“So you hire her, move her into your home, buy her things, and expect people to believe you’re not sleeping with her?”
The State Attorney looked like he wanted to slap Dean. “Objection!”
“Sustained.”
“I wish to answer that.”
Dean turned, shocked. The judge nodded. “Go ahead, Mr. Paulson.”
“Sleep with her? Yes, we have both ‘slept’ with Ms. Barton,” Tyler angrily said. “She went into hysterics in the doctor’s office and had to be sedated, thanks to Mr. LaRougue’s version of tender loving care. We had to sleep with our bedroom door open to hear her when she awoke, sobbing with panic, Mr. Dean, so one of us could hold her while she cried herself back to sleep. For several weeks, one of us had to sleep with her, as in stay in her room, so any of us could get any sleep. There was nothing sexual about that. She wouldn’t leave our home for nearly two weeks because of her injuries. It took her months to feel comfortable being alone in our home without one of us there.”
He turned a hard eye to Alex. “Then he tried to kill her again and nearly succeeded. She did nothing to him. I hope there’s a special hell for him.”
Dean looked shocked. “Move to strike.”
“Overruled. You asked, he answered. I suggest you finish with the witness if you have nothing further, Mr. Dean.”
“No further questions.”
That’s when the adrenaline shakes hit Tyler and he struggled to maintain his composure. If the jury acquitted Alex because of his outburst, he’d never forgive himself. He just couldn’t hold it in.
“Redirect?”
The State Attorney shook his head. “No.”
“The witness is excused.”
On shaky legs, Tyler stood and walked past Bob. Bob followed. Tyler caught his arm outside the door. “Will you take them home?”
“Sure, but—”
“Thank you.” Tyler turned and took long, quick strides down the hall, away from the witness room. Bob lost sight of him in the crowded corridor.
* * * *
Tyler loosened his tie and jogged to the Lexus once outside the courthouse.
What a fucking arsehole, Paulson. You’ve done it again.
All she’d asked was for him to stay calm, and he couldn’t even do that one little thing for her. He beat his hands on the steering wheel.
“Fuck!” he screamed inside the closed car. He caught a glimpse of himself in the rear view mirror as he removed his tie.
They’d be better off without him. For now, at least. He couldn’t stand to face her, or Thomas. How would he ever look them in the eye again if they let the bastard go? All because he couldn’t do one little thing his angel had asked.
God, the fucking media would go batshit over him losing it on the stand. Christ.
He started the car and took off.
* * * *
“What do you mean he left?”
Bob tried to pry Nevvie’s hand from his arm. “He asked me to take you home. I’m assuming he left.”
“Shit!” Nevvie bolted from the witness room, Thomas on her heels.
Panicked, she pushed through people, praying he hadn’t left yet. She ripped her BlackBerry from its holster and dared glance down for a second to speed-dial his number.
Straight to voice mail.
She heard Thomas behind her yelling for her to wait. She didn’t slow, trying to make it to the parking garage. As she rounded the corner, Tyler’s Lexus turned right, headed for the interstate.
“Tyler!” she screamed, running after him. She finally gave up at the corner, trying to catch her breath.
Thomas caught up with her. “Did you see him?”
She nodded, unable to speak, and pointed.
“He’s gone?”
She nodded, falling into his arms.
* * * *
Thomas kept a steadying arm around her waist for the walk back to the courthouse. He suspected Tyler lost it on the stand.
Bob waited for them in the witness room. “What happened?” Thomas asked.
The attorney took a deep breath. “It wasn’t bad. It helped the prosecution.”
“Bob,” Nevvie whispered. “Please.”
Bob retold Tyler’s emotional outburst. She closed her eyes. “Shit,” she whispered. “I knew he’d do it. He’s running.”
Both men looked at her. “What?”
“He thinks he’s fucked it up. He promised me he’d stay calm and he didn’t. He’s trying to get away because he thinks that will take the pressure off us.”
