Predator - A Stand Alone Suspense Romance (19 page)

“Come,” he says, his eyes already searching our surroundings. I get out of the car and lean against the door as I wait for him to get the bag out of the back.

He walks to where I’m standing and then his hand slips over my cheek and he leans down. His eyes catch mine and it’s just like in the beginning. I can’t keep eye contact and quickly look down.

“How’s the pain?” he asks, once again reading me like a book.

It doesn’t help to lie so I grimace. “I could really use some painkillers and a bed.”

He slips his arm around my shoulders and draws me into his side. “I’ll get you some as soon as we’re done here.”

I stay stuck to his side as we walk down a narrow passage. The lighting is dim as we pass a few rows of storage units.

We finally stop by one and I watch as he unlocks it. The door rolls up and he flicks on the light. I’m not sure what I expected to see but it’s not a plain cabinet. He unlocks it and when he opens the door, my eyes widen.

There are two guns, some bullets, cash, and some other items. I’ve never seen so much money before. He opens the bag and then shoves the money in. He grabs what looks like a couple of I.D. cards, passports a set of keys, and he shoves them in between the money. One gun goes in the bag and the other behind his back.  When he stands up and looks at me, all I can do is swallow.

Who is this man that he’s so prepared?

Who keeps so much money, guns and I.D.’s in a storage unit?

He shrugs the bag over his left shoulder and then takes hold of my arm. “Let’s go.”

Before we can leave, voices echo down the passage. Damian pushes me back and quickly rolls the door shut. He switches the light off and my heart all but stops.

I gasp and my heart sets off racing. I open my mouth but before I can say his name, I feel his arm come around my shoulder. I don’t know how he can see anything, but he steers me to the back of the unit.

My back brushes up against the cold steel and my whole body tightens with fear. I grab for Damian and then his arms fold around me. His body curves over mine and I feel his stubble scrape against my cheek. His breath is warm on my ear as he whispers, “I know the dark and confined space scares you, but try to stay calm. We just need to wait them out.”

I nod quickly but wave after wave of fear is crashing over me. My mid-section is aching terribly. I bite at my bottom lip and then let my arms slip around Damian’s waist. I hold on to him and bury my face under his chin. His scent and presence envelops me and it soothes me some.

I hear the drone of voices as they pass by the unit we’re in. The pain becomes waves of nausea and dizziness, and all I can do is hold on to Damian.

He presses a kiss to my cheek and then another to my neck. “You’re doing good,” he whispers.

“I’m going to puke,” I whisper back. The pain and fear is becoming too much.

I listen as they roll the door open of the unit next to ours, and then a loud curse makes me flinch.

Footsteps race by our unit and then the sounds fade fast.

“Just a little longer,” Damian whispers. “They need to think we’re gone.

My legs go numb from the pain and my body sags into Damian. “I need to sit,” I whisper, feeling very weak.

Just like the night before, Damian slides us to the floor and then he pulls me between his legs. I curl into him and close my eyes, trying my best to fight the urge to cry.

His one hand starts to brush soft circles on my lower back, and it eases some of the pain in my hips. He presses more kisses to the top of my head.

Torturous long minutes tick by before he stirs. “I’m going to go look first. Stay here,” he whispers.

My head snaps up and I grab at him. My hands slam into his abs and I grab the material under my hands. “No,” I shake my head and even though my body is an aching mess, I struggle to my knees. “Don’t leave me.”

He hesitates for a second and my heart stops, but then he pulls me up with him. “Can you walk?”

I nod. I’ll do anything he tells me as long as he doesn’t leave me in this box.

I can feel his eyes on me and I wish that I could see as good as he does in the dark. He slides the door open softly and the light that shines in from the passage is very welcome.

He looks up and down the passage and then takes the gun from his back. Just like that first day when he came for me he takes my hand with his left one and keeps the gun in his right hand.

“Stay behind me,” he whispers and this time the words sound so different from when he first said it to me. There is nothing neutral about Damian anymore. He’s not clinical with me.

