Chasing Air

by DeLaine Roberts

  She pulled over at the next exit into a gas station and called Agent Bernard again. “How could this have happened?” she cried.

  “Tell me exactly what happened with your mother,” Bernard demanded.

  Makenzie went through everything. She sobbed hysterically. Just when she thought her life was going to be normal and everything was under control, she got blasted back to her reality. She was never going to be rid of Drew.

  “Makenzie you have to leave town now. Follow the plan,” Bernard begged.

  “No, I’m done running. I’m facing my giant!” she cried.

  “He’ll kill you. Where are you? I’m sending support.”

  “No, not if I kill him first. I have to do this myself. I need to tell Ryler the truth about who I am and then I’ll wait until Drew comes after me. This is ending my way. No more running. I won’t do it.” She held strong, her head high and her shoulders back, finding the courage to face her demons. She didn’t intend on backing down.

  “Who’s Ryler?” he asked.

  “My boyfriend. Detective Ryler Buchanan, why do you ask?” Makenzie was so tired and she wasn’t paying attention. She didn’t realize that Agent Bernard was putting a plan in motion around her.

  “Nothing, it’s just the first time you’ve mentioned him. Is this a new relationship?” he stalled, trying to ping her phone to get her location.

  “Well, for him it’s been awhile. For me, I’ve been fighting my feelings. I knew a relationship with a cop could be dangerous, but he knows nothing.” Makenzie had gotten back in her car and was headed to Ryler’s house.

  “I’ve got to go, Bernard. I’ll call you when I leave Ryler’s house.” She tossed the phone onto the floorboard of her car but she didn’t end the call. Bernard was able to trace her phone and get a location. He already had a team rolling to Ryler’s house. He intended on them beating Makenzie there.

  ***

  When Makenzie arrived at Ryler’s, there were several cars up and down the street. She wondered whether he was having a get-together with his buddies or some kind of party. She walked up to the front door and it wasn’t completely closed. She was startled by a familiar voice that of her husband, Drew. She could hear him yelling at someone and it sounded close to the front door.

  She took out her gun and made her way around through the side gate to the back yard. She tried to peer through the windows, but couldn’t see anything in the kitchen. She crawled across the ground underneath the windows and went to the other set of windows looking into the living room. She saw Drew standing in the living room and she could see two men sitting on the sofa, she just couldn’t make out who they were. If she could just remember the code for the garage, she could sneak in through the garage into the laundry room and in the back way into Ryler’s closet. She would have a straight shot at Drew.

  The code, the code, what was the damn code?

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Makenzie tried to think back to the first time she spent the night. She remembered the smell of the coffee and pictured the sweet note that Ryler left. She saw the note in her mind and the numbers on the note. The code for garage is 2627. That’s it. She ran back around to the garage and prayed the door went up quietly. She let herself in and crept through the garage to the laundry room. She could hear Drew yelling at someone to answer his questions.

  She slipped through the laundry room into the master bathroom where she found one of Drew’s guys tied up and unconscious on the floor near the bed. She slipped past him and kept her arms in position with her gun in front of her like she’d been trained. She had a straight shot at Drew standing in front of Ryler and Brody on the sofa. Drew was holding a power drill to Ryler’s head. She took in a deep breath, slowly let her breath out, ready to fire. But before she could, someone burst through the front door and shots were fired from the other side of the house. Drew fell backwards over the ottoman, just as the FBI team burst through the front door.

  Tony was able to get a shot off at Makenzie and the bullet hit the door frame beside her first before it ricocheted into her right side, just grazing her. The FBI agents fired at Tony, killing him immediately. The agent checked Drew to find him dead as well.

  One of the agents untied Ryler and Brody while the other went to check on Makenzie.

  “I’m fine, leave it alone,” she snapped. She tried to get up, but the agent pushed her back to the ground. He pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and handed the phone to Makenzie.

