Lure of Obsession (The Muse Chronicles Book 1) (24 page)

Mel’s heart sank
the moment they pulled her out of the car. There was no sign of Nate. She’d been certain he’d come for her. Maybe he’d been too late. Or maybe he had done what she’d told him to and had taken Maggie home.

Either way, she wouldn’t get a chance to explain that every word she’d said to him was utter bullshit; to tell him she’d never been happier than when she was spending the day as a family at the park with him, Maggie, and her sisters.

At least Maggie is safe,
Mel reminded herself. That would have to be enough.

Inside, a man stood alone at the far end of the dimly lit warehouse. He wore a golden mask of Kronos and a black hood. She stopped, heart palpitating as her legs turned rubbery. The man in dark glasses shoved her forward.

Her eyes burned, but she willed back the tears. She wouldn’t give these psychos the satisfaction. “Why are you doing this?” Her voice trembled. “I haven’t done anything to you.”

The man at the end shook his head. “On the contrary. Every day that you are alive, your inspiration slows our progress.”

“Progress of what?” she shouted. “Killing innocent women like Nia?” Saying her friend’s name, hearing it echo back, stoked the fire in her belly. “She was kind and full of light. The world was better with her in it.”

“Enough talking.” He raised one hand. “Bring her to me.”

Something glinted in the thin beam of sunlight filtering in—a knife of some sort. Mel struggled, stomping on Dark Glasses’s foot. He let go. She spun for the door, but he caught her hair, jerking her back so hard she saw stars. She landed on her ass. She looked around, trying to get her bearings back, and realized the guy with the rifle was gone.

Dark Glasses hoisted her up, dragging her toward the man with the knife. “You’re him. The one on the roof. You had a rifle. I saw your face when you got in the SUV.”

If he had a reaction, she couldn’t see it through the mask of Kronos.

He came forward and grabbed her arm. She reached for his mask, but his knife slashed across her hand. The sharp pain stunned her long enough for him to drag her closer. He raised the blade again. Her eyes widened as fear gripped her heart, and she closed her eyes.

“Let her go!” Nate’s voice. She opened her eyes as hope blossomed inside her.

Nate’s heart hammered
in his ears. Mel was bleeding, but from this distance, he couldn’t tell where she was injured. All the verbal wounds from the park were erased. All that mattered right now was getting her out alive.

The second man in the dark suit and glasses ran past him and out of the building, but Nate didn’t move. He couldn’t aim his Glock at them both, and he had to stay on the one with the hostage. The man in the Kronos mask pressed a blade to her throat until Mel squeaked. The sound gutted him, but Nate kept his sights lined up on the bastard’s forehead.

Time slowed as Nate’s finger caressed the trigger. His voice was as level as his aim. “Put down your weapon and let her go.”

“For the Titans!” He buried his blade in Mel’s chest as Nate pulled the trigger.

Mel and the masked man crumpled to the ground. Nate sprinted forward, holstering his gun on the way. He fell to his knees, moving Mel away from the now-dead man. The golden mask was still on, but it had a new hole in the forehead that cracked down to the chin like a sick Greek version of the Phantom of the Opera.

He kissed Mel’s hair, eyeing the knife. Only the handle protruded from her chest, the blade buried deep in the left side. She winced. “It hurts. Get it out.”

She was bleeding but not hemorrhaging. “You need a hospital,” he said softly to her, trying to keep her calm. “If it nicked your heart or an artery, you could bleed out if I remove it. Stay with me.”

He pulled out his phone with one hand, holding Mel in his other. “Yeah, it’s Detective Malone. Get the paramedics here. Now. Stab wound.” He gave them the cross streets and stroked her hair back from her face. “Hang on, baby. You’ve got to stay awake. They’re on their way.”

Her eyes fluttered open. “What I said… Not true… Didn’t mean it.”

“We can talk later. Save your strength.”

“Maggie?”

He watched the door for any sign of the man in black returning. “She’s safe. John’s with her at the park.”

“Good…” Her eyes drifted closed. Shit.

He tapped her cheek. “Mel? Open your eyes. Wake up.”

Sirens blared in the distance.

Come on…

He kissed her temple and whispered, “I’m not giving you up. Please, Mel. I love you.”

The door burst open and in rushed two paramedics with a gurney. “We’ve got it from here.”

He forced himself to turn her over to them. They slid her onto a crash board and took her vitals. Pulse was tacky, breathing shallow.

Nate gave them room to work, staying close enough to notice she didn’t open her eyes again, even when they inspected where she’d been stabbed. He ground his teeth. Once they had her lifted onto the rolling gurney, the police pulled up. Nate rushed through his explanation about the dead assailant and let them know they could call him at the hospital.

Maggie ran across
the waiting room and flung her arms around his neck. He’d never been more grateful to see her. He closed his eyes, holding her tight.

John walked over and took the chair next to him. “Maggie insisted we come see you before I took her back to Mrs. Gaines.”

She sat on his lap and patted over his heart. “Is Mel…” Her voice trembled. “Will she be okay?”

