Текст книги "Touch Me Not"

Автор книги: Apryl Baker

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Текущая страница: 16 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

Nikoli stalked back over to where the paramedics were loading her into the ambulance. Adam climbed in behind them, and the paramedic said they could only take one passenger. He didn’t argue the point, just headed for Mike’s truck. Mike was waiting for him.

Mike pulled out behind the ambulance, and they both sat in grim silence as they followed the flashing lights.

Chapter Twenty

The wait seemed to go on forever. Nikoli kept staring at the clock. She was in surgery. Three hours. She’d been in surgery for three hours with no word. The nurse said the doctor would come out as soon as they knew anything. Adam had called Lily’s mom and his own parents. They were all on their way. Nikoli had already arranged for a car to meet them.

His mind kept flashing back to the look in her eyes when she’d seen him with the blonde. It defied words to describe the pain in them. He’d give anything for her not to have seen that. He had been about ready to call it quits when the door opened. No matter who he was with, he couldn’t see anyone but Lily.

She had to be okay. She had to forgive him.

He kept remembering all the laughter they’d shared. The times they’d just lounged on the couch watching horror movies, the debates they’d gotten into over food at one of the endless diners he’d introduced her to. He remembered the way her eyes would go sleepy and darken to a shade of black when desire ruled her. He remembered the deep, husky sound of her voice when she gave in to the passion he stirred within her. Mostly, though, he just remembered Lily, the girl who loved her penguin pajamas and books. God, she loved books. He’d build her her own library.

If she’d just live.

He was the biggest fool God had ever created. The one person who saw past the front he put up and dug deeper to find the real him, he’d tossed out like she was no better than day old garbage. He’d been given a most precious gift, something that was worth more than all the money he had, worth more than any car he owned, something worth more than his own life…and he’d thrown it away. All because he hadn’t been man enough to accept the risk of getting hurt.

And now he was hurting worse than he’d ever hurt, and Lily was fighting for her life. All because he was a fool.

“Can we go now?”

Nikoli opened his eyes at the familiar whine of Adam’s girlfriend’s voice. She looked irritated and impatient. She’d come to the hospital less than thirty minutes ago, and already she wanted to leave? Selfish bitch.

“No, we can’t leave yet, Sue. Lily’s still in surgery.”

“Adam, it’s not like being here is helping her in any way. Let’s go home where you can relax…”

“Relax?” Nikoli exploded. He stood up, his eyes cold and mean. Sue took a step back. “You really are the most selfish bitch I’ve ever met.”

She gasped and looked to Adam for help.

“You’ve known Boy Wonder what, three years or so? He’s known Lily all his life. She’s his sister, his best friend, a part of his soul. Do you really think he’s going to fucking go home and relax while she’s in surgery fighting for her life? And why the fuck would you ask him that? Other than the fact you’re a jealous, selfish she-bitch. Sit your ass down or go home, but do not say one more word about Adam leaving.”

He walked back over to his chair and sat. Sue stared at him, her mouth working while she tried to find words to respond. Finally, after a full minute, she turned on Adam. “Are you just going to let him talk to your fiancée like that?”

“If he were still talking to my fiancée, no, I wouldn’t, but since you and I are done, then he can talk to you any way he wants.”

“What?” she shrieked.

“You are a selfish bitch,” Adam told her. “I just ignored it before. But asking me to leave Lily when she needs me? That’s going too far. I’ve put up with your bullshit for a long time, Sue. I haven’t loved you for a long time. We’re done. Before you make a scene, think of where we are. Most of the football team and everyone who loves Lily is here. You’d best get yourself moving without a fuss.”

Adam stood up and then sat down next to Nikoli. Mike and Janet followed. Nikoli raised his eyebrows. What brought that on?

“You love her, don’t you?” Adam asked after a long while.

“Yeah, but I fucked it up. If she’ll forgive me, I’m going to marry her.”

“You ever hurt her like that again, and I’ll put the barrel of a shotgun between your eyes and hide the body in one of the countless mountain breaks near the coal mines we grew up with. They’ll never find your body. We clear?”

Nikoli nodded, and they both turned their attention back to the clock. What was taking so long?

Thirty minutes later, a tired-looking surgeon waded out into the waiting room and called out Lily’s name. Nikoli and Adam pushed to the front.

“How is she?” Nikoli demanded.

“Is she okay?” Adam asked, his worry plain in his voice.

“Are you family?” the surgeon asked.

“I’m her fiancé,” Nikoli announced and then pointed to Adam. “This is her brother.”

“I’m Doctor Kerev. It was a bit touch and go. We had to remove her spleen and repair some damage done to her kidneys and lungs. She’s got four broken ribs, a fracture of her left femur, and small cranial fracture.”

