Meg gave a shaky laugh. “It’ll take more than that to kill his nasty ass.”
“Come on, let’s get out of here before someone comes.”
Evan took her hand. They crept toward the door. The coast was clear. They snuck down the stairs. Meg vowed someday she would make Larry pay for what he’d done to her parents, for what he’d done to those poor girls.
She glanced at Evan where he peered tensely around the corner, checking to see if anyone was around.
And for what he’d done to Evan.
Guilt clenched at her gut. They’d hurt Evan badly. Raped and beat him. And it was all her fault. She was the one who’d gotten Evan involved.
“Let’s go,” Evan whispered. “Someone’s coming.”
They ran for the front door just as Larry came bounding down the stairs. Meg caught a glimpse of Larry’s enraged face as she and Evan slipped outside, leaving Larry’s “house of pleasure” behind.
Meg and Evan ran out into the street and flagged down a car. The driver gave them a ride home. When they got to Meg’s house, they were both surprised to see Evan’s car parked there. Meg knew Larry had brought the car there to keep his “pleasure house” hidden. After Evan left, she crept inside to check on Curtis, fearing Larry had killed him too to punish her for escaping.
Curtis sat in a lounge chair in the backyard, smoking a doobie, obviously unharmed. Meg breathed a sigh of relief and rushed to hug him. His eyes widened. He squeezed her in a tight hug.
“You’re alive! I thought you were dead!”
Her throat seized up. Nodding, she sank into the chair next to his. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered.
He looked confused. “Me? You’re the one who’s been missing. Yours and Evan’s pictures have been all over the news and Larry’s has been on T.V., saying he’s going to punish whoever kidnapped you.” He studied her a moment in silence. “Did he find you and free you?”
Meg snorted. “Hardly. Evan and I escaped.” She couldn’t tell Curtis the truth. She couldn’t endanger him that way.
Curtis eyed her a moment. “Good for you. You always were the stronger twin.” He gave her another hug, then rose from the chair. “If anyone kidnapped me, I’d probably just cower in the corner and let them kill me.” He flicked his hand in a wave. “I’m outta here.”
Meg watched sadly as his lanky figure disappeared into the darkness. Only then did she let the horror of what had happened to her and Evan begin to sink in. She started to shake, then squeezed her eyes shut as she relived the nightmare of the past few days. She curled her legs beneath her. Her eyes filled with tears. Then she burst into sobs.
With her parents murdered and her brother addicted to drugs, she felt so alone.
There was no one to comfort her, no one to tell her everything would be all right. No one to help her take Larry down.
She was on her own.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“What happened then?” Zach asked gently. “What did you do?”
She cleared her throat. “I made an anonymous call to the authorities and told them about Larry’s pleasure house and the things that went on there. I knew I couldn’t tell them my name, or they’d just laugh at me.”
She sighed. “But Larry must have anticipated that, because he cleaned up his pleasure house and there was no evidence when the cops got there. They found nothing there, no evidence, no girls, nothing. So they couldn’t charge him with anything.”
Zach squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry.”
She gave a quick nod. “I made one last attempt to get John, the assistant D.A., to investigate Larry. He said he’d look into it, but he never did anything. I think he was too scared.”
“Why didn’t Evan say anything?” Zach asked. “If he was abused by them, wouldn’t he have made a good witness?”
Meg’s heart twisted painfully. Evan was gone, because of her. Oh Evan.
“I couldn’t put Evan through that. Everyone would have known what happened to him. He would have been humiliated. Mocked. Made fun of.”
“Like you?” Zach murmured.
“Yes. Like me.” She lowered her gaze. “But I was used to it. People made fun of me because of my Tourette’s anyway. I could handle it.”
“I think you could handle a hell of a lot,” he murmured. “You are one courageous lady.”
Heat rushed into her cheeks. “I am not. If I was courageous, I would have just killed Larry outright instead of waiting all these years trying to put a case together against him.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Killing another person isn’t easy. It’s not something I would want you to have to do.”
