One Night More (2 page)

He froze at first, but as my tears flowed and I muttered nonsense sounds of anguish into his chest, he softened and held me tight, stroking my hair. "It's okay, baby. You're safe now."

I knew he was wrong, but the soothing words were exactly what I needed to hear in that moment.

Efficient police officers and nosy café patrons circled us. The woman who'd helped me smiled and waved as she started giving her statement to a cop who looked barely old enough to drive.

I closed my eyes and blocked it all out, letting myself get lost in Sam's embrace.

We left the police station many hours later. I'd gone through pretty much every negative emotion possible in that time. From exhausted and dejected to impatient and antsy. I couldn't stop fiddling with the too long hem of the shirt San had given me. The soft gray fabric read "Police" across the front and matched the sweatpants he'd borrowed from a female officer for me. The outfit was complete with a pair of gigantic flip flops he said he wore in the shower.

Someone had taken my robe for "evidence" but I didn't care if I never saw the damned thing again. It certainly wouldn't offer any cozy comfort after all I'd been through wearing it.

Sliding into the car next to Sam, I took the first real deep breath of the day.

"I'm really sorry about today," I told him. "I know things just got a lot harder for you."

"I don't care about that. All that matters is keeping you safe."

I smiled. "Thanks for saving me. Again."

He swept one finger along my cheek and over my lips. "All part of the job, Carly."

I sighed and leaned over, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Tired, baby?"

"Yeah. It's just hitting me now."

"Adrenaline. You'll sleep like a rock tonight."

"Night?" I looked out the darkened window. "When did it get so late?"

"Somewhere between your third interview with my boss and my second one."

"Felt more like days than hours."

"Yeah, he's like that with everyone," he said dryly.

I shrugged, unable to manage a laugh. "You know what I kept thinking in there? The interview room?"

"What?"

"That it wasn't like on TV. The station, the interview rooms."

"Better or worse?"

"Better. Cleaner. Newer."

"Oh, yeah. Well it is new. Give the place a couple of years and a few thousand dirt bags. It'll be just like
Law and Order
."

I laughed for real at that. "Good. Gotta give the people what they want."

Sam sighed loudly. "God, that's good to hear."

"About the station?"

"No. You, laughing."

I bit down on my lower lip, trying not to start crying again.

"Shit, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to bring it back up."

"Don't be. I'm happy and sad and tired and scared all at the same time. Who knows what might come out of me next."

"Focus on the tired, drift off if you want."

"Nah, what about when I get home?"

"I'll carry you."

"Shut up. You couldn't."

"Is that a challenge, Carly Chase?"

I smacked his arm lightly. "Not at all, Detective Rollins. I don't have the energy to challenge anyone or anything right now."

"I know. So rest. I'll wake you up when we get there."

"No, I'm okay. I'll just close my eyes for a second."

I did, and the next thing I knew we were stopped, parked in a garage that was tightly packed with boxes and shelves full of tools and stuff I couldn't recognize.

Sam was outside the passenger side door, reaching over me to undo my seatbelt.

"What are you doing? You are not going to try to carry me," I chided.

"Fine, fine. Now that you're up let's go."

I grinned sleepily and climbed out of the car, my limbs stiff. "Where are we? This isn't my apartment."

"Very observant. Your place is still a crime scene. Besides, it isn't safe for you to go back there yet."

He took my hand and guided me through the garage and up to a door at the top of two steps. "So you're staying with me tonight."

Part of me was giddy with excitement to see where he lived, but the rest of me didn't care as long as there was a bed I could pass out on.

Sam smiled as he led me through the small kitchen and down a hallway. "I'll give you the grand tour in the morning," he said as if he'd heard my thoughts.

In his bedroom I cast a brief glance around, kicked off my shoes, and collapsed on the dark sheets of his king size bed.

He chuckled. "Goodnight to you too."

"Are you coming to bed?" I asked, face in a pillow.

"In a few minutes. I need to check my messages and have someone send over some clothes for you to wear tomorrow."

