Bound to Her by Deborah Pin (popular books to read .txt) đ
- Author: Deborah Pin
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place and their father had instilled the importance of anonymity and protecting their privacy.
The alarm system was installed the Monday after Katrina had moved
in and heâd had floodlights installed on all the exterior doors. He didnât
care if it was overkill. There was nothing he wasnât going to do to protect
his family.
He drove Katrina to school every morning and Molly took the boys
separately. He didnât want the man seeing Kat and Seth together. Imogen
drove Katrina downtown every day after school to some predetermined
building and either he or Stephens would pick her up inside an attached
parking garage. They switched it up regularly so she couldnât be easily followed. It was all a bit cat and mouse but until they could safely do anything different, they were going to be cautious, more than cautious.
Smith and Terrell were still at it with their leads and theyâd also still
not managed to get their hands on the plumber they were interested in.
Dillon was attracting attention at the precinct too but heâd expected it.
Chief Greenwood had called him to his office only three days into the week following spring break. The conversation had been strained to say
the least.
âSo do you have anything you need to tell me?â Greenwood was
eying him suspiciously.
Dillon shook his head slowly. Having made the decision to put
Katrina ahead of his job had liberated him to some degree. He couldnât
even say he really feared what might happen to his career. He was willing to accept it and so the man in front of him really couldnât do much to threaten Dillon. âI donât. Do you have anything you need to tell
me?â
âDonât be a smartass, Adler. Youâre a good detective, but I donât need
the attitude.â Then he studied him. âAnd howâs Ms. Page doing?â
âAnd why are you asking me?â
âOh I donât know. I suppose because youâre fucking her.â
He stared impassively at Greenwood. He said nothing. He didnât
deny or confirm what the man was saying, and once Greenwoodâs face started burning in anger, he pushed it just a bit further. âIâd say youâd
have to ask her how sheâs doing.â
âAnd whyâs that?â
He held his composure calmly. âBecause Iâm not her so I couldnât
possibly answer that question. Perhaps check with Smith and Terrell.â
âSmith and Terrell donât even know where sheâs living. I donât
suppose you know anything about that?â
âWell, I heard the poor womanâs house burned down. Might explain
why sheâs homeless.â
âOh, I donât think sheâs homeless at all.â Greenwood was glaring at him.
âWell, Iâm glad to hear that. I quite respect Ms. Page and Iâd hate to
think of her without a roof over her head.â
âSo you donât know where sheâs living then?â
âAgain these are really questions for Ms. Page. Not the detective you
removed from her case. I surely canât be expected to keep tabs on ex-witnesses now can I?â
Greenwoodâs lips were pursed together in a tight line. His hands were
clasped on his desktop and he was leaning forward, studying Dillon with
an intense expression. âWhat would your father think, I wonder, about your recent behavior?â
âMy father knows everything about my life and remarkably heâs still
quite fond of me. Chief, I really do have some work to do. Is there anything else youâd like to ask about?â
âI donât like being lied to.â
âAnd yet youâve not asked a single pointed question and youâre
allowing me to sidestep each and every one. Unless you really want me
to be honest, Iâd be careful what you ask. I should tell you my life is exactly as I mean it to be. Thereâs nothing anyone can say to me that would sway my responsibilities and focus.â
âThat sounded dangerously like a threat.â
âI canât imagine. Youâre the only one in this room with the capacity to
threaten anyone.â
âIâm only concerned.â
âI appreciate that.â Dillon stood and turned to the door.
âIs it worth it?â
Dillon paused without looking back. âI wouldnât waste my time
doing anything that wasnât.â And then he left.
He took his time walking back to his desk. He wasnât lying when he
said Greenwood had been easy on him. Heâd not asked a single question
Dillon couldnât easily avoid answering. Dillon hadnât even had to lie to
get out of his office and not once did Greenwood hold his feet to the fire.
He could have point-blank asked Dillon if he was sleeping with Katrina
and yet he didnât. There was no mistaking the man was livid at the position Dillon was putting him in, but there was also no mistaking the
man was holding back.
In the nearly week and half since then though Greenwood had said
nothing further to him. Dillon and Stephens had other cases they were working and when theyâd give Greenwood an update on one thing or
another the man studied Dillon curiously at best.
