For the next five days, Levi accompanied Sarah to and from work, and she was never left alone. If, for some reason, he couldn’t keep an eye on her, one of his brothers did. It had to be that way until he knew for certain that Dylan was no longer a threat. Except there was no telling how long that would be.
Levi and Sarah had settled into a pattern at home. He’d never had a woman spend time at his place, but he discovered that he truly enjoyed having Sarah around, and he was quickly getting used to having her in his life on a daily basis. Going to bed with her every night, waking up together in the morning, and sharing meals and easy conversation were becoming a comfortable routine he looked forward to.
With him on leave for at least another week, they spent their days out—at a movie, lunch, or even a walk on Navy Pier or along Chicago’s lakefront trail—anything to keep her mind distracted until her shift started at Kincaid’s for the evening. He’d even treated her to a sundae at Ghirardelli’s in the city, a place she’d always wanted to go to as a kid but had never had the opportunity.
Seeing her relaxed, laughing and smiling and gazing at him so affectionately, only solidified his growing feelings for her and made him more determined than ever to show her how perfectly she fit into his life, in so many ways. He’d never believed he’d settle down with just one person, never thought there would ever be a woman who understood not only his personal quirks but also his painful past. But Sarah accepted him, damaged past, flaws, and all.
Having been a waitress a few times before, she’d made an easy transition to the bar. She was efficient, competent, great with customers, and every night she’d come home with a good amount in tip money—far more than she was making at Circle K. He knew she was squirreling that cash away, and for now he let her, because there was no sense in arguing over wanting her to remain in Chicago with him when she still felt threatened by Dylan. Undoubtedly, a conversation like that would only push her away and make her more guarded. All he could do was show her how much she meant to him and how much he cared.
So far, Nick didn’t have much to report on Dylan. The guy used a post office box for any mail delivery, and his last known physical address had been an apartment he no longer lived at. Which meant he was probably residing solely at the Sacrosanct compound.
Levi had made his own calls and contacts at the Eighteenth District Police Department, where they had jurisdiction over Fairdale, to find out what they knew about the supposed community. Come to find out, Sacrosanct was already involved in a lengthy and ongoing investigation with the FBI and ATF for suspected weapons violations. They’d already issued a search warrant and thoroughly inspected the grounds and spoken with the members. The two agencies had even brought Rick, the leader of the group, in for an interview but had found nothing they could use to shut the place down.
If there was any wrongdoing going on, the community hid it well.
But none of that news meant that Sarah was safe, and every day that passed made Levi feel tenser about the situation.
Tonight, he was sitting on a stool at the far end of the bar at Kincaid’s in what had become his usual spot. He’d traded in his normal orange juice for a Sprite and lime, which had been Tara’s suggestion to shake things up, she’d teased him. As he nursed the drink, he kept his gaze on the Sunday evening crowd. It was the slowest day of the week but still busy enough to keep Sarah’s section full of customers.
“Everything still status quo?”
Levi pulled his gaze away from the main part of the bar, where the tables and dance floor were located, and glanced at his brother Mason, who slid onto the seat next to his. Over the last couple of nights, it had been Clay who’d hung out with Levi, not that he needed any backup when both his brothers had women at home they could be spending their time with. But it was nice to know they cared enough about Sarah, and what was going on with her, to keep themselves involved, even if it was just to keep him company for an hour or two while he waited for her shift to end.
“Nothing new to report,” Levi confirmed as he took another drink of his Sprite.
His brother gave him a lopsided smile and nudged the elbow Levi had braced on the bar. “That’s a good thing, right?”
“Yeah. But it’s frustrating, too,” he admitted, and when Mason gave him a curious look, he elaborated. “It’s this stupid catch-twenty-two feeling of wanting something to happen so it can just be over for Sarah so she can put this entire incident behind her, and dreading it being over.”
Mason smirked, his eyes glittering with amusement. “Damn, I’m having a hard time believing that Mr. Cool, Calm, and Collected has fallen in love, though it’s nice to know you’re human, after all, beneath all that straight-laced control,” he joked.
Levi ignored Mason’s wisecrack and instead frowned at him as he focused on the first part of that sentence. “I never said I was in love with Sarah.”
“Are you saying you aren’t?” Mason countered with a raised brow. “Because if that’s the case, I’m going to have to call you out for being a fucking liar.”
Levi blinked at Mason, stunned by the fact that his sibling—who’d once thought of love as a dirty word—was now suddenly an expert on Levi’s emotions. He would have called out Mason for being a dick, but the thing was, his brother was actually being sincere in his encouragement, and that in itself was a shocking change, too.
Levi narrowed his gaze at Mason. “Who the hell are you, and what have you done with my self-centered, asshole brother?”