  “You’re brave, you know that?” Agent Bernard tried to muster a laugh. “This could’ve easily gone down all wrong. You know that don’t you?”

  “I was done with running, Bernard. Can I call you back? There’s someone I need to see right now.” She didn’t wait for Agent Bernard to answer. She simply handed the phone back to the agent beside her and got to her feet to find Ryler standing in front of her. She reached up and touched the bruises and lacerations on Ryler’s face. “I’m so sorry I brought you into my world. He’s dead, isn’t he?” She covered her mouth.

  “Yes, he is. Remind me to never piss you off.” He laughed as he took her gun away and wrapped his arms around her. “God, you feel so good. Are you okay?”

  “I am now that I’m here with you.” All of her worries and fears poured out in the tears that streamed down her face. She finally let herself give in to the emotions she’d been hiding for so long.

  It was then that the sirens approached and the local police department arrived.

  After several hours of interrogation and reports, Brody left to see Rachel at the hospital, leaving Ryler and Makenzie with one jacked-up mess to clean up. “Let’s leave this and go back to your place. It’s late, I’ll work on this tomorrow,” Ryler suggested as he pushed Makenzie towards the door.

  “I’ll agree to that.” She smiled at him, then she took his face in her hands gingerly, avoiding the bruised areas and kissing his lips softly. “I love you. I’m so sorry for everything.”

  “I’m not. Now you’re safe, and he can never hurt you again. But I’m the one who’s sorry. If I hadn’t been researching you on the computer, his guys wouldn’t have gotten wind of it and this wouldn’t have gone down like this.”

  “No, it would’ve been worse, they might’ve found me in New York, killing me and my parents instead. Speaking of which, I need to call them. I’ll do it after a hot bath and some dinner. I’m starved, I haven’t eaten much in days, I’ve been so nervous.” She shook her head in disbelief of the whole thing.

  “You need to call them now.”

  “No. I know my mom. She’ll freak out and it’ll take me a whole day to calm her down. I need a clear head for that.”

  “Fine, let’s go to Mucky Duck’s and grab a few cold ones and a quick bite. Is your tub built for two?” He snickered as he wrapped his hands in her hair.

  “Hm, I’m not sure, I’ve never put anyone else in it.” She raised her brow at him.

  “Good answer.” They both laughed.

  After dinner, Makenzie just wanted to get out of her clothes and wash the death from her skin. She wanted to erase all the memories of Drew Donati and her old life. While the water filled the tub, she called her mom.

  “Mom?”

  “Judith, is it really you? Why are they letting you call?”

  “Hey, it’s over. Drew’s dead. No more hiding out.” She couldn’t get all of her words out, her mother was in hysterics. “He’s dead mom. He can’t hurt any of us anymore. Yes, I’ll come out next week. Mom, stop crying, it’s over, you should be happy.” But Makenzie was crying herself. The sound of relief in her mother’s voice overwhelmed her. She felt Ryler’s strong arms wrap around her shoulders. She cherished his love and support. “I’ll call you tomorrow Mom, I love you.” She ended the call and looked at the inviting tub.

  She stripped out of her clothes, not one bit self-conscious to be bathing with her beautiful adonis, naked in front of her. They fit in the tub together perfectly.

  “I missed you so much,” he
whispered in her ear as she leaned back in his arms, bathed in warm water and love.

  “All I wanted to do was get home to you. I didn’t know about Drew being here until I phoned Agent Bernard while leaving the airport. That’s when he told me. But I’ve got to know, when did you figure it all out?” Makenzie still hadn’t put the pieces of the puzzle all together.

  “I figured it out three weeks ago when you freaked about going on your trip. I couldn’t understand why you weren’t excited. I Googled a few things and that’s how we ended up where we did. I figured when you trusted me, you would eventually tell me, but I had no idea that I was putting you in harm’s way.”

