Lyon on a Leash (24 page)

His jaw dropped as he stood staring at the empty doorway. “What the hell just happened?” he murmured after he heard the garage door close. Leaning against the counter, he rested his head on his arms as he waited for his mental faculties to come online again. Her impromptu blowjob had short-circuited his brain. Moments later, he inhaled deeply and stood straight.

Was this because of Julia? He wasn’t sure, and he sure as hell wouldn’t be asking any questions. He grabbed the plates to take to the sink and froze.
I’m in the kitchen
. They’d been in the kitchen when she’d taken him.

A smile crept up his face. Mistress had blown him in the kitchen. She had broken her own rule of no sex in the same room where her food was prepared. He wondered what she’d think about that.

The weather was overcast and threatening rain. Shutting down her computer, she placed a call. “I’m on my way home,” she said when he picked up.

“Good. Dinner’s done and I have a surprise for you.”

She glanced at the dark box she’d shoved in her purse. “Really? What? A lap dance? Striptease?” His groaning assured her she’d hit the mark. They’d been working on his dancing and while it had been hysterical for her, it remained a source of embarrassment for him. “What? Baby, you’ve got game.” She laughed at his grunts. “Okay, okay, what’s the surprise?”

“A surprise. You’ll see when you get home.” He paused, his voice sobering. “It looks like rain. You want me to come pick you up?”

He was such a sweetheart. “No. That doesn’t make sense.” She stood and picked up her briefcase. “I’ll be home in about twenty minutes. I’m hungry for….” She let the words trail off. Every since she’d blown him that day on her lunch break, she’d been insatiable and he’d been extremely accommodating.

“I’ve got whatever you need, Mistress,” he said in a low growl.

“Vera. Say it. I want to hear you say my name,” she teased as she turned off the light in her office.

“Vera, I have whatever you need.” His voice dropped a notch and her insides quivered.

She picked up her pace as she walked toward the elevator. “It’s dark in here.”

“Huh? What’d you say?”

The elevator door opened and she stepped in. “I said the office was dark, because of the clouds I guess. I’m headed to the garage now.”

“Okay. Stay on the phone with me until you drive off.”

She nodded, glad he respected her rule of not talking or texting while driving. She made it to her car without incident and released a breath. “I’m in my car and headed to you.”

“And I’m waiting. Drive careful. Be safe.”

“Will do,” she said, and backed out the parking space. She listened to Whitney’s “Run to You” as she hit the highway. A few minutes later the heavens burst open and rain fell in sheets. She slowed the car to a crawl, even stopping and waiting alongside the road when the rain was too heavy. The thirty-minute drive had passed an hour and she had a ways to go. She called him, but there was no answer.

She smiled, wondering if he was working on her surprise. “I have a surprise for you, too.” Perhaps after they went swimming, or maybe they’d just hit the whirlpool together. A clap of thunder rent the skies. Cringing, she looked up through the windshield. “Okay, no pool tonight. We’ll keep it simple, and just make love.”

Inching back onto the road, she breathed a sigh of relief that the rain was tapering off. Maybe she could get home within twenty minutes. She was ready to put her feet up and be pampered.

The headlights of a car came up behind her fast. She waited for the car to slow down on the slick roads. Her heart raced when it didn’t.

“Fool,” she spat as she moved into the right lane. The car swerved behind her but didn’t slow down. She turned her steering wheel to get over and heard the sound of screeching brakes and then a loud slam. She flew forward and then was flung back as the side and front airbags exploded. She tried to swallow, to make sense of what happened. Pain sliced through her from everywhere in her body. Dots flew in front of her eyes as she tried to breathe.

Breathing hurt.

The simple act of taking in air burned like fire. Idly, she wondered why it was raining inside her car. Why were pieces of glass falling on her lap? She fought to stay awake, alert, but the pain in her head pulled her under. Without air, she couldn’t fight.

“Marcus,” she whispered as everything went dark.

