IF I WERE YOUR WOMAN (22 page)

“Are you in pain?”

“Nope.”

“Do you miss me?” she teased.

“Girl, you starting mess.”

Laney released a raspy chuckle. “If it makes you feel any better, my flight leaves at eight tomorrow morning.”

Ray was silent for a long time.

“Darling, is everything okay?”

“Yeah…yeah, baby. Everything’s cool.” Ray closed his eyes as the image of Laney danced in his head, his voice barely audible. “Red…”

“Yes, darling?”

“Be safe.”

~ ~ ~

After Laney returned home from the presentation, she returned to work.  She drove her white Escalade up the driveway to Raphael’s home. She figured the two men she saw in front of the garage were a couple of contractors who’d stopped by to work on the recording studio Raphael was having built. She exited the vehicle, but stiffened when they approached in silence. One of the men was dark-skinned and stocky; the other was thin and young.

“Excuse me,” Laney said. “Can I help?”

“What’s your name?” the darker one asked.

Laney realized her mistake. She looked around for a place to run. There was none except inside, which was not possible. “Who are you?”

“You know Ray LaSalle?” the thin one asked.

“I haven’t the faintest idea…” Laney’s words ebbed when the darker one smiled and pulled out a gun.

“Where’s LaSalle?” the dark man ordered in a harsh tone.

Laney focused on the man who spoke so she didn’t have to look at the gun. “No one by that name lives here,” she said softly and hated how small her voice sounded.

The darker one bent close to her face, and she felt the heat from his breath against her cheek. “You’re lying,” he said, each word distinct.

Laney waited for the two men to leave, but they didn’t. The younger one raised his arm.

“
No
!”

A hand connected to the side of her face. The blow stung, blurring her senses and she staggered backwards against her car. She yelled as pain rocked her head, but the man who’d hit her grabbed her wrist and twisted it behind her back.

“We want to be sure LaSalle knows we were here,” he said and pushed her until she landed on top of some nearby bushes.

Laney cradled her wrist with her other hand, focusing all her terror on the large bruise. She shut her eyes, shaking all over.

An overpowering revulsion that Raphael was in danger, gave her strength. She got up and bit savagely at the hand of the man who’d hit her, her nails scratching at his flesh. She’d never been so happy to hear the sound of a car approaching in all her life.  The two men heard it, too, and bolted to their car and sped away. She closed her eyes with relief.

Moments passed before Laney heard footsteps pounding the cement. “Laney,” a commanding voice said. “Are you all right?”

Laney managed to open her eyes and looked up at Alex.

“Are you all right?” he asked again, his voice sharper.

“Yes,” she managed and turned her head into his shoulder.

Alex squatted and helped Laney to her feet. “Come on. Let me get you inside.”

“Alex, promise me you won’t tell Raphael,” Laney pleaded.

Alex gave her a pointed look. “That’s a promise I will
never
keep.”

~ ~ ~

The vibration from Ray’s cell phone pulled him out of a deep concentration.

Alone in the recording studio he’d rented in downtown Memphis, he hunkered over the digital audio workstation, listening to the one of the tracks the youth from the academy had recently recorded. Slipping his Blackberry from the leather case attached at his waist, he glanced at the number on the screen. Cradling the cell phone next to his ear, he slid to a comfortable position in his chair. “Talk to me, baby.”

“Ray…”

“
Mon frère
?” Ray swung his arm up to glance at his watch. It was seven in the evening. He’d been at the studio all day and had lost all track of time. He frowned. Why had Alex called from Laney’s cell phone?  Plus, there was an odd flatness in his voice. “What’s up?”

“It’s Laney.”

In an instant, Ray’s body temperature fluctuated from cold to hot, then back to cold again. He sprung to his feet. Human instinct told him some funky crazy stuff had gone down. His mind went on a mini rollercoaster ride. Conjuring up all kinds of thoughts, sheer anguish looped and twisted inside of him until it settled in a knot at the pit of his stomach. “What’s wrong with Red?”