She held his gaze for a long moment, wondering how many people he’d killed in Iraq. She decided not to ask. It was not something he would be proud of.
“I take it Evan’s dad never paid the ransom?”
She shook her head. “No. He ignored it. He was embarrassed that his son was gay and I don’t think he really cared what happened to Evan.” Her heart ached for Evan and all he’d gone through. She missed him already. “His father wouldn’t pay one cent to free him,” she whispered sadly.
Zach was silent for a long moment. “Have you ever in your life let anyone get close to you?” he asked gently.
Meg jerked her gaze away. “Just Evan.”
Zach squeezed her hand again, the gesture comforting.
She didn’t tell him she feared Larry was still after her for her. That she believed he still wanted to control her, possess her, make her his whore. She shuddered. That’s why she had to take him down first.
Though she’d sworn she wouldn’t let Larry ruin her life, that’s exactly what Larry had done. For fifteen years, Meg had been unable to get close to anyone except Evan. She kept people at a distance. She never fell in love. She rebuffed any man’s attempt to get to know her better. What she’d seen in that house had sickened her. She’d vowed no man would ever do to her what those girls had had done to them.
Even though Larry left her alone after her failed attempt to bring justice down upon him, Meg couldn’t have a normal relationship with another human being, and it was only partly because of her Tourette’s. Whenever she thought about those poor girls and their helpless sobs, she vowed no man would ever control her like that.
Somewhere deep inside, she knew all men weren’t like that. That when a man loved a woman, he treated her with respect, that he wouldn’t leer at her or grope her the way Larry had done, that he wouldn’t try to control her. But Larry had ruined that for her. The psychological trauma of what he’d done stayed with her even now, fifteen years later. Meg admitted to herself that she was a control freak. She had to be in control of every single aspect of her life. Every tiny bit. The thought of anyone trying to control her, in any way, terrified her. If she kept people at a distance, they couldn’t try to control her. She refused to admit how lonely she was, how difficult it was being so alone for so many years. She’d done what she must to survive.
“That’s why you’re so afraid of handcuffs,” Zach murmured, more to himself than to her. “I’m sorry.”
She shrugged, avoiding his gaze, not wanting him to know how right he was.
Zach studied her for a long moment. “I have a friend who can help you. He’s with the FBI. I already talked to him about you. He said he can put you in protective custody.”
Meg lowered her gaze, fear clenching her chest. She trusted Zach, but she wasn’t sure if she could trust his friend. Trusting anyone in law enforcement was a huge risk. She had no idea who was honest and who was corrupt. What if Zach’s friend handed her over to Larry?
“I’ll think about it.”
She trusted Zach. The knowledge frightened her and filled her with relief at the same time. She’d never trusted anyone except Evan before. She’d just told Zach her biggest secret, about her time in captivity, something only she and Evan knew about. She was amazed how good it felt to finally tell someone about something so private. She found she wante
d to tell Zach more. She cleared her throat.
“For a long time, I thought all men were evil, that Evan was the only good one, and he was gay.” She choked out a laugh that quickly turned into a sob. She squeezed her eyes shut and forced the pain aside. God, she was going to miss Evan. Dear, sweet Evan who’d died because of her.
She drew in a shaky breath. “And then I met you.” Meg glanced at Zach out of the corner of her eye.
“You were different,” she admitted, “and that scared me. I saw kindness in you. Honesty. Goodness.”
Zach met her gaze. His eyes filled with tenderness. “Thank you,” he whispered.
She stared down at her lap. “Even though I told myself all men were like Larry, I don’t think I really believed it, but Larry had messed with my head and after what I saw at that house…I don’t know. I guess I was just scared, afraid of being controlled by someone, used like that. And a part of me was terrified he would somehow find out if I ever, you know, slept with a man, and I knew what Larry was capable of, and I didn’t want Larry to kill anyone…” She trailed off, embarrassed. “He threatened to kill anyone who touched me.” Heat crept into her cheeks. She wondered if Zach had figured out what she had just admitted without actually saying it. She chanced a quick glance askance at him, afraid of what he’d think.
