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Below her, the chain glistened in the moonlight.
“I want to know...what I did to you. I want to make it right.”
“Liar.” He tossed her to floor, the impact sending reverberations up her knees and agony through her ribs. He reached for the chain. She crawled on all fours to get away, but he grabbed for her. His grip on her ankle was like iron.
She could feel herself shutting down and the world going black as ten-year-old memories crashed in from all sides.
Oh, God, help me.
Adrenaline coursed through her like a raging river of fire. She was not going to be his prisoner. And she was not going to die out here. She clenched her teeth, flipped over and kicked with her free leg.
Bright lights shone suddenly through the broken glass of the window. A car was coming down the hill toward the house.
He let go of her ankle, grabbed her at the shoulders and pulled her close.
“Looks like the cavalry is here. But that doesn’t mean you’re safe. Just remember, the next time you go to a story, it might be me who created it to lure you there. You will never feel safe again.”
His words seemed to linger in the air even as his footsteps pounded across the floor. She sat stunned. A car engine started up outside.
Footsteps pounded toward her. Arms surrounded her and lifted her from the floor.
“It’s going to be all right, Elizabeth. I’m here. The police are on their way.” Zach’s voice reverberated softly in her ear.
She pressed close to his chest and thanked God Zach had found her.
THREE (#ulink_9fea58ca-2272-57a7-93cf-d6e9735a6a1b)
Zachery placed the steaming cup of coffee in Elizabeth’s hand while the activity of the police station buzzed around them.
He pressed his hand against hers, making sure she had a grip on the cup. “Probably not the tastiest, but it will warm you up.”
Elizabeth stared straight ahead, not focusing on anything. His heart squeezed tight with empathy. This was not the same confident woman he enjoyed bantering with. He’d seen the same effect on soldiers. The violence she’d witnessed must have stripped her bare, left every emotion raw and exposed and turned her brain into shredded mush.
“Go ahead, have a sip. I put three sugars in it.” His hand still covered hers. He feared she would drop the coffee if he pulled away.
She drew the cup to her lips. He sat in the hard plastic chair beside her. He couldn’t leave her, not in the state she was in.
“It’s not too bad.” She stared down into the steaming liquid. “Thank you.” She spoke in a monotone.
He knew the thank-you was for more than the bad coffee. “My pleasure.” He glanced around at the officer assigned to her case, who typed away on his keyboard. “Busy night. I’m sure he’ll be able to take your statement soon.” When the cop glanced up from his keyboard, Zach offered him a raised eyebrow as if to say hurry up.
The night had been long enough already. Elizabeth had gone through a medical exam that revealed she had bruised ribs.
Another policeman walked by them, punching Zach in the shoulder as he passed.
She lifted her chin. “Do you know everyone in this town, Beck? You haven’t lived here that long.”
Her voice still lacked the old fight he’d gotten used to, but at least she was feeling well enough to take a shot at him.
“What can I say, people just gravitate toward this handsome mug of mine.” He rubbed his chin.
She shook her head. “Yeah, right, that must be it.” Her smile faded and she gazed back into her coffee cup.
The brief moment of humor passed, and a taut silence coiled around them. What had happened to her out there in that house? He knew more than he wanted to about the terror connected with being abducted.
Experience on a very personal level told him what she needed. “I’ll stay,” he said.
“What?”
“I’ll stay while you give your statement...if you want me to.” He didn’t want to seem forward. “Or I can call someone.”
“There’s no one to call. I have friends but...my father is really the only one I would want here. He died a few years ago,” she said. “I moved back here from Seattle, then he got sick and I took care of him at the end.”
“Sorry about your dad.” He was surprised to hear there was no one else important in her life, though. A beautiful, smart woman and no boyfriend to call? He mentally kicked himself. Why was he even entertaining that thought? The last thing on his radar was a girlfriend. “It’s settled, then. You’re stuck with me, Betsy.”
“Is that right?” She picked a piece of invisible lint off her jacket. “I guess this means I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” he said. And he meant that.
“That’s not the way I see it. I’ll find a way to repay you. I can’t give you some sort of scoop on a story because you always beat me to them already. But I’ll think of something.”
The police officer rose to his feet. “Miss Kramer. Sorry for the delay. I’m ready to take your statement now.”
She took in a sharp breath, and her back stiffened. It was clear she dreaded having to relive everything she’d just been through.
He wanted to wrap an arm around her, to calm her, but instead he pressed his shoulder against hers. “It’s going to be okay.”
The look she gave him was one of utter confusion, like she couldn’t process what he’d just said.
She rose from her chair and walked toward the officer’s desk. Zach stood behind her.
“Have they been able to find the man?” Her hand curled into a fist and her voice faltered.
“We’ve got units patrolling the woods. We’re dusting that house for prints along with the...” the officer cleared his throat “...the items that we found inside.”
Zach had seen the manacles and chains on the floor. At least he’d been able to keep her from being held prisoner.
Images of his own captivity infected his thoughts. After a brutal beating, he was thrown in a small room that smelled like urine. The room had no windows. Though he lived in constant fear, it was only after he was free that he learned the terrorist group had filmed the beheading of two other reporters and that he had been next in line to die.
If it hadn’t been for the dauntless work of his sister, his life could have ended, as well. The reality of how close he’d been to death brought him back to the God he’d loved as a teenager.
The officer looked up at Elizabeth. “Miss Kramer, are you ready to answer the questions?”
Zach watched as Elizabeth swayed backward. Fearing she might faint, he held out his hand to catch her. She righted herself and squared her shoulders.
She touched her fingers to her lips. When she spoke, it was in her reporter’s voice. “Clearly, it was premeditated and personal. The guy acted like I should know who he was.”
She needed to distance herself from the terror of the attack. He understood the coping mechanism.
