Watched

by Batto, Olivia

  The ropes loosened bit by bit, and the cold feeling in Alexandra’s stomach gave way to a wash of joy. Just a few more pulls, and she could stand. Belatedly, she realized she should have had Chanmali untie her hands first. The knot fell apart, and Alexandra pulled her feet apart until the ropes dangled loosely between her ankles.

  The clack of a deadbolt cracked through the silence, and both women jumped. Chanmali’s visage crumpled in fear, and she flailed to signal Alexandra to go back to her place. A few quick flips of the other woman’s wrists wrapped the rope around Alexandra’s ankles again. Alexandra rolled onto her side and ignored the protests of her stiff muscles. She tried to arrange her body in the same position as she had been in before, closing her eyelids all but a sliver as the door handle unlocked and turned.

  Alexandra could barely see, but dared not move for a closer look. Besides, she knew who held her captive. She just hoped the rope around her ankles was coiled enough to keep John from noticing it was untied. They felt loose enough to give way if she needed to get to her feet in a hurry. Her wrists were a different story, but one step at a time.

  The rustle of shopping bags hitting the ground called her attention to John again. He was turned away, leaning his hands on the table as he watched the monitor. What was he watching? Alexandra wasn’t there anymore.

  A whimper from Chanmali made John stand up straight. Alexandra closed her eyes and let her face relax as he stomped over to Chanmali. She screamed as he approached, loud even through the tape.

  He stepped over Alexandra. The thump of something solid striking soft flesh tensed Alexandra’s muscles in shock. John had never struck her, or any woman. She had thought he knew better. Another thump and Chanmali’s whimper confirmed her suspicion. Alexandra’s teeth ground together as she scanned the room for anything she could use as a weapon.

  The computer screen in the corner captured her attention. She caught a glimpse of people wandering around in her apartment. Hunter and Elise? Why were they there?

  “Shut up,” John snapped. “I don’t want you waking my wife. I’m not wasting any more tranquilizers on you, do you hear? No one cares about your whining.” Alexandra feigned sleep again as John turned to walk back. “If you’d just done your job instead of going all high and mighty, you’d be a rich woman and free. I don’t want to hear it.”

  Chanmali’s quiet weeping cut through the gloom, and Alexandra’s throat burned with anger. All of the harassment had been bought. Alexandra’s mind shot back to the time he’d called Alexandra after her first police report. He’d asked why would he bother with bricks and slashed tires.

  It was technically true. John always got others to do his dirty work.

  He was back at the computer now, watching the tableau on the screen. Flexing her fingers, she tried to reach the knots holding her hands. If she could get free, he wouldn’t be a hard fight. The bound rope might as well have been on the moon for all she could reach. Her fingers groped, useless.

  Loud curses from John froze her movements, and Alexandra’s heartbeat pounded in her ears. “Those idiots! I told you! I told you to hide it better!”

  Something metallic slammed against the table, and Alexandra’s eyelids cracked open. What she saw churned her stomach. He was holding a gun. Elise’s copper-complexioned face filled the screen in front of him. She must have found the camera.

  His footsteps advanced on Alexandra, and she tried not to tense. If she moved, he’d have a warning before she could get away. But what if he’d decided to shoot her? She forced her muscles to relax, despite a pounding heart.

  John stepped over Alexandra, stopping right in front of Chanmali. The other woman screamed again. She sounded feeble, sobs breaking her screams and tearing at Alexandra’s stomach. The other woman’s fear ignited a flare of indignation. How dare he dispose of Chanmali like a rusty tool? Alexandra coiled herself to spring, moving by inches.

  “You deserved this,” John said. “I should have done this a long time ago, when you started to question me, but I was too kind to you. Now they might find us, and you’d only slow us down. This is the only way.”

  Alexandra surged to her feet. The ropes clung, hindering movement. Alexandra’s lunge became a stagger. Not heroic, but she could work with it. She rammed into John, her shoulder stinging with the impact. A loud bang erupted beside her as he fell. Alexandra’s ears rang, and she stumbled among the ropes as they fell from her ankles.

