She might as well kill me now because I think I’ve died inside.
“Aww. Look at her. She’s so heartbroken.” I can’t believe they’re working together, but it makes sense because they both wanted Landon. I knew his assistant wanted him, and I should have been smarter and had Landon fire her like he offered.
“Let’s get this over with. We need to get rid of her.”
“We have to wait until he comes back, and then we’ll make it look like she was with her lover.” Shit. What do they have planned for me? They close and lock the door behind them, leaving me trapped in a small room with a basement window. It’s raining outside, but I can see that it’s still daylight out.
I look around the room and try to figure out where I am. It’s not anywhere familiar, which really sucks, but from the sounds around me, we’re near a train station. I can hear the sound of the PA system. I don’t know all the routes, but it’s a start to realize that I’m close to one. Now to find a way out before they kill me. They’ve used duct tape on me, so maybe I can work these pieces off.
I try to remember the things I learned and find a way to shimmy out of the tape on my hands. Quickly, I free my feet and then go to the window. I don’t see a sensor, so I tug it open and slide out. Thankfully my baby belly hasn’t shown yet and I’m still skinny. I make it out and end up in a small, enclosed backyard. Shit. I duck down and look to see gangways and the train tracks just down the street. I hop the fence, giving no shit that I don’t have shoes. I’m glad I’m a country girl, no-shoe-wearing ass. Call me a hillbilly, you bitch. I’ll show her for sure.
I make it to the train station and spot a Chicago Police officer. Immediately he spots my need and grabs hold of me, calling out on his shoulder walkie. “I was kidnapped. I ran from a house down the street. Please help me.”
“Of course, miss. Your name?”
“Lara Reynolds. I mean Lara Black. I’m newly married, but they did something with my rings.”
“Where’s your husband?”
“He’s away on business in California.”
“Help is on the way.” He sits me in the squad car until an ambulance arrives and additional backup appears on the scene. I try to explain, but my feet are bloody and I’m starting to feel faint.
****
“Please wake up, love. Please, for the love of God, wake up. I need you to wake up.” I hear Landon’s sobs in my dreams. It’s like he’s really here, but that can’t be. “I love you, Lara. You need to please open your beautiful eyes for me.”
“Just leave me alone already.”
“Never. I’m never leaving you alone again,” he snarls between sobs. I open my eyes and see my husband with eyes red-rimmed. “You’re awake.” His lips land on my cheeks and lips, but I turn my head.
“Don’t.”
“Lara. I’m sorry I didn’t protect you. I failed you. It was my only fucking job in the world, and I failed.”
“Your only job was to protect my heart, and you failed that miserably, Landon. You broke your vows to me.”
“Broke my vows? Baby, how hard did they hit you?” His voice is deadly.
“You left to go protect another woman. Did you sleep with her too?”
“What? I didn’t go to L.A. to protect anyone. I would have taken you with me and I should have, but I thought you wanted me to give you some space.”
“Space?”
“Yes, you were upset with me, and I mentioned to Danny that I thought I was bothering you. He agreed and thought I was being a bit overprotective.”
“Overprotective is your middle name.”
“Apparently not, because they still got to you.”
“Because I underestimated them. I assumed because they were females, they weren’t a threat.”
“It’s not your job to do that. It’s mine. I messed up, Lara. I’m so fucking sorry. I love you more than I can even express, and I messed up. I don’t know how to fix this. How can I fix us?”
“I’m tired, Landon.”
“Okay. Rest. I’ll be right here.”
Chapter Seventeen
Landon
Her parents arrive, and I’ve been asked to wait outside the room while they talk. Fucking hell, I feel like my world is imploding, and there’s not much I can do. I sit there with my elbows on my knees and hands in my hair. “Son, I want to have a word with you.” I look up to see her father take a seat next to me.
“I didn’t hold up my end like I promised.”
“Did you cheat on my little girl?”
“God, no.”
“Then all I see is a miscommunication in a world that’s harder for most people to understand. You were serious about her protection for a reason. Lara’s a bit confused at the moment. You both rushed into this marriage. Like they say—fools rush in. We all do. Thankfully, I did too. I would have been upset to even have lost a day pursuing Lara’s momma. I love her more than anyone can ever understand.”