantically.
“Shh,” Phillip crooned, rising quickly from the chair beside her bed. “You’re safe.”
“Phillip?” she asked, reaching for him.
“I’m right here,” he told her, sitting on the side of the hospital bed and wrapping her in his arms.
“It was Nicole,” she sobbed into his chest. “She’s the one who attacked us. She drugged us with some type of date-rape drug. A date-rape drug, for God’s sake.”
“So, that’s probably what messed with your memory,” he said, and she nodded.
“She’s crazy. She killed Jocelyn because she was jealous of our friendship. She said we didn’t even know she was in the room. She wanted to kill me, but Jocelyn tried to protect me. Nicole killed Jocelyn because Jocelyn woke up and tried to protect me. My God! I didn’t… I…”
“Stop,” Phillip commanded. “None of this is your fault or Jocelyn’s. Hell, you two acted like I wasn’t in the room half the time, and there’s no shame in that. You were just that in sync with each other. It never once bothered me. I understood. Even found it amusing to watch you two. So, don’t let Nicole pollute that with whatever she said. Don’t let her take that from you.”
“I still don’t recall it all,” Chase confided. “I remember everything up to getting in the car with them. Nicole was with us. She was driving.”
“She’s been talking since they put her in the squad car. Said she only planned for you to die. She just wanted to scare Jocelyn, to make her think she’d been attacked. She was going to be the one to find her and save her,” Phillip explained. “I’m guessing she was counting on the drug to make sure Jocelyn didn’t remember anything.”
“I want her to pay. Will she pay for this?”
“Yes,” he answered. “She’s locked safely behind bars. She’ll be prosecuted for murder, and she’ll never get her hands on you again.”
“Lauren!” Chase exclaimed.
“She’s fine. Treated and released,” Phillip assured her. “Her parents came and picked her up. Lauren’ll have to wait until the house is cleared by the police before she can pick up her car. She told me to have you call her as soon as you’re b
ack home.”
“I can’t believe Nicole did this. My brain doesn’t want to process it. Someone we trusted, someone Jocelyn lived with, killed her. How could she be so evil and neither of us realize it?”
“Honey, I met her, too. I always knew she was a bit off, but I didn’t pin this on her, either.”
“I tried to keep her talking. I knew you were on your way, and I just had to give you enough time to get there. I knew you’d save me.”
“I’d do anything for you, Ace,” he whispered. “Anything.”
“It’s really over? No more worrying about who attacked me and if they’ll come back.”
“It’s really over,” he agreed.
“How long was I out this time?” she asked.
Phillip laughed. “Just a few hours, thank God. I’m not sure I’d have remained sane if you were out much longer.”
“When can I go home?”
“Tomorrow morning,” he answered. “Fair warning, I plan to keep you in bed for the rest of the weekend.”
“I like the sound of that,” Chase agreed.
She rested her head against Phillip’s chest, again, soaking in his heat and strength. She’d expected to feel some sense of relief when she found out what had happened that night, when she discovered who’d killed Jocelyn. She didn’t. If she kept thinking about it, she’d drive herself crazy, wondering if there had been signs she and Jocelyn should have picked up on.
“Well, well, well,” the nurse said as she entered the room. Chase glanced over and realized it was the same one she’d had before. “I see you missed me,” the other woman teased them. “This is a bit much, though. Drop a card. Dial a phone. No need to go back to sleep and send this poor boy over the edge with worry again.”
“Hey, LaTisha,” Phillip said.
“I see you woke up quicker, this time,” LaTisha said with a grin.
“A lot quicker,” Phillip agreed.
“I’d say it’s nice to see you,” Chase said. “But I’d much rather it be under different circumstances.”
“I understand,” LaTisha assured her. “How’s your throat feeling?”
Chase leaned back so Phillip could stand and move out of the nurse’s way. LaTisha probed gently at Chase’s neck, making sure everything was all right. She asked some questions, took the usual readings then finally left the two of them alone again.
When Phillip walked back over, he had an envelope with him.
“What’s that?” Chase asked.