  John lifted his gun, but Alexandra kicked at his hands. The gun clattered to the ground, and she stepped on it and kicked it away. Chanmali was screaming, incoherent. A little surge of triumph went through Alexandra. Not dead. At least, not yet.

  “Stupid bitch!” John rushed her, head down and aimed at her abdomen. Alexandra’s back hit the wall hard, and his head pushed the air from her lungs. Her chest seized with the lack of breath, but anger flared stronger than any blow. Alexandra yanked her knee up to hit him squarely in the middle of his chest. His breath rushed out with a wheeze, and he doubled over. Alexandra allowed herself a smug smile.

  See how you like it.

  He sprang for the gun, but Alexandra was faster. A solid kick to the neck and John collapsed, folding up like a paper doll. She shoved him away, watching to make sure he wasn’t faking.

  Mrs. Louangrath’s screams had devolved into wails. Alexandra pushed the gun aside, but kept it close in case she needed it. She didn’t know how she’d use it, but a girl could dream.

  Blood was flowing too fast from a wound in Chanmali’s leg. Not fast enough to indicate a damaged artery, but Alexandra needed to stop the bleeding. When the other woman looked up, Alexandra twisted and held up her tied hands. A slow nod was enough answer. Alexandra plopped down next to the other woman, and turned so she was back to back with Chanmali.

  Half an hour later, John groaned from his new spot over by the table. “Where are my clothes?” He wriggled against the ropes which held him.

  “Needed them for bandages,” Alexandra replied. She tried not to smile as she wrapped another strip of cloth around Chanmali’s wound. “It took forever to clean this wound, and I wasn’t putting dirty bandages on all my work. Your clothes were the cleanest.” She glared at him. “You’re lucky this bullet hole didn’t nick the artery, or you’d face a murder charge.”

  John lapsed into sullen silence. The only sound was Chanmali’s light breathing, finally at rest thanks to a light dose of the drugs John had brought to keep them both sedated. Alexandra tied off the last strip of bandage, then sat back to inspect her work. It wasn’t pretty, but it was the best she could do with what she had. She’d already called 911, and they should be there any minute. Chanmali was dehydrated and weak from blood loss, but she would live.

  “Congratulations, you saved the woman who stalked you for money.” John spat at Alexandra, the wad of body fluid falling far short of its mark. “Happy with your little Florence Nightingale act? You always did put your job before your family.”

  A bitter laugh ripped itself out of Alexandra. “Yes. That’s right. You put surveillance cameras in my home, paid someone to harass me, tried to kill Hunter with a truck and knocked me out to bring me to an abandoned apartment in the middle of nowhere. But please, go ahead and tell me how it’s my fault because I save lives.”

  “It was for Simon.” John’s pout seemed overly staged, like a silent film star’s imitation of sadness.

  “Which part, exactly, was for Simon?” She didn’t look at him. “Why would you ever assume any of this would make him happy?”

  “I needed to be sure, don’t you understand? I had to know Simon was safe.” John’s voice cracked as he spoke. “He needed a father to watch over him, to make sure you were doing everything right. I couldn’t be near for a while because of what happened, but he needed me. If I hadn’t been watching, who knows what you might have done? As it was, you planned everything so I saw all your little escapades with your new fling.”

  Alexandra spun on her ex-husband. “What the hell are you t
alking about?”

  John’s expression screwed into disgust. “Oh, now you’re pretending you didn’t know the cameras were there. Don’t deny it, you deliberately staged scenes in front of them to make me angry.”

  Alexandra let out a long sigh, then stood and stomped to his side. “John.” She crouched down, then laid a hand on his knee with a smile while she pushed the needle of a syringe into his neck. With the ease of long training, she found the artery and injected him with the sedative he had used on her. “Shut up.”

  “Uh.” The familiar voice cut through the silence.

  Alexandra leapt to her feet and spun around. “Elise!”

  The Indian woman looked almost comical in her confusion. So did Hunter, who stood right behind her. Alexandra laughed, unsure whether she was laughing at their expressions or for the joy of seeing them again. She rushed to Hunter, jumping into his arms.