With one hand, Ray pressed the phone harder against his ear. His free hand formed a tight fist when Alex’s answer of assurance didn’t come quick enough. His voice escalated to a shout. “
Mon frère
?” A couple of seconds passed and impatience got the best of him. “What the hell is going on?”

“Ray, you need to settle down,” Alex suggested.

Settle down?
Ray yanked the phone away and glared at it a moment then jammed it to his ear again. “I’m going to go medieval in a second. What’s wrong with Red? Is she okay?”

“Someone attacked her at your house.”

“Attacked her!” Ray paced in a tight circle. His breathing grew ragged and beads of sweat rolled down the center of his back. He shouted a string of expletives and the veins in his neck swelled to the point they nearly popped through his skin. “Is Red okay?”

“Ray, listen to me. I’ve never lied to you. She’s got a few scrapes and bruises. She’ll never admit it, but she’s shaken. Listen, partner, you know how bullheaded she can get. She told me not to call, but I figured you needed to know.”

“Ya damn skippy, I need to know. Put the house on lockdown and stay with her until I get there.” Ray had already snatched his jacket off a nearby chair. Struggling with the sleeves, he put it on and tried to talk to Alex at the same time. The phone landed on the floor. He swept it up and placed it to his ear. “
Mon frère
!”

“I’m still with you, partner. I’ve got everything under control.” 

Ray closed his eyes, inhaling deeply as a small measure of tranquility washed over him. He trusted Alex with his life and if he said everything was under control, it was air tight. He didn’t remember if he’d disconnected the call with Alex or not. He raced out of the building and hopped into his car. With no traffic, he had at least a thirty-minute drive ahead of him.

He turned the ignition and prayed.

~ ~ ~

Twenty minutes later, Ray’s car came to a screeching halt in his driveway. He’d driven like a madman. Slamming the gear into park, the car rocked violently and he hopped out before the motion stopped.

Ray burst through the front door, not bothering to shut it and cupped both hands against his mouth. “Red!” His gaze immediately landed on Alex. “Where is she?”

Alex pointed upstairs.

Ray made his way up the staircase. He found Laney huddled in the middle of their bed with a blanket draped over her shoulders. He hunkered down, pulling the blanket away. His eyes raked her from head to toe. Gently, he touched her chin and turned her head toward the light. What he saw caused his body to go rigid. In the space of a heartbeat, anger ripped through him so fast, he shook. He fingered the bruises on her wrist and cheek. His jaw twitched and became as hard as cement.

Laney offered a wobbly smile. “Did you finish the track?” she asked softly.

“It’s a wrap, baby. I was listening to it when Alex called. Are you okay?”

“My head hurts a little, but I’m fine.” Then Laney proceeded to tell him what her assailants said to her.

Ray offered a stiff nod and swore under his breath. Right now, he needed to get Laney to the safest place possible. Later, he’d concentrate on the bastards who did this to her. And just as soon as he laid eyes on whoever it was who hurt her, they’d experience from him first-hand assault with intent to do bodily harm or worst. “I’m going to find the bastards who did this. I promise you, I’ll find them.”

“Darling, please don’t. I’m okay. Besides, I don’t want the police getting involved.”

Ray’s eyes were cold and frustration rippled along his spine because he couldn’t physically carry Laney to safety. “Are you able to walk for me?”

Laney nodded.

“Let’s go.” Ray folded Laney’s hand inside of his and headed toward the door.

With concerned etched deep on his face, Alex came to the foot of the stairs as Ray and Laney made their way down the staircase. “Where you headed?”

“Olivia. Roundup your best security team and tell them to get down here fast. Call Big Eddie, too.”

“Done.”

With that, Ray walked out with the most precious gifted he’d ever received by his side.