  “I knew a relationship with you would be risky. That’s why I walked out on you.” Makenzie grimaced at the memory. It was a horrible thing to do. She was grateful that he loved her enough to be patient and wait.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Makenzie. Or is it Judith now?” He let out a partial laugh beside her ear as he nibbled on her neck.

  “No, Judith Donati is dead along with Drew Donati. My old life is dead and I don’t want it back.” She shook her head. The thought of seeing Drew fall back from the bullets made her shiver, even though the water around her was warm. She never thought of herself as a killer, even in self-defense. She was glad it wasn’t her shots that killed him, but she would’ve done it just a few seconds later.

  Ryler stretched his arms around her and pulled her back to his chest. His touch said warmth, caring, and compassion, even as he held her while she cried.

  “I’d walk through hell as long as you’re the one I see on the other side,” he whispered.

  ***

  The couch was comfortable and they laid there entwined, searching for something to watch on the TV. “Any chance your mom has made a pie and you decided to hide it in my fridge for when I got back?”

  He laughed at her. “Close. I asked her to make one for tomorrow since that’s when you were supposed to be back. I had plans for you to meet my parents tomorrow at dinner.”

  “Hmm, meet the parents, huh?”

  “Yep, it’s time. They don’t bite. They’ll love you just like I do. And Trey will be there with his family.”

  “When were you going to clue me in on the family dinner?”

  “When you asked for pie.” He pulled her tight to his chest and kissed her temple with the corner of his lips, lingering over the skin-to-skin connection.

  They were snuggled together comfortably. Ryler wanted to wait on Makenzie until she was ready to talk about things, figuring she would bring up Drew’s death when she was ready. What he wasn’t certain about is whether she would ever feel comfortable in his home again.

  He ran his fingers through her hair while she pressed back against his chest. “You have beautiful hair, I love getting tangled in it.”

  Makenzie enjoyed the comfort of his arms and tried to remain focused, but mentally she found herself in turmoil. “You don’t have to do this.”

  His stroking paused, “Do what exactly?”

  “Trying to avoid talking about it. I’m not going to fall apart, I won’t give him that.” Her voice quivered slightly.

  He took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. “How did you get mixed up with a guy like him?”

  Makenzie was silent for a long time. “We met at a fundraiser. At first he was the typical charming, fraternity type, a young New York bachelor. He had just made associate with a large law firm. I had just started my private practice with Dr. Gold. We were both at the beginning of our careers.”

  “Did your family like him?”

  Makenzie shook her head, “No, Cessa hated him and he felt the same way about her. My parents weren’t in love with him, they thought he was too cocky, but they tolerated him for me. They’ll love you though.” She leaned her head around to kiss Ryler’s neck and drink in his masculine scent. She took a deep breath and pulled away to settle against him again. It seemed easier to talk when she wasn’t facing him.

  “We were young and in love with the couple’s scene, you know? We didn’t have much of a passionate, private life. He wanted me to quit my practice and start a family, but I refused.”

  “Is that when the abuse started?” Ryler stroked her arm with his fingers. He wanted to take her hurt away, but didn’t know how.

  “It was just before it started. One afternoon, I cut my day short to surprise Drew at his office for an early dinner. I walked in him having sex on his desk with his paralegal. I rushed home and started packing my things. He threatened me and my family to the point that I found myself scared to leave. A few weeks later, I came home early to find him meeting in our apartment with a couple of creepy guys. He didn’t hide a crime that he was arranging at the moment. In fact, he flaunted it. He wanted me to be terribly afraid of what he could do. That’s when I discovered he was involved in organized crime. That night, he broke my right arm and beat me pretty badly. My partner set my arm and took my case load until I was able to do surgery again. During that six weeks of recovery, I filed for divorce.

  “When Drew was served divorce papers, he arranged the hit on me. The FBI got lucky with an informant or I wouldn’t be here now. I helped them plan my death.”

  The story took a toll on Makenzie. Her body shook with near-hysteria. Releasing her story revealed just how close she came to dying.