Mason chuckled, not at all offended by Levi’s comment, not when they’d spent most of their adult lives antagonizing one another. “Blame Katrina,” he said with a sappy grin that told Levi just how whipped his brother truly was. “I know it sounds trite and corny, but she’s made me a better man. But I have to admit that I still have my asshole moments, so don’t go thinking I’m a total pussy.”
Levi laughed. Yeah, his brother was a changed man, for the better, thanks to the woman who’d stuck by his side for twelve long years as his best friend. Katrina and Mason were made for each other, like two pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly together. Exactly the same way he felt about Sarah . . . but love? He cared deeply for her, and their connection was far more intense than anything he’d ever experienced, but honestly, Levi was afraid to believe it could really be true.
His heart pounded hard and fast in his chest as he glanced from the man who’d just sat down at the opposite end of the bar by himself and ordered a drink from Tara, to Mason. “What makes you think I’m in love with her?”
Mason rolled his eyes. “Jesus Christ, and here I thought I was dense when it came to my feelings for Katrina. Here’s a simple question for you. Are you willing to let her walk out of your life and never see her again once this is all over?”
His answer was immediate, because he’d already thought about the possibility of Sarah leaving him once she knew she was safe, and it made his gut twist with turmoil. “No.”
Mason tapped a few fingers on the top of the bar. “In order to keep her, are you prepared to offer Sarah something more than whatever this temporary arrangement between the two of you is?”
“Yes.” Another automatic reply he didn’t need to contemplate, even as he watched Sarah deliver a tray of drinks to a couple at a table, then switched his gaze back to the man at the end of the bar who kept glancing over his shoulder to look at something . . . or someone. “Of course.”
“Like . . . forever?” Mason asked, very seriously.
Yes. The realization made him breathless, because forever meant the rest of his life. And Jesus Christ, he wanted that with Sarah. He wanted to give her everything she’d been robbed of since the death of her family. Everything she deserved and more. He wanted to take care of her, protect her, and yes, love her.
“Oh, fuck,” he breathed in shock, and awe as well. He loved Sarah.
“Ahhh, the light bulb finally went on.” Mason grinned knowingly. “Both Clay and I have seen the way you look at her, the way you’ve upended your own life to help her when you’ve never done that for any other woman. We recognized the signs before you did because we’ve both been there. You just have to figure out the rest for yourself.”
Levi already had, he realized. His biggest hurdle, he knew, was convincing a woman who believed she wasn’t worthy of being loved that she was adored and cherished and special, and always would be. She’d spent most of her life being abandoned by people she trusted and believing that she wasn’t good enough. He was going to do whatever it took to convince her otherwise, because he wasn’t letting her go, ever, without a fight. She was his.
Levi met his brother’s gaze and didn’t miss the cocky expression on Mason’s face. Funny how the tables had turned. How his brother—a totally reformed man-whore—was now giving Levi advice about love.
Out of the corner of his eye, Levi saw the guy he’d been watching at the far end of the bar slide off his stool and head back toward where the restrooms were located. Nothing unusual for many of the patrons in the bar, but the fact that the guy was alone made Levi more suspicious than usual. He didn’t think Sarah’s ex would be bold and brave enough to make a move on her in public, but as a cop, Levi had seen and learned that desperate people did very stupid things without thinking through the consequences.
He had no idea what Dylan looked like, and he didn’t think Sarah had seen the man’s face when she came up to the service bar to collect her drink orders. She was so busy Levi knew she wasn’t aware of her surroundings beyond her own customers, which wasn’t a good thing at all.
But that’s exactly why Levi was here, and as he saw the man leave the restroom, he narrowed his gaze, his body instinctively on edge as he watched every move the other guy made. He didn’t like the way he stood off to the side in a shadowy corner or the way he was watching Sarah so intently.
“You got your eye on that guy who just came out of the men’s room, too?” Mason asked in a low voice that was equally tense.
“Yep.” Clearly, his brother was feeling the same apprehensive vibe that Levi was. Trusting his intuition, he slid off the barstool. “How about we go and ask him a few questions?”
“I’m in.” Never one to pass up a good confrontation, Mason flexed his shoulders and fell into step beside Levi.
As they started in the man’s direction, Sarah headed the same way to deliver a full tray of empty glasses to the bar, oblivious to anything except where she was going. She rounded the corner way before Levi could get there, and the guy abruptly stepped right in front of Sarah, causing the tray of glasses to fly from her hand and crash to the floor. Glass shattered everywhere—the sound barely heard above the music playing in the bar.
All Levi saw was Sarah’s round, horrified eyes as the man who had to be Dylan wrapped an arm around her waist and began hauling her back down the hallway—toward the back exit. As soon as she opened her mouth, Dylan clapped his hand over her lips to stifle her scream.