  Hunter smiled. “Did we interrupt?”

  “Nope.” Alexandra’s grin felt like it was going to crack her face. “You got here just in time.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Alexandra

  She pulled herself out of the hospital bed. The doctors had insisted on keeping Alexandra overnight Wednesday and all through Thursday to watch for anything unexpected, although she had told them she was fine.

  “My scrapes will heal by themselves,” she groused. “There’s no point to dragging it out.”

  Hunter smiled and offered his hand. “I’m glad they kept you a little longer. Even if it’s a useless precaution, it’s better to be safe.”

  Alexandra wrinkled her nose. “I missed your party, too.” The disruption of her daily life upset her more than it should.

  “I did too,” Hunter whispered, leaning close with a conspiratorial smile. “There will be plenty of time to be a wild party animal when you’re well.”

  “You know what I mean!”

  Hunter nodded, turning serious. “I can’t wait to get back to normal life either.”

  Alexandra sighed in agreement. She’d spent her hospital stay explaining what had happened to police officers, filling out reports, and signing more papers than she could keep straight. It was time to go home. To her surprise, she found herself imagining “home” with Hunter, instead of by herself. At one time, the change would lead to worry. Now it gave her a warm feeling.

  As Hunter helped Alexandra out the door, Detective Caldwell met them with a small paper bag and three cups of coffee. “Can I get a moment of your time before you go? I had an officer get the coffee and some bagels from the shop across the street. Least I can do.”

  It was dark, but he led them down a small lighted path to a circle of green metal benches. Alex accepted the coffee, the smell of french roast washing over her. The hot coffee, followed by a bite of cream cheese and bagel, calmed a hunger she hadn’t known she had. Hunter was digging into his bagel as well, and taking sips of his coffee.

  Caldwell cleared his throat. “If it helps any, John is in worse shape than the two of you put together. His nose is broken, dislocated knee, and he has a head injury they think will cause permanent paralysis on his right side.” He smiled grimly. “You did some damage.”

  Alexandra shrugged sheepishly, but Hunter grinned. “Yeah, she really is something, isn’t she.”

  Caldwell nodded, sipping his own coffee before looking at his feet. He leaned against a metal bench, one hand in his pocket. “I should have sent a protective detail to follow you, but even they couldn’t have stopped all of this.”

  Alexandra shook her head. “He would have just come at us another way.” She shivered slightly, and Hunter wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “He was determined he was doing what was right for Simon. I don’t know if anything would have stopped him.”

  The detective nodded, his gaze far away. “Anyway, the surveillance equipment in your home had plenty of prints on it, all matching John’s. We’ve got a mountain of evidence against him, enough to put him away for a while. Mrs. Louangrath has agreed to testify against him for a reduced sentence. You won’t see him for a long while.”

  Relief filled her as she took a long drink. It warmed her sore throat.

  Hunter smiled. “We’ll take any good news we can get.” He told the officer, lifting his cup in a mock toast.

  Caldwell smiled faintly, standing upright. “Well, more good news then. Mr. Bennet’s apartment was clean, so you can safely stay there if you choose.” He looked at Alexandra. “Your apartment is clean as well, but there are a few holes you might want to fix before moving back in.”

  Hunter drained his coffee, standing and holding a hand out to help lift Alexandra to her feet. “Good, because I’d like Alex home as soon as possible.”

  “If you’d like to avoid the cab fare, I can take you home in the squad car? I’d like to see the two of you get there safely.” The detective pointed them toward the parking lot.

  As they settled into the squad car, Alexandra snuggled against Hunter. The long drive buzzed by as she slowly faded into sleep, surrounded by his warmth.

  After a shower and a meal, Alexandra felt much more human. She snuggled against Hunter on his couch, an identical twin of her own. The rise and fall of his broad chest was soothing. “What kind of trouble will you get into for missing the party?”

  “Oh, nothing special. Rubber snakes in the mailbox maybe.” Hunter wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bending his head to nuzzle her neck. Alexandra’s body responded instantly, her nipples tightening as he nipped at the base of her neck. “I promised a visit next week, to make up for it. I’d like you to come along.”

