Dangerous Attraction Romantic Suspense Boxed Set (195 page)

“She was drinking when he came home and they had a big fight. Mom got in her car and left
. She’s
the one who ran the stop sign.”

“No, no. That can’t be right.”

“Dad said he was sorry for losing his job and the house. He said it was all
his
fault.” Suki said. “I know you don’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to believe it either, but it’s true. Please, Ethan, put the knife down and let Kate go.”

“No, Sis, I can’t believe it. I won’t! Not in a million years. How can you even say that?”

“I wouldn’t lie to you, Ethan.”

“The cops probably put you up to it, didn’t they? What the hell did they promise you to get you to turn on me?”

“Nothing. They didn’t promise me anything. I’m here because I don’t want them to kill you.”

“Kill me?” he snickered.

“Yes! If you hurt Kate, they’ll shoot you down. You know they will.” Suki paused for a moment, releasing a long sigh. “We were wrong, Ethan. We were just plain wrong. Now, please, please…let Kate go.” She took a couple of steps closer to her brother, dragging Officer Diaz up with her.

“No, you’re wrong!”

“Come one, Ethan, people make mistakes. Dad made a mistake, a bad one. Then, everything else just started falling apart around him—around us.”

“I’m not listening to this.” He shook his head back and forth. “I know it was Kate’s fault. It was
all
her fault.”

“No, Ethan, no,” Suki argued, “it wasn’t. I’m telling you…she’s innocent in all of this.”

Ethan jerked Kate closer in front of him, into a chokehold, and held the knife against her neck.

Feeling the sting of the sharp blade against her skin, her body stiffened and her eyes grew big as saucers, terrified that he was about to slit her throat before the police could do anything to save her.

“Put the guns down or I’ll kill her right now,” Ethan demanded. “I mean it!” He was jumpy and highly agitated. “If I die, she dies too.”

Porter and Patel held their ground, neither lowering their weapons. The four back-up officers, who had quietly fanned out behind the detectives, also kept their guns laser focused on Ethan.

“My life is over, Sis, either way,” Ethan told her. His voice was starting to sound frighteningly resigned.

From Kate’s vantage point, his eyes seemed riveted on the drawn guns. She felt him edging her closer to the steep concrete steps. She fought to keep her feet planted.

“So, why not end it all right here, right now?” he asked. “Kate McAllister started this whole thing, ruined my family and my life. I’ve got nothing left.”

Kate noticed movement in her peripheral vision. Was someone climbing the concrete steps in an attempt to save her? Could it be Ryan? Her heart pounded in her ears and she could hardly breath. Would Ethan kill them both?

“No!” Suki screamed.

Thwack!

Kate heard the chilling sound and felt the weight of Ethan collapsing, dragging her down to the ground with him.

Ryan had crept silently up the stairs, and then wait for the opportune moment to crack Ethan on the back of his head with the brick he found on the floor at the house. It was only fitting payback, seeing how Ethan had a penchant for doing the same to others.

Porter and Patel rushed over to Ethan while he was down. Porter kicked the knife out of Ethan’s hand and pulled him off of Kate. Patel bent down and put two fingers against Ethan’s neck, checking for a pulse, and made sure he was breathing.

Ethan began to come around. Porter immediately jumped on him, put a knee in his back, and secured his hands with cuffs. Diaz kept a tight hold of Suki’s arm, even though she tried to pull free and run to her brother.

“Don’t hurt him!” Suki hollered.

“Okay, dirt bag, get on your feet.” Porter yanked Ethan to a standing position and supported him as he escorted his woozy prisoner to one of the police cars.

Kate struggled to get on her feet and Ryan rushed to her aid. He reached down and helped her up. Raj offered to cut her ropes off with his pocketknife.

Once free, Kate flung her arms around Ryan’s body and he wrapped his arms around her. Within seconds, his lips were on hers and they were locked in a passionate embrace.

Raj cleared his throat.

Realizing they were not alone, Kate and Ryan untangled their lips and each took a breath, but neither wanted to let go of the other.

“I thought you were dead,” she told him, tears streaming down her cheeks. She laid her head against his chest. “I saw you lying there on the floor, you weren’t moving, and my heart just about leapt out of my chest.”

“I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you alive again, either,” he responded in his warm, deep voice.

She looked up at him and he studied her face.

