“Her worthless mother was gone, and Raine is pretty. But you know that, don’t you?” Bill taunted, then looked at Macen. “Bet you enjoyed every minute of popping her cherry.”

Hammer drew back his fist fast as lightning.

Liam gripped Hammer’s bicep, holding him back. “You’re right. We can’t find Raine from jail.”

But if they didn’t leave, Bill would soon be a dead man.

“That’s it,” Hammer spat. “You’re not getting another goddamn dime from me. Do you understand? And don’t you dare threaten me. You just confessed to trying to force your minor daughter to have sex with you, and I’ve got a witness. I’ve also got a hundred people who can testify that I never laid a hand on her when she came to live with me.”

“All deviants like you. We had a deal,” Bill protested. “You can’t cut me off!”

Hammer stared him down with narrowed eyes. “Watch me.”

Macen’s phone beeped and he plucked it out of his pocket, pausing, reading. “I just got a bead on her. She used her credit card. Let’s go.”

As Hammer ran for the Audi, Liam lunged in Bill’s face. “I promise you someday, somehow, I will hunt you down like the animal you are and repay you for everything you did to Raine.”

The door to the cafeteria opened, and Raine watched Beck march in, minus his white coat, looking grim and worried. He slid into the seat beside her and took hold of her chin, but her pathetic breakfast seemed to distract him. “That’s what you chose to eat?”

“They didn’t have a lot left.”

He spied the receipt and picked it up. “You paid with a credit card?”

She sighed. “Yeah. I know what you’re going to say. I doubt they’re watching me.”

Beck scoffed.

“Seriously, Liam released me this morning.”

“Yeah? I can’t speak for him since I don’t know him as well, but I know Hammer will never let you go, princess. I can promise you that.”

“He hasn’t spoken to me in a week.”

“Doesn’t matter. He’s been in love with you for six years.” He glanced at his watch. “Let’s go.”

The man was hallucinating if that’s what he thought, but Raine didn’t argue. “Where?”

“I want to hear this story—without one or both of them interrupting. I want to make sure you eat something better than processed crap. And then I want to give you some advice that you’ll probably ignore, but I hope you’ll put to good use anyway.”

She didn’t have the energy to fight him when he grabbed her soda and pastry only to toss them in the trash can. She picked up her purse and bottle with a sigh.

As Beck led her out of the cafeteria, he settled a guiding hand at the small of her back and herded her to a parking garage. He hit a button on the key fob and a bright red Mercedes convertible beeped. Flashy wheels. It figured.

Beck opened her door. “Get in.”

Raine slid into the soft seat in silence and watched Beck back out. “I’m sorry for causing you trouble. I shouldn’t have come and bothered you here.”

“Yeah, you should have. You know they’re probably worried out of their minds.”

Maybe, and the possibility made her feel a bit guilty. “That’s why I wanted you to tell them I’m all right, just in case.”

“Well, I’m not a liar, princess. So let’s fill your belly and get you settled. Then I’ll figure out what to say to those two clowns.”

As they rounded the back of the hospital and approached the circular drive at the front, a familiar black Audi screeched into the passenger pick-up zone. Hammer and Liam jumped out, running full throttle into the building. Raine’s heart caught in her throat. Guilt gnawed at her composure.

“I’ll be damned. They stopped fighting long enough to look for you together,” Beck observed, sounding oddly happy. “Want to talk to them?”

Yes. Desperately. But what good would it do? “No.”

“Wait, did one of them hurt you?” he scowled, his expression like a thunder cloud.

Beck meant Liam, since he knew Hammer too well to believe that Macen would ever intentionally smack her except in play. But Liam could be so heartbreakingly gentle. Neither would ever bodily harm her.

Just break her heart.

“No.” She tried not to cry again.

Why wouldn’t this fucking useless sorrow go away?

“God, that face is killing me, princess.” He pulled away from the hospital. “Is that all you have, a purse and a bottle?”

“No. I have a suitcase, too.” She told him about the motel.

He pressed tight lips together and drove down toward the place. As soon as he pulled up front, Beck held out his hand. “Claim ticket?”

Raine hesitated. “You’re not dragging me back to Shadows?”

“Nope. But you’re not staying here. I’ve got someplace better and safer. And no, I won’t tell Liam or Hammer until you want me to.”

She gnawed on her lip. Beck might have messed with her mind here and there, but he’d never lied to her. She dug into her purse and handed the little scrap of paper over. He hopped out, then emerged two minutes later with her bag in hand.

After tossing it in his trunk, he eased back into the driver’s seat. “You know if they ever catch up to you, they’re going to spank you bright red. I’ll watch. And volunteer to help.”

Despite the grim situation, she managed a laugh. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Hey, you have a nice ass.” He winked.

“The answer is still no.” The last thing she wanted was another romantic entanglement, even if Beck was on the sexy side. She also didn’t need more hurt. Physical pain might help her process the emotional agony eventually, but she didn’t need it yet. And even if he’d do it, she hated to ask Beck for more.

He nodded. “Just trying to lighten the mood.”

A few minutes later, he pulled up in front of a new, industrial-looking building of high-rent condos. He flashed a key card at the parking garage. After the gate went up, they slid inside. Beck parked in a reserved spot, grabbed her things, and helped her into an elevator.

“You don’t have to do all this,” she protested.

“If I don’t want Hammer to kill me, I do. I don’t want to worry about you, either.”

