She wanted to yell at him to call the police or an ambulance not frickin’ text a buddy.
What the eff is he thinking?
“Amanda, go in the house and get covered up then bring me the handcuffs and the belt from inside my gym bag.” His phone lay on the ground beside him lighting up like a Christmas tree. He pulled a knife from his pocket. “Come here.”
She went to him immediately.
“Hold out your hands.” He carefully sliced the tape along her forearms, releasing her hands. “Hurry, we’re going to get company soon.”
As she turned to run through the gate, she stopped and kicked the man between the legs. “That’s for hurting, James, you asshole.” To his grunt of pain, she ran into the house, completely ignoring the pain from the rocks. Afraid to leave James out there alone, Amanda took his shirt from the night before and slipped it over her head. She grabbed the gym bag off the dresser and ran back. By the time she knelt down beside James, she’d found the belt.
Grimacing, he pushed himself into a kneeling position. “Wrap the belt around my leg just above the knife and for God’s sake don’t touch it.”
Her hands shook but she did what he’d asked. How he could still be functioning was beyond her. Relief flooded her when she heard the wail of sirens. It wouldn’t be long before help arrived.
“Now take that little piece of the rake that broke off and put it between the belt and my leg. Over here on the side.” He pointed to his thigh. “Good, twist the wood and tighten the belt.”
James groaned and she knew she was hurting him. She had to fight not to throw up. It wasn’t in her to do this kind of shit, but she sucked it up because James needed her.
He was panting and sweat dripped down his forehead. “Good. Now hold the pressure like that. If I pass out, just shoot the son of bitch. Remember what he did to your car.”
“Eff my car, but I could easily kill him for hurting you.” She doubted that was true, but she didn’t want the man to get any ideas.
James put his free hand into his gym bag and pulled out the handcuffs. “Put your hands behind your back, asshole, nice and slow.” With just one hand, James had him cuffed. Obviously, he’d done that a few times.
A patrol car and Captain Bradley arrived at the same time. The uniformed police officers were yelling at James to drop the gun and Joseph was yelling at them that the assailant was already cuffed. She might have laughed under different circumstances. “We need an ambulance,” she yelled at all three of them.
Amanda spotted one of the officers speaking into the microphone on his shoulder. “Ryan, get the suspect into the patrol car to make room for the paramedics,” Joseph ordered.
“Hey, I’m hurt. The bitch hit me in the head and now I’m all dizzy,” the assailant whined.
Amanda leaned down and whispered, “The bitch will do worse than that if I ever get you alone. I like to play with knives too.”
He pulled away from her as far as possible. Looking from the cops to Amanda then back to the cops, he pleaded, “Get me outta here. This bitch is crazy.”
When the officer grabbed his arm he pushed up with his legs and walked calmly to the car.
“What did you say to him, Amanda?” Joseph asked, chuckling.
She shrugged. “I just told him to stop whining.”
Several men she remembered seeing with James when her apartment had been trashed came running up. They stayed in the background like silent sentinels.
James tried to laugh, but stopped immediately and looked like he was in agony. He gave a small two-fingered salute to the men, presumably acknowledging his fellow bodyguards and buddies that had arrived a bit late to the party.
Joseph placed his hand on James’ shoulder. “Hold on, James, help’s on the way.”
James nodded and placed the gun on the ground.
“Let’s get the weight off that leg. Can you ease onto your left side?”
“Moving hurts like a son of a bitch. I wish it would go numb already.” James placed his right hand on the ground and eased himself onto his side.
“Tell me what happened,” Joseph asked.
Amanda was pretty sure Joseph was trying to get James to think about something other than the pain. James was starting to shake, a sure sign he was going into shock. Joseph shouted to the officers to bring a blanket.
“I got out of the shower and found Amanda gone, a roll of duct tape on the bed and the back door open. I called 911, texted you and AJ then went out the front door. I spotted the raper van next door”—he tilted his head toward the white van parked on the street—“figured they’d be coming out through the gate. As they got near the fence, Amanda broke free. While he was distracted, I came up behind him.”