“Seth left it for you,” Phillip told her. “He asked me to give it to you when you woke up.”
“He left,” she said, and Phillip nodded.
“I think this is his way of saying goodbye.”
Chase took the envelope and passed it back and forth between her hands several times before sliding her finger under the seal and opening it.
Chase,
Sometimes, the harder lot falls to those who survive. Not only do you have the weight of memories, but you have the additional responsibility to make the most of your life simply because those you lost, can’t. I didn’t think I’d smile again when I came back from the desert. War has a way of changing a man. Then I met Jocelyn, and she made me smile.
We both owe it to her to move on and make the most of our lives. Yours is here with your cop. Jocelyn was right. He’s a good guy, and I know you two will be happy together. Mine is somewhere else, a place where maybe the memories aren’t so overwhelming.
I may not have known Jocelyn as long as you did, but I knew her well. So, I feel safe in saying Jocelyn would find peace in knowing you lived.
If you ever need me, I’m just a phone call away.
Seth
“What’s it say?” Phillip asked.
Chase wiped her eyes and handed him the note to read for himself. Seth really was a great guy. She knew a little about his past from things Jocelyn had shared. She really hoped he took his own advice and moved on. He deserved happiness, as well, and Jocelyn would have wanted it for him. Chase hoped wherever he ended up, he found himself among friends, and maybe, he’d open himself up enough to find a woman who could make him smile again.
“You okay?” Phillip asked, tucking the note back into the envelope and turning to place it back with his coat. “Need me to get you anything?”
“Yes,” Chase said. “There’s something I’d like you to do.”
“Anything.”
“Ask me again,” she said.
“What?”
“Ask me again?”
Phillip stared at her for a long moment, understanding dawning in his expression. “You remember?”
She nodded. “Ask me again.”
“I was planning to wait. I received an invitation to a charity gala at the end of March. It’s a masquerade—ball gowns and dancing. A night of romance sounds like the perfect setting,” he teased her.
“I think this setting works fine. Ask me now.”
He came back to the bed and sat beside her, taking her hand in his and bringing it up to his lips. He kissed her knuckles then turned her hand over and placed another kiss on her palm. Slowly, he slid off the bed to one knee. Tears filled her eyes.
“I remember the night we first met. You accused me of being a thief, but you were the one who stole my heart. It’s been yours ever since. When it seems like the whole world has gone crazy, you make me smile. I want nothing more than to make you smile every day for the rest of our lives. For me, there will only ever be you. I love you, Chase Riley. Marry me.”
It came out more like an order than a question, but she couldn’t blame him after the way she’d reacted last time.
She nodded her head. “Yes. A million times yes. I love you—”
He cut off her words with a kiss that warmed her from the inside out, one that made her feel infinitely awake and alive. It was a celebration of a future that would be brighter than she’d ever imagined. She knew it was her imagination, but in that moment, it wasn’t just Phillip’s arms around her. She felt the embrace of a friend through thick and thin, a sister of the heart, and she swore she heard Jocelyn’s voice whispering in her ear.
He’s your happily ever after, Chase. You can’t give up on that. True love conquers all. Remember that. Always remember that.
About the Author
Lacey Thorn is a National Bestselling Author of over sixty erotic romances, including the award winning Awakening Pride Series. She has a passion for romance and demands stories that end happily. As a single mom to two teens and one pre-teen, she knows exactly how easy it is to be pulled in multiple directions, always on the go. There’s nothing better to relax with than a glass of wine, a hot tub of bubbles, and a great book. So sit back, relax, and let her take you on an adventure destined to help you unlace and leave the rest of the world behind.
Dear Readers,
Thank you for your purchase of Beautiful Dreamer. I hope you enjoyed the story, and will consider leaving a review at the eBook retailer website where you made your purchase. Reviews are a key way to help other readers find books and authors. Please consider taking a moment to rate and review Beautiful Dreamer!
I love hearing from readers! Please visit me on my website at http://lacythorn.com where you can sign up for my newsletter or contact me at [email protected]. For a complete list of where to find me on the internet, please visit my blog, Unlaced.
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