I stick to his back as we walk down the passage. When we get outside, the parking area is empty. I feel a flicker of hope that we might make it.

“We have to walk up the road, I have a car waiting at a dealership.”

“Walk?” I squeak, not sure I can make it much further.

Damian pulls me into his side so I can lean into him, and his arm settles firmly around me. “We can’t take this car.” He looks to the one we’ve been using. “We’re leaving it all behind.”

“Your house?” I ask, only now realizing that he’s giving it all up.

“It was a rental.” He starts to walk, and my numb legs move sluggishly. With every step I take, I lean more into Damian. Suddenly, he stops and he takes my left arm, pulling it around his waist. His arm goes around me, as if we’re a couple. This way he’s taking more of my weight and it helps a little.

“I’d carry you but it would only attract attention.”

I can only nod, my mouth filled with thick saliva. My vision starts to blur and I don’t take in any of our surroundings anymore. I only focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

It’s the longest distance I have ever walked. At least, it feels that way. When we finally reach the dealership, I can’t hold back the bile and quickly turn away from Damian. My body convulses and it makes the pain blindingly sharp.

I don’t know how we get to the car. With tears blurring my sight, I get to rest my cheek on the worn upholstery of the back seat. I finally get to close my eyes and sink away into a dark bliss.

Damian~

It’s been a long day and it’s only early afternoon. When I stop at a drug store, I’m torn in two. Cara is asleep on the back seat. I don’t want to leave her but I need supplies for her.

I lock all the doors and then rush into the store. I grab painkillers first and then get some more bandages. I grab a large first aid kit too. Rather be prepared than sorry.

I’m in and out in less than ten minutes but it feels like a year of my life has passed. I place the stuff on the passenger seat and then open the door by Cara’s head. I place a hand on her forehead and feel overwhelming relief when she’s cool to my touch. The last thing we need is an infection.

I brush some hair from her face and then close the door again.

When we leave the busy town behind, I feel a ton of weight roll off my shoulders.

My mind goes to the contents of the bag. We don’t have enough clothes, but we can get some more when we reach Southport. I’m so fucking thankful that I got Cara a back-up I.D made. With our new identities and the emergency cash we’ll be okay for a while. We’ll need to get jobs, but that’s a bridge we’ll cross when we get to it.

I have a cabin in Southport that I got a few years ago. It will be the perfect place for Cara to heal. It’s a quiet village. We’ll be able to disappear there.

Every now and then I glance over my shoulder to make sure she’s okay.

I’ve put her through hell today, but she’s a fighter. I didn’t think they’d find the storage unit so fast. Thank fuck I had the other unit under Damian Weston and the one with our emergency stash under Alex Jackson. I rigged the other unit so it would look like someone has already been there, hoping it would throw them off our tails.

I start going over everything with a fine-tooth comb. I’d love nothing more than to rip Tom’s heart out, but that would give away the little bit of ground we’ve gained. The most important thing is that Cara has a safe place to heal.

Cara~

I wake up feeling like a piece of chewed gum, sticky and stretched too thin.

I pull my face from the seat and wipe away the drool from the corner of my mouth. I’m hot and my whole body is aching.

I sit up in the back and look at our surroundings. Everything is green, and I can smell salt in the air.

“How do you feel?” Damian asks, his eyes jumping between the road and the mirror.

“Yucky,” I sum it all up for him.

He digs in a bag on the passenger seat and then hands me an energy drink. I take it from him and as I take a few greedy gulps, he hands me a box of painkillers. “Shit, thank you!” I get excited at the thought of not being in pain. I take two pills and then drink some more of the energy drink. I slump back against the seat and just stare out the window. Pretty houses line the street we’re driving down, and here and there someone is working in their garden.

“Where are we?” I ask.

“Southport,” Damian says as he turns down a road. “I have a cabin here.”

The houses start to thin out, and after a while it’s only trees with a cabin every few miles. “Where’s Southport?” I ask.

“It’s in North Carolina. I think you’ll like it here. It’s a small village.”

