by R L Dunn
“You mean it was all a con?”
“We watched and waited for you. Devereaux helped until you were old enough. If he got caught, the blame would fall on you. Every transaction could be tied to you. Once you were in college, it was easy. You were a needy, sheltered girl who never had a boyfriend. That first meeting with Garett was not by chance, and you fell for it right away. You’re right, it was a con—until it wasn’t. We didn’t count on Garett falling in love with you. We also didn’t count on him telling you his secret.” Adrienne poked her.
“So, what if he’s sterile? I didn’t care.”
“Well, dear, one person would care,” Betty said.
“Who would find out?”
“He would,” Adrienne said. Cassie furrowed her brows. “You insisted on him seeing a doctor. They would need a complete family history, the blood types. He would find out he wasn’t Bradford’s son. Bradford and I are both O positive, and our son, Garett, is B positive. You left us with a predicament—and we needed you pregnant fast.”
Senator Bynum looked at her. “He’s my son.” Cassie lifted her cuffed hands over her mouth. “Adrienne and I had an affair six months before I met Betty. It was just one of those things. Bradford and I came together and made our pact based on our shared interests. Bradford forgave her. He saw the big picture, and we moved on. The judge, with his similar tastes, joined us a couple of years later.
“Garett told his mother you planned on sleeping with him. You were supposed to sleep through the procedure. When they were done with you, Garett would take you away; you’d elope and fuck. It didn’t help that Garett told you he was sterile, but we would’ve had the doctor say it wasn’t complete sterility but a low sperm count. The pregnancy would be a miracle.
“The plan was perfect until you woke up early. That first baby, you were never going to see it anyway. Your uterus was payment for our indiscretions. Little Irina, well, we played a bit too rough, and she got an infection. She was no longer able to have children.
“Mr. Sabitov promised very unappealing things unless Irina had a baby to love. You, my pretty little whore, were perfect—two solutions for the price of one. When you gave birth, we would knock you out and tell you the baby died.
“In spite of the sedation Joe Maddox gave, you kept mumbling, ‘Why?’”
“How did Maddox get involved?”
Adrienne huffed, “Naïve little girl, like Devereaux, the root of all evil: money. He had a nasty gambling habit. And damn you, you woke up. At that point, there was nothing we could do. Claudia, Betty, and I gave you away as a parting gift. It bought us some time with Sabitov.”
“Whose baby was it?”
“Mr. Sabitov’s assistant, David Sucov, brought the specimen from Vicktor Sabitov, Irina’s husband. But he saw you and wanted to have you. You took off like a scared squirrel and threw the painting.” Whitman said.
"The Adoration," Cassie said.
Marshall grinned. “Stunning. Terrible to need to fold the canvas.”
“Cheyenne was already pregnant by some Texas jock when she met Garett. When she needed an emergency C-section, fate was with us. We told her the baby died. We were able to borrow an infant from the morgue to let her mourn. Garett helped her through her tragedy, and they got married. She went on to give us two beautiful granddaughters and a soon-to-be grandson.”
Cassie said, “You stole her child? This is why Maddox tried to kill me in the hospital—you thought I knew?”
“Now you get it. The minute you were put in the ambulance, Claudia called the hospital to make sure you died. You are like a damn cat with nine lives. Today will be your last,” Adrienne pronounced.
Cassie grabbed a napkin, placed it over her mouth, and became ill again.
Martin and Tate each grabbed a tray. With weapons secured to their ankles and under napkins, they entered the ballroom in time to observe Monte inject Cassie with some substance. Tate and Martin approached to clear the table. “Is something wrong, sir?” Tate asked.
Senator Bynum smiled. “Thank you for asking, young man. My aide is taking the young woman home. She’s not feeling well.”
Martin crouched in front of Cassie, “Ma’am, are you all right?” Cassie blinked, her pupils black saucers. She showed no indication she recognized him.