The State Attorney entered the room. “Jury’s got it.” He looked at them. “Where’s Mr. Paulson?”
Thomas shook his head. “Apparently he wasn’t happy with his performance on the stand.”
“Oh. Well, I think he sealed our case. I looked at the jury when he was talking. All the women looked teary, and damn near half the men, too.”
* * * *
Thomas was going to take Nevvie to get coffee when a bailiff entered the witness room. “Jury’s back.”
Bob scowled, glancing at his watch. “They have a question?”
Bailiff shook his head. “Verdict.”
“What? It’s only been fifteen minutes!”
Bailiff shook his head again. “Nope, ten. Took me a minute to get in here to tell you.”
Nevvie’s heart caught in her throat. “Is this bad, Bob?”
“I don’t know, but let’s get in there.”
Thomas held her hand as they followed Bob into the gallery. The judge returned and the jury entered. Nevvie couldn’t decipher the judge’s face when he read the paper before handing it to the bailiff to return to the foreman.
She closed her eyes and felt Thomas’ fingers grip hers, Bob’s arm around her shoulders.
“Will the foreman please read the verdict?”
“On the first count, of attempted murder, we find the defendant guilty.”
Nevvie slumped against Thomas, trying not to cry while Bob patted her on the back. She didn’t even hear all of the verdicts.
Alex screamed as the judge ordered him remanded to custody.
When they dragged Alex from the courtroom, Nevvie finally took a deep breath and smiled, then hugged Thomas and Bob.
The prosecutor walked over, and she hugged him too. “Thank you,” she said. “I can’t tell you how much.”
“It’s my job. Sentencing’s on Monday.” He looked at Bob. “Coordinate with my office. We’ll see you then.”
Bob put his hand on her back and guided her out of the courthouse. Thomas followed a couple of steps behind, wanting to hold her hand but afraid to with reporters hanging around. Once they were safely in Bob’s car and speeding away from downtown, Thomas turned to her.
“You okay, sugar?” He reached an arm over the seat and she gripped his hand.
“We’ve got to find him, Thomas.”
* * * *
The first entrance ramp Tyler found led him to I-275 south. He followed it across the Bay, through St. Pete, and over the Sunshine Skyway. When he pulled out his wallet to pay the toll he realized not only was he low on cash, but missing his ATM card, too.
Dammit. What next?
When he reached the junction to pick up I-75, he blindly chose south.
Why not?
Maybe Miami. Get a room for a few days, let things die down. Once there he’d send Nevvie a text message so she could quit worrying. The last thing they needed—she needed—was him around.
If she even still wanted him around after that outburst.
Then another thought. No, not Miami. Why not the Keys? He’d never been. A little impromptu escape to the bottom of the continental US, still large enough to afford him some anonymity. Miami was huge and frankly the thought of finding a room there intimidated him. He wasn’t at all familiar with it like he was New York.
Key West then.
* * * *
Bob drove them home. Nevvie’s heart sank when they rounded the corner and saw Tyler’s Lexus wasn’t there.
/> “Dammit,” Thomas swore.
Nevvie kept trying Tyler’s cell. Every call went straight to voice mail without ringing.
“You want me to hang out for a while?” Bob asked.
“No, we’ll call you if we need you.”
Thomas followed her into the house and sat at the kitchen table. “Where do you think he is, Nev?”
“I don’t know. Where do you think he’d go?”
“He’s never disappeared like this before.” He ran his hands through his hair and pulled off his tie. “Jesus, I’m worried about him.”
“Well, he won’t get far with ten dollars in his pocket. I emptied his wallet this morning while he was in the shower.”
Thomas snorted. “Well, no offense, but he can hit an ATM, sugar.”
She reached into her pocket and held up the card. “You mean with this card?”
Thomas sat back. “Jesus Christ, Nev. But he’s still got credit cards, or did you swipe those, too?”
“No, but I can track those online.”
His jaw dropped. “I think you just earned the title of head evil genius in this house. How the hell did you know he’d run?”
