Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Liam

I know I’m smothering her, but I can’t help myself. My brain is reeling from the shock. She could have been hurt. Hell, she could have been killed. I’m also so damn proud of her. She got herself free. “I’m so proud of you,” I murmur against her hair.

I squeeze my eyes shut against the burn of tears and press my face into her hair. My throat is tight, and my emotions are raw, absolutely shredded.

I grab a blanket from the back of the vehicle and cover Jasmine. She’s severely underdressed and shivering from the cold.

Philip and Miguel return to the SUV. Philip slides behind the steering wheel and starts the engine.

Miguel comes around to my rear passenger window and motions for me to roll it down. “The cops want to speak to Jasmine. They need her to make a statement. Afterwards, we’re to take you guys back to the office so Jasmine can get checked out in the clinic.”

“Do you feel up to answering some questions?” I ask Jasmine.

When she nods, I tell Miguel to let the cops know they can talk to her now.

An officer approaches the SUV. She stands at my open window and addresses Jasmine. “Are you all right?”

Jasmine nods.

The officer asks Jasmine to tell her everything that happened. She recites the events, step by step, explaining how she managed to escape.

The situation on the lane is pure chaos. Tony and his men have been apprehended and are sitting in handcuffs on the drive. At least half-a-dozen women, presumably Tony’s prostitutes, are outside on the front porch, observing the arrests. More cops arrive soon after, and the officers search the house, flushing everyone outside.

Miguel turns to face us. “They’re searching the premises, interviewing, and making arrests. Shane’s on the phone with Troy. The pimp is undoubtedly going to be charged with kidnapping and unlawful confinement, among other things. I imagine they’ll be able to come up with a number of additional charges.”

When the officer is done questioning Jasmine, we’re given the go-ahead to leave. Philip backs the SUV out of the driveway and heads downtown where the McIntyre Security building is located.

Jasmine leans into me. She’s shaking, but I think it’s more to do with nerves than the cold. She’s wrapped up tightly in a warm blanket. I pull her into my arms. “We’re heading back to the office. We have a clinic there, with a full-time nurse on duty. Once we get you looked over and your injuries treated, I’ll take you home so you can rest.”

Jasmine sits upright. “I have nothing to wear except for this nasty shirt.”

I tighten my arms around her and kiss the side of her head. “We’ll find something in my office for you to wear home.” I lean close and whisper to her, “I’m so damn proud of you, Jasmine. I told you, you’re a survivor.” Then I kiss her, right there in front of everyone.

“I guess that answers that,” Miguel says with a laugh. “Mateo owes me twenty bucks.”

Jasmine smiles as she leans her head on my shoulder.

When we arrive at the office building, I take Jasmine straight to the clinic on the second floor. The on-duty nurse checks Jasmine out and says that, other than the abrasions on her wrists and ankles from the zip ties, she’s okay. Her vitals all check out fine, and there’s no sign of a concussion or any other injuries.

Lia runs down to my office and grabs a pair of gray sweats, a T-shirt, and socks and sneakers for Jasmine to wear home. They’re my clothes, so they’re too big for her, but they’ll do in a pinch. I plan to take her back to the apartment so she can rest. Lia offers to stay for the rest of the afternoon and take over my classes for me.

Jasmine is pretty quiet on the drive back to the apartment building. I don’t blame her, of course. She’s been through a horrible ordeal. I reach over to hold her hand, linking our fingers together. She gives me a smile.

“You must be hungry,” I tell her as we ride the elevator up to our floor.

She shakes her head. “Not really. I don’t feel like eating.”

Once we’re inside our apartment, Jasmine crashes on the sofa. I get her a pillow and blanket so she can curl up and feel safe. I sit at the opposite end of the sofa with her feet in my lap.

Not long after, my phone chimes with an incoming text from Jason.

Jason – Miguel told us what happened. Is Jasmine OK? Layla wants to see her. Is that okay?

I show Jasmine the message. “Do you feel up to having some company?”

“Sure. Tell them to come over.”

I send back an invite, and a few moments later, there’s a quiet knock on our door. I get up to let Jason and Layla in.

Jasmine sits up, and Layla sits next to her.

“Are you okay?” Layla asks as she hugs Jasmine.

Jasmine nods. “Physically, yes. Emotionally, I’m still processing.”

Layla holds Jasmine’s hands and examines her bandaged wrists. “Do they hurt?”

“A little, yes.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Jasmine shrugs. “My ex-pimp’s men grabbed me on the street outside a restaurant. They took me back to his house, and—” She chokes up at that point.

“Jasmine freed herself,” I say. “She escaped on her own. We arrived at the house just as she was running down the drive.”

There’s another knock at our door, and I go to open it. Beth is outside our door, along with Sam.

“How’s she doing?” Beth asks. “Shane called to tell me what happened.”

“She’s okay,” I say. “Come on in.”

Beth joins the two girls on the sofa, while we three guys stand around, mostly still in a state of shock. I think everyone is.

“Cooper sends his best wishes,” Sam says. “He stayed upstairs with the babies.”

Jasmine seems comfortable enough being the center of attention all of a sudden. When I catch her gaze, she smiles at me, almost bashfully, as if she’s surprised these people are showing up to support her.