I still smell salt but I can’t see the ocean from where I am. “Is there a beach nearby?”

“Yeah, once you’re better, I’ll show you the town. Everything’s within walking distance.”

I stare at the trees passing us by and then Damian pulls up to a weather-beaten cabin. It makes the house we lived in look like a castle.

When Damian stops the car, I get out slowly. My mid-section feels tender as hell, but at least the pain is easing up.

Damian grabs the bag and takes the set of keys we got from the storage unit out. His eyes settle on me and before he can reach for me, I start to slowly walk to the front door. I shake the railing, testing it first, before I lean on it so I can climb the creaking stairs.

“It doesn’t look like much, but that’s the idea. We can fix it up, make it our own.” Damian unlocks the door as my face flushes from his words. He’s using words like ‘we’ and ‘our’.

I follow him into a dusty small room. There’s only one couch and a tiny TV. Dust particles dance in the air all around us.

“The bedroom’s through here,” Damian says and I follow him into an even smaller room. There’s only the double bed and an old cupboard. I watch as Damian pulls all the bedding off. He shakes it all out, and then makes the bed again. “Get in.”

He doesn’t have to tell me twice and I don’t care what condition the bedding is in. I just want to sleep. I slowly crawl under the covers and find a comfortable position for my tender body.

Damian takes a bottle of water from the bag and places it on the floor, right next to where I’m lying. He leaves a box of painkillers too. “I’ll check on you in a while. Get some rest.”

When he turns to leave the room, I whisper, “Thank you.”

He gives me one of his rare smiles that makes the air whoosh from my lungs, and then he leaves. He doesn’t close the door and I can hear every step he takes. He’s opening and closing cupboards and then I hear keys rattle. The sound of a door closing tells me that he’s left.

The dusty smell from the pillow tickles my nose and I shove my hands under my head to act as barrier.

It’s quiet out here and I love it. No people. Nothing but us.

The smell of something delicious wakes me. I don’t know how long I slept for. I get up slowly and when a pain starts to pulse in my abdomen, I quickly reach for the painkillers. I down two with the water and then go in search of Damian.

I find him in the kitchen where he’s stirring something in a pot. “You’re cooking?” I’m surprised as hell. Damian never cooked before, well, except for that one time he made curry for what’s-her-name.

“Yeah, just some chili. I got some fresh bread too, and some other stuff.” He points to an old kettle. “It just boiled if you’d like to make some coffee.”

“Thanks,” I whisper. I make myself some coffee and then walk out onto the small porch. Every step I take makes the wood creak beneath my feet.

I take in the surroundings and when I don’t see any cabins or people near us, I feel a flutter of something close to happiness.

I hear movement inside and I glance over my shoulder. Damian is stripping all the bedding off again and then I watch him take brand new bedding out of a bag.

I wish I had the energy to help him, but I’m already tired again. It feels as if something is draining every drop of strength from my body.

I finish the coffee and rinse the cup, and then go to the bathroom. It’s the tiniest room, with only a bath, basin and toilet. I hesitate for a second before I close the door. I feel panic rise in my chest as I stare at the door. I quickly relieve myself, flush the toilet, and rinse my hands, before I yank the door open. Damian is right on the other side and I bounce back.

“You closed the door,” he states and then a smile pulls at the corner of his mouth. “That’s good.”

He walks to the kitchen and I make my way back to the bedroom. The covers are pulled back and a slight smile pulls at my lips as I get under the brand new blanket. I sigh and close my eyes, letting sleep take me again.

Damian~

When the chili is done I scoop some into a bowl for myself. Cara is still asleep and there’s no way I’m waking her. She needs as much rest as possible. She can eat when she wakes up.

I take my bowl of chili and a bottle of water, and go sit on the old beaten up couch. I have a clear view of Cara, and my eyes never leave her as I eat.

Once she’s better, we’ll need to talk. She can either stay with me, which I hope she decides to do, or she can risk it out there. The thought of her leaving again makes my blood run cold. She’s been through enough shit in her life.

The thought of going to South Africa and killing that good-for-nothing uncle of hers is very tempting.