~ ~ ~

An hour later, Ray pulled his car up to the front door of Olivia. Big Eddie, Ida Mae, and Dorothy were anxiously waiting on the front porch when they arrived. After he helped Laney out of his car, he glanced at her family. “Once I get her settled, we’ll talk.”

With a protective arm wrapped around her waist, Ray led Laney toward the staircase and inside the suite he’d once stayed in. After stripping her out of her mud-splattered clothes, he prepared a bubble bath for her. While Laney bathed, he phoned her grandfather, Charles, and told him what had happened. Charles informed him he was on his way. Then he phoned his family. It took him over thirty minutes to convince them that his one and only priority was Laney’s safety. The last call was to JoJo, who told him he’d get the word to the other members of Les Croisés.

“
Mon ange
, don’t fall asleep on me, yet.” Ray walked into the bathroom with two large velour towels in his hands. “We still need to rinse the conditioner out of your hair.”

Gingerly, Ray knelt by the side of the tub to complete the task, but stopped. Maybe her calm, quiet nature fooled others, but not him. Laney Olivia Houston had an unconquerable spirit, which both irritated and fascinated him at times. And it was never more evident to him than it was today.  

He wrapped one towel around her head and used the other to dry her off.  When she stepped out the tub, he guided her to the bed. Pulling back the sheets, he waited until she’d crawled to the middle of the mattress then settled on the edge. He doubted she’d eaten. Usually he had dinner prepared for her when she returned from work. “Did you eat today?”

Laney shook her head sideways.

Ray left and headed off to the kitchen. Ten minutes passed, and he returned with a turkey and cheese sandwich. He coaxed her to eat half of it.  Stretching out beside her, he pulled her next to him.  

“No one has ever hit me before,” Laney whispered and wound her arms around his neck.

“Trust me, no one ever will again. Bank on that.”

“I never felt as small as I did today. I guess I discovered my limitations.”

“You’re strong in all the ways that count.”

Ray felt the strain of her body as she tried to hold on to her composure. Seconds later the dam broke. She released a gut-wrenching sob and buried her face in the crook of his neck and wept. The depth of her distress tore a hole in his heart. Right now she needed the release and he didn’t stop her. As she cried, he whispered words of assurance.

~ ~ ~

It was an hour past midnight when Ray awoke to an empty bed. Lifting his head from the pillow, his eyes focused on the sliver of light streaming from the half-opened door across the room. Pulling the covers back, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and headed toward the bathroom. Laney was so absorbed in her own thoughts she didn’t hear him as he opened the door wider. He walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulder.

What happened next shook him to his very core. Blind terror shot through Laney. She screamed and spun around, pressing her hips against the counter. Somewhere in the process, she picked up a brush and held it like a knife. Her face was ashen, and she stared blindly at him.

Ray’s face became hard.  In silence, they looked at each other until the brush fell from her hands and clattered against the floor.

“Oh, God,” Laney muttered in a thin voice and covered her face with both hands.

Ray drew her to him, his hands in her hair, and held her to his chest. “What happened yesterday is haunting you, isn’t it?”

She clung to him and tried to banish the terror of the attack. The fear she felt came out of nowhere and caught her off-guard. When she felt Ray’s hand on her shoulder, for a split-second the image of being attacked hit her like a thunderbolt. She was cold and began to shiver. At that moment, all Laney wanted was to sink into Raphael’s warmth, to allow his touch to comfort her. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize,” Ray murmured over the top of her head.  He noticed Laney had regained her composure and eased away from him. He let her go because he sensed it was important for her. They returned to bed and the tenderness in his voice as he stroked her back left no room for worries or lingering doubts that he’d protect her with his very life. Afterwards, she curled against him and slept undisturbed.

Despite his physical limitations, he gave her what she’d given him when he needed it most—emotional strength. His woman had been attacked at his house, but why? And more importantly, by whom? Was someone out for him? And if that was so, it placed Laney in danger because she was with him.