He moved so suddenly she didn’t even have time to turn her head as his fist connected with her cheek. Her head snapped back and her vision went red and then black. It took several seconds for her sight to return.
“I’m sorry.” Mark breathed heavily. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just need you to listen to me and do what I say.”
Olivia glared at him through her already swelling eye.
“Please, don’t be mad at me.” He gave her a look like a scolded little boy. “I love you, Olivia. I just want us to be together.”
As he looked at her, his expression changed. It went from disappointment to lust in a matter of seconds. Olivia realized what was happening a moment too late. He lunged at her and because she was unprepared, she fell backward and smacked her head on the wall. It was her third head injury in a matter of hours and this time it took much longer for her vision to clear.
When it did, she started to panic. Mark was on top of her, pinning her to the mattress. The look in his eyes was feral and frightening. As he reached down to unbutton his pants, Olivia screamed.
Mark growled at her and put his hands around her throat. As he pressed down with this thumbs against her trachea, she squirmed and gasped. Her airway was completely closed and her vision went foggy again.
Somewhere in the distance, something banged loudly and Mark finally let go. Olivia sucked in hungry breaths as Mark rolled off of her. Even before her vision cleared, she started wriggling her wrists fiercely. She could feel the tape tear even more. She was almost free.
“Olivia!”
The sound of his voice helped clear the haziness in her brain. She could see again and looked frantically toward the door. Nate was there, somewhere in the house. He had found her.
“Nate!” Her throat was still raw and his name came out just above a whisper. Mark was standing between the bed and the door and he glared at her.
“He can’t save you,” he spat, sweat running down his face. “He can’t have you! You belong to me!”
Mark reached into the waistband of his pants and pulled out a gun. Olivia didn’t know how she hadn’t seen it earlier. She was scared to call to Nate again, knowing he would be walking right into a deadly trap.
“Don’t worry, Olivia,” Mark said, finger on trigger. “I will take care of him and then we can be together forever.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Nate had been in similar situations a dozen times. He knew that it was more than a little stupid to make so much noise kicking in the door, even dumber to yell out her name. He had been trained over and over on the right way to handle a scenario like this. But there was one big difference this time. This time, Olivia was in danger.
From the outside, the house had looked dark and empty. Now that he was inside and could see that all of the lights were turned on, he realized that the windows had been blackened. He was also surprised to see that despite the outside looking so old and bare, the house was actually quite cozy inside.
It sounded like someone was moving around at the end of a long hallway. Nate crept slowly in that direction. Since he had already made his presence known, he no longer had the element of surprise.
The floors were old and creaked with protest at each step he took. Nate took three steps forward and kicked open the door, gun raised and with his finger on the trigger. He cautiously stepped forward, sweeping the room in the process. The first thing he noticed was a pile of clothes on the floor. He recognized the t-shirt because it was one of his own. He had left it at Olivia’s that morning.
Nate didn’t have time to thoroughly examine the sparsely furnished room. He did a quick check to make sure it was empty and then went to the closet door. When he twisted the knob and pulled it open, he discovered that it wasn’t a closet at all- it was a room.
Actually, the word “room” was too generous. It was a space not much larger than a closet with a bed in the middle. And in the middle of that bed, Nate found Olivia.
“Nate,” she whimpered. Her eyes were wild and she looked scared and relieved at the same time.
Nate hurried to her side, completely forgetting about the dangerous circumstances for just a minute. He realized his mistake too late when he heard a noise from behind the door.
“Get the fuck away from her,” a voice barked.
Olivia didn’t take her eyes away from Nate. “He has a gun,” she mouthed.
It was then that he noticed the dark bruises forming on the soft skin of her neck. Her right eye was nearly swollen shut. She also had bruises on her ribcage. Nate grit his teeth and said, “You’re going to pay for this, you sick bastard.”
“Drop your gun,” the voice said.
Nate sighed and let his gun fall to the floor. It clattered loudly. Then he turned slowly to face the perpetrator. “You shouldn’t have hurt Olivia.”
“I didn’t want to hurt her!” Mark pointed his gun at Nate, his hand shaking violently as anger boiled inside him. “She made me do it!”
“Bullshit.” Nate took a small step to the right, trying to strategical place himself between Mark and Olivia.
“I love her!’ Spit flew from Mark’s mouth as he screamed. “She’s supposed to be with me! You are just here to ruin everything.”
Nate carefully assessed the situation. He was pretty sure he could get to Mark before he would have time to shoot, but he wasn’t positive. He also wasn’t willing to risk anything with Olivia still in the room.
“Careful,” she breathed behind him, cautioning Nate not to lose his cool.
“You don’t love her, Mark. You are sick and you’ve created a delusion.” Nate shifted his weight to his toes so that he was ready to spring into action if necessary. “More importantly, she doesn’t love you.”
“Liar!” Mark’s entire body was shaking now. “You think that you have some kind of control over her. You think that she belongs to you, but you’re wrong! She belongs to me!”
