“We’ll talk later, Zack. Right now, I’d like to go to the hospital, if you don’t mind.”
With that, she was gone.
Justin knew she’d be in pretty bad condition when they found her, so he had an ambulance waiting just outside when they rescued her. Her coolness toward Zack nearly broke his heart when the man looked so forlorn watching them leave.
“Okay.”
It was all Zack said as he debated whether or not he should even meet her there. He was certain she’d hate him now for all she’d gone through, but he knew he couldn’t stay away from her, even if he tried. And he had no intentions of trying.
***
Katie carefully sipped on some water.
“So, what happened to Randall?”
Justin had thought it best she stay in the hospital until her injuries healed a bit more. Zack had stayed by her side not saying a word the entire time, which was so unlike him it made her very nervous and fidgety.
“The police charged him with kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, and battery. He should go away for a very long time,” Matt said as he made his way into the room, surprising her.
Annie sat next to Zack, vigilantly looking over her daughter. It seemed that the ordeal had stolen her mother’s words, as well, and it was starting to get on her nerves something fierce.
Thinking how much they must all hate her for not following the plan and getting herself captured by a monster, Katie tried for days to keep her head down, but the silence was deafening. She couldn’t take it anymore.
“I’m sorry, okay?”
All four faces met hers as tears spilled down her cheek. Seeing their stunned expressions, she continued. “I didn’t think he’d be able get to me with everyone watching. I thought I could take a few minutes to myself before I came up, but he grabbed me from behind with the cloth that had that drug thing on it that makes a person pass out right away.”
“Chloroform,” Justin said.
“Yes, that stuff. I didn’t mean for him to take me. I know we had a plan, and I just messed everything up.”
Zack just watched as each of her family members tried to comfort her, but he was so pissed at himself that he couldn’t let her take the blame for his actions.
“Could we have the room, please?”
Crap, he was going to have to tell her how much she should hate him. He didn’t want to live without her, but letting her go was obviously for the best.
Everyone left the room, just looking back at him without saying anything.
“Zack, I…”
He just sat on the bed next to her and placed his finger over her lips.
“Shush. Katie, this is all my fault. I know you probably hate me for it, but I wish I could have done things differently so you wouldn’t have been taken and hurt so badly.”
She watched as the pain flashed in his eyes.
“I’ll move the boxes back to your place and unpack them for you so you can be home when you get out of here.”
Understanding hit her like a ton of bricks as she realized that he didn’t hate her. He hated himself.
“You don’t want to be together anymore?”
He hung his head, but didn’t say a word. He just held onto her hand as his tears began to fall.
“How? If you hate me because I put you in here, how could we possibly get past that? It’s all my fault that he grabbed you. If I hadn’t…”
He wasn’t sure what to be sorry for, there were so many things he now realized that had put her in harm’s way, and Randall’s path.
“Zack, look at me.”
But he couldn’t bear to see her hate him when he loved her so much.
“Please, Zack, look at me.”
She put her finger under his chin to lift his head, so he could see her before she continued.
When he met her gaze, he didn’t see hate. What he saw instead made his insides tingle.
“I don’t want to go back to the condo. I want to be with you. I love you, and I thought we were supposed to get through this together.”
A tear spilled from the corner of her eye as his continued to fall. Having put her in harm’s way, nearly losing her, and blaming himself for everything had taken a huge toll on his mental well-being.
“You don’t want to leave me?”
“Leave you?” She huffed out her exasperation. “No, I can’t do that. I love you too much. Besides, this isn’t your fault.”
“Oh, but baby, you’re wrong. It’s all my fault.”
Shifting to get a better look at him, she tried to turn her body toward him, but the pain made it nearly impossible.
“See? This is what I’m talking about! You need to rest, not worry about me.”
Livid with himself for letting her move enough to cause herself pain, Zack got up to help her turn a little on the bed.
“Zack, you didn’t do this to me that monster did.”
“Yes, but I put you in his path.”
“No, I put myself in his path years ago. He just didn’t want to let me go.”
“I met him months ago.”
“Which he planned.”
“What?”
Shocked, Zack fell back into the seat next to the bed.
“He planned that. He told me at the marina. It appears he’s known where I was this whole time, and has been messing with my head to punish me. You did nothing wrong. You could never hurt me or put me in the path of a lunatic who nearly killed me.”
“But the plan…”
“Fell apart because of my stupidity. The plan itself was perfect. If I hadn’t taken more time outside than I needed, I wouldn’t have been taken, and we could have saved ourselves all this suffering.”
“Oh, God, Katie, when I realized you were gone, I lost it.”
“I figured you would, and that kept me going. It actually gave me the strength to get back to you.”