“The paramedics are here.” She saw several firefighters with their arms filled with gear running toward them. She stepped back to make room for them.
“Captain, will you take care of…things?” He seemed hesitant.
Amanda had the impression they were discussing her and she didn’t like it. “I sincerely hope you’re speaking of police matters, because if you consider me a ‘thing’ that someone needs to take care of, you’ll have bigger worries than that scratch on your leg.” She had to talk tough to keep the lump in her throat from choking her. Here he was lying on the ground with his blood seeping into the soil and he was worried about her.
Her heart squeezed tightly in her chest. She knew then. She knew she loved him. He had some scary ideas concerning sex, but she trusted him and had thoroughly enjoyed everything they’d done together. He would never abuse her. She understood now that her preconceived ideas had been wrong. The men her mother had hooked up with weren’t anything like the men at DiscipliNation.
Joseph came over and put his arm around her shoulders. “Us ‘he-men’ types like to feel we’re needed. Just humor us. It goes better for everyone involved if our egos stay inflated.”
Amanda couldn’t take her eyes off James. He was in shock, obviously he was hurting. “Can’t you give him something for the pain?”
“It’s okay, Amanda. It’s not that bad.”
James had an IV in his arm, his face had a roughed-up place where the rake had smacked him as it had broken, and he was bleeding. His pants were soaked in blood. He was pale and shaky and yet he was comforting her. The lump in her throat was growing.
“We’re taking him to John C. Lincoln, they have a level one trauma center. You can meet us there,” one of the paramedics informed them, as they transferred James onto the stretcher.
“We’ll be right behind you, James,” Joseph assured him.
Once James was strapped onto the gurney, he turned to Joseph. “Captain, get her medical treatment. She’s got bruises and cuts all over her.”
“I’ll take care of it, James. Just relax.”
* * * *
James woke in the hospital. It was a recurring theme in his line of work. But this time he wasn’t alone. Amanda was asleep in a chair beside his bed. Her head was resting on the railing and her hand was on the mattress as if she had been reaching for him. His heart started fluttering and he feared setting off the monitor alarms. “Sweetheart, that can’t be comfortable.”
“James?” She looked tired and still half asleep. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, sweetheart.” He worked the latch on the railing and lowered it. “Come up here.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.” She hesitated.
“Come up here, Amanda,” James growled.
She stood and winced, but she sat on the edge of the bed.
“Are you okay, Amanda?” His voice was soft and filled with caring. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t keep you safe. Can you ever forgive me?” He ran his finger along her jaw, urging her to look at him. The love in her eyes set his pulse racing.
“James, you did keep me safe.”
“When I saw that tape and the open door…” He fisted her hair. “I died inside.” Very gently, he rubbed his thumb over her swollen lip.
“Do you know who he is? Why was he coming after me? Joseph wouldn’t tell me much.”
“He worked for the security firm André hired to put in the video camera system. André was very specific about the type of system he purchased. He wanted to make sure there wasn’t any way for it to be hacked. Turns out this clown installed it and added a wi-fi port against André’s wishes. This allowed him to send a copy of everything recorded by the cameras to a secure website which he accessed at will. When our technicians tore into the system, it didn’t take long to figure it out. Once you identified his photo, we had his house under surveillance. He hadn’t returned home. Maybe he noticed our guy watching and stayed away, or more likely he was busy securing the van and biding his time until he made his move.”
“That explains how he got those photos, but why me? There are a lot of women at the club. Why did he become fixated on me?” Her voice sounded strained.
“He had applied for membership at the club, but didn’t make it through the screening process. Because you work the front desk, you’re the contact point for the public. He probably linked his denied application with you. In his mind, you kept him from being a member.”
“I was pretty scared when I first saw him and his knife. But I knew if I just stalled long enough, you’d find me.” She shrugged. “And you did.”
“You know you’re amazing, right?”
“I’d say that’s you. You were hurt, but you still didn’t give up.”
