She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not (The American Soldier Collection 8)

“Good. Is Renaldo following you?”

“No. Why?”

“Just get away from him. There’s been a break in the investigation and until I know what I’m dealing with, I need to know you’re safe and away from Renaldo and Luke.”

“No problem there, I was happy to leave that jerk back there.” She pulled the car out of the parking lot and onto the road. It was dark out, too. The bad weather really put a damper on the day.

“Did he try something? Did he touch you?” Justice asked, sounding angry.

“No. I’m fine, Justice. You don’t need to worry.”

“I do worry. I’m going to call Mace, and ask him to meet you at the office.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“Just drive carefully and he’ll meet you there. It’s as precaution. I’ll talk to you later.”

Ellie disconnected the call and focused on driving through the rain. Justice sounded so upset, and it scared her. Could Luke and Renaldo have something to do with those women being murdered?

As she headed down the main roadway and then took the turn to the right a few blocks from her office, she noticed a car following close behind her. At first she thought it might be Mace, but that wasn’t his truck. This truck looked white and Mace’s was black.

Before she made it into the parking lot, the truck pulled alongside her, nearly causing her to drive off the road and onto the shoulder. Her car was a collector’s car, and worth a lot of money. Her uncle took such good care of it and so did she. Who was this jerk?

He let her by and he went in a different direction in the parking lot. She pulled into a spot and waited as the truck stopped. She grabbed her things realizing that the guy was in some kind of hurry to get inside. Cursing about what a moron he was and that he could have caused damage to her vehicle, she grabbed her one bag and got out of the car. She opened the umbrella and locked her car then started to hurry across the parking lot in between cars.

“Ellie!” She heard her name, and instantly turned, but it was the voice that had her shocked and frozen in place.

The rain was poured down around her, wetting her stockings, her heels, and the hem of her dress. He threw back his hood and started yelling at her.

“How could you do this to me? All I wanted to do was talk with you, try to make things right.”

“Paul, what are you doing here? Get away from me.” She turned and started walking faster toward the building and in between cars, when he pulled her back by her arm. She swung at him dislodging his hold on her sleeve, but also lost the umbrella as the wind picked up and the rain immediately drenched her.

“I want to talk to you. Don’t you walk away from me.” He grabbed her and pressed her against the car, setting the alarm on it off. He looked so crazy, almost like that night he attacked her.

“Please leave me alone.”

He stared at her as he held her arm, but didn’t go to hit her. He looked over her body and then slowly reached toward her light sweater, pushing aside the material. She shoved his hand away and he shoved his body against hers, grabbing her face between his hands.

“I’ve been going through hell because of you. No woman will come near me. None of my friends want to hang out with me. All I have is my fucking job, around criminals, monsters.”

“Then you should fit right in. Let me go. You can’t do this. You have no right touching me.”

He grabbed her hips and shoved his body against hers, rocking his hips hard. She cried out and tried shoving her hands against his chest, but he grabbed them with his one hand and held them above her head. The rain was soaking her, the sting of metal wedged against her back enraged her. He continued to thrust his hips, and then used his other hand to press against her breast right before he crashed his mouth down on hers.

She was scared, so scared as she tried to fight him off. When his lips left hers and moved along her neck, she knew she couldn’t fight him with strength, and needed to make him think she was giving in.

“Slow down, Paul. Please.”

He paused, his mouth inches from her chin as he stared into her eyes. “This is what you like. You want it hard and rough. You like to pretend you don’t, but this turns you on. I’ll never let you go. I’ll never give you up.”

He moved his hand up over her breast under the sweater and she closed her eyes, and tried to remember what Hunter and Mace taught her.

He shoved her hard, groped her and squeezed her, causing bruises, she just knew it.

“Get away from me!” she yelled at him.

He forearmed her to the jaw, her head went back and hit the car window. She heard more sirens, and it drew Paul’s attention to the right as he lightened his hold on her.