“No, Mark. She doesn’t. Olivia doesn’t belong to anyone.” He had no idea if this was the right approach to take. Nate just wanted to keep him distracted until he spotted an opportunity to take Mark out. “But she does love me, Mark. Ask her.”
Mark waivered, looking from Nate to Olivia. “Is that true?” he asked her, sounding scared.
“Yes,” Olivia said in a soft, but clear, voice. “I do love him, Mark.”
“No!” he yelled, grabbing his head with both hands.
Nate had the opening he needed. He threw himself forward and collided with Mark at full speed. Mark recovered at the last second and turned his body in such a way that as they fell, Nate hit the ground first.
Mark managed to hold onto the gun and he used it to clock Nate in the side of the head. Bright spots danced in front of Nate’s eyes and he blinked furiously to clear them. As things came back into focus, he swore under his breath.
Mark was standing over him, gun pointed evenly at Nate’s head. Any earlier anxiety was gone. As his finger wrapped around the trigger, Nate took a sharp breath.
“Put it down.” Olivia’s voice came evenly from the bed.
She was standing now, looking strong and confidence despite her injuries and lack of clothing. She also held Nate’s gun with a steady hand.
“Put it down, or I will shoot you in the head,” she said.
Mark’s jaw dropped open. He truly hadn’t expected her to turn on him. That was when Nate understood the depths of the delusion he had created.
“Olivia. I’m doing this for us. We can never be together until he is out of the picture. Don’t you understand that?” Mark looked at her with pleading eyes.
Nate thought about lunging for the gun, but his head was still spinning slightly. He couldn’t afford to miss this time.
“I don’t want to be with you,” Olivia said clearly.
“That’s not true,” Mark protested with a shake of his head. “You love me. You’re just saying these hurtful things because he confused you.”
“No. I don’t want to be with you.”
Her eyes flickered to Nate for the briefest second. “I’m in love with him.”
With fury in his eyes, Mark turned back to Nate and raised the gun. A shot rang out and Nate flinched, waiting for the impact. He was surprised to see Mark stumbled to the side, clutching his chest.
Before Nate could move in to take the gun, Mark raised it again but this time he aimed it at Olivia. Nate threw himself in front of the gun, but it was too late. The bullet whizzed past him, grazing his arm.
Mark collapsed to the ground and the gun slid under the bed. A large pool of blood instantly soaked the floor. Nate’s shoulder burned and blood ran down his shoulder, but he didn’t even notice. He was too busy rushing to Olivia’s side.
The bullet had hit her in her left side, just below her ribcage. Nate caught her just as she was about to hit the ground.
“Liv!” He cradled her in his arms and clamped a hand over the gushing wound. “Damn it. Olivia, look at me.”
“It’s okay, Nate,” she said, a faint smile on her lips. “I saved you.”
“You did,” he agreed, forcing a smile. “You’re going to be okay. I’ve got you now.”
He freed his other hand to reach for his phone. “This is Detective Tucker. I need backup and EMTs at 1103 N. County Road.”
“Do you remember that night?” Olivia asked, her voice fading. Nate ran a hand over her cheek and was surprised by how cold her skin felt.
“What night, Liv?”
“The night we met.” Her smile grew.
He nodded. “Of course. I remember. Why?”
“I’ve known since that night that we would end up together,” she said, her eyes fluttering closed.
“Liv!” Nate shook her slightly. “Liv, open your eyes.”
Her breathing was growing shallow and he pushed down harder on the bullet wound. Blood seeped between his fingers.
“Olivia, don’t do this to me. Not now. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. You and I are supposed to have a lifetime together.” Nate closed his eyes and pulled her to his body. Then Nate did something he had never done before- he prayed.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
It was a beautiful summer night. Olivia had only started college a week earlier, but she already decided that she loved her new life. Starting over in Chicago had been a great idea. No one in her dorm knew her as the girl with the murdered sister. No one in her Criminology class thought twice before choosing their words for fear of upsetting her. No one stared at her as she walked across campus.
When her roommate had suggested they attend a few parties on their first Saturday night as co-eds, Olivia reluctantly agreed. She was an adult now, and it was time to try new things. She was tired of being the same boring girl all the time.
“Who knows,” Tina said as they left their dorm room, “you might meet the love of your life tonight.”
“Yeah, right,” Olivia had replied, rolling her eyes.
The first party had been a drunken mess and they left after twenty minutes. When they got to the second party, Olivia found herself lost in the crowd almost immediately. She worked her way outside where it was less crowded.
“Looking for a drink?” A guy wearing a too-tight shirt tried to hand her a beer.
“No thanks.” Olivia knew better than to take an open drink from someone she didn’t know. “I just needed some air.”
“You came to the right place.” He smiled. “I’m Eric.”
Eric asked her about her major and she found herself growing more comfortable as they chatted. She started to think that maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all, when he lunged at her and stuck his tongue in her mouth.
She shoved him away. “Stop.”
“Playing hard to get?” he said, grabbing her again.
“Hey!’ Another male voice yelled out, but it was too late. Olivia had already punched Eric in the nose.