“Shane’s increasing security around the building,” Sam says. “Inside and out. Just in case. He and Troy are meeting right now with Chicago detectives to put together a case against Tony and his organization. I don’t think Tony and his guys will be free any time soon. They’ve all been arrested and are sitting in the county jail awaiting arraignment.”

Word travels fast. Erin and Mack show up as well, having heard through the grapevine what happened. I’ve never had so many people in my apartment at one time. Jason and Mack bring chairs over from their apartments to help seat everyone.

Lia arrives after finishing up with the last class at McIntyre Security. “There’s my warrior princess,” she says as she walks into the apartment. She goes right to Jasmine and hugs her. “You kicked ass, girlfriend. I’m so proud of you.”

Jasmine laughs. “Thanks, Lia. I could hear your voice in my head telling me what to do. It’s because of you that I was able to help myself and get away.”

“Hey, you get all the credit, Jazz. I’m so proud of you.”

Miguel, Philip, and Mateo arrive next, bringing cartons of beer, pizzas, and lots of paper plates. “We figured you guys would be hungry,” Miguel says.

Jasmine eats on the sofa with her feet tucked up beneath her and a blanket over her lap. Layla, Erin, and Beth keep her company on the sofa, while Lia sits on the coffee table facing her. She’s surrounded by friends, and that makes me happy.

She’s still shaking, though.

Jason takes her vitals again, just to be sure she’s still doing okay. Her pulse is slightly elevated, as is her blood pressure, but he assures me it’s to be expected under the circumstances.

As the sun starts to set, our friends and family all head home after hugging Jasmine and offering her any help she needs.

Finally, we’re alone. I’ve been wanting to get her alone ever since we got home, but I’m glad our friends came out to support her.

“How are you feeling?” I ask as I get a chance to sink down on the sofa beside her now that it’s just the two of us. “Come here, sweetheart.” I draw her close. When she melts against me, my chest tightens painfully. She’s had next to nothing her whole life and asks for so little. I want to give her the world. Anything she wants.

She grasps my T-shirt and presses her face into the crook of my neck.

I cup the back of her head. “Do you want to talk about it?”

She shakes her head.

“It might help,” I say. “Sometimes saying the scary parts out loud is good therapy.”

She sighs. “When they grabbed me, I didn’t even have a chance to fight back. It happened so fast. There were two of them, and they overpowered me.”

“It’s understandable, Jasmine. Don’t be hard on yourself. But you got your chance when it mattered most. You got yourself free before they could do serious harm.”

“What gave me hope was remembering that you’d put the GPS chip in my shoe. I knew you’d find me. I knew you’d come.”

I press my lips to her temple. “Of course I did. I’ll always be there for you.”

She laughs shakily. “Let’s hope this doesn’t become a habit.”

I try not to laugh, but it’s hard. “Yes, let’s hope so. I’m so proud of you.”

“Tony was furious at me for leaving. He sicced Lyle on me. Lyle’s a sadistic twat. He wanted to fuck me and cut me, probably in that order.”

Oh, god. “Thank god you got away.”

“I told Lyle I’d need my limbs free first, so he cut me loose. That’s when I made my move. When he climbed on top of me, I reversed the mount and managed to knock him off the cot and onto the floor. And then I smashed his package with my knee. While he writhed in pain, I ran.”

Hearing this makes me realize how close Jasmine came to being hurt, or worse. “I have a confession to make,” I tell her. “I saw them grab you. I was watching from the McIntyre building as you walked across the street to the restaurant. I saw everything. That’s why we were able to respond so quickly. I put out an SOS call, and everyone dropped what they were doing to help. Thank god for the chip in your shoe. That’s how we found you so quickly.”

My phone rings then, and I check the screen. “It’s my mom,” I say as I accept the call.

It’s a short conversation. She and Dad heard about the kidnapping and are calling to check on Jasmine.

“She’s doing all right,” I say. “She’s a survivor.”

“Please tell her Calum and I are thinking about her and that we hope she recovers quickly. Maybe you could bring her by for dinner one night this week. We’d like to see her again soon.”

“I think we can manage that. Thanks, Mom.”

After the call ends, Jasmine sits up straight on the sofa. “I think I’d like to take a shower, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t mind.”

Without another word, she gets up and disappears into the bedroom for a moment, then, carrying her pajamas, she heads into the bathroom. A moment later, I hear the water running in the shower. She’s in there a long time, and I start to worry.

When she finally comes out, I’m sitting on the floor outside the bathroom door.

“Liam, what are you doing?”

I climb to my feet. “I wanted to be close in case you needed something.”

“I do need something.”

“What’s that?”

“You,” she says, reaching out and touching my chest with her index finger.

“Will you sleep with me tonight? I don’t want to be alone.”

“Of course I will.”

After I make a quick trip to the bathroom to get ready for bed, I join her. She’s sitting up in bed with the light on, leaning against the headboard. She’s got the bedding pulled up to her chest, and her hands are clasped in her lap. She’s shaken.

I turn down the light and climb into bed with her. “Do you need anything? Something to drink?”

“No, I—just hold me. Please.”

I hold her close, and before long she’s asleep. I lie there awake, my mind racing as I keep picturing Jasmine running down that drive, barefoot and dressed in nothing but a filthy shirt. All kinds of horror ran through my head when I saw her. I was so afraid she’d been sexually assaulted.