They all gasped at the extent of her injuries.

“She’ll pull through,” the surgeon hurried to assure them. “We’re going to keep her sedated while her body heals. She needs rest more than anything right now. She’s being moved to the ICU.”

“We’re staying,” Nikoli said, and his tone brooked no argument.

“Only immediate family,” the surgeon said. “Everyone else should head home. There’s nothing more to be done for her right now except to let her rest.”

After much grumbling, the waiting room cleared out, and Mike took Janet home. A nurse led Adam and Nikoli back to the ICU ward and into Lily’s room. She was hooked up to so many machines. She looked helpless and small. They dragged chairs to her bed and stared at each other, just waiting.

The police came and took both their statements about the car chase. It wasn’t long after that before Kade showed up. He’d been down to see Greggory.

“How is she?” he asked.

“Stable,” Nikoli said. “The doc’s keeping her asleep so she can heal.”

“That’s probably for the best.” Kade nodded.

“Has Brian woken up yet?” Adam asked, his voice full of the same rage Nikoli was trying to keep under control.

“I talked to him,” Kade replied. “We thought at first he might be our serial killer, but he’s not. He doesn’t fit the profile, and his apartment confirmed his statement. His place is a shrine to her. He’s been stalking her for years, and I’m guessing she never knew?”

They both stared at him blankly.

“It’s not uncommon for a stalker to never make contact with his victim until he’s ready to strike. Or to never confess his obsession, in this case, since he claims they were friends. He saw an opportunity, and he took it. She was alone and upset, no one was around, and he grabbed her. He was taking her to small house he’d purchased with the funds from an inheritance from his grandfather. If Lily wasn’t a smart girl, there is a good chance we’d never have found her. He took her in a dead zone—no cameras, no witnesses, nothing.”

Fear gripped Nikoli’s heart so hard, he nearly bent over. He’d almost lost her, he would have lost her if that bastard had managed to get her to his house. His hands shook at the thoughts of what might have happened to her.

“What’s going to happen to him?” Adam asked, his hand clutching Lily’s in a death grip. “He’s not going to get out, is he?”

“With the charges that boy racked up tonight, there’s not a judge in Boston that’ll give him bail. He’s going away for a long, long time. Especially with the atmosphere now. Women being kidnapped, murdered, and then dumped? That boy will be lucky if he sees freedom anytime in the near future.”

“Still no luck on the serial killer?” Nikoli asked.

“I’m not supposed to discuss an active investigation,” Kade said quietly, “but given what’s happened tonight, and we think he’s going to strike at one of the college campuses soon, I’m warning you. Any female you care about, don’t let them out of your sight.”

“You told me yesterday you guys were wrapping up,” Nikoli said. “When are you leaving?”

“I’m not,” Kade said. “My supervisor asked me to stay here in Boston until we catch this psycho. I’ll be here until the case is solved.”

They talked for a few more minutes, and then Kade left, telling them to call if they needed anything. Adam settled down next to Lily, her hand still clutched in his.

All they could do now was wait.

Chapter

Twenty-One

Lily hurt, everywhere. She tried to open her eyes, but they were heavy. She did manage to crack one eye partially open and saw Nikoli asleep in the chair beside her bed. He looked tired and his clothes were worn, like he’d slept in them for days. She closed her eyes again when the harsh light started to make them burn. How long had she been out?

She heard the steady beeping of machines and realized she was in a hospital. Why was she in a hospital? Her memory was foggy, but she vaguely remembered a car crash. Had she been in an accident?

She opened both eyes this time and looked around. Definitely a hospital. She was hooked up to more machines than she could count. She looked back over to Nikoli. Why was he here? Her last memory of him was all hugged up with some blonde ditz. She’d run from the house and then…then…ohmygod. She’d been attacked and woken up in a trunk. Someone had kidnapped her. She remembered kicking out the taillight and using her bra as a distress signal.

Then what happened? She thought hard, and her heartbeat started to race when she remembered the car going crazy fast, then they’d tipped over, and something must have crashed into them, but she wasn’t sure. She’d passed out before she could register much.

She’d woken up here with Nikoli Kincaid sitting beside her bed, asleep and looking like he’d been through hell.

Her mouth was full of cotton. She needed water. The nurse’s call button wasn’t anywhere to be seen, and besides, she was so sore, she didn’t know if she’d be able to reach it. She let out a tiny sigh, but it was enough to wake up the man sitting across from her. Nikoli’s eyes sprang open, and his worried gaze found her face.

“You’re awake,” he whispered.

Lily nodded and winced. Her head hurt something awful. “W…wat…”

“Water?” he asked, and Lily nodded. He poured water into one of those little plastic hospital cups and held her head up so she could drink. “Just a few sips at first,” he warned.