Marcus glanced at his watch. Something was wrong. Even with the rain, it shouldn’t have taken over two hours for her to get home. He paced in the kitchen, alert for the sound of the garage doors. He’d opened and then closed them to be sure they worked properly. He called her cell again.

Nothing.

Dread filled his gut. Something was wrong; he hated waiting and not knowing. Should he call Marguerite? His Mistress would be pissed if he called before he knew something for sure. Still, his gut was rarely wrong.

After another thirty minutes passed, he dressed in a pair of jeans, a red polo shirt, and sneakers, determined to go search for her. The house phone rang as he walked into the garage. He ran back inside and picked up.

“Hello?” he asked, breathing hard.

“Marcus, this is Amy. I got a call from the after-hours answering service. Please tell me Vera is with you?”

The punch to his gut bent him forward. “She’s not.”

Amy started crying. He could barely make out what she said. “Amy,” he yelled. “Stop crying for a minute. Tell me what you know.”

“The online system in her car called in an accident. They notified the office. The service called me.”

Breathe. Just get to her
. “Where’d they take her?”

“I don’t know.”

“Damn it.” He raked his hand through his hair, releasing the band that held it from his face. “Where was the accident?”

“About five miles from the office. She hadn’t gotten far.”

“Call the hospitals to see which one she’s in and call me back on my cell,” he demanded, giving her his number.

“Okay. She’s going to be all right, right Marcus?” she asked in a tiny, scared voice.

“Yes. Get me that information. I’m on my way.”

“On your way where?”

“Wherever she is. Get me that information.”

“Okay.” She hung up.

Marcus dropped to his knees, holding his head. “No…No…please no. I can’t lose her. I can’t lose her.” His throat tightened to the point he couldn’t speak. Unintelligible moans escaped his mouth. His chest squeezed in protest of the horror and pain she must be undergoing. Worse, she was alone. He stood and headed to the garage. His car spun out onto the road. The distant sound of the closing garage competed with the ringtones from his cell.

“What you got?” He turned onto the main road.

“Just a moment.” There was some talking in the background, then Amy came back on the line. “She went to Emory.”

“Thanks.” He disconnected and spoke the destination into his phone. Seconds later, clear instructions began guiding him toward his lady. “Please let her be okay,” he murmured.

Losing his former mistress had devastated him. Even though they hadn’t lived together, he’d spent five and sometimes seven days a week at her home. His clothes had been in her closet. He’d planned and prepared their meals, taken care of her car, and handled the bulk of her bills. Her quick departure had left a gaping hole in his day. It was as though a loved one had died, leaving him alone.

It had been worse than the divorce he’d had when he was twenty-two. He hadn’t been nearly as emotionally vested in his wife as he’d been with his former Mistress. When she’d left, he’d had no direction, no purpose. Her sudden departure crippled him for over a year. His inability to focus cost him his job. Lethargy dogged his heels. It took him a long time to pull out of the spiraling pit of despair.

He’d returned to his parents’ home for a while to heal. Their love and compassion had gone a long way in helping him pull it together. And now, he might be faced with a similar situation.

Despite wanting a monogamous relationship, it hadn’t been easy to love, to live again, especially with Vera refusing to commit her heart right upfront. He’d been determined to be smarter this time. To allow things to happen at a slow pace, to give her time to see how good things could be between them. But if she didn’t want him the same as he wanted her, he would’ve left. His heart wasn’t a toy to be bandied about according to the whims of others, and he’d intended to protect it from the debilitating pain he’d felt before.

But Vera did love him.

He saw it in her eyes. Felt it in the way she touched him, in the way she considered his feelings along with hers. He knew her love for him was real, just as surely as he knew his last name. And he loved her with everything inside him. Every quirky, funny thing about her made his heart soar. She was his, damn it, and he couldn’t lose her.
Not now
.

His cell rang. “Yeah?”

“Marcus? Marguerite. I just got a call from Amy. She said my daughter has been in an accident. But that can’t be right. Because you haven’t called me, so I’m wondering if she’s right or not.”