I rolled over and held out my hand to him. "Call in here, okay?"

He sat down next to me and kissed my shoulder. "Don't want to be alone?"

"No. Just stay until I fall asleep?"

"Of course. Shove over."

Sam climbed into bed with me, shoes, gun, and all. He pulled a blanket up over both of us and put his arms around me.

I woke up with a start, and a moment of panic, expecting to be back in that trunk again. But I wasn't. I was nestled comfortably in a huge bed with soft flannel sheets wrapped around me. I smiled and sighed, reaching for Sam. He wasn't there.

With a frown I sat up and groaned. I was sore all over. I looked down at my arms and saw tons of bruises coloring on my skin. I prodded one with a finger and said, "Ouch."

A low chuckle sounded from the doorway. "It's a good thing you're pretty, baby. Because that's one of the dumbest things I've seen in a while."

I brushed a lock of hair out of my eyes and glared at him. "Asshole."

He grinned and walked over, dropping a big mug of coffee on the bedside table. "What happened to happy, perky morning Carly?"

"She got kidnapped and woke up feeling like she went through a cement mixer."

"Fair enough. Drink this and I'll find you some painkillers before we go."

"Go? Where are we going?"

"To the hospital, remember?"

I rolled my eyes and grabbed the coffee. After a sip I let the hot sharpness sink in for a moment. "No hospital, Sam. I don't need it. They took a blood sample yesterday. I'm fine, just banged up."

"How do you know for sure?"

"I know." I put down the mug and slid closer to him, my legs dangling off the side of the high bed. "Please, I just want to rest."

"Fine. But you're not getting out of that bed until you feel a lot better, okay?"

"Works for me. Now, are you going to join me?"

"Sure, but aren't you hungry? I could fix you something."

"No, I…" I paused to think, and aside from something sweet from the vending machine at the station I hadn't eaten in more than a day, but I wasn't hungry at all. "Not right now."

"All right." He climbed in bed with me again, this time in just pajama pants.

I wrapped my arms around his wide chest, wincing as bruised parts of me touched him, but enjoying the steady rise and fall of his breath and the raspy pelt of hair.

"Do you want to sleep?"

"Not really," I replied, twisting a long piece of his hair around my finger. "It's good to just be here with you."

"Yeah. This isn't exactly how I thought I'd get you to my place for the first time."

"Well, dating me is a life full of surprises. Go out for groceries and I disappear altogether."

I said it lightly, but felt bad as a shudder went through him. "Sorry."

"No, I…I can't tell you what it was like. Coming back to your place. The door was hanging open, things tossed around and you were gone. Just gone."

"Oh, Sam," I breathed, tucking my face into his neck.

His hands, spread across my back, were shaking.

"It's okay. I'm okay. Wait, did you say things were tossed around?"

"Yeah."

"But why? They drugged me in the bathroom and I was out in a second. How would my apartment get messed up in the struggle if there was no struggle?"

"That's a very good question. They must have tossed the place after they had you. Looking for something."

"What?"

"I can't even guess. But don't worry about that right now. Now we rest."

"Yeah, okay." I agreed and closed my eyes, but my mind kept churning.

This whole thing had started when I accidentally dropped myself into the middle of some kind of illegal prescription medication business. My boss at the messenger service was sending the guys out with who knows how many packages full of pills from at least one local doctor. I had no idea how big the operation was or who was even involved yet.

Which is why it made no sense for anyone to abduct me or search my apartment. There must be something else to it. Some reason or angle I wasn't seeing.

Sam sighed.

"What?" I asked quietly.

"Your gears are turning so fast they're making me dizzy."

"How could you tell I was thinking about everything?"

"I'm a cop, Carly. It's my job."

I looked up at him incredulously.

"You're biting your lip again. Chewing, really. You do that when you're worrying about something."

"Gah, how do you know me so well already?"

"Like I said, I'm a cop."

"Handy in some situations, annoying in others."

He grinned. "How does it balance out?"

"I'm not sure yet."