“Let’s get started with the interview so we can catch this guy.” The officer stared at Zach.
“He has my permission to stay,” said Elizabeth. Warmth filled her eyes when she looked over at him.
Maintaining her reporter persona, she answered the officer’s questions. Zach watched her, her gaze never wavering, her voice like sharpened steel. He didn’t know her whole life’s story, but he admired her inner strength. She wasn’t allowing herself to falter, even if it meant pretending the abduction had happened to someone else.
When the interview was over, Zach turned to her. “I can take you home.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I’d appreciate it. I’m sure Dale took the van back to the news station. I’ll call him and let him know I’m okay when I get home.”
They walked down the long hallway that led to the outside, their shoes tapping on the concrete floor. He held the door open for her.
A male news reporter scurried over to them.
“Oh, great. Neil Thompson, my prime competition,” Elizabeth said under her breath.
Neil shoved the microphone toward Elizabeth. “So, Miss Kramer, you had quite an ordeal tonight.”
“Please, I don’t want to talk...” She looked like she would crumple to the pavement.
Neil persisted. “Have they caught the man who abducted you?”
His ire rising, Zach wrapped an arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders and guided her toward the parking lot.
Neil’s words pelted their backs. “How does it feel to be the story instead of covering it, Elizabeth?”
Zach felt an echo of his own life in the question. Maybe he could help Elizabeth get through this. “Don’t give him anything to feed off of. The story will die down in a couple of days if you don’t give them anything.”
She pressed close to him, seeking his protection. Neil traipsed after them with his cameraman in tow.
“I know the public has a short attention span. It’s just going to be a long couple of days.” Frustration colored her words.
Zach turned to face Neil, holding his palm toward the other reporter. “She really doesn’t want to talk right now.” Zach kept his voice level.
They were within a few feet of his car. He reached over to the passenger side door. Elizabeth slipped into the seat.
He was about to close the door when Neil bent down and leaned close to Elizabeth. “Did the events of tonight bring back what happened to you in college?”
Elizabeth’s face went completely white. “How...did you...find out about that?” Not giving him a chance to answer, she grabbed the door and slammed it.
Zach resisted the urge to push Neil. His hands curled into fists. “You need to leave right now.” He had no idea what events Neil was referencing, but the comment clearly had upset Elizabeth.
Neil put up his hand in a surrender gesture. “A story is a story.”
Despite his warm onscreen persona, Neil Thompson always struck Zach as being a little slimy. Now he seemed downright repellent. “Is that what it’s really about or are you just trying to humiliate your competition?”
Neil shook his head. “Just trying to do my job.”
“I doubt that.” He brushed past Neil, close enough that Neil had to take a step back. “Get out of my way and stay out of hers.”
Zach yanked open the driver’s-side door and got behind the wheel. Elizabeth still looked pale, and her mouth was drawn into a hard, flat line. She turned her face toward the window when he glanced over at her.
As he pulled out of the parking lot, he got a view of Neil and his cameraman, both with angry expressions. He was glad to see them growing smaller and farther away in the rearview mirror.
Elizabeth continued to stare out the window.
Whatever Neil had made a reference to, it had cut Elizabeth to the core. His heart ached for her. He liked Neil Thompson even less. Getting the story was one thing. Deliberately hurting someone was another thing entirely. “You don’t have to tell me what he was talking about. Let’s just get you home.”
* * *
Still burning from what Neil Thompson had brought up, Elizabeth’s hand trembled when she flipped through her keys to find the one for her house. As they pulled up to the curb, her home was a welcome sight. They got out of the car and made their way up the walk.
A familiar looking woman parked at the curb exited her car and bustled toward Elizabeth—Gwen Monroe from the Badger Chronicle. Elizabeth’s knees felt weak. The bombardment just kept coming. She really didn’t want to deal with this right now or at any time. She liked being the one doing the interview.
Zachery stepped between Elizabeth and the woman. “Gwen, she doesn’t want to talk to anyone.”
Gwen lifted her chin. “A well-known reporter gets kidnapped. That’s a story, Zach.”
After shoving the key in the lock, Elizabeth breathed a prayer of thanks for Zach. The man was her nemesis in so many ways. But he’d come through for her when she needed him most. In the days to come, she knew she would need all the friends she could get, especially if other reporters kept circling around.
She was still bothered that Neil Thompson had found out about her date rape. The case had never made it to trial, but the allegations had been covered by the college newspaper and her name had been leaked. Still, it wasn’t like it had been front page news. Neil didn’t strike her as the investigative reporter type either.
Zach’s voice held authority as he faced Gwen. “Find a different story. She’s not ready to make any kind of a statement.”
Gwen took several steps back.
Elizabeth pushed open the door and closed her eyes. “Stay,” she said to Zach. Her words held a desperation she hadn’t expected.
“What?”
“Stay until we’re sure there are no more reporters going to bother me.” Normally, she wouldn’t even be comfortable asking a man into her house. But Zach seemed...safe.
He met her gaze, and for the first time, she noticed that his eyes were more gray than blue.
“I can do that.” He nodded before glancing over his shoulder. “Gwen doesn’t give up easily.”
Elizabeth slipped inside her house, and he followed. She hit the light switch by the door. Nothing had changed in her living room, though it felt like an entirely different place. She was not the same person who had left here to cover the warehouse fire.
The warm tones of the living room that normally looked so cozy only made her feel more alone.
“How about I make you some tea?” Zach offered.
“Let me. It’s my kitchen.” She moved toward the counter.
He touched her arm just above the elbow. “No, you need to sit down. I’ll figure out where things are in the kitchen.”
Though his touch was gentle, his words held force. She didn’t have the energy to argue with him.
“Thanks for everything. Now I double owe you,” she said.
