Winter's Heat (9 page)

“Winter the ‘ice princess’ has got herself a man. I wonder if he’s managed to do what no one else has. Tell me—has he managed to melt the ice between your pretty brown virgin thighs yet...” He taunted reaching out to twirl a lock of her curly hair around his dirty looking finger.

“Get away from me, you creep!” She yelled trying to push pass him.

“I don’t think it’s any of your damn business what goes on between me and Eric, so keep your dirty mind and hands to yourself Randy!” She was now shaking with rage as she stood looking at the snide smirk on his weasely face.

She was going to kill Cheri for telling her jerk of a boyfriend about something she’d told her in confidence!

“What, I’m not good enough for you?” He taunted pushing her into the kitchen counter and caging her in with his bony arms.

Winter knew as soon as her hip hit the counter’s edge that things were about to get real ugly. Staring into Randy’s cold eyes, she knew he was dead set on whatever course he was on at this point.

“Randy, go to hell!” She said as she pushed again against his surprisingly strong bony arms to escape.

Not budging one bit, he roughly grabbed her long curly hair and pulled her head sharply back. The action made her neck feel like it would snap at the angle it was in, but she managed to bite back a cry of pain as she tried to bluff her way out of the now dangerous situation.

“You had better get your hands off of me right now or I’m gonna kick your bony ass Randy. And if by some chance I don’t, Eric will when he finds out what you’ve done.” She threatened as she grabbed his hand to keep some to the tension off her neck and hair.

“Your pretty little rich boy won’t care after I’m done with you. He won’t want the whore I’m gonna turn you into.” There was cold promise in his taunting words making his meaning all too clear.

“Besides, I’ve been itching for a taste of you and now I’m gonna get it…” With those words, he reached down and grabbed the front of her dress and ripped the lightweight material straight down the middle exposing her strapless bra underneath.

The pain of her hair was forgotten as fear took over and had her fighting like a Tasmanian devil swinging wildly at him striking him in the head and chest. While he was momentarily stunted by her blows, she used those precious moments to push past him and run stumbling from the kitchen into the living room to get to the safety of the front door. She didn’t make it any further than that as she felt the weight of him come down painfully hard on her from behind as he tackled her down to the carpeted floor.

For the first time, it occurred to her to start screaming for help as she felt him shift on top and flip her over. She tried throwing him off her but that didn’t seem to faze him in the least as he captured both her hands and pinned them to the floor. Despite his bony build, he was just too strong for her.

She couldn’t believe this was happening. Screaming wasn’t working and she was quickly losing the strength to fight him. Winter started outright sobbing in helpless outrage as Randy continued to grope and tear at her clothes angrily.

She had one thought as she lay there feeling her strength ebb:
Oh God, Eric, I need you….

****

Eric had just taken out his cell phone to call Winter as he walked up to the door of her apartment when he heard the faint sound of a woman’s agonized scream. The sound sent a hot and cold sensation coursing all through him because he knew with everything in him that it was Winter.

Wasting no time, he charged the door and rammed it with his broad bulk like an enraged bull. The door was no match for his adrenaline pumped strength and gave way without much resistance. As he gained his bearings, he stepped further inside to quickly glance around and saw movement on the floor by the couch.

What he saw galvanized him into action as a rage he’d never known instantly ran through his veins like molten lava. His movements were of a well trained killing machine as he grabbed Randy and slammed his fist repeatedly into the man’s face. The second punch he delivered produced a satisfying crunch quickly followed by a gush of blood knocking Randy off of Winter’s thrashing body to land in a crumbled heap across the room into the wall.

He immediately followed to deal out some more punishment, but when Eric grabbed Randy’s dirty t-shirt, the man swayed listlessly in an unconscious state. Eric curled his lip in disgust at the picture Randy made.

He still delivered a hard kick with his booted foot to the little creep’s leg for good measure because he felt somewhat cheated out of unleashing a full can of a good ass whooping on him. And right now in his book, Randy was the poster boy for one.

He turned quickly when he heard a faint distressed moan come from Winter’s direction. With his heart in his throat, Eric moved quickly over to her and went to his knees besides her. The sight of her battered tearstained face tore at him and made him want to go back and murder Randy with his bare heads. The only thing that stopped him was the acute need to comfort Winter.

Reaching out to do so, a wave of helplessness engulfed him when she flinched away at his tentative touch. He quickly snatched his hand away as her frightened reaction gutted him.

Oh, god did he save her in time?

He had to try and reach her. If his familiar touch wouldn’t do, maybe his voice would.

“
It’s okay sweetheart. It’s me, Eric.” He tried to make his voice as soothing as possible to break through the fear he felt pouring off of her in waves. He clenched his jaw in suppressed anger as he took in the tattered and ripped dress falling off of her now violently shivering body.

“
Winter, please…let me help you.” He pleaded. He couldn’t stand it, he had to hold her. Running his fingers restlessly through his hair, he was at a lost to see her so distraught.

He reached down and got his phone to flip it open. Just as he was about to dial 911, he heard the whisper of her voice.

“
Eric...?” The sound of her hoarse voice had his full attention.

“
Yes, sweetheart I’m here.” He prayed he had gotten through to her.

Watching the silent tears roll down her smooth cheeks made his own eyes burn. With all his strength, he’d never felt so helpless as he watched her valiantly try to pull herself together.

Slowly sitting up, Winter tried to cover herself as best as she could with torn dress she’d worn earlier.