“I had a feeling he’d explode on the stand. I wasn’t sure how he’d react.”
“That’s why you were pissed this morning. You wanted me to hold the keys.”
“I love you, Tom, but—”
He opened his arms to her. “I know, leave this kind of thinking to you two.”
She rested her chin on his head, wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “You’re a smart man.”
“Let’s face it. I’m a moron when it comes to this shit. I’m a guy, pure and simple, and I know it. That’s why I leave this kind of stuff for you and Tyler to handle.” He took a deep breath. In a quiet voice he asked, “Is he going to be okay? Do you think he’ll hurt himself?”
“We’ll get him back safe, Tommy. I promise.”
She held him tightly while he broke down crying.
“I can’t lose him, Nev. I love him so much. I mean, I love you, too, but I can’t lose him.”
“We won’t lose him.”
“I’m scared, Nevvie. I’m scared for him.”
“He’s trying to come to grips with the fact that he can’t make this better.”
“Fuck, can’t he understand we don’t need him to make it better?”
“No. He can’t.”
“What?”
She pulled a chair next to him and held his hands. He was so sweet, and at the same time so painfully stupid when it came to this kind of stuff.
“Thomas, his life revolves around making things better, and us telling him we love him. If we never did anything else for him again in this life except tell him we love and want him, he’s happy. He wants to protect us from this, and he can’t and he feels guilty.”
“He doesn’t need to protect us. We can take care of ourselves.”
“You and I know that. He needs to do it anyway.” She met his eyes. “How do you feel about him when he goes on trips?”
“I worry about him, that he stays safe.”
“Why?”
He couldn’t hold her gaze. “I’m afraid something will happen.”
“Why?” she pressed. “He’s a grown man, older than you. When I’m with him, you tell me to take care of him. Tell me why you feel like that.”
He shrugged. “It’s my job.”
“Becaaaaauuuse?” Come on, Tommy, give me what I want.
He sighed and looked at her. “Because I’m worried someone will hurt him. I’m the ‘guy’ and he’s the ‘girl.’ I get it. I’m not a total idiot.”
“I’m not saying you’re an idiot. When I go out on errands, or we go out of town together, you don’t act the same with me that you do with him.”
He opened his mouth to protest then stopped.
“Admit it. In some ways you think I’m stronger than him.”
He studied her. “You’re a lot more street smart than he is.”
“It’s more than that, Thomas. I’ve never seen you fuck him the way you fuck me.”
She ignored the confusion in his eyes. “Nevvie, you said you didn’t want to—”
“I don’t mean anal sex. I mean you guys get hot and heavy, but you’re always gentle with him, very careful.”
“I don’t want to hurt him.”
She tried again, needing him to get this if he was going to help her bring Tyler home and heal him. “You fuck me a helluva lot harder than you fuck him. You nearly put the bed through the wall sometimes when you fuck me.”
“I thought you liked that.”
“I do like it. How many times have you heard me beg him to fuck me harder?”
He studied her. “It’s like he’s afraid of hurting you.”
“I’m your biker mama. I get down and dirty with you. I love every minute of it.”
He closed his eyes. “I’m gentle with him because I’m afraid I’ll hurt him. You’re his angel, he thinks he has to protect you, and I think I have to protect him, and he tries to take care of both of us. Jesus Christ, you’re as spooky as he is. See, you’re the translator. You complete us.”
“You’re our anchor. You’re strong for both of us. But you also know how strong I really am. He feels guilty that Alex knocked him out.”
“The guy hit him with a chair! He might have knocked me out if he’d hit me like that.”
“It’s who he is. He’s sensitive, but he’s a guy, too. His pride is bruised that he didn’t protect me. He’s hurting, and he’s afraid to reach out to us, because he’s afraid if he leans on us that it’ll hurt us and that we won’t want him anymore. Remember, he still blames himself for all of this. He’s scared because I made him promise to stay calm and he didn’t. He doesn’t realize what he did was okay. He hates himself right now.”