Hiding his gun and covering her hands, Monte pushed her toward the open door. “She’s fine. I’ll take care of her.” He offered a perverse smile.
Martin and Tate moved around the table to give themselves a tactical advantage. Before Monte reached the door, a squawk outside the room from a radio spooked him. When his arm pressed across Cassie’s throat, Martin dropped his tray and pointed his weapon at him. “You have nowhere to go. Release her.”
“Not quite.” The bald aide dragged Cassie along the carpet. “Move any closer—and I snap her neck.”
Cassie kicked off her shoes to gain traction, then kicked at his legs. Monte tightened his left arm across her throat, choking her close to unconsciousness.
The second-floor hallway seemed to go on forever. Cassie clawed at his hands while the faces in the hallway’s portraits contorted into ghoulish apparitions. As they approached the top of the steps across from the lounge, Monte pulled his gun and backed along the wrought iron railing overlooking the lobby. “We’re walking out of here.”
Ian stepped out from the lounge doorway. “You’re not going anywhere with her. You have no place to go. Look around you.”
Cassie faced whom she thought was Ian. Her vision was blurred, the room spinning like a top, but his familiar scent settled her. In Monte's left hand, the spring from a stiletto switchblade firing near her ear made her jump. A brief moment of awareness struck her.
Cassie mouthed, “I love you.” In spite of a tearing sensation in her leg, she shifted her weight and jammed her foot between two balustrades.
“Let her go,” Ian demanded.
Monte’s hand shifted. Cassie felt him loosen his arm across her throat, readying to either throw the dagger or shoot. When Monte took another step, Cassie pressed into him, pushing off with her other foot and forcing both of them over the railing.
"Cassie." Martin lunged for her. Unable to stop her momentum, he leaped over the rail after her. The dagger landed in the wall just over Ian’s left shoulder. The sound of a gun firing led to a horrific thud, followed by a second shot.
Ian stood, stunned; the dagger was heading for his heart. Cassie saved him. He stared over the rail to see the large body of the hitman lying beneath Cassie at the bottom of the stairs. Blood flowed onto the cold marble where Martin cradled Cassie against his chest. Shaking off his daze, Ian ran down the stairs as a flurry of activity erupted around him.
“Don’t touch them,” Julian cried out.
Kieran radioed for a medic and ordered his team to secure the six criminals in the ballroom. Jamie, Eric, Tucker, and Pete approached the tangled victims with practiced precision.
Eric slipped his hands around to support Cassie’s head. Martin begged, “Tell me she’s alive.”
Pete ran his hands along Cassie’s unconscious body. “Got a pulse.” Upon further careful examination, he found the blood was from a wound in Monte’s head. He was dead.
Frank vaulted over them, returning with a backboard. When Cassie was secured, a red stain leeching across Martin’s back was visible. “There’s a syringe in the dining room. He drugged her. Don’t worry about me. Get her outta here,” Martin pleaded.
Kieran forced Ian into the front seat of a Navigator as the three medics surrounded the unconscious Cassie in the back. Tucker pulled out his cell phone. “Hey, it’s Tuck Hanlon. I’m bringing in a trauma. Twenty-eight-year-old female, twenty-foot fall. BP 70 over 50, pulse 140, respirations 24, pupils dilated and sluggish. Skin is hot and dry. No obvious injuries. We believe she was drugged with an unknown substance, and the syringe is in our possession. Her pertinent past medical history includes dehydration from hyperemesis. The patient is six weeks antepartum. Page Dr. Montgomer
y. Another PA is following with a thirty-four-year-old male, gunshot wound to the back.”
Chapter Fifty-Two
Ian sat beside Cassie in the trauma room as Tucker fired off a detailed report. Hunter took over for the ER doctor. The thick door opened, and a small, determined woman entered the room. “Hunter, what do you have for me? What were her last numbers?” He rattled off a bunch of ratios. “Do what you need to do. Get me a new set—and we will see.” She looked Ian up and down. “Is he the dad?”