It had been a stagnant two weeks since Katrina moved in and Dillon
was restless. It was insane that her case was dragging on so long, but it
was what it was. The man was just patientâincredibly fucking patient.
When the phone rang as Katrina was standing at the stove, Dillon
answered. It was Stephens.
âJust got off the phone with Terrell. Her creepy-ass student checks out. Heâs not been in class because he dropped out of her class. But he had an airtight alibi on the night her house was set on fire and the night
she was attacked in the parking garage. He was out of town visiting a grandparent the night she was attacked and he was working the night her home was set on fire. Itâs not him. Heâs a total fucking fruitcake but
heâs not a psychopathâat least heâs not our psychopath.â
âGood to know. Iâll make sure Kat knows.â Her eyes flashed to his and he walked up behind her, gripping her hip with his free hand.
âCrazy student checks out.â He murmured against her ear before
returning to Stephens.
âBut we still have a missing plumber with a background thatâs getting
more interesting by the day.â
âOh yeah? Tell me.â
âHis name is Clint Lathrop. He only worked for this particular
contractor for about six months. He quit with no notice the week after
Kat was first attacked in her home. Could be coincidence, but we donât like coincidences, now do we? His address on file turned out to be false
and the people who do reside there have never seen the man before. A criminal background check showed up nothing for the state of
Washington but youâll never guess what they hit on in the state of South
Dakota.â
âWhat?â
âStalking charge. And the victim was a young teacher. Could be heâs
got a hot-for-teacher complex, could be some weird retaliation for Ms.
South Dakotaâwho by the way is alive and well. But hereâs another thing. Ms. South Dakota had gone out with Mr. Stalker a few times before she decided she just wasnât so into him and when I pulled her driverâs license pic, thereâs a resemblance. Itâs not striking but it was enough to give me the heebie-jeebies. Struck me because our perp made
a comment about Kat being a tease or youâre all teases, something along
those lines on one of his phone messages.â
âHmm.â Dillon was far too focused on the story to say much else.
âCould be the man fled South Dakota after he was released, took a job
in Seattle, came across Kat by coincidence, saw the resemblance,
discovered she was a teacherâwhich may have increased his draw to her
âand she became a way for him to retaliate. And one other thing.
Dudeâs got a vandalism charge on his record for setting a fire in a trash
can on Ms. South Dakotaâs front lawn. Pyro-fruitloop perhaps?â
âHe sounds promising. And Smith and Terrell are tracking with your
train of thought?â
âYeah. Theyâre on this man like a stripper on a rich manâs lap.â
âHuh. Just made that up, didnât ya?â
âFuck off. Iâm off. Think we just need to keep doing what weâre doing
until they can get their hands on this wackjob. I feel good about this lead.
Now they just need to find the douche fucker.â
âYeah. Iâll see you tomorrow.â When he hung up, Katrina was
watching him while she stirred something that smelled Asian in the pan.
Heâd never eaten so well in his life. The girl could cookâshe could also
fuck. Two of his favorite needs in the world were being satisfied constantly and the fact he was in love with her too made him feel like the
luckiest man on the planet.
When he hung up, she moved the pan off the heat and turned to face him. âI saw a picture of the plumber. Smith asked me if I recognized him,
remembered him.â
âAnd did you?â
She nodded. âCanât say the man made much of an impression. I
mean, I remember him but thatâs about the most I can say of him. I donât
really remember talking to him or anything beyond just recognizing him
really.â She was biting the inside of her cheek as she stared at his chest
for a moment. âI remember him just beingâI donât knowânormal.â
âNormal can be deceptive sometimes. We just have to be careful. A nondescript face wonât help us notice this guy if he gets close to us.â
It wasnât two days later that the love of his life decided to challenge
that bit of advice.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
âSorry, sweetie. Stephens is running down a lead on one of our cases
and Iâm going to be stuck on a call with the DA for a while. I could have
Smith or Terrell meet you somewhere downtown and take you home?â
âNo. Itâs not a big deal. Imogenâs right here and she said she doesnât
have anything going on. Weâre going to hang out here for a while and work on the scenery for her spring play. The school stays pretty busy with after-school activities for a couple hours. The ball diamond and the
soccer field will be hopping and there will be people around. Weâll just
hang âtil later. How about six oâclock? Will that give you enough time?â
âYeah, babe. Iâll see you in a bit. Have fun with the scenery.â
âItâs Our Town. Thereâs not really that much to do. Also means thereâs not much for us to screw up.â
âLove ya.â
âLove you too.â
âArenât you two just so adorable? Youâre going to marry him arenât you?â Imogenâs brow was up as she waited for Katâs response.