Adrenaline rushed through Levi’s veins as he bolted toward Sarah, with Mason following. There was so much going on around them that none of the patrons even noticed that Sarah had been grabbed. He felt the crunch of glass beneath his shoes, heard Tara yell something from the service bar, but didn’t stop his pursuit. Once he cleared the main bar area where all the customers were, he withdrew his service revolver from the holster beneath his shirt, but before he could say or do anything, Dylan pushed open the delivery door and dragged Sarah out back with him.
“Fuck.” Levi ran after them, bursting through the door to find Dylan standing close to a beat-up Toyota, now facing Levi with a knife at Sarah’s throat. Levi came to an abrupt stop but kept his gun trained on Dylan’s head, the only part of his body Levi could see. The motion detector light had come on, and the panic he saw in Sarah’s eyes nearly destroyed him, but he managed to keep his cool. He had to put his emotions aside in order to think clearly and rationally.
Vaguely he realized that Mason hadn’t followed him out, that Levi was on his own. Where the fuck had his brother gone? “Let her go, Dylan,” Levi ordered.
“The only place she’s going is with me,” the other man yelled back as the knife shook under Sarah’s chin. “She’s mine, and I’m taking her back where she belongs!”
“She doesn’t want to go back to Sacrosanct,” Levi said very clearly, just as he saw a figure come around the building behind Dylan and move quietly toward the other man. Mason. Thank God.
“Doesn’t matter what she wants.”
Sarah made a soft sound of distress. Dylan must have tightened his hold, and Levi’s gut twisted, and he exhaled a harsh breath. As a cop, he’d been trained to negotiate during a standoff, to diffuse the situation before it escalated to violence. Right now, it took every ounce of control Levi possessed to follow procedure, instead of acting on pure instinct and shooting the guy between the eyes.
“Think about what you’re doing, Dylan.” He caught another movement as Mason crouched and eased around the car where Dylan was standing. “If you kidnap Sarah and try to take her back, you’re going with a police escort.”
“If you don’t put your fucking gun down, I’m going to slit her throat!” Dylan yelled, as if he hadn’t heard Levi or just didn’t care. “Do it now!”
The other man waved the knife in the air in a threatening gesture. With the blade away from Sarah’s throat, Mason snuck up and grabbed Dylan’s arm, the one holding the weapon, and quickly twisted it behind his back, so high and hard that the man screamed in pain and automatically released the knife, letting go of Sarah.
Once freed, she stumbled toward Levi. He grasped her hand and pulled her behind him just as Mason wrenched both of Dylan’s arms behind his back, pinning them tight.
Threat disabled, Levi holstered his gun, and as much as he wanted to take a frightened Sarah in his arms and reassure both her and himself that she was fine, they weren’t done with Dylan just yet.
Levi glanced at Sarah and gave her a reassuring glance. “Stay right here,” he said and then approached Dylan.
Even though Mason had Dylan immobilized, the other man still tried to come at Levi, but Mason’s hold was so strong and unrelenting Dylan’s struggles barely registered.
Levi stopped in front of the furious man, who looked just as enraged as Levi felt at the moment.
“Listen to me,” Levi said, his jaw clenching. “Sarah is not going anywhere with you. Not now. Not ever. If you come near her again, you’ll be sorry that you did.”
“Fuck you!” Dylan spat.
Levi shifted his gaze to Mason’s, the smirk on his brother’s face indicating Mason was itching for a fight, before he glanced at Dylan. “I suggest you get in your car, go back to wherever you came from, and stay there.”
“Not without Sarah.”
The man was persistent, he’d give him that. But Levi had warned him. “Then I guess we’ll just have to change your mind about that.”
Instead of bothering with the prick himself, Levi walked over to where Sarah was still standing, her arms crossed over her chest, her body trembling, and pulled her against him, relieved to finally hold her, knowing she was safe.
Levi looked over his shoulder just as Mason said, “Okay, asshole, let’s knock some sense into that hard head of yours. Maybe you’ll understand just how serious we are about you not going near Sarah ever again.”
Mason let go of Dylan, who predictably turned around, throwing the first angry punch in Mason’s direction—which Levi knew his brother was hoping for. Anticipating the assault, Mason stopped it with his forearm and used his other hand to deliver a blow to Dylan’s stomach that had him doubling over before attempting to charge at Mason once again. Stupid move, considering Mason had learned to fight on the mean streets where they’d grown up.
The brawl was on, and there wasn’t a doubt in Levi’s mind that Mason would take care of Sarah’s problem and work Dylan over until he convinced the asshole to stay away. Sarah didn’t need to stay and watch the beatdown, not when she was so visibly shaken. Gently grabbing her arm, he turned her away from the bloodbath about to ensue and led her back inside the bar.
