Addie twisted on her heel, trying to get back out of the door when a dark, menacing shadow flew through the door. She stumbled to the side as it brushed past her. Off balance, she hit the wall and slid down into an inelegant heap.
Merrick hit the tall, thin man that had been coming out of her bedroom in the stomach. The force of his impact knocked the man backward into the wall next to the bathroom door. She watched in horrid fascination as Merrick grabbed the man’s arm when he raised it, the black outline of a handgun in the intruder’s grip. For once, Addie was thankful for being deaf when the man’s arm suddenly bent at an unnatural angle.
A startled cry escaped her when she felt hard fingers sink into her arm. Turning, she was able to raise her arm in time to deflect the brutal blow aimed for her face. Raising her other hand, she gripped the man’s other hand as he tried to drag her back into the kitchen. She grunted in pain when he twisted out of her grasp and wrapped a steel hand around her wrist.
The grip the man had on her arms forced her to roll onto her back. She started to scream again, but he suddenly released her arms and knelt over her. Addie choked when he wrapped his hands around her throat, cutting off the sound.
Struggling, she tried to claw at his arms and face. Remembering what her brothers told her, she raised her knee in an effort to slam it into his groin. The tight hold on her throat lessened for a brief moment, allowing her to draw a desperate breath of air into her starving lungs before the man on top of her trapped her legs and began choking her again.
Dark spots edged her vision momentarily before the weight of the man was lifted off of her. Rolling onto her side, she held a shaking hand to her tender throat even as she pushed up into a sitting position. Horror gripped her when she saw Merrick twist the man's head between his hands. Even though she couldn't hear the sickening snap of his neck, she could see the odd angle of his head as he collapsed onto her sitting room floor.
Another short scream escaped her when Merrick suddenly knelt in front of her. Tearing her eyes off the body of the dead intruder, she looked at him with dazed, frightened eyes. It took a moment for her to realize he was speaking to her.
"Are you hurt?" He asked.
Addie shook her head and gripped his arm as he helped her to stand. Her eyes moved back to the man with the broken neck and over to the taller intruder. He, too, was dead, a knife stuck through his chest. Turning, Addie rushed to the kitchen sink when her stomach rebelled at the sight. She shook her head when Merrick rubbed her back. Right now, she needed a moment alone.
There is not time, Addie, Merrick said in a voice filled with regret. I hear the sound of alarms.
Addie didn't answer him. Turning on the water, she quickly rinsed her mouth and in the sink before turning it off. Only when she felt like she wasn't going to throw up again, did she respond.
"They can't find you," she whispered, turning to look at him. "The police.... They can't find you. If the government finds out about you, it will be even worse than Rockman."
Merrick threaded his fingers through her hair and held her tenderly, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Please, do not close me out. I need to be able to talk to you. I need you to hear what I say. These men were here for you, Addie. The other man muttered Weston's name before he died. You are in danger, as well."
Addie's eyes glanced toward her sitting room. Nodding, she hugged her jacket closer to her as a shiver raced through her body. Opening her mind, she felt the familiar touch of Merrick's presence in it. She also felt his concern.
"We can go to Ted and Pam's apartment," she said, pulling her keys out of her pocket. "They have a fire escape outside their bedroom window that leads down to the alley. My car is parked down the street."
"Let's go. There are many footsteps coming up the stairs," Merrick replied grimly with a nod.
Addie quickly picked out the key she would need to unlock the door across the hallway from her apartment. Ted and Pam had given her a key so she could feed their fish whenever they went out of town. Keeping her gaze turned away from the bodies of the dead men, she rounded the corner of the kitchen and hurried out of her apartment. Her hands trembled as she quickly unlocked the door across the hall. Slipping inside, she closed the door just as she caught a glimpse of a black hat on the staircase.
*.*.*
Merrick followed Addie as she moved through the small apartment that was a mirror image of her own. She walked through the small sitting room to the back bedroom. He watched as she fumbled with the locks on the window before trying to open it. A low, frustrated cry escaped her when she couldn’t get it to open. Touching her shoulder, he ran his gaze around the window frame. A small pin had been placed in the top, left corner. Pulling it free, he opened the window.
He carefully stuck his head out, making sure the ally was clear before he turned to Addie. The look of distress on her face tore at him. Unable to bear it, he reached out and slowly drew her into his arms. It took a moment, but she finally relaxed against him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
We must go, he thought with regret as he released her and stepped back. I hear more footsteps. It will not be long before they will search the alley.
“Okay,” Addie replied. "I'll go first."
"No," Merrick said, placing a hand on her arm. "Let me."
He glanced at her pale, composed face before turning away and climbing out onto the metal platform. Nodding his head, he helped Addie through the window before turning and beginning the short climb down. Once he’d dropped to the concrete below, he turned and caught Addie around the waist.
"To the right," she murmured. "We can come up further down the street so it doesn't look like we came from here."
Merrick's admiration for Addie grew when she turned and began walking rapidly away from the apartment building. He could feel her fear and confusion, but he could also feel her determination.
You are an amazing female, Addie, Merrick couldn't resist telling her.
Heat swept through him when she glanced over her shoulder and rolled her eyes at him. This was the Addie he knew. The one that would not give up, no matter what was happening.
Don't you believe it, she growled back, pausing at the corner of the building for a brief moment before nodding to him. You made me cry! I don't like crying.
A chuckle escaped Merrick when she crinkled her nose at him and glared before hurrying over to the a dark blue transport. He would have to remember that she didn't like to cry, he thought as he climbed into the passenger side.