Several different emotions flickered across his face. He wasn’t hiding his feelings from her anymore. The indifferent mask he’d worn over the past few days was gone. Meg could see him struggle internally with something, then he asked, “Is that why you’re so afraid to get close to me?”
She expelled a breath. “Partially.”
He waited, watching her face. Her heart thundered. She couldn’t tell him anymore right now. She was afraid to. She wasn’t sure if Zach would understand. She wasn’t sure if she understood.
“Partially?” he repeated softly. He squeezed her hand again.
She jerked her gaze back to his.
“God, he really messed you up, didn’t he?” Zach lifted a finger to trail it gently down her cheek. Meg trembled, pulling her face away. Zach sighed and lowered his hand.
“What is it? Stop doing that. Stop pulling way.” She could hear the hurt in his voice. “You should know I would never, ever hurt you.”
Meg closed her eyes and let out a breath. “I know. I’m just…not used to anyone touching me. And you’re just so…different from Evan, from anyone I’ve ever known.”
He puffed out a breath. “And that’s bad because…?”
Meg swallowed. She didn’t want to have this conversation with him. But he was watching her closely, a guarded expression on his face.
“Because you’re so…so…masculine.” Heat flooded her cheeks and she turned her face away.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
She drew in a nervous breath. Pulling away from him, she rose from the couch. He didn’t stop her, but a hurt look entered his eyes.
“Meghan?”
Meg stepped away from the couch. “I’ve kept you up long enough. Why don’t you go to bed? I’ll sleep on the couch.”
Zach leapt up from the couch so fast that he startled her. She took a wary step back.
“You’re running away from me again,” he whispered as he advanced on her. “Stop running from me. Explain to me what you were just talking about. I want to understand.”
Meg backed away from him. “You’re scaring me,” she whispered.
He continued to advance on her. “Why?” he said softly. “Because I’m getting too close? Making you admit feelings you’ve been denying?”
Heat scorched her cheeks. She backed up until she hit the wall by the kitchen. “Please.”
“Please what? Tell me what you were trying to say. If you know I’m not going to hurt you, then what are you so afraid of?”
He stopped in front of her, placing a hand on the wall on either side of her head. Caging her in.
Meg’s heart slammed into her ribs. Her breath came in rapid pants.
“You’re crowding me.”
“I know.” He waited, his gaze never leaving hers. “Tell me.”
Her eyes filled with tears. He wanted her to admit something she hadn’t even admitted to herself yet. She opened her mouth and the truth tumbled out.
“Y-you know now that Evan was gay, that I felt safe with him, that he was my best friend. He was more like a girl than a guy, really. But you, you’re so, so, so…” Her arm twitched, once, twice. She drew in a deep breath and whispered, “Manly and you make my stomach fill with butterflies and my heart go flippity-flop and my breath catch and my skin heat and sometimes I think I want you to kiss me, but then I get scared when you look at me with…” she swallowed hard. “With that hungry look and I…”
Zach leaned forward, his gaze intense on hers. “What hungry look?” He gently brushed his lips against hers, a butterfly kiss. Fleeting and soft and then…gone. She sucked in a breath. Oh God.
He leaned back, his eyes smoldering. “This hungry look?”
Meg let out a soft gasp as she stared up into his eyes. Those slate-gray orbs blazed with a hunger so intense it sent flames of desire shooting throughout her entire body. She trembled, her stomach filling with butterflies. Her breath caught, her heartrate kicked up, heat flamed through her. She had no doubt that he was hungry for her.
“Y-yes.”
His gaze stayed on hers as he lowered his mouth again until his lips gently touched hers, feather-like soft. He retreated, gazing down at her. He brushed his lips against hers again, tenderly, then retreated. Again. Softly, seductively. And again. As if he was sampling her, testing her, seeing what she would let him do. He didn’t touch her with anything except his mouth, his lips expertly seducing her, making her weak, making her forget her fears, making her want more. Meg shivered with longing, her heart racing, and let out a sigh as she tentatively kissed him back.