The woman moved to Ian’s side, extending her hand. “I’m Dr. Woodruff. I’m an obstetrician. I’m sorry to meet you at this precarious time. Once we know she is stable, we’ll evaluate where she is in the pregnancy. It is very early, so there’s not much we can do to prevent a loss.” Without another word, she left the room.
Her electrolytes were off, and she was severely dehydrated. The lab identified the drug as Phenobarbital. Ian refused to leave her. Helpless, all he could do was hold her hand and pray.
Inside Cassie’s room, Ian continued to hold her hand while Rachel and Lillian chatted in the corner. “Mom, please check on Martin for me. Cassie, you crazy woman, you need to wake up so I can get mad at you. You are too stubborn for your own good, though I know you did it to protect me.”
Cassie squeezed his hand. “I love you. I would do it again,” she murmured and opened her eyes.
“Don’t you ever scare me like this again, Cassie.” Ian peppered her face with tiny kisses.
“I’m sorry. I had to.”
Ian closed his eyes and exhaled. “Mom, Rachel, can I speak with Cassie alone?”
Lillian and Rachel hugged and kissed her. “We’ll let everyone know the good news and also check on Martin.” Lillian patted her son’s cheek.
“What’s wrong with Martin?” Cassie grew teary.
“He’s in the OR. He dove over the rail after you.”
“No, no, no. No more people I care about can get hurt. See, I told you what happens. I won’t give you any trouble. I’m a criminal. The head of a security company can’t be around a felon. Thank you for everything. I’ll get my family to pack my stuff.” Cassie’s hand rested against his chest.
Ian looked exasperated. “Are you finished? What did I tell you would happen if you doubted how I felt about you? If you didn’t just fall twenty feet and weren’t carrying our child, I would spank your beautiful bottom. Instead, I’m putting a ring on your finger.” Ian knelt on the floor beside her. “Cassie Modine, will you become my wife, so we can share a lifetime together?”
Cassie’s eyes widened at the sight of the red and gold box in his hand. “Child?”
Ian opened the Cartier box to reveal an eight-karat Asscher-cut diamond in a 1935 Art Deco setting. He helped her slide the perfect-fitting ring onto her left hand.
“I didn’t say yes.”
Ian’s eyebrow rose to rival his mom’s.
“You’re sure?”
He dipped his chin and pressed his lips together.
“Oh! Yes, yes, yes!”
Their tender, sweet kiss exploded into a hungry passion, neither hearing Hunter and Dr. Woodruff enter the room. When Hunter’s deep voice startled them, Cassie blushed.
Assured Martin was in recovery under Jamie’s watchful eye with a repaired gunshot wound to his shoulder, they headed for an ultrasound, where a state-of-the-art sonography machine stood ready. The cold, dark room was crowded. Ian stood at the head of the stretcher, and Tucker watched from the corner.
“Cassie, it’s very early, but I’m encouraged by your rising numbers. If your dates are correct, we should see the sac and—with the resolution of this machine—we may observe the heartbeat,” Dr. Woodruff said.
Chase Group purchased the newest machine on the market for the hospital and had it delivered half an hour earlier. Dr. Woodruff inserted the probe. “Ready. Cassie, just relax. Nice, easy breaths.”
Snow appeared on the screen. With a few turns on the dials, a small white circle came into view. Dr. Woodruff pressed low on Cassie’s belly. “Look.” She smiled as a flicker of light flashed at a rapid pace. “There’s the heartbeat.”
Ian kissed Cassie’s forehead, his own heart beating just as fast. A whirr sounded from the machine, and pictures printed. “Okay, let’s take a look around and make sure there are no surprises.” Dr. Woodruff named every structure she was examining, assuring them everything was all right. She changed the angle of the probe slowly.
“I think you’re going to make us all gray, Cassie,” Hunter choked out.
Her eyes went wide with fear as she reached for Ian’s hand. “What’s wrong?”