âIf he asks, absolutely.â
âIâm going to be your maid of honor.â
Katrina busted out laughing. Only Imogen could get away with
simply demanding the role. âOf course, Imogen. And what of your other
demands?â
âWell Iâd like to wear a wedding dress too.â
âNo.â
âWhy not? I may never get married and if Iâm going to take on the responsibility of planning your wedding I donât think itâs too much to ask.â
âPlanning! Who said anything about planning?â
âOh, love, come on. Obviously out of the two of us I could definitely
plan a better wedding than you. Everyone knows that.â
âThey do?â
âSure. Youâre, well, how do I put this delicatelyâyouâre not very
creative.â
âThatâs not true!â
âIâm in the arts and youâre, wellâyou help kids read.â
âYouâre a junior high art teacher and drama coach. You must be
kidding.â
âHoney, I canât help that Iâm more talented than you.â
They were sitting on the stage in the auditorium and she was ready to
roll off the stage as she laughed at Imogen. She ended up lying on her back as her stomach heaved and she fought to catch her breath. âOh, Imogen.â She pushed herself back up to sit. âYouâve lost your mind.â
âI have. Thereâs no doubt about it.â When Imogen reached out and
clasped her wrist suddenly, Katrina jumped and yelped at the surprise.
âI have a crush on your cop.â
âYou know itâs poor form to crush on my boyfriend, right? I mean, did you really miss that day of friendship school?â
âNot him! The other one. The one who doesnât smile and whoâs kind
of scary and who scowls at me when I talk and then tells me I need to speak English if Iâm going to live here, as though my people didnât invent the language.â She was watching Katrina with a wistful
expression on her face. Katrina wasnât wistful in the leastâshe was shocked and when she burst out laughing Imogen threw a roll of tape at
her.
âOh shit.â She was trying to talk through her hysterical laughter. âI need a drink. That revulsionâŠâ She erupted into laughter. âDivulsion!
Itâs not a word but I donât care. That deserves a drink.â
âHell yes it does. Itâs hard to secretly pine after someone whoâs mean
to you and doesnât seem to understand a word of what you say. I mean,
Iâm from Kensington for Godâs sake. Itâs not as though Iâve got a bloody
Cockney accent.â
âOh Iâm sure you can hold your own. Really? Stephens?â
âHeâs handsome in a roguish sort of way.â
He was in his own way. Katrina had always thought so and now that
she actually liked the man, she had no problem seeing the draw. But
Imogen? That was a hard one to wrap her head around. Imogen was something of a snob. Perhaps not with her poor best friend but when it
came to menâŠwell, there were expectations to say the least. Sheâd once
ended a date because the man didnât cover his nose with the crook of his
elbow when he sneezed. Apparently the poor man had allergies and after
three sneezes that heâd had the gall to stop with his hand, sheâd made her
excuses and spent the next hour complaining to Katrina on the phone.
Hell, Stephens couldnât even go one sentence without dropping the f-
bomb but, seeing as Imogen usually couldnât either when they were out
of school, perhaps Katrina was judging too harshly.
âWell Godspeed and all that. Now I really do need a drink.â She
looked around the darkened auditorium for a moment. âWe could. That
little Mexican place we tried a year ago is on the way and they make fab
fresh-made margaritas. We have to go that way anyway. Itâs always
busy.â
Katrina was rationalizing and Imogen was watching her expectantly,
waiting for her to completely talk them both into it. It really was as safe
as anywhere. Hell, they were more alone in the school than they would
be there and it was on the way. It had been entirely too many months since she and Imogen had gone on a margarita run. âOkay. One drink.
Two max and Dillon should be ready by the time we finish anyway. And
hell, Iâm hungry. I want nachos. He wouldnât want me to starve now would he?â
âIf you get in trouble Iâm telling him it was all your idea.â
âThe very fact you just said âget in troubleâ makes me want a drink all
the more. Since when have I let other people make these decisions for me? Iâm not being reckless. Itâs totally safe there. Busy is better and this place is always packed. Right?â
Imogen nodded.