“You’re right, I don’t give up. Keep that in mind for the rest of this conversation.” He made sure she was looking at him, realizing he was completely serious. “I want you to marry me.” He put a finger on her lips. “You are my soulmate. I know this beyond a shadow of a doubt. No, we don’t know every little nuance about each other yet. We have the rest of our lives to learn them. I know in here”—he pointed to his heart—“I can make you happy and I promise to do so.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her gently. “I love you, Amanda. Say you love me too.”
Tears pooled in her eyes. His stomach twisted into knots. Tears could mean a lot of things. He took a breath to steady his nerves. It didn’t matter if she told him no. His resolve was solid. He knew she was the one, and he would do whatever it took until she knew it too.
“You love me too.” A smile broke across her face.
James squinted. “Oh, you are a brat. That’s gonna cost you, sweetheart. You don’t joke about marriage. You accept your Master’s proposal and thank him for laying his balls on a platter in front of you.”
“I do love you, James and I’d be honored to be your wife. Don’t worry, your balls are safe with me. You have a surprisingly tender side considering you’re such a bad boy.”
“Shh, don’t say that out loud. You’ll ruin my reputation.” He could breathe again now that she’d consented to marry him. “How soon can you get your family out here?”
“They’re coming in May for my graduation. We can discuss a date with them then.”
“Or we could plan it for May. I’d hoped to have an outdoor ceremony and that might not be feasible, considering how hot it is in May, but we can work something out.”
Amanda was biting her bottom lip, a sure sign she was nervous. That was completely unacceptable to James. He never wanted her afraid to talk to him.
He ran his finger along her lip. “Don’t do this. Tell me what has you worried. I can’t fix it if you don’t talk to me.”
Her eyes turned downward. “I just don’t want you to think I’m one of those pathetic girls pining away for a wedding. It wasn’t like that. You know I love everything mid-century.” She met his gaze and hoped he’d understand. “The valley has several great hotels that have stayed true to their designs. One of them offers a moonlight, rooftop wedding ceremony. I’m told it’s beautiful and it would reduce the heat factor.”
“Perfect! Let’s plan on it.”
* * * *
They caught a break and the weather cooperated. A few wispy clouds dusted the sky, giving their wedding ceremony a spectacular sunset backdrop. As a local handbell choir began playing the wedding march, Amanda slid her right hand along the crook of Joseph’s left arm.
“Thank you, Joseph, for giving me away. James and I both are so pleased you were willing to be part of our wedding.” Because Amanda had never known her father, she’d asked Joseph to walk her down the aisle. Joseph and his wife, Paula, had been very kind to her since she’d first arrived in Phoenix.
“I’m honored to do it, Amanda. Paula and I were never blessed with children. This may be my only chance to do this for two kids I wish were my own.” His voice was choked in emotion.
Amanda was batting back tears as she hugged him tight. “Thank you.”
“Are you ready to do this?”
“Yes.” As they walked along the deep blue carpet and the pale pink rose petals, Amanda knew she’d made the right choice. She loved James with all her heart and soul. He’d said they were soulmates and she believed he might be right. She felt like she’d always known him.
Amanda smiled at André. With so many weddings occurring at the club, he had decided to become ordained in order to legally preside over the marriage ceremonies. It seemed fitting to have him officially join them together as man and wife. Her mom and grandmother sat side by side in the front row. It was nice to see them together smiling for a change.
She and James had spent the week getting to know her grandparents. They were great people whom Amanda wished she’d had the chance to get to know years earlier. Their relationship wasn’t that different from James and Amanda’s. Now that Amanda was in a similar situation, she understood the courage it had taken for her grandmother to stand up to her family and live the life she wanted. Amanda was very proud of her grandmother and her life choices.
The audience was mostly members of the club, but a few school friends were there for her and some of the men James had served with in the Marines had flown in to be with him. Her best girlfriend was standing next to André. She looked beautiful as always.
Next, Amanda looked to James. She’d waited to meet his gaze, knowing once she looked upon him that would be as far as her eyes went. Her steps fumbled and Joseph clapped his hand over top of hers to keep her on her feet when she saw James in his tux. Heaven help her, he was a delicious sight. She’d have to remember to send the wedding coordinator a special thank you for having it tailored to fit his bodacious body.