The day I got Cara from that container I never thought we’d end up like this. I never thought there’d be a woman out there who would make me give it all up. I still don’t know why I’m doing all of this for her. It sure as hell ain’t love.

“You’re just protective of her,” I whisper to myself. “She has no one, and you have no one, so it’s only natural that you stick together.” I scoff at myself and my stupid reasoning. “Yeah, right. Keep bullshitting yourself.”

When midnight comes around, and it’s clear Cara won’t be waking up, I quickly bathe. I hate bathing. I need to put a shower in here. I pull on a pair of sweats and then slip in next to Cara. She’s lying on her side, with her back facing me. I just stare at her silhouette for a few minutes longer before I scoot closer to her. I make sure not to touch her as I place my arm under my head. Some of her hair is fanned over the pillow and I touch the silky tips.

I must’ve drifted to sleep, but it feels like I’ve only been asleep for a few seconds when movement wakes me. I open my eyes and see Cara sitting on the edge of the bed. As she gets up, I notice that her movements are sluggish. Her body veers to the left and she bumps into the wall. 

I quickly get out. When I get to her, I notice her wet cheeks.

“Sorry,” she whispers, “I didn’t mean to wake you. I just wanted to get some water.”

I take hold of her arm. “Get back in bed. I’ll quickly go get you a bottle.” I make sure she’s sitting down again before I walk to the kitchen. I grab two bottles of water. When I walk back into the bedroom, she’s struggling to open the box of painkillers.

“Here.” I hand her a bottle of water and take the box from her. I quickly take two pills out and hand it to her. Her hands are trembling and it makes me worry. “Is the pain bad?”

She shakes her head and then swallows the pills. I take the bottle from her and watch as she gingerly lies back down. Tears keep sneaking out of her eyes.

“Cara, how bad is it?” I ask as I look down at her.

“The pills will take the pain away in a few seconds,” she whispers, still not telling me how bad it is.

I’m worried and quickly switch on the light. “We’re up, I might as well change the bandage.” I just want to see the wound for myself. She might have an infection and her stubborn ass won’t tell me.

I get the first aid kit and when I push her shirt up she doesn’t even open her eyes. I slip my arm under her shoulders and lift her gently, while with my other hand I undo the bandage around her waist. I toss the old bandage to the side and then ease her slowly back onto the bed. I take an antiseptic wipe and slowly start to clean the wound.

It doesn’t look infected and it makes me breathe a little easier.

When I throw the wipe to the side, she mumbles sleepily, “That felt so nice.”

The corner of my mouth twitches and I take out another wipe. I start the whole process over again, gently wiping around the clips. When I go out tomorrow to get stuff for the shower, I’ll check where the doctor is. It’s been eight days since the surgery so the clips should be coming out soon.

I’m glad I got the new bandages with some tape. I cover the clips and then stare down at her. She fell asleep and it hits me that she trusts me. She fell asleep with her shirt bunched up. She’s trusting me not to take advantage of her.

Fuck, that’s huge.

I wonder if she even realizes this. I throw the used bandage and wipes away, and then switch off all the lights. I lie down next to her but this time I can’t fall asleep so I spend the early morning hours taking in every inch of her silhouette.

Cara~

I wake up to find the sun streaming into the room. I feel sticky and worn-out.

I slowly sit up, careful not to aggravate the wound. I remember how Damian took care of me the night before. I remember how gentle he was and the memories alone make me feel all emotional. I swallow hard and get up.

When I walk into the bathroom, I find Damian measuring the wall. “Hey.”

His head snaps to me then back to the wall. He makes a mark and then steps out of the bath. His eyes captures mine and it looks like he’s searching for something. “How do you feel?”

I shrug. I don’t really have an answer for that question. I feel … miserable. No, that’s not even the right word for what I’m feeling.

His fingers brush over my jaw and he nudges my face up so I’ll look at him again. “I’m here. Any time you want to talk, I’m here.”

I nod and then let my eyes go to the mark he made on the wall. “What are you doing?”