  “How did the body identification go down? I’m surprised he didn’t catch that.”

  “He only had to identify a photograph of the arm and hand, which was badly burned. He focused on my wedding rings, which kept him from noticing the size of the hand. He tried to stay away from the investigation as much as he could according to Agent Bernard. With a perfect alibi of Mindy, his paralegal, and a dirty cop on the force, he didn’t have to do much.” Makenzie broke when she remembered the last visit with her family. “My family suffered the worst. The funeral, the secrets, the pain of worrying, at least I got to move on. They were floating in limbo between truth, secrets, and lies.”

  Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by Ryler’s phone ringing. “Brody, how you holding up?”

  Brody had taken quite the beating from Tony. “All in a day’s work, you know. I called to let you know the press has the story, Captain just let me know. They gave everything in her previous name, nothing will show up as Makenzie. However, you’re all over the news. Petra called me first, then she arrived on my doorstep a few minutes ago.” He sighed, Ryler sensed his perturbed mood.

  “Let me guess, she’s with you now, causing trouble?” His eyes burned. Makenzie couldn’t tell who or what he was referring to, but her curiosity was certainly up and she stayed within eavesdropping range.

  “Put her on the phone,” he barked.

  “Go home, Petra. Brody doesn’t need you around, there’s no story there.” Makenzie picked out the venom in his tone on the phone and she recognized the name from her research of him the first night she met him, Petra Sharcova.

  “I’m not taking your calls because I’ve got nothing to say to you. My relationship with her is none of your fucking business.” He ended his call and chugged the last of his beer before turning to face Makenzie.

  She was watching him intently. Her expression was grim and revealing of her suspicious thoughts. He’d been hiding secrets of his own.

  “I don’t want to have any questions between us, Makenzie. I need to explain.”

  “No. You don’t have to, it’s none of my business.”

  He raised his hand and cut her off. “Petra Sharcova is a woman from my past and we dated casually for a couple of years. She’s a former model and quite a bit older than me. She also writes mystery novels which she uses as an excuse to stick her nose in detective work, and in my business. There’s nothing between us. I don’t love her and I never, ever told her I did. We just didn’t click like I wanted.”

  “She’s very beautiful,” Makenzie said with a mischievous grin.

  He raised his eyebrow at her and grinned,
“So you know a thing or two about her, perhaps?”

  “You’re not the only one who knows how to work the internet. But looks like both of us would’ve been better off just asking a simple question, huh?”

  They both started laughing and Ryler pulled Makenzie into a tight, aggressive kiss. He pulled back quickly. “Is there anything else that I need to Google?” His laugh shook his body.

  Her eyes widened and a cute grin touched the corners of her mouth. “Not unless you need ideas on how to give me more.”

  “Baby, I don’t need Google for that.” In a quick move, he scooped her up and nibbled her lips while he carried her to the bedroom.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Ryler knew he would spend the rest of his life loving Makenzie, loving her heart full of compassion, loving the way she took care of her patients and fought for them, right from the very first night he met her. He knew her soul ran deep, the way she had invested herself with Rachel. He loved her protective qualities, the way she gave up her family to keep them safe.

  When he looked at her standing beside the bed, he wanted to show his love for her in more than words. He had to slow things down in order to savor her body and give her the release she hungered for. He slowly pulled her shirt up over her head in between tender kisses, and she returned the favor.

  She found his strong, muscular chest and took the opportunity to let her fingers dance across his tight flesh lovingly, biting her lip as she did so, fighting the urge to push him against the bed pillow and let her mouth take over.

  He unfastened her bra and let it slip to the floor. With a quick tug, her yoga pants were piled on the floor. Just in her panties, she sat on the bed and had her fingers entangled in the buttons on his jeans. “You would have on button-ups, when I want you out of these?” She bit her lip at the hot, steamy look he gave her.

  “Babe, we have all night and all day tomorrow.”