“One minute we’re about to have a nice dinner and the next thing I know you’ve disappeared into thin air.”

“Okay then…I’m guessing you guys would like some privacy,” Raj said, shoving his hands in his pockets as he backed away and wandered over to his car.

“Thanks, Raj,” Ryan muttered, his eyes not leaving Kate’s. “I never want to lose you again.” He leaned his forehead against hers.

Then suddenly she pulled back from him, her eyes growing wide. “My sister! Ryan, what about Whitney?”

Worry washed over her. In that instant, she realized she had been out of touch with the world for hours. The last she’d learned, before her abduction, was that the detectives were questioning Suki at the police station. No one had told her anything about Whitney yet.

“Whitney, yes. Sorry, I’ve just been focused on rescuing you from that psycho.”

“And I’m incredibly grateful for that, but I have to know—is there any news about my sister?”

“I know she’s alive.”

“Thank God. Where was she?”

“In the Underground Tour somewhere. Suki led the police to her, and the paramedics took her to the hospital.”

Kate’s hand flew to her throat. “Oh, Ryan, how did she look?”

“She looked rough, but at least she’s alive. Maybe Raj can tell you more.” Ryan turned and called out to Patel as he was beginning to get into the car. “Hey, Raj! Wait up!”

Ryan wrapped his arm around Kate’s waist and walked her over to the Crown Victoria. Suki sat sullen in the back seat with Officer Diaz, and Porter was starting the engine. Patel paused for a moment and climbed back out.

“What’s up?” he asked, closing the door.

“No one’s filled Kate in on what’s happening with her sister. Can you tell us what’s going on?”

Raj took a few minutes and explained to her how they rescued her sister and which hospital she was taken to.

“So Whitney’s all right?” Kate asked.

“She looked okay to me when the paramedics were putting her in the ambulance, maybe a bit weak and shaky. She’d been drugged to keep her sedated. There was a little blood on her face when we found her, but she didn’t seem to have any obvious injuries. The doctors are checking her out now.”

“Oh, thank you!” Kate squealed and gave the detective a quick hug. “I have to go see her.”

“After we drop Suki off at the station, Porter and I are headed over to the hospital to check on her and see if she’s up to talking.”

“We’ll need to catch a ride over there, too,” Ryan said, as he glanced over at Kate.

Raj shouted and waved to one of the uniformed officers. “Hey, can you give these two a ride to the hospital?”

He gave Kate and Ryan a thumbs-up.

“Johnson will give you guys a lift. And hey, Ryan, get your head looked at while you’re there.” He grinned and then turned to leave.

Kate suddenly remembered something. “Detective, wait! I have something to tell you. You, too, Ryan.”

“What?” Patel asked.

“When Ethan held me at the house, he admitted that he had caused my parents’ auto accident.”

“That’s what you thought, when we were at the crash site on Bainbridge Island,” Ryan said.

“He admitted that? Why would he just come out and tell you that?” Patel questioned.

“Because he was going to kill me. At that point, he didn’t care, I guess. Besides, I think he thought I knew all this time.”

“That means he’s not just a kidnapper, he’s also a murderer,” Raj said. “Hopefully, his confession and that cap are enough to get a murder charge. We’ll need more to get a conviction, but it’s a start.” Raj reached out and put his hand on Kate’s shoulder for a moment. “Thanks for letting me know. I’m sorry you had to be the one to discover that.”

“I just hope he’s going to pay for what he did to my folks.”

“Yes, he’s going to learn that revenge has a price,” Raj told them.

“It shows what a cold-hearted killer he is,” Ryan added, as he took Kate’s hand. “He would have killed you.”

“If it wasn’t for you coming to the house…” Kate closed her eyes, remembering how the hatred had contorted Ethan’s face into a mask of pure evil. She shook away the memory and squeezed Ryan’s hand. “He grabbed me by my hair and was about to stick a knife in my chest when you came to the door. Instead, he dragged me down to the basement.”

“Oh, Kate, I didn’t realize…”

“After he knocked you out, he decided to kill me at this park instead.”

“And you sneaking up the steps behind him saved her again,” Raj added. “You’re a hero, my friend,” Raj said, with a little grin.

“You certainly are
my
hero,” Kate chimed in, flashing a grateful smile at her rescuer.

“Okay, okay,” Ryan said, raising his hands in surrender. “That’s enough.”