Sam laughed. "Well if you're not going to rest, why don't you tell me what you are thinking about."

"I was just trying to understand why this is happening. The only people I've implicated in anything are Mitchell and Dr. Kent. Aside from them and the place I did the delivery too, I've got zero potentially useful."

"True, but they don't know that. With Mitchell in custody, whoever he's working for wants to see how much damage has been done. For all they know, you've broken the whole thing wide open. You had access to his office, his papers, all of the customer information. Something in there could help us catch them and they want to do everything possible to prevent that."

"Right. Of course." I thought back to all the mindless days at Courier Express, organizing and scheduling, filing and answering calls. Maybe there was something there. Something that could help us solve the puzzle.

"Speaking of The Slug, what's he saying?"

Sam chuckled. "You call him 'The Slug'? It fits him."

"I know. So, anything?"

"Not yet. But he's a creep and a coward. He'll break. Probably turn on his own mother if they ask him to."

"I have no doubt he would." I shuddered at the memory of him, my boss, advancing on me in his office, his hand rising to strike me. "Anyway, I hope he gives something up soon."

Sam ran his fingers through the snarled mess of my hair. "Don't worry. I won't let him or anyone else hurt you again. Never again."

I blinked away tears and squeezed him tight. "I know."

"Look," he said, eyes full of concern. "Try to sleep a little more. Your clothes and some other stuff will be here soon. When you get up we can eat something and have a shower."

"Together?" I wasn't in the mood at all, but a chance to get all hot and wet with Sam was too good to pass up.

"Maybe." A flash of hot arousal flared behind his eyes. "But only if you sleep first."

"Fine, fine, bossy."

He smiled and slipped out of the bed, pulling the sheet up to my chin. "Sleep."

Easier said than done. I tossed and turned for a while and then gave up. I hopped down from the bed with a groan and padded into the bathroom warily. But the only frightening thing in there was my own reflection. My face was pale and drawn with huge bags under my eyes and a purpling bruise by my hairline. As I'd expected, my hair was a tangled nest. I yanked at it a little but realized it would need a real shower and shampoo. It had to be a sign I was feeling better that I didn't want to get under the water alone.

In just the t-shirt I made my way back towards the front of Sam's house. It was a split level, with his bedroom and a few other closed doors on the main floor, and the living space down a short flight of stairs.

I found him at the kitchen table, poring over a pile of files. His hair was almost as messy as mine, but the house around him was neat and tidy, if a little plainly decorated.

"Hey," I said softly.

He jumped a little and stood up. "Hi. Sorry, you startled me."

I shrugged, picking at the hem of the shirt. "Must be my catlike grace.

"Probably. Do you need something?"

I was moved by the care in his voice and the look of concern on his face, but I didn't want either for a little while. I wanted to forget everything.

"Just some help scrubbing my back."

I briefly considered pulling off the shirt and walking back to the bathroom naked, but that just wasn't me. A body covered in bruises and jiggly bits was not especially alluring. Of course, Sam knew every inch of me, but still. I wanted a little romance, not embarrassment.

"Just your back?" he asked impishly.

"We'll start there, see how it goes."

He growled low in his throat and came around the table. Watching the muscles in his arms and chest flex with every motion made me realize I might be in the mood for something more after all.

Back in the bathroom, I flipped off the overhead light to leave us only illuminated by the soft bulb over the mirror while Sam turned on the water and tested it.

"After you," he said smiling.

I tugged the shirt off over my head and stepped into the tub. When Sam joined me his bulk filled the small space and I noticed his face was more than a few inches above the shower head. It was silly, but being big and pretty tall myself, there was something novel and exciting about a man who made me feel small next to him.

I went to kiss him but Sam held my arms gently. "Carly, look at you."

I looked down and saw the bruises on my shoulders and arms, my thighs and knees. "It's fine. They barely hurt today."

He sighed. "Turn around."

From the muttered curse he let out my back must have been even worse than my front.

"Are you sure all of this is from the trunk?"