The cool ice water was the best thing she’d tasted in her life. It soothed her dry, parched mouth and the burn in her throat. When Nikoli pulled it away, she tried to protest, but he shook his head. “No, Milaya, you must sip it a little at a time or you’ll get sick.”

He reached over and hit the call button. “They’ll need to check you out, dushka. Just relax and let them work.”

A few minutes later a nurse came in and smiled. “She’s awake, I see. You’ve had us worried.” She picked up Lily’s chart and nodded. “You’re in luck. Your doctor happens to be the one on call today. I’ll page him as soon as I take your vitals.”

For the next twenty minutes she was poked and prodded. She’d always hated hospitals, even when she was little. There was just something about the sterile smell that disturbed her. Cleaning fluids mixed with the stench of sickness. The only thing she really wanted to know was when she could go home. The doctor said they’d take it day by day, which caused her to scrunch her nose in disgust.

Adam came rushing in about the time the doctor left. He made a beeline for her and grabbed her into a hug. All the breath went out of her at the pain that lanced across her ribs. Before she could say a word, Nikoli had hauled him off her.

“Her ribs,” he said before Adam could open his mouth. “You were hurting her.”

“Hell, I forgot.” Adam ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Lils.”

“It’s okay,” she said, her throat still a little scratchy.

“I’d have been here sooner, but I fell asleep in the cafeteria and didn’t see Nik’s message until just a few minutes ago.” He grimaced and shot an apologetic look Nikoli’s way.

Lily frowned. They were acting like friends. Since when were Adam and Nikoli friends? They hated each other.

“How are you?” Adam turned his attention back to her, walking over and sitting down in the chair Nikoli had vacated.

“I’m sleepy,” she said truthfully. She was having issues keeping her eyes open.

“Sleepy?” Adam laughed. “You’ve been asleep for almost five days, Lils.”

“Five days?” she gasped. No way!

“Yeah, you had some pretty serious injuries, and then there was a complication.” He glanced over at Nikoli, and he nodded. “You had some bleeding in your brain and they had to relieve it almost right after your first surgery. You scared the hell out of us.”

No wonder she had such a horrible headache.

“You mom and my parents are here. Don’t be shocked when they show up later today,” Adam warned her. “I’m going to try and keep them from visiting until tomorrow, but there’s no way your mom is staying away. We had to strong-arm her to get her to go to the hotel and get some sleep.”

She gave Adam a once over and noticed his clothes were as rumpled as Nikoli’s, and he hadn’t shaved in a couple days either, by the looks of it. Had they both been here the entire time?

“She needs to sleep,” Nikoli said. “Now that she’s awake and talking, why don’t you head home and get some sleep yourself?”

“That’s not a bad idea. I need a shower too. Want me to bring you dinner back?”

Nikoli nodded, and Lily glanced between the two of them, nonplussed. Had she died and gone to some remote region of hell, perhaps?

Adam laughed at the confusion on her face. “Don’t worry, Lils, Kincaid and I came to an understanding. We’re all good.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Get some rest, and I’ll be back in a few hours. I’ll call your mom too.”

Nikoli nodded to him and then dragged the chair closer to the bed and sat down. He stared at her, not saying a word. There were so many emotions flickering in his eyes, it was hard to define them all.

“I’m sorry, Milaya,” he said after a long moment. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault someone attacked me, Nikoli.”

“Yes, it is. If I wasn’t such a stupid ass, you would never have been put in that position. You wouldn’t have walked in on me and then run out so that bastard could take you.”

She sighed and started to say something, but he put a finger to her lips.

“Quiet, Milaya,” he said, his voice deep and gruff. “When I saw your face that night…God, it cut through me, and I realized then what a selfish bastard I was.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I lied to you, Lily, when I said I didn’t love you. I do. More than my own life, but I was so scared when you told me in Miami. I kept thinking of the girl who’d broken my heart before, and I couldn’t do that to myself again. So I lied.”

He lied? A flutter of hope sprang to life inside of her, but then she remembered all the women he’d been with since they broke up. “Nikoli…the last month…all the women…”

“Not a damn thing happened,” he swore. “I tried, Milaya. Trust me, I tried hard to forget you, but I couldn’t. I kept seeing your eyes, all broken and haunted. That girl you found me with? She was my last ditch effort to try and be the old me, but I couldn’t. I was about to take her back downstairs when you walked in. I don’t blame you if you don’t believe me, but it’s the truth, Lily. You’ve seen me with girls, but how many have you heard talking about fucking me?”

She thought back over the last month, and she’d heard rumors he’d been playing hard to get and it was driving the girls insane, but she couldn’t think of a single person who claimed to have slept with him.