He hit the steering wheel. Now was not the time. “She just called me and I ran out of the house. I’m on my way to Emory. That’s where she is. I don’t….” His breath hitched. “I don’t know anything yet. Soon…soon as I do, I’ll call.” The closer he got to the hospital, the more his adrenaline spiked.

“It’s okay. Drive safe. I can’t have both of you down. I’m on my way; let me know when you reach the hospital.”

“Okay.” He tapped the small phone icon in the steering wheel as he took in gulps of air.

Pulling into the valet parking lane, he jumped out of the car to meet the attendant, who gave him a ticket. Without wasting another moment, Marcus strode down the hall, looking for someone to give him information. He walked to the first counter. The woman was on the phone and held up a finger. He jerked in a semblance of a nod, but couldn’t control the tensing of his hands, each curving into a fist. He jammed them into his pockets and tried to release his clenched jaw.

“How may I help you?”

“Vera Knight, my fiancée, was in a car accident a little while ago. She was brought here.”

The woman tapped on her keyboard. Her eyes were warmer when she glanced up at him. “She’s in surgery. Go down that hall and turn right. The nurse will buzz you in. Can you answer some questions about Ms. Knight?”

“Yeah,” he called out over his shoulder, already in motion. He thought he heard her call out to him but wasn’t sure and didn’t want to waste any time to check. Heart in throat, he pressed the buzzer at the double doors and waited. He fought down the urge to pound on the door, but the waiting was getting to him. Finally, someone spoke on an intercom he hadn’t noticed until it sounded.

“I’m here for my fiancée, Vera Knight. She was in a car accident. The lady…the lady up front told me to come here to answer some questions and to get some answers. Please…I need to find out what’s going on.” He hadn’t meant to beg, but if that would get him some answers, he would get down on his knees as well.

The door opened and he stepped through as soon as it was wide enough. Seeing a nurse’s station ahead, he all but ran forward to get information. “I’m Marcus Lyon. My…Vera was in a car accident. Can you tell me anything?” It hurt to breathe, and he wasn’t sure he’d want to if the woman didn’t say what he needed to hear.

“Her fiancé? Any identification or anything?”

“What?” He blinked, trying to process her question.

“Can you answer some questions about Ms. Knight?”

His shoulders slumped. “Yes, yes…what do you need to know?” He pulled out his wallet and gave the woman his driver’s license, which had their shared home address. He handed over both their insurance cards. “What do you need to know?” he asked, his voice rising at the delay.

“Just a moment.” She took the items and made copies before returning them. “Just a precaution.”

He nodded. Later, he might appreciate their security but right now it pissed him off. “Is she still in surgery?” He replaced the items in his wallet.

“Yes. I’m not sure about all her injuries but the doctor will be out to talk with you as soon as he can. There’s an area through here where you can wait. Someone from admissions will talk with you soon as well.”

“Can’t you tell me something? Is she…was she hurt badly?” He stared hard, willing her to break whatever rules, hoping she could calm his fear.

“I don’t know anything beyond she was rushed into surgery. If I find out anything, I’ll let you know.”

“Can someone…can someone come out for just a moment and let me know something? Please?” He’d seen it done on TV and wondered if that mimicked real life.

She frowned. “There’re no extra hands in surgery. Everyone in that room is working to help Ms. Knight get better. She needs them more than you do right now.”

Crestfallen, he nodded. “You’re right. I wasn’t thinking. I’m…I’m just scared.” He looked around, searching for the room she’d mentioned.

“It’s there.” She pointed, her voice stiff.

Nodding, he headed toward the door, doing his best to ignore the sights, sounds, and smells of the patients he passed. Every moan of pain shredded his composure. Kicking his feet in gear, he rushed to the door and exited into the smaller room filled with blue foam-cushioned chairs and a television. Standing just inside the empty room, he took in a large gulp of air and released it. Vera was here somewhere, being operated on. Having no idea of her injuries, his mind filled in the blanks, which caused his stomach to rebel.