Katrina was trying very hard to talk herself into it and she recognized
it full well but, damn, she was convincing and she believed every word
margarita-Kat was telling her. âLetâs go before I change my mind.â
They left as they always did at the end of the day to Imogenâs car parked in the parking lot. The lot butted up against the sports field and it was still busy with kids yelling and coaches doing the same. They pulled
out as they always did and they even took the very same streets headed
toward downtown they always did. It was easy for Katrina to convince herself and believe wholeheartedly this was any other day.
They pulled into the restaurant parking lot, seeing it full as they expected it to be. They parked close and waited five minutes for the staff
to clear a table by a window that would allow them to keep Imogenâs car
in sight. It was insane just how good sheâd gotten at being conscious of
her surroundings at all times and she wasnât letting her guard down.
They kept Imogenâs car in the periphery the hour they were there. She managed two margaritas and they might have just been the best
margaritas sheâd even tasted.
When they stood to leave, she reached for her purse hanging on the
back of her chair and they walked from the restaurant no worse for wear.
They sat in Imogenâs car for a few minutes, laughing about some
random Imogen comment and when they pulled from the parking lot,
the clock said their timing was impeccable. Katrina popped a piece of gum in her mouth, pushing away the pang of guilt quickly and when Imogen pulled into the parking garage to drop Kat off on the fifth floor
as agreed upon, her nerves left her heart racing for a moment but she pushed them aside too.
He was standing by his Tahoe, looking beautiful and tall and an
incredible rush of warmth washed through her, pushing away her minor
indiscretion entirely never to be seen or heard from again. It was just a drink. A long-overdue drink with her best friend, all cautions heeded and her security and safety never far from her mind.
âHi.â He smirked. She loved his smirk. It was a sexy thing seeing his
lip pull up in that way. She loved those lips and she especially loved watching them. She enjoyed what he did with them even more and his smirk was a reminder of just how good he was at doing things with that
mouth.
âHi.â She waved to Imogen as she pulled away from them and she
pounced. There was no denying even two margaritas had been enough
to light a fire in her already-healthy libido and now that he was within
her reach, she wasnât going to be keeping her hands off him. She kissed,
she thrust her tongue between his lips as he gasped in surprise but he had quite a healthy libido too and her kiss turned to their kiss very fast.
His tongue ran over hers as he pushed her body back to the side of his
Tahoe.
She could feel his arousal hard against her stomach through his pants
and her mind was trying to figure out how exactly she could convince him to screw her in a parking garage. When he pulled back from her, holding her at armâs length, he chuckled. âWhatâs gotten into you
tonight?â That damn smirk again.
âNothing at all but Iâm hoping you can rectify that quickly.â It wasnât
really Katrinaâs style to be seductive but she was sure as hell trying her
hand at it tonight.
âHome.â She moaned at his word and he chuckled again.
âYouâre no fun.â
He laughed. âIâm a cop. That does not mean I canât get arrested for misbehaving in public. Now get in the car. Youâre just slowing me down
and I apparently have to rectify your emptiness.â
They drove in silence. It was dark out and her body was relaxed and
content. It was the kind of peace she missed from her old life. She never
used to worry about her safetyânot ever. Not that it wasnât worth worrying about but there wasnât a reason to and so she didnât. The quiet
surrounding her now with him sitting strong and silent beside her
reminded her very much of the security she used to feel in her life. The
only difference was he shared it with her.
As he turned the car off once heâd pulled into the garage and closed
the garage door behind him, he turned to her. âSo I noticed you wore a
skirt today.â
âI did. I wasnât aware you had a thing for skirts.â She turned on the
seductive again and he smiled.
âI donât have any particular preference one way or the other, but seeing as I can get my dick under your skirt, I do have an interest in it at the moment.â
âSoâŠâ He leaned toward her, giving her no chance to fully respond
before his hand pushed up under the fabric, slipped past the leg of her underwear and started toying with her already-wet sex. She gasped and
groaned and the second he gave her even one moment to contemplate, she launched herself into his lap as he chuckled.