“
Sweetheart, please…let me help you.” He uttered those quiet words. As he watched, a ragged breath shuttered through her body right before she fell into the warm cocoon of his chest sobbing like her heart was breaking.

He had seen many things in his life both in and out of his line of work. But he had not been affected by any of it as he was now by the woman in his arms. So many different thoughts and emotions were going through him and the most prominent of them was to protect her with his very life.

He loved this woman with all that he was and all that he was going to be. Looking back, he regretted every moment of every second that he hadn’t realized that. And as he rocked her in his arms, he struck with the fact that tonight he’d almost lost the chance completely to tell her.

He was only sorry that he hadn’t listened to his first mind and taken care of the situation earlier. But if she allowed him to, he would spend the rest of his life keeping her safe with every breath that he took from this moment forward.

“
Winter, if you’re listening…I want you to know that it’s gonna be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.” The thick huskiness of his voice betrayed his strong emotion as he murmured the words softly in her ear.

The next thing he did was his least favorite thing to do, but it needed to be done.

“
Sweetheart, I’m going to call the police.” He hated having to put her through the interrogation he knew was coming. The only other alternative was to finish the beat down he’d started on Randy and bury him in an unmarked grave.

Shaking off that sadistic train of thought, he grabbed his phone and dialed 911 to give the address to the apartment and a short and concise description of the crime that had taken place.

The whole time, he soothingly stroked his hand over Winter’s back to comfort her.

When he finally got off the phone, he went to move them both off the floor. He wanted to at least give her something to cover herself up without disturbing any evidence until the police got there. Adjusting her in his arms, he easily lifted his precious cargo and carried her into what he assumed was her bedroom by its neat appearance.

He fought the need to keep her wrapped up in the shelter of his arms as he laid her comfortably down on the bed. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea he thought, based on the shattered look about her tearstained face. Instead he sat beside her and held her hand.

“
Baby, the police are on their way here to arrest Randy. They’ll want to ask you some questions…do you think you’re up to talking about what happened?” He asked fully prepared to stand by whatever she wanted to do.

“
Yes…I’m okay.” She said faltering over her words as she laid there holding his hand in death grip.

“
Sweetheart, I’ll be right here by your side the whole time.” He quietly assured her. He was proud of her in that moment for her bravery that he forgot himself and leaned down to kiss her brow. Right as he made contact, she flinched away from him.

“
I’m sorry—“ Grimacing, she apologized. She hadn’t been able to stop the knee jerk reaction.

“
It’s okay, baby. I’m not going anywhere.” Conviction rang from every word he said.

Eric stayed with her for a few more minutes until she settled back down. Getting up to check on things, he left her lying quietly in her room and went back out in the living room to check on Randy.

But when he got there Randy’s once limp body was nowhere to be found and the door lay wide open to the cool April desert evening. Silently cursing a blue streak, he closed it and went throughout the small apartment, but the man was still nowhere to be found. He had pulled a Houdini.

What he did find was Cheri’s cold body lying haphazardly across the bed in her room with a syringe sticking out of her bruised up arm. Her sightless eyes looked up at him and he felt a cold weight drop in his stomach.

The signs had been right in front of him and his slip up had cost this woman her life and had almost cost the woman he loved hers as well.

****

When the police arrived, everything fell into a mode Eric was familiar with. He spoke with the lead detective and gave a detailed description of the events that had taken place as far as he knew. After he was finished, the detective asked to speak to the other victim. At first it took a considerable amount of self-control not demand that Winter not be referred to as the victim by the detective and the few officers roaming around the apartment.

He was reminded of all the times he had been on past assignments. He too had been just as impersonal as the detective and had thought nothing of it at the time.

It was just a job.

Now after seeing the sight of Winter’s terrified face and torn clothes, all the names and faces of past clients and situations had greater meaning. He now found that he was anything but professional and impersonal.

But he realized he had to get a hold of himself. They were just doing their job. He had to drill that into his brain if they were going to get anything done and catch that slippery sonofabitch Randy. Plus the sooner he could get her away from this place, the better.

****

Winter sat quietly in the passenger seat of Eric’s car an hour later as they rode in silence to his home. The images in her head were stuck on replay with no signs of relenting behind her closed eyelids. The most shocking image of them all had been the glimpse she’d seen of Sheri’s unresponsive form being put in a body bag as they were leaving the apartment. The image played a dominant role in her troubled mind and was still vibrating through her.

Cheri’s slight form being carried out in a sterile black body bag was the very last thing she had expected to see. The sight had been almost more than she could take. She opened her eyes in an effort to dispel the image. It never occurred to her that Cheri had needed help too from an apparent drug overdose when Randy had been trying to rape her less than a hundred feet away. She shivered with the thought.

A short while later as they drove through the wrought iron gates of Eric’s well lit home, Winter felt a sense of relief wash over her. She watched the familiar paved curve of the driveway lead up to the front of the house and a semblance of normalcy returning at the sight.

After bringing the car to a stop, Eric got out and came around to her side to open the door. When he saw Winter try to stand unsteady to her feet, he smoothly swept her up off her feet into his strong arms and made his way up the great stone steps that lead to the massive front door.

“
Eric, you don’t have to—” She protested slidding out of his arms.

“
Winter.” The quiet command in his voice stopped whatever protests she might have continued on with as he gently clasp her tear-stained face in his hands and made her meet his intent gaze.

“
Sweetheart, don’t ask me to stand here and watch you struggle. Whatever you’re dealing with right now, I promise you that we will deal with it together.” Eric prayed that his words got through to her.