“I love you, Lily Isabella Holmes. I fucked up and let you walk away once, and I’m not doing it again. I’m an ass, but I’m an ass who loves you. Will you forgive me, Lily? Will you forgive all the hurt I caused us both and marry me?”

Marry him?

“I swear to all that’s holy, Milaya, I will spend every damn day for the rest of our lives making it up to you if you’ll forgive me. I promised God I’d take care of you if he’d give you back to me. You’ll never know the hell I went through when I found your phone lying there on the sidewalk, and the blood…God, Lily, I almost lost it. Then when I saw that car flip with you in it, I almost died myself.”

He reached down and grabbed her hand. “Please, dushka, forgive me. I’m so fucking sorry, Lily. Give me a second chance? Please?”

Lily stared at him, shocked and dazed. She’d heard nothing but blah, blah, blah after the words marry me. He’d really asked her to marry him? Hope refused to be pushed down again as she gazed into his onyx eyes. They were open and honest, full of pain, regret, and love.

Could she forgive him for everything he’d done? He’d broken her so badly. He’d healed the damaged person she’d been, only to break her into a million tiny pieces that were still sobbing on Janet’s bathroom floor.

“Nikoli,” she said softly. “You don’t understand what you did to me, what I went through…”

“Jan told me,” he said just as softly. “I’m sorry, Lily. I know it doesn’t mean anything, but I am truly and deeply sorry, and I will never hurt you like that again. I swear it.”

Could she trust him again? She loved him so much, her very soul ached without him, but could she go through that again if he decided he didn’t want her? Her mind shied away from the thought of that pain, the pain that still sometimes woke her up in the middle of the night, and she’d cry until she went to sleep. The only person who could fix the broken mess she was sat staring at her, his heart in his eyes. She took a chance once, and she’d take it again, even given what happened, because she would never regret Nikoli Kincaid. He was her heart and her soul.

“What does dushka mean?” she asked instead of answering right away.

“It means sweetheart.” He ran a hand through his short hair. “I’ve never called a girl sweetheart before. It’s why I’d never tell you what it meant. I didn’t want to explain it even to myself.”

He’d been calling her sweetheart for months and she’d never even realized.

“You’re killing me Lily.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the bed. “Please say you forgive me.”

“I forgive you, Nikoli.”

He brought her hand to his lips and placed a kiss lightly on her palm. “Thank you, Milaya. I don’t deserve it, but thank you.”

“No, you don’t deserve it,” she told him. “And you are a selfish bastard, and if you ever make me hurt like that again, I swear I will shoot you where you stand.”

He chuckled. “You still haven’t answered my question yet, Lily Bells.”

“I don’t know if I want to marry an ass or not,” she said, but there was no heat behind the words. She did want to marry him.

“Yes, you do,” he countered, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

“I do, do I?”

“Uh-huh.” He nodded. “Who else is going to put up with your prudish tendencies?”

“I am not a prude!”

He gave her the patented Kincaid stare.

“Well, if I’m a prude, then you’re a manwhore.”

“Did we or did we not agree to never use that word again?”

“As long as you continue to call me a prude, then I’ll call you a manwhore.”

“I love you,” he said, laughing.

“I’ll marry you, Kincaid, on one condition.”

“What?”

“I want your car.”

“Ellie? You want Ellie?” He looked stricken, and Lily nearly laughed out loud.

“Yes.”

He got up and started to pace. “I can buy you any car you want, Lily Bells. Just name it and I’ll have it sitting in the hospital parking lot today.”

“I want your car, Nikoli.”

Nikoli took a deep breath and came over to sit on her bed. He leaned down until all she could see were his eyes. They were warm, and she could see the love in their dark depths. “If it means I get you, then fine, Milaya, you can have my car.”

Her mouth dropped open. He’d give her the car? He loved that car…he loved her. He really loved her if he was willing to hand over the one thing he loved more than anything.

“Well, how about you just let me drive the car once in a while?”

He grinned. “Is that a yes?”

“Don’t you think it’s too soon, though?” she fretted as he leaned back. “We’ve only known each other a couple of months.”

“My father married my mother a week after he met her. Kincaid men waste no time in staking a claim when it matters. I love you, Lily. Not for a week or a month or a year. I will love you when I’m old and gray, when I’m too senile to remember your name, but I’ll still remember that I love you. I don’t need months or years to know I want you to be my wife. You’re all I need, all I’ll ever need. Marry me, Lily. Please.”

“Yes, Kincaid, I’ll marry you.”

He leaned over and placed a butterfly kiss on her lips. “I love you, Lily.”

“I love you too, Nikoli.”

He smiled and kissed her softly once more, but her eyes were drooping shut.

“Sleep, sweetheart, just sleep.”