She undid the button and lowered the zipper of his pants and he
pushed the waist of his underwear down as his cock sprang free. He was as aroused as she was and when she gripped the shaft, he hissed and reached between her legs again, plunging his finger into her.
It didnât take him long to abandon her body to lift her hips and force
her down over his erection. His lips met hers and he pulled her hips tight
to him, sealing their bodies together as she focused on relaxing around his deep penetration. Their movements were restricted and subtle but she squeezed hard around him as he started clenching his buttocks and
pushing himself deeper.
He nipped at her neck as he pushed into her and when she fell apart
he was right on her heels, groaning with his mouth to her ear. He stroked
her back and she snuggled into his neck as they relaxed into each other
and it wasnât until his phone vibrated in his pocket that he finally lifted
his head from her neck and she sat up straight.
âHey, Seth.â He sounded breathy as he answered. âTomorrow? Yeah
thatâs fine I guess. I have to go to the precinct for a while late morning so I canât go but as long Molly is with you boys and youâre somewhere busy, Iâm fine with it.â His brow was furrowed though and she could see
worry regardless. âLove you too, bud. Iâll see you tomorrow afternoon.â
He hung up. âKite Festival tomorrow at Magnuson.â
âI could go too if you want me to.â
âI donât. No offense.â He looked nervous about what he wanted to
say and she guessed what it was before he even opened his mouth.
âTheyâre safer without you. Thereâs no evidence suggesting our guy even
knows you live here, much less who Seth, Molly or Jake are. Iâd like to keep it that way.â She nodded. Of course it made sense. It also made her
feel guilty. âSomeday, baby. Someday we wonât have to worry about any
of it. I promise.â
She climbed from his lap as he slipped from her body and she held her hand out to him as she stood by the driverâs door. Someday. Someday she wouldnât feel guilty anymore. Someday she could have a real life with this man.
He woke her that night as he kissed her naked shoulder. He nuzzled
into her neck, purring a warm seductive hum against her skin. âI want to
marry you.â He whispered it from behind her as his lips met her ear.
She stared straight ahead into the dark as her heart rate started to
soar. She was in heaven just listening to his words and a smile pulled her lips up despite everything wrong with what he was saying. Actually his
words and desire were perfectâit was her life that was so wrong.
âSomeday.â She whispered and he pulled her close, tightening his
arms around her. He understood what she was saying. She didnât
question that for a moment.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
He was willing to accept someday. Someday meant yes. It meant
when the crazy was behind them, yes. He liked yes.
When his cell phone rang as they were making a late breakfast the next morning, he had to peel his eyes from her body. He loved watching
her in the kitchen. There was something so sexy about seeing her cook.
Sheâd lick her fingers to tasteâthat was nice. Sheâd bite her lips as she measured something out in a measuring cup and sheâd hum while she putzed about.
âWhatâs up, Seth?â
âWe just got here.â
âGood.â
âWhy didnât Kat just call us for a ride? I mean she could have just rode with us. I didnât know she wanted to go.â
âShe didnât want to go. Who said she wanted to go?â
âShe did. She just texted me. Sheâs supposed to be here any second.
Iâm meeting her at the Brig.â
âWait, what?â He stood straight up from his place slouched against the counter and he turned to her. âKat, whereâs your phone?â
âIn my purse.â
âGet it.â Then to Seth, he spoke. âSeth, are you at the Brig alone?
Whereâs Molly?â
âDad, whatâs going on?â
âSeth, listen to me. You have toââ
âDude! Watch out!â Seth hollered to someone in the background and
Dillon fought to swallow as his panic started to set in. âSome a-hole just
tried to plow me over, Dad.â
âSethââ
But before Dillon could say anything further, he heard another voice.
âHey, kid. You okay? That jerk almost took you out!â
âI know, right?â Dillon could tell by the distant sound of Sethâs voice that his phone was no longer near his ear and Dillon was stuck unable to
do anything to get his attention.
Panic was no longer something he could control and near desperate to
get his attention, he yelled into his phone as Katrinaâs eyes widened and
she clutched at her chest when she heard Dillonâs voice. âSeth!â
âDillon, I canât find my phone.â His eyes flashed to hers and she was
waiting expectantly for him to say something to her. Just then his landline rang. âIâll get it.â She moved quickly to answer.