  She nodded, and they lay in silence for a long time. Slow strokes of his hands counted off the minutes, and soon her breathing matched his.

  “I’m so sorry for letting him hurt you,” Hunter told her, his voice heavy with regret.

  She pulled away from him, amazed to find the guilt in his eyes. “What are you talking about? I barely have a scratch. There’s no need to coddle me, Hunter.”

  He smiled, running a finger along her jawline. “I know. You handled yourself brilliantly, but I don’t like the idea of you being hurt.”

  “I know how you feel,” she told him, shivering in horror as her brain replayed the wreck, crumpling metal almost swallowing him. “I thought… when John hit the car…” The lump in her throat cut off any chance of speaking, and her chest felt like it was collapsing inward. She couldn’t say it. The fear of losing him turned her stomach. Alexandra swallowed hard and tried again. “In the past few weeks, I’ve been happy with you. Happier than I thought I would ever be. John tried to take you from me. I thought I’d lose you before we got a chance to start our life together.”

  “I wouldn’t miss that chance even if the whole world tried to stop me.” He shifted under her and turned her around. A sigh stole from his lips as he pulled her close and stroked her hair. His strong hands sent waves of sensation rolling under her skin, and she took in a sharp breath when he spoke, his lips inches from hers. “I’m never leaving you, for as long as you want me.”

  Alexandra swallowed hard. "I love you." She whispered, ducking to kiss him on his broad chest. She felt him take a breath and hold it, then looked up to find his gaze burrowing into hers. “I was afraid to say it before, and then…” Alexandra shrugged, her voice fading behind emotion. “I thought I’d lost my chance to tell you.”

  Hunter swept a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I love you, too.”

  She tilted her face up to kiss him, and their lips met in a quiet storm of passion. She opened her mouth to his probing tongue and let him take everything he wanted from her. He explored her mouth achingly slowly. Their lips molded to each other, a counterpoint to the fire which shot through her. Alexandra gasped. Her body hummed with desire.

  He broke the kiss, a grin on his face as he looked at Alexandra. “In fact, I’ve thought of a perfect way to end the evening.” He laid her back against the couch, slowly stripped off her clothes and kissed every inch of s
kin he exposed until she was naked under his fully clothed body. She moaned, pressing against him and seeking friction against her taut, aching nipples.

  She pulled at his belt desperately, but he batted her hands away. “Not yet.”

  He kissed her lips lightly before he nipped, kissed and licked a path down her body, his lips warm against her skin. With every touch, he came closer to the hot center of her arousal. He nipped at the skin just below her belly button. Of their own accord, her legs opened and her hips rose in offering. Her clit felt heavy, eager for his attention.

  He dipped his head between her legs, sucking gently before swiping his tongue over her swollen nub. She gasped his name and he chuckled in response. The deep vibrations against her core made her arch upward and claw at the couch.

  His mouth teased her, his tongue sliding between her folds before returning to her clit. Slow licks became faster as his hands roved over her body, caressing her gently and making her pulse race as raw need coursed through her.

  Alexandra laced her fingers through his dark hair, tugging upward with small, impatient pulls. He followed her pleading hands slowly, allowing her to strip off first his shirt, then his jeans. Finally he knelt over her, his stiff shaft a hard weight against her.

  He leaned on the back of the couch with one elbow, smiling down at her as he rolled the bud of one nipple between his fingers. “There’s one thing I want to do tonight. I’ve been tested, and I’m clean.”

  Alexandra pressed her hips against his, confusion making her brows draw together. “So am I.”

  “I want to make love to you, and feel you around me.” As he spoke, he let his shaft slide over her wet folds. The friction against her sensitized clit pulled a gasp from her, and a rush of moisture made her ready for him. He opened a drawer in the small end table next to the couch. He pulled his hand back to reveal a black velvet ring box. “But I don’t want to do this unless I know you’re mine, forever.” Alexandra’s jaw dropped as he opened the box.