On the top floor, he emerged and led her inside a corner unit. It was compact and sleek and had killer views that went all the way to the Pacific.

“The bedroom is through that door. Bath attached.” He set her suitcase down. “You’ve already seen everything else.”

“I don’t want to take up your space. If you live here—”

“No. I crash here sometimes, especially after surgeries that run late. I’ve got a house about ten miles from here, closer to Shadows. You’ll have the run of the place this weekend. The housekeeper just came, so it’s clean and stocked with food. Sit.” He pointed to the little kitchen table.

Raine sat as he bid, watching him move around the kitchen. “I’m a lousy cook, but I figure as many times as you’ve fed me over the years, I can return the favor this once.”

“I’m not really hungry.”

“I don’t care. If you’re going to get busy with Jose Cuervo, you need something in your stomach to toss up later.”

With a wry smile, she waited until he set some eggs, toast, and a bowl of fresh fruit in front of her. “Thanks.”

“Dig in. And start at the beginning.”

Raine did, confessing everything between Thanksgiving and this morning. When she finished, her food was gone, tears streaked down her face, and her nose was running.

With a curse, Beck grabbed her a tissue from the bathroom, then stomped back. “What did you expect Liam to do, princess?”

“I don’t know.”

“We’re not exactly friends, but I can guarantee that he didn’t give up on you. He wants you to think, make some decisions.”

“That’s what he said.”

“Then where do you get off with this bullshit that he’s dumped you for good?”

“It’s just…where my head always goes.” Her mom had left. Then her brother and sister. Her father had never made any bones about his contempt for her, especially at the end. “They’re the first people to really want me in their lives. I guess…I have trouble accepting it.”

“Or trusting it. You’re holding your breath, waiting for something bad to happen. When it doesn’t, you create it, even if you don’t mean to. It’s all you know. And it’s up to you to figure out why and how to change. All they want is your soul, princess.”

Yes, and that scared the hell out of her. “What happens if I give it to them and neither wants it anymore?”

Beck leaned forward, bracing his elbows on the dark table. “You won’t break. You’re too strong, Raine. The more important question is, how much happiness are you throwing away because you’re too afraid to give either of them a real chance?”

Maybe a lifetime of it.

She looked at Beck with bleak eyes. He patted her hand, then took her plate away. As he set it in the sink, the phone attached to his belt trilled. He yanked it from the clip. “And there are your knights in shining armor now. What do you want to do?”

Raine pulled the bottle from the brown paper bag. “Think. Got a shot glass?”

Beck pulled one from the cabinet and set it in front of her as he brought the phone to his ear. “I’ll be back.”

Chapter 9

“What do you mean, Dr. Beckman has left for the day?” Hammer demanded of the office manager. “Explain.”

Liam glanced at his Calibre de Cartier. It wasn’t even noon. “You mean he’s not merely breaking for lunch?”

The petite woman stood behind the counter of the empty waiting room, looking at the pair of them as if she’d lost her patience. She shoved her glasses back up the bridge of her nose and straightened her shoulders. “No, he canceled the rest of his appointments about an hour ago and told me to close the office for the day. If you had an appointment, you’ll receive a call to reschedule. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

The woman glanced pointedly at the door, jangling the keys in her hand. She made it more than clear that she wanted them gone, probably to enjoy her unexpectedly free Friday afternoon. Liam glanced at Hammer. His old friend knew Beck far better, but playing hooky at the last minute didn’t sound anything like the doctor. Beck could be a dodgy prick, but he wasn’t irresponsible.

Liam could see that Hammer was a bit suspicious as well.

“You’re Vicki, right?” Macen asked.

She looked surprised that he knew her name. “Yes.”

“I’m a friend of Dr. Beckman, and he’s spoken highly of your efficiency in the past,” Hammer explained. “We need your help. We’ve got an emergency.”

“If it’s medical, you’re better off in the ER.” She scrutinized them quickly and frowned in confusion. “Adjoining building, first floor, at the back. I can call and have someone take you on a stretcher or in a wheelchair, if you need.”

“No,” Liam corrected. “Crisis might be a better word. We have a missing person and think that Beck may have seen her recently. Do you know if he received any unexpected visitors?”

The forty-something office manager set her keys down and looked as if she was weighing how much to say.

“The woman is petite, a few inches shorter than you. Dark hair, blue eyes. She would have looked distraught,” Liam volunteered.

Vicki hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “She was here.”

Oh, thank Christ! Relief flooded through him, knowing she was safe—or had been an hour ago. Beside him, Hammer looked equally relieved. Liam couldn’t fathom for the life of him why she was with Beck, but he hoped like hell the sadist would have calmed her. Unless…

“Was she injured?” he demanded.

“No,” Vicki assured, her starch softening.

“And? What happened then?” Hammer demanded.

The woman shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Liam frowned. “How long was she here? Did she speak to Beck?”

“Yes. Less than five minutes,” Vicki said. “Dr. Beckman finished an appointment, then came out here to speak with her. I couldn’t hear the discussion, but the doctor seemed somewhat agitated. He canceled all his appointments. The woman you’re looking for left. The doctor took another call, then gathered his things and departed. He didn’t say where he was going.”

“He must have her,” Hammer said under his breath.

Liam agreed. He was grateful…but bloody confused. Her reasons for seeking out Beck now didn’t matter. He just had to lay eyes on her.

“Thank you, Vicki. You’ve been very helpful, and we’ll not delay you any longer,” Liam said.