Tucker moved closer to the machine, and his voice cracked with emotion, “Darlin’, nothing’s wrong.” He pointed at the screen. “That’s baby B.”
Ian backed into a chair and sat. “Two?”
Epilogue
On Labor Day weekend, Ian surprised Cassie with a wedding, and they spoke their vows before God, family, and friends. Christian and Caleb gave her incredible presents. Both decided to retire from the service when their contracts with the Navy were up, and both men accepted positions in the Chase Group.
After the doctors assured Cassie her severe symptoms from the pregnancy were under control, Ian swept her away for an incredible two weeks on a private island off the coast of Antigua. He brought Jamie and Eric along as a precaution. Ian was careful to not overtax her—they spent a lot of time in bed.
Cassie looked up at Ian with adoring eyes. He was tangled with the comforter wrapped around her, his legs intertwined with hers, his arms holding her against his muscled body. She felt his length pressed against her buttocks, making her body hum with awareness.
“Good morning, Mrs. Chase.” Butterfly kisses scorched her flesh.
“Good morning to you, Mr. Chase.” Cassie closed her eyes, absorbing the pleasure. She tried to turn to face him.
“Mmm. Stay right where you are.” Ian rolled her to her belly and gently positioned a pillow under her hips. The sweet kisses continued down her body before his mouth caressed the cleft between her buttocks until it reached her aroused flesh.
“Ian,” she mewed.
“What, sweetheart?” His tongue moved along the seam of her womanhood.
Her pelvis tilted against his lips. “Oh God, Ian.”
His lips circled her nub, and the sweet, tender tissue swelled under his ministrations, her body bucking against his mouth. The pregnancy made her more responsive. He laughed against her; the vibration and heat brought her close to release. The tip of his tongue stroked the length and penetrated her core—in and out. One more thrust and Cassie broke apart, covering his tongue with her feminine nectar.
Ian kissed up her body. Before she came back to earth, he slid home. She cried out in delight as her insides quivered with each move. He thrust again, and this time, she contracted her sheath around him.
In a lusty tone, he said, “Cassie, let go for me.” He thrust his hips again and reached around to touch her erotic bundle of nerves. The wave of pleasure hit its crescendo, and Cassie buried her face in the pillow to quell her wild screams. The aftershocks of her climax claimed him as her prisoner.
Ian rolled them to the side. Still buried within her body, he tilted her head back, their mouths meeting in a blistering kiss. “I love you, Mrs. Chase.”
* * *
Just the beginning.
Read Martin’s Story in Secure Again, Book 2 of the Chase Security Series
* * *
Write a review and receive a special bonus scene!
Email me with your review link to claim your scene.
About the Author
Photo credit: Julya Brown
* * *
R.L. (Robin) Dunn resides with her family in the beautiful and artistic community of Sea Cliff, New York. After a twenty-five-year career in Emergency Medical Services as a provider, instructor, and regional faculty, illness changed her life path.
Having always had a love of writing, Robin retur
ned to creating stories. She is a member of the Romance Authors of America since 2016 and the Long Island Romance Writers since 2018. Her leadership training in the first responder community has served her well in her current role as Secretary for LIRW and her future role as President.
Her first novel Blood Obsession, written in her college days, came off the shelf and was reworked at a time when she was given just a little chance of survival. The Chase Security Series books #1 and #2, Secure Desire and Secure Again followed after she assured her doctors there was no expiration date stamped on the bottom of her foot. Book #3 Secure Heart is due for an October 2020 release. Book #4 Secure Her is in draft form.
As far as the future goes, Robin hopes she can continue to live a life worth living. She continues to use her professional background, medical contacts, law enforcement contacts and military contacts to write many more romantic suspense novels in the future.
RL Dunn loves to hear from her readers.
* * *
Write her at [email protected]
Visit her at https://www.rldunnauthor.com
Join her Facebook group for previews, giveaways and all things romantic suspense. Become part of her ARC team at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HeroesandHeartbeats/