Tara rushed up to him, clearly panicked. “I didn’t know if you wanted me to call 911 or if you wanted to handle the situation yourself, so I didn’t call the police.”
“Perfect,” he said, noticing that someone had cleaned up the shattered glasses from the floor. “Mason is getting rid of the garbage out back, and consider Sarah off work for the rest of the night. I’m taking her home.”
“Of course,” Tara said, understanding in her tone.
Sarah was silent as he guided her out to his truck, probably still in shock, and remained so on the drive home. He didn’t want to bombard her with questions just yet, not when his own emotions were churning inside of him, ranging from fear of seeing her so vulnerable with yet another weapon threatening her life to anger that anyone dare to try and hurt her, to a rush of possessiveness that had threatened his control like nothing ever before.
They arrived at his place, and she walked through the kitchen to the dining room, still much too quiet and subdued. His entire body felt as though he were going to splinter apart at the thought of nearly losing Sarah, of Dylan either driving off with her or using that blade to prove some kind of deranged point.
“Sarah,” he said just as she reached the dining table.
She turned around, the lost, painful look in her eyes so damned heartbreaking he could barely stand it.
He closed the distance between them and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “Are you okay?” he asked gruffly.
“I’m fine,” she said in a barely audible voice. “But I think it’s time for me to go.”
He didn’t have to ask where. He already knew the answer, that nothing had changed and she was following through on her plans to get out of the city. Dread tightened in his chest.
Her eyes filled with tears. “This is what happens when people are around me,” she said in a raspy voice. “I always seem to attract trouble, and you’re such a great guy, you deserve someone who has her life together. You deserve someone so much better than me.”
He could feel her physically pulling away from him, withdrawing. He processed her words, saw the yearning in her eyes that contradicted everything she’d just said, and wondered if her reasons for walking away from him ran much deeper than the excuses she’d just given him.
He trusted what they could have together, what they could build together, but knew that she’d been burned by hopeful relationships before. It was her inability to believe that she was worthy of being loved that was keeping her from staying with him.
“I love you,” he said without hesitation, because if that’s what it took for her to remain right here with him, in his house, in his life, then he was putting every-fucking-thing on the table.
She sucked in a breath, the fear in her eyes unmistakable. “You can’t,” she said in an aching voice.
He held her face in his hands to make sure she couldn’t look away from him. “I can, and I do. I don’t care about your past, Sarah. I only care about us, and a future together.”
She made an inarticulate sound, one that was wrapped up with doubts and denial. Desperation surged through him, along with a possessive emotion he couldn’t contain. Right here, right now, he didn’t want to hold back anything with Sarah. Tomorrow morning, it would be soon enough for them to hash out her fears, because there was no fucking way he was letting her walk out his door without a down and dirty fight. It just wasn’t going to happen.
Threading his fingers into her hair, he brought her mouth to his and kissed her, hard and deep, until she softened beneath the onslaught of his lips and tongue and joined in with her own frantic abandon. She thought this was the last time they’d be together, but he was going to make damn sure it was just the beginning.
Her hands tugged at the hem of his T-shirt, and he let her pull it over his head while yanking hers off, too. As they made their way toward his bedroom, the rest of their clothes were haphazardly removed. Both of them naked, he pressed her down onto his bed, reached for a condom and sheathed himself, then settled between her spread legs.
This wasn’t about foreplay and fun. This was about claiming her, branding her, loving her. It was about stripping things down physically so she’d allow him in emotionally. He wouldn’t accept anything less.
He stroked the head of his cock through her wet folds and pushed into her, just enough that she knew what was about to happen, and that’s all the warning he gave her. The first driving thrust had her crying out in pleasure. The second had the sound of her sweet, unyielding moan echoing in his ears. After that, heat and desire blended together, creating an inferno of need that had them both straining against one another as he drove deeper and deeper inside her.
He didn’t hold her down. Didn’t restrain her hands. He gave her all the freedom she could ever want to touch him, to make her own demands, and strip away all his defenses so there was no doubt in her mind how serious he was about her. About them.
Things turned wild and uncontrolled quickly, and he welcomed her unbridled response, too. She wrapped her legs tight around his waist and raked her fingers down his spine—marking him, based on the sting of pain along his skin. He exhaled on a hiss of breath as need and passion entwined, shoving him closer to the edge.
He delved all ten fingers into her silky hair and tipped her head back. Her lips parted, and her dark, stormy blue eyes latched on to his, exposing her emotions, her desires. “This is where I belong, Sarah,” he said raggedly, slamming his body against hers, again and again. “Right here, with you. Inside you.”
Her expression exposed every one of her vulnerabilities, including her true and honest feelings for him. “Yes,” she whispered, and that one word sent them both free-falling into the sweet depths of exquisite pleasure.