âGuy just plowed through the building on his bike. Seriously?â Dillon
heard his son speaking to the stranger and when he glanced up at Katrina, he saw her brow furrowing and a quizzical confused expression
on her face.
âDillon, it sounds like Seth. I thoughtââ
âSeth!â Desperate didnât even come close to the blind panic that was
taking over Dillonâs body. âPut it on speaker, Kat.â
She looked shocked. She couldnât possibly even know why she was
shocked and she was trembling at nothing more than Dillonâs fear.
When she reached to the speaker button on the phone console, her
hand froze as she studied the console. âDillon, itâs my phone number on
caller ID.â Her voice trailed off.
He hit the speaker button on his cell phone as Kat finally pressed the
same button on the console and he set his phone on the counter. âNo doubt. I saw it, buddy. Some kids can be so rude.â The strangerâs voice
was echoing through both phones. The delay was off slightly and it was a
haunting sound that made the strangerâs voice sound as though it were
coming from every direction.
Dillon sank against the counter as the realization of exactly what was
happening hit him. His head hit his hands as he braced his elbows on either side of his cell phone and he just stared. âWhatâs your name, kid?â
âSeth!â He knew Seth couldnât hear him but it still didnât stop him from trying to get his attention.
âUhâŠI donât give my name out to people I donât know. Sorry, dude.â
âNah, itâs cool. I get it. Too many psychos out there, huh, Seth?â The
strangerâs voice had turned taunting and Dillonâs blood ran cold. He was
gasping for air.
âOh my God.â Katrina moaned.
âWhat did you say?â Sethâs voice was loaded with suspicion. He
didnât sound frightened but it didnât mean Dillon wasnât terrified. âWho
the fuck are you?â
âJust a friend of Katâs. You make sure to tell her I said hi, wonât you?â
And then there was dead silence for a moment. Seth was saying nothing
and when the stranger started to whistle Katrina whimpered. The
whistling grew more and more distant from Dillonâs cell phone while remaining strong from the console and Seth remained silent.
âDad? Dad?â He snatched his cell up from the counter.
âSeth? Jesus, are you okay?â
âDad, I think it was him.â
âYou get away from him now. If youâre inside, you get out. You find
people. You get out in the open. Now! And you scream your ass off if you see him again.â
âOkay.â Sethâs voice was a whisper. They were silent, listening to the
quiet rustling and shuffling coming through the cell phone. âI see Molly.â
Dillon started breathing again. âGet to her. You tell her to call 911 and
you tell her what happened.â
âOkay, Dad.â They listened to Seth holler for Molly.
âIs that you, Katrina?â She yelped and jumped as the voice came
through the phone console on the wall. âOf course it is. Did you see how
easy that was?â
Katrina was trembling and tears were sitting on the lower rims of her
eyelids.
âWhat can I say? You just made it so easy. Too busy guzzling
margaritas last night with the British girl to even notice me picking your
cell up off the floor. Not my fault you let it fall out of your purse.â
Dillonâs face started to burn in a fast-building torrent of fury that he
aimed at Katrina. âYou can tell a lot about a person from their text message history. Like for instance your infatuation with a certain man named Dillon. Heâs the cop, isnât he? Sethâs dad too apparently. Naughty
naughty what the two of you are doing.â
âWhat do you want?â Her voice was quiet but furious and intense.
âWhy, Iâm going to kill you.â He was silent for a moment as Katrina
stared at the counter. âDonât get me wrong. Iâll have my fun with you first but ultimatelyâŠwell, ultimately Iâm going to kill you.â If Dillonâs blood had been cold before it froze in his veins at the casual and almost
conversational way the stranger threatened her.
The sound of sirens was coming distantly through both phones,
echoing from different directions. He could hear Molly talking to
someone but Dillon had been forgotten at that point.
âAre those sirens for me? Too bad. Iâm long gone. But donât worry. Iâll
see you soon, Kat.â There was a click as he disconnected the phone.
There was nothing but silence and quiet distant murmuring coming
through Dillonâs cell phone. Dillonâs terror had passed but his fury was
building as they stood still. He was near critical mass when she finally opened her mouth.
âDillon?â
âShut up.â He was seething.
âDillon, please?â
âShut up!â He yelled it at her as she grimaced and cowered.
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