“Really? You were more worried about me, when he was…”
He couldn’t say it; it was enough that he would have to live with his mistakes as he watched her heal from them. Even though she didn’t see him as the one that had allowed this to happen, he still did. Her faith in him was something he would spend the rest of his life earning, if she’d let him.
“Zack?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“Take me home—to our home. Please?”
“Of course, baby.”
With that, he left the room to get her released into his care.
***
After some doing, Zack finally got Katie released. He’d insisted on carrying her out instead of using the wheelchair to take her to the car. She’d just held on for dear life while breathing him in. God, how she’d missed his smell. Pure Zack scent clung to her all the way back to his place, and she loved it.
She couldn’t hide the pain the bumps caused, but she didn’t say anything. He probably knew, though, because with every bump he’d just apologize over and over before slowing down. It took them nearly an hour and a half to get back to his house. It should have been about a twenty-minute ride, but he insisted they take it slow, even as cars honked and people passed by, flicking them off. He didn’t care one bit. All he cared about was getting her home. To their home.
“Zack?”
“Yeah, baby? You need some water? Bathroom? What can I do?”
Shaking her head, she couldn’t believe how caring he was. As soon as they stepped through the door, he declared that her feet weren’t allowed to hit the floor, he simply carried her everywhere she wanted to go, as well as the places he needed to go. Not letting her out of his sight should have irritated the hell out of her, but he made sure he didn’t smother her by keeping some distance when he sat her down somewhere. When he needed to place calls in the office, he brought her there to be in the same room with him, saying he wanted to keep an eye on her, but she knew otherwise. Since the attack, he just couldn’t let her out of his sight. The first few days she thought it was his way of reassuring her she was safe, but now she reali
zed that he’d also just enjoyed being with her.
“I’m going to get up for a walk outside.”
“I don’t think you should. If you want to go outside, I’ll take you.”
Making his way to her side, he prepared to pick her up, but Katie pushed his hands away.
“Zack, I need to get up. You’ve been carrying me for over a week. I feel better, and the doctor said I should move around now and then when I feel up to it.”
“Well, I don’t think you’re up to it. You’re pushing it, and it will set you back in recovering.”
Ignoring his assessment, Katie turned to put her feet on solid ground. She started to get up, but searing pain had her grabbing for the bedside table.
“See? You’re not ready yet! Let me take you.”
Smacking at his hands again, she pushed him away.
“No, I need to do this. Help me if you want, but I’m going to go outside—by myself.”
Dumbfounded, he set out his arm for her to grab ahold of as she moved across the room, slowly making her way toward the back of the house.
“At this rate, I’ll probably get there by Christmas.”
“Take your time. We are in no hurry.”
He was so supportive it had made her cry the first week back home.
“Wait.”
They stopped so she could catch her breath. Remembering a time when things like this little walk were nothing, anger began to take root in her heart.
“I don’t think I can do this!” she burst out so suddenly that he stepped back.
Gathering himself, he refused to pick her up. She needed to do this, he could see that now.
“You are doing this. We’ll do it together.”
He helped her along the way as she clung to his arm. Slowly they kept walking, taking a few breaks every dozen or so steps along the way until they reached the back patio, where he picked her up and placed her on the lounge chair.
“See? You did it.”
“Yeah, I suppose we did.”
She grinned up at him, but then he suddenly went down on one knee. It was so sudden she thought he might have collapsed—until she realized he had a box in his hand.
“Katie, when we met, I knew we’d be together forever. I just felt it. You kept me in the friend zone for more years than I cared to be there, but we learned a great deal about each other in that time. When you tripped over the boxes and cut your arm, that was the best day of my life, because I saw a way to be with you and get out of the friend zone.”
“Great, my pain brought us together.”
“Hush now, let me continue.”
He winked at her and she giggled.
“When you were taken, my world collapsed. I couldn’t sleep, I could barely breathe, and I thought I couldn’t live without you. I knew you were the one from the moment we met, and I was convinced you were when I thought I’d lost you.”
“I’m not sure this is the most romantic of proposals.”
She laughed as he opened the box to reveal the most beautiful pink diamond she’d ever seen.
“It may not be the most romantic proposal, but it is definitely our story. We’ve gotten through every hurdle put in our way-—together. Now I want to make our together permanent. Katelyn, will you marry me?”
Her hands started shaking before she got the words out.
“Yes!”
He slipped the ring onto her finger with a sigh and felt his world right itself once more.
Continue the series with Innocent Encounter.
Keep reading for more information.
About the Author
Normally not one to stand in the spotlight, Sarah grew up in the Midwest before the travel bug hit and she started wondering around the country. Long hikes, amazing views, and some of the most fun one could ever have with and without a companion. Sarah found her imagination wondering beyond the worlds she read about. Usually with an eBook in her hand on some device, Sarah delves between genres as her favorite style of writing is HEA romance. Now, as an author she writes what gets her attention. Contemporary romance, paranormal romance, erotica romance/erotica, and suspense she even finds her imagination best served when she explores the world of graphics as seen in picture books (children’s books).