He patted her thigh. “Find him, Nevvie. Whatever we’ve got to do, just find him. Use that crazy psychic crap you’ve got with him.”
She walked into Tyler’s office and powered up his laptop. Thomas watched over her shoulder while she went through the credit card accounts, looking for any recent purchases.
Finally, she found one and pointed. “Sarasota.” She had an idea where he was headed, but didn’t know for sure.
He nodded. “Let’s go. Bring that with you, and the aircard.”
* * * *
It took them fifteen minutes to pack an overnight bag, change clothes and get on the road. When they reached Sarasota she checked again, found another receipt for a fast food restaurant further south on I-75. They refueled and got back on the interstate. Tyler still had his cell phone off, calls going straight to voice mail.
By dark he’d stopped again for gas, this time in Naples.
“He’s heading for the Keys,” she said. With the aircard connected she refreshed the browser every fifteen minutes. They were still at least one hundred miles behind him.
“How can you tell? He could be heading for Miami.”
“I just know.” She looked at him. “You said you guys talked about it. He’s trying to put distance between him and us. In his mind, probably to keep the press away.”
“I know you’ll find him. Whatever we’ve got to do to get him home safe, I’ll do it. You tell me what you need me to do.”
At midnight, Tyler finally reached exhaustion. A receipt for a hotel in Key Largo appeared on the account. She patted Tom’s arm. “We’ve got him.”
They reached the hotel ninety minutes later. Nevvie left Thomas in the truck, parked next to Tyler’s Lexus, and walked to the office. A small, family-owned place from the look of it, maybe she could bullshit her way through this.
Even better, the desk clerk looked young, probably right out of high school. Nevvie put on a friendly smile. “Hi, I’m with Tyler Paulson, I’m his personal assistant. I need to get another room. We were late getting out of Tampa, and he told us to meet him here. You have another room, right?”
The girl nodded, smiling. “Sure. You wan
t the one next to him?”
“That would be great. There’s two of us.” She filled out paperwork. “Oh, I need two keys. And Ty asked me to pick up a spare for his room. Can you do that?” She smiled at the girl.
“I’m not sure—”
Nevvie laid Tyler’s ATM card, which doubled as a MasterCard, on the counter. “And he told me to put everything on this.”
The girl was, fortunately, not the brightest bulb on the branch. She smiled when she saw Tyler’s name on the card. “Sure, no problem. He seems like such a sweetie. I’ve read all his books. I’ve never met anyone famous before.” The girl worked on the check-in, and Nevvie surreptitiously read the paperwork upside down from her side of the counter.
“He’s in 208, right? I think that’s what he told me, but I didn’t write it down.”
“Yep. You’ll be in 210.”
Nevvie returned to the truck. “Let’s go.”
“Did you find out what room he’s in?” Thomas asked.
She held up the key card. “Of course I did.”
Thomas shook his head as he grabbed the laptop case and overnight bag. “Freaking evil geniuses. Both of you.”
They quietly walked past their assigned room. She whispered in Thomas’ ear. “Look through the peephole, see if the lights are on.”
He did and shook his head.
She put the keycard in and prayed Tyler stayed true to form. She carefully pushed on the door, holding her breath until it swung open unimpeded.
Tyler was asleep on his side facing away from them. She motioned Tom in and silently closed the door, holding the latch, then easing the knob shut. She flipped the safety bar.
In the light spilling from the hall she’d seen the half-empty liquor bottle on the bedside table. He’d spent his cash on liquid comfort.
They undressed in the dark, their eyes growing accustomed to the faint glow from the security lights sneaking in around the edges of the curtains. She walked to the far side of the bed. Kneeling in front of Tyler, she slid the sheet down. He was naked. Well, that made her job easier.
Thomas curled his body around his lover. Tyler stirred but didn’t completely awaken. She smelled the bourbon on his breath.
Love Slave for Two Collection [Box Set 7] (Love Slave for Two .5-4) Page 55