He kept kissing her, drawing back, and kissing her again. Over and over. Relentlessly. She melted, going limp against the wall as heat shot through her, settling deep into her core. Her heart pounded. Her eyelids drifted closed. She let out a soft moan, her arms coming up to clutch at his shirt. His taste, his smell, the hard muscles beneath her hands filled her senses, consuming her, making her weak with longing. Her fingers tightened in his shirt, holding on for dear life.
Why hadn’t anyone ever told her kissing would be so wonderful? That Zach could make her feel all soft and weak and wanton and needy and desperate and…desirable.
His mouth left hers to press soft kisses across her cheek, down her throat, then back up behind her ear.
“Does this hurt?” he whispered against her ear. “Am I hurting you?”
She shivered and shook her head.
“What about this?” He brushed his lips against the corner of her mouth.
She whimpered. “N-no.”
“And this?” He pressed his lips to hers, softly, tenderly coaxing her lips apart. At her soft moan, his tongue swept inside, seeking hers. She gasped, startled at the invasion. No one had dared kiss her like that before. He drew back, watching her with that smoldering look in his eyes.
“Jesus,” he said softly. “You were telling the truth.”
Her heart hammering wildly, she stared up at him as heat swam into her cheeks. Embarrassed, she pushed against his chest. “Let me go. I’m not some experiment you can play around with.” Her chest tightened, her throat squeezing with humiliation. Her face burned.
His gaze narrowed. “Is that what you think I was doing?”
Her breath hitched. She swallowed. “You were testing me, seeing how much experience I had, seeing if I was telling the truth, truth, truth.” Her arm twitched, once, twice.
“The hell I was.” He almost snarled the words at her. “I was kissing you the way I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment I met you.” He paused, his gaze boring into hers. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “And I was just getting started, sweetheart. There’s so many more places I want to kiss
you. Do you have any idea how much I want you?”
Her cheeks flamed. She stared up at him, speechless. Oh dear God, she wanted him to kiss her. Everywhere. She shivered with longing.
“Dad?”
Zach let out a low growl of frustration and spun away from Meg, turning toward the stairs. His cheeks turned pink.
Kristen stood at the top of the landing, staring down at them. “Did you catch the bad guys? Is everything okay now?”
Meg pushed away from the wall, her cheeks burning. She didn’t know how much Kristen may have seen or heard, but she was relieved by the interruption.
“Yeah.” Zach raked a hand through his hair. “Meghan’s going to stay here tonight. Would you show her to my room? I’m going to sleep on the couch.”
Kristen hesitated, then glanced over at Meg. Meg didn’t need any further encouragement. She hurried past Zach without looking at him and raced up the stairs.
She didn’t dare look over her shoulder to see if Zach watched her leave.
Because she was terrified that if she did, she’d see the same longing she feared was mirrored in her own eyes.
A longing that scared her so badly, she fled.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Zach tossed and turned on the couch, unable to sleep, unable to get Meghan out of his head. Hell, she’d tasted better than he’d imagined. He’d wanted to do more, he’d wanted to touch her, show her how good it could be between them, show her that making love was nothing like what she’d witnessed in that house fifteen years ago. He wanted his hands on her, everywhere. But he’d held himself back, knowing he’d have to seduce her slowly, tenderly or he’d frighten her away. He’d been so close to touching her when Kristen had interrupted them.
He should have been relieved by the interruption, but he wasn’t. He was frustrated. He’d lain here in a state of painful arousal for the past several hours. He’d never wanted a woman the way he wanted Meghan, but he had a feeling trying to get close to her again wasn’t going to be easy.
He still couldn’t believe she’d managed to reach the age of thirty-two without ever having been truly kissed. And damn, she had a sweet, luscious mouth. The thought of being the man to show her all about lovemaking filled him with a mixture of tenderness and anticipation. Meghan was a rarity, one of a kind. She was special. All he could think about was kissing her again. Getting his hands on her…
Deceived (Unlikely Heroes Book 3) Page 23