“You bitch!” He yelled as tears filled his eyes and he grabbed his nose.
The other guy was standing at her side now and he stepped forward. “Listen, fuckwad. Be glad she got to you before I did or you wouldn’t be able to stand right now.”
Eric appraised the situation and wisely backed away.
“You have a mean right hook,” the other guy said with a laugh. “I’m Nate. Nate Tucker.”
“Olivia.” She looked at him for the first time and felt a strange flutter in her chest. “Olivia Thompson.”
Olivia had never seen this guy until that moment. But when she looked into his eyes, she felt like she was looking at an old friend.
Nate found some ice for her hand and they sat in the grass at the edge of the lawn and laughed and joked for hours. Olivia couldn’t remember the last time she had enjoyed being around someone so much.
The sun was rising when they finally walked home, Nate insisting on walking her all the way to her dorm even though his was on the other side of campus.
“So… I have to ask for your number,” he said, ducking his head shyly.
Olivia was surprised. Even though they had a good time together, she hadn’t expected him to want to see her again. She wasn’t exactly the type of girl that attracted guys like him. He was out of her league.
“You want my number? Why?” she asked stupidly.
“Because I’m pretty sure I need you in my life, Olivia Thompson.” He smiled hopefully. “You feel it, right?”
She didn’t have to ask him to explain. She did feel it. They had a connection.
So Olivia gave him her number and before he walked away, he said, “Remember this moment. This marks the beginning of a lifetime of moments like tonight.”
“Looking forward to it,” she said, taking a mental picture of his perfect smile and mesmerizing eyes.
She was certain that she would never forget that moment.
* * *
Olivia’s first conscious thought was that every inch of her body ached. Parts of her body that she didn’t know could hurt felt like they were on fire. Especially her left side.
She groaned and opened her eyes, squinting at the bright light above her. For just a second, she wondered if she was dead. But then she remembered the pain.
“Liv?”
Someone squeezed her hand.
“Nate?” she asked.
“Thank god.” His face appeared above her. “You’re awake.”
His eyes were bloodshot, his hair a mess, and his 5 o’clock shadow had fully set in. To Olivia, he had never looked better.
“You’re here.” She tried to reach up and touch his face, but her arms were too heavy.
He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead, his stubble tickling her skin. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good.” That was all it took for her to feel safe enough to close her eyes again.
Olivia spent three days in the hospital recovering from her injuries. After the first day, when she pleaded with Nate for him to go home and get some rest, and maybe a shower, she learned that Mark had been brought to the same hospital.
Even though he was in a coma and a machine was doing his breathing, Nate refused to leave her side with her attacker in such close proximity.
“You’re starting to smell,” she told him eventually.
He just shrugged. “My masculine scent is part of my appeal.”
Eventually Vince showed up and forced Nate from the room. He was gone just long enough to take a shower and change clothes. Then he was back, seated in the chair next to Olivia’s bed, his hand firmly wrapped around hers.
“Are you excited to get out of here?” Loni, the nurse, asked on the third day.
“No offense, but I’ll be happy to never see you again.” Olivia winced as Loni peeled away the gauze covering her wound.
Her ribs were still darkly bruised and tender. The bullet hole had been tightly sewed shut, but the skin was raw.
“No offense taken.” Loni started to clean the wound. “I’ll get you patched up and you can be on your way.”
“Guess I’ll h
ave to give up my bikini model career,” Olivia surmised, studying her injury. There was no doubt that she was going to have a nasty scar.
“What are you worried about? You’re already got yourself a handsome man.” Loni’s eyes sparkled with humor. “I don’t think he’s going to mind this at all.”
As if on cue, Nate stuck his head around the curtain.
“Man, that thing is looking nasty,” he said, completely oblivious to the conversation he had interrupted.
“You know exactly the right thing to say to a girl,” Olivia replied with a sigh.
Nate plopped down on the bed next to her. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
“You’re full of shit,” Olivia replied, smiling as his arm went around her shoulders.
Loni finished cleaning the wound and covered it with fresh gauze. “You’ll be surprised at how well it heals. I wouldn’t give up on that bikini model career yet.”
When Loni was gone, Olivia asked. “Any news on Mark?”
She could feel the muscles in Nate’s shoulders and chest tighten. “He’s still in a coma. The doctor isn’t sure that he will ever wake up.”
“A big part of me wishes that he had died in that house,” she admitted.
“Me too.” Nate squeezed her arm. “Try not to think about him. You deserved to get on with your life.”
“Our life,” she corrected, smiling up at him. “Unless you’ve changed your mind about that…”
Nate kissed her softly. “Never. You are stuck with me, Olivia Thompson. We have a whole lifetime, remember?”
“I remember,” she said. “Now take me home so we can get started.”
“Looking forward to it,” he replied, flashing that same perfect smile she had loved for the last twelve years.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
It took another week before Olivia was able to move around easily on her own. Nate had pretty much moved into her place in that time. He had even taken over part of her closet. When he left work each day, he didn’t return to his apartment. He went straight to Olivia. She was his world.
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