“I think so.” He nodded, hoping he looked more certain than he felt. “The doctors are fixing her up.”

John met his eyes over her head. “They ID’ed the guy in the mask. Ben Rodgers.”

“Does he work for Belkin Oil?”

“He’s not on the employee roster, but we’re running a background check now.” John glanced at Maggie. “I should probably get her home. School in the morning.”

Maggie lifted her head to look at Nate. “Can I stay with you? Please?”

Nate sighed. “It might be a long time before they finish with Mel. You should go home and sleep. I’ll come by and see you tomorrow, okay?”

She slid off his lap. “Okay.”

John squeezed his shoulder. “Keep me posted.”

“Will do. Thanks for taking care of Maggie.”

John nodded and they left him alone, the silence of the waiting room weighing on him. He fought to keep his eyes off the second hand on the wall clock. Mel had been in surgery for almost four hours now. He leaned back, rubbing his hands down his face.

If only he’d been faster, or shot first, or never walked away at the park, or done anything to avoid this outcome.

Before he could make himself insane, a doctor came through the door. “Are you Melanie Jacoby’s husband?”

A small lie. It was the only way he could get to see her after surgery.

“Yeah.” He stood, every muscle tense. “Is she all right?”

The doctor’s single nod stole the breath from Nate’s lungs.

“We repaired the damage. Thankfully the blade missed her heart and didn’t puncture her lung. She and the baby should be fine. She’s in recovery now. A nurse will come get you when she’s conscious and stable.”

Nate’s pulse jumped a beat. “Excuse me? What?”

The doctor frowned. “She’s in recovery. It shouldn’t be long before you can see her.”

“No.” Nate fumbled for the words. “Before that. I thought you said…”

“Oh… You didn’t know.” The doctor’s eyes widened, then he shook his head. “I’m sorry to spill the beans.”

“So Melanie…Mel…she’s…”

“Pregnant. Yes, the blood test was positive. She should definitely visit her doctor to get a due date and prenatal care soon.” He held out his hand. “Congratulations.”

Nate stared at his hand for a second. Maybe he’d drifted off in the waiting room. A baby? Mel had seemed so sure she was in the clear.

He gripped the doctor’s hand. “Thanks for saving her.”

“She’s a fighter.” The doctor smiled. “I just plugged the holes.”

“B
en is dead.”
Ted stared at the back of his father’s head. Although Ted had taken over Belkin Oil as CEO, his father was still chairman of the board and he wore the power like a king’s robe.

Belkin, Sr. turned his chair around slowly. His gray eyes pinning his son where he stood. “You’re sure his body won’t lead the police to us?”

“No, he’s not on the company payroll.”

His father shook his head. “Damned waste. He was the first of the Order to take the bull by the horns and get rid of a muse.”

“He won’t be the last. I’m already grooming a new enforcer. A
better
enforcer. He follows orders.”

Belkin, Sr. leaned back, his executive chair squealing in protest. “Good thinking. Does he know about the Order yet?”

Ted crossed his arms. “Not exactly. He thinks he does.”

“Good.” His father nodded. “Reconditioning is more successful the less he knows.”

“You’ll like him. Bryce isn’t as…
driven
as Ben, but he’ll do what he’s told.”

“No ‘loose ends’?”

“Exactly.” Ted dropped his arms to his sides, relaxing slightly. His father was taking the news much better than he had anticipated.

“Tie Ben to the C-4 so we’re out of the police investigation. And have our investigator check into Bryce’s background. Be sure he has no family to start missing him. If he’s clear, bring him to me next week.”

“I already did. He’s estranged from his mother and he doesn’t know his father.”

His father actually smiled. “Good work.”

Ted nodded and went to the door before his father could see how much his praise meant to him. Stopping at the door, Ted turned back. “Melanie Jacoby made it through surgery, by the way.”

“As long as that detective is protecting her, she’s not worth the risk.” His father picked up a pen and began signing documents. “There are seven other muses. Perhaps one of them will be easier prey for our new enforcer.”

The corners of Ted’s mouth curved into a thoughtful smile. “I was thinking the same thing.”

Nate flinched when
the nurse called his name. He’d been lost in his jumbled thoughts, staring out the window as if something out there might tell him what to do next.

“I can take you to see Melanie.”

“Thank you.” He followed her, his heart racing.

Walking the white halls, he struggled to figure out what to say, what to do. And what would she want?

His own desires shocked him to his core. Never in his life had he ever considered having children. Besides having no inclination to get married, his only example of a father was a piece of shit. What if he became the same man?

But since Maggie came into his life, she’d wormed her way into his broken heart, and from the core of his being, he knew there was no way on earth he’d ever hurt her the way his father had scarred him.

He and the nurse turned the corner and entered the room. Mel was pale, but her weak smile brought unexpected tears to his eyes.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” said the nurse before vanishing down the hall.

Nate approached Mel’s bedside. His stomach was tied in knots as he took her hand. “The doctor says you’re going to be fine.”

Mel squeezed his hand. “Yeah… Remind me never to get stabbed again.”