“I better get going. Porter’s got the car running, and he doesn’t like waiting on me.” Raj opened the car door and started to get in. “I’ll let him know about the murder charge.”

“Murder charge?” Porter asked in the background.

“See you guys at the hospital.”

Chapter Twenty-one

Ryan put his arm around Kate and they watched as the detectives drove off. Another patrol car waited for them down the street.

She turned toward him and he wrapped her in his arms. Standing in his cosseted embrace, Kate breathed him in—his scent, his words, his strength. He pushed a strand of her hair back from her face and tenderly kissed her cheek.

Kate had only known this man for three days, yet her feelings for him had grown in quantum leaps during that short but intense time. She was sure now that he felt the same.

She took his arm as they walked toward the waiting police cruiser. She thought back over the last few days, which were a whirlwind of drama and emotions. It was amazing to her how much life a person can pack into such a short span of time. Almost from the moment she met Ryan, he had become a strong force in her life, giving her support and help at every turn—from her sister’s disappearance, to identifying the dead body in Boise, to facing her parents’ crash site, to being kidnapped and almost killed.

After all of that, she was dramatically rescued—by him, no less. If he hadn’t come to the house looking for her, if he had followed Detective Patel’s directive to sit tight, Kate knew she would be dead.

Reaching the car, he held the door open for her in his chivalrous way. She paused before getting into the vehicle.

“We’ll be just a few minutes,” she said to the officer behind the wheel.

“Take your time,” he said.

She shut the door and turned to face Ryan.

“I thought you were in a hurry to see your sister,” he said, apparently puzzled by her pause.

“I am, but I want to say something first.” Kate leaned back a little and rested her hip against the side of the vehicle. “Things are going to get hectic at the hospital. Everyone’s focus will be on Whitney, as it should be. I’m sure there’s a flurry of doctors and nurses checking her out right now, so we have a few minutes.”

“All right.”

“Ryan,” she began, gazing up into his gentle green eyes, “I hardly know how to thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me. I was happy to help—I needed to,” he answered, stepping in closer, as if he was going to kiss her.

As he leaned in, she put a hand on his chest, not to stop him, but to feel his strength. Looking up at him, she grabbed hold of his shirt where she had rested her hand, pulling him down to her, and kissed him long and slow. She never wanted to let him go.

His arms wrapped around her, and she could feel the beat of his heart as her body pressed against his. She had never felt like this about any other man, and her head was spinning.

When their lips parted, they both struggled to catch their breath. Ryan was the first to speak and the deep feelings of his heart spilled out. “I can’t stand the thought of you going back to Los Angeles, Kate. I don’t want to lose you.”

Studying his adoring face for a moment, she reached up, tenderly putting a hand on his cheek. “Don’t worry, you’re not going to lose me.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, a look of hope spreading across his face.

“I mean I’m moving back to Seattle. I want to be close to my sister, and to you—if you want me.” The corners of her mouth turned up into an optimistic smile.

“If I want you? Are you kidding me? I’m falling in love with you.” His lips were on hers once more, this time with more urgency and hunger than ever before.

Coming up for air, Kate pulled in a deep breath and responded. “I’d be a fool to go back to Los Angeles and leave behind what we’ve started here.”

As he leaned in for another kiss, she put her fingers gently to his lips. “But, we should probably go somewhere more private to continue this conversation.”

“Conversation?”

“Get a room!” a scruffy teenager called out from the sidewalk as he flew by on his skateboard.

“My thoughts exactly,” Ryan agreed, eyeing Kate with an impish grin.

“Ryan!” Kate chastened, blushing at the thought.

“Okay, we’ll go to the hospital first. Then we’ll talk about the room.”

* * * *

If you enjoyed Three Days in Seattle, you’ll love
The Scent Of Lies
by Debra Burroughs.

About the Author

Debra Burroughs grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Most days she can be found sitting in front of her computer, dreaming up interesting and exciting characters and story lines.

If you’ve ever read any of her books, you’ll agree that Debra writes with intensity and power. Her characters are rich and the stories are full of compelling suspense and real romance. If you’re looking for graphic violence and explicit sex scenes, hers are not the books for you. But if you’re looking for stories with heart-fluttering real romance and “I can’t put this book down” suspense that will entertain you, grab your attention, touch your heart, and leave you wanting more, then dive into one of her captivating books.