Thank you for reading Isolated Encounter, the first book in the Meadow Pines Series. Don’t worry, I’m a sucker for HEA!
If you would like to support this author, you are encouraged to do so by letting others know how much you enjoyed this book.
For more information, including upcoming books and discounts visit:
Website: https://sarahalabaster.com
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Here is a list of books by Sarah Alabaster out now or coming soon. For more information stop by Sarah’s Book page on her website: http://sarahalabaster.com/books/ or on Sarah’s Amazon Author Page: http://geni.us/asabamzn:
Game of Hearts Series (Romance Mystery Suspense) http://geni.us/amzngmhrts
Heart Broken http://geni.us/amznhrtbrkn
Heart’s Desire http://geni.us/amznhrtdsr
Heart’s Obsession http://geni.us/amznhrtobss
Meadow Pines Series (Contemporary Romance) http://geni.us/amznmdwpns
Isolated Encounter http://geni.us/amznisltd
Innocent Encounter http://geni.us/amzninnenctr
Indecent Encounter http://geni.us/amznindctenctr
Fatal Encounter
His & Hers Series (Paranormal Romance) http://geni.us/amznhhs
His to Protect http://geni.us/amznhsprt
His to Cherish http://geni.us/amznhschr
Hers to Love http://geni.us/amznhrlv
Grand Lighthouse Series (Romantic Thriller)
Harbor Skies
Guiding Lighthouse
Parker Falls Series (MFM Erotic Romance)
Find Her
Keep Her
Save Her
Protect Her
Children’s Books
Penguin Getaway http://geni.us/penguingetaway
Dog in the Tree
Take a moment to read a sample of Heart’s Desire, the next book in the Game of Hearts Series.
HEART’S DESIRE
Game of Hearts Book 2
Prologue
“Shhh,” she hears as the burn begins to register.
It’s a fleeting sound that makes its way into the deepest corners of her psyche.
Thoughts of tomorrow rush past her as the unwelcome cloudiness begins its decent upon her being.
It’s the pain of the blade as it penetrates over and over, again and again, along with the burn that accompanies it each and every time.
“Shhh” is all she hears now, but she can’t figure out the voice that’s saying it.
Then the darkness welcomes itself to her. It’s the last thing she hears—the hush from a man who is trying to kill her.
***
It’s hard to tell where this all began, but for me this is the moment that embeds itself in my brain like a tape stuck on repeat. Over and over the moment takes hold, shattering what’s left of me. Over and over I hear the hush from someone I just can’t place.
Why won’t this stop? I ask myself as I gaze upon my reflection in the mirror. Flashes of that moment play once again in the background, like a memory just out of reach.
Why do I have to keep enduring this?
Looking up at the sky, I pray for an answer I know won’t come.
Why can’t this all just go away?
Burying my head in my hands, a tear slides down my cheek. I’m stuck in a nightmare.
But it’s been eight years!
I’m exasperated at once again having to relive this whole ordeal. My scars are just now beginning to fade from the deep reddish color they were to mor
e of a white that blends into my skin more and more every day.
Why can’t the memories fade as well?
It’s progress to finally be able to look at myself in the mirror without having to see what happened, but those stupid flashbacks bring it all back time and again. The stranglehold of the memories chokes me until I can barely breathe as it plays out in my mind. It draws out the devastation in my heart. I still can’t believe that the person who inflicted all this on me was never found. I can’t even remember who he was. I couldn’t give the police or anyone else the information they needed to find him.
It kills me that I’ve never got the justice I so rightly deserve.
He’s still out there. Is he waiting? Will he return someday? When will that moment come? Today? Tomorrow? Next week?
It’s the wait that maddens me, the sheer drama and terror of it all. I live my life never knowing if that person will be back. I’m always looking in the darkest corners of wherever I am to see if someone will come out and attack me. Heck, we don’t even know if it’s a man or woman at this point, so we can’t even narrow down the general population to a target demographic that could be psycho.
I remember knowing that voice at the time, but once I woke up in the hospital, that memory was so faded that all I could recollect were the words—not the person who was saying them.
The memories of that day never seem far from my subconscious. The answers are just out of reach and prevent me from finding out the truth. The sounds of the hush are clear, yet still not audible enough to make out who was there.
All I know is that that person stole the promising life of a young woman just beginning to take on the world.
***
Thank you for taking a moment to read the next book in the series. For more information about this book and others out or coming soon, stop by Sarah’s Book page on her website: http://sarahalabaster.com/books/ or on Sarah’s Amazon Author Page: http://geni.us/asabamzn
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