Chapter 21
Addie glanced in the rearview mirror again. So far, it didn’t appear that anyone was following them. Neither she, nor Merrick, had spoken to each other since they got in her car. Glancing again, she turned on her blinker and turned another corner.
She had no idea where they were going, she just knew she needed to get away. It wasn’t until she had been driving for fifteen minutes that she suddenly realized she had subconsciously headed in the direction of her parent’s cottage house. Turning on her blinker again, she sped up and merged with the highway traffic heading northwest on Highway 26.
“Where are you taking us?” Merrick asked, happy that Addie had listened to him and not closed him off.
“My parents have a place outside of Seaside. We call it the Cottage,” she responded in a husky voice. “No one will be there right now.”
“We need to contact the number you called before,” Merrick said, using both his voice and his thoughts. Something told him that while Addie couldn’t ‘hear’ him, she could somehow sense that he was speaking aloud and it gave her comfort. “Core will open the Gateway between our two worlds.”
“I don’t have my cell phone,” Addie replied in a tense voice. “I left it charging in my bedroom. I wasn’t expecting to be attacked again.”
Merrick felt her pulling away from him. Reaching out, he touched the faint outline of bruising beginning to form on her throat. He pulled back when she pulled away from him. Clenching his fingers into a fist
, he let his hand drop.
Addie knew she had shut him out again. Right now, she couldn’t deal with anything else. Focusing on the traffic, she switched lanes and accelerated.
Her mind churned with questions, doubts, and confusion. Who were those men and what did they want with her? Merrick had said the tall man had mentioned Weston. Did Weston think she might know where Merrick was? Or was he just following through with his threat to rape her? She wouldn’t put it past the guy. The man had some serious mental issues and needed to be locked up himself.
Then, there were the questions about why Merrick came back. She was thankful he had or she would probably be dead, or worse, by now. Could wherever he came from, see the future and he just wanted to save her because she had saved him? Did he need more help from her? That seemed unlikely considering there had been another of his kind among the rescuers back in Reno.
Did he… Does he think he owes me some kind of explanation before he disappears again? This time forever, she wondered, glancing at his stiff face.
Pulling her eyes back to the road in front of her, she refused to think he came back because he felt sorry for her, or because of their one, brief sexual encounter. Perhaps, he wanted to tell her that he was sorry.
God, I hope he doesn’t try to apologize and tell me it was a mistake, done just to save our lives, she thought with a sinking feeling.
Addie rubbed her left palm against her left leg as it tingled. Her eyes flickered to Merrick when she saw him jerk and glance briefly at her before he turned his head to look out the window. Raising her hand to her lips, she pressed the center of her palm to her lips and licked the center of the pattern with her tongue.
A frown creased her brow and her eyes flickered to Merrick again when he shifted in his seat, as if he was uncomfortable. Addie figured he might be, considering that his long legs were jammed into a narrow area. Pulling her hand away from her mouth, she tightened her lips to keep from making his life any easier. As petty as it was, she was still pissed that he made her cry.
With a groan of exasperation at herself, the pettiness lasted thirty seconds before her conscience kicked in. He had just saved her life. The least she could do was give him more leg room for the last hour of the drive.
“There’s a bar under the seat in the front,” she said, breaking the silence. “If you pull it up, the seat will slide back and give you more leg room.”
Addie’s lips curved upward when the seat moved backward and a look of relief swept over Merrick’s face. There was just something about the guy that totally got under her skin. He was big, he was tough, he was an alien! But, he was also thoughtful, protective, possessive, tender, gentle,…
That is because you are mine, Addie, Merrick inserted, making her realize that she had opened herself up to him again.
Addie groaned and rolled her eyes. Tenacious, hard-headed, has a one track mind, she added.
I like your first descriptions better, Merrick chuckled. Especially the tender and gentle ones. I will always be tender and gentle with you.
“You left without any word,” she replied in a husky voice. “For six days. The silence…”
Her throat tightened as she remembered the overwhelming silence. It was unlike what she had experienced when she lost her hearing. This was as if a part of her soul had been carved out and was missing.
“Core returned me to my world. I was close to death,” Merrick explained. “The drugs Rockman used the last time… I had a reaction to it. Even with the technology on Baade, I came close to not returning for you.”
“Oh, Merrick!” Addie exclaimed, feeling horrible for her selfish thoughts. “I’m so sorry. I thought… I didn’t think you wanted to come back. I couldn’t blame you, not after everything that was done to you.”
“What happened to you? After they took you from me?” Merrick asked in a husky voice. “Did Rockman hurt you?”
“No, she was going to… She wanted your….” Addie’s face flamed as she remembered just what the horrible woman wanted. “No, the people I called came and rescued me. They left someone to guard me and he was killed. I didn’t even know. He had shut me in one of the offices and I fell asleep.”
*.*.*
Merrick could hear the horror, sorrow, and the pain in her voice. Reaching his left hand over, he brushed the silky strands of her hair back behind her ear. Addie reached up and grabbed his hand, pulling it around to her lips. A shudder ran through them both when she pressed a kiss to the center of his palm, right over the mating mark.
“What?” She asked in surprise, releasing his hand and glancing at him.
“The mark is another connection between us,” Merrick chuckled again. “Watch.”
He raised his left palm to his mouth. Gently blowing warm air across it first, he touched the tip of his tongue to the center and ran the moist tip across it. Addie’s loud gasp and startled cry echoed through his mind. It took a moment for him to realize that the transport was slowing down and she was pulling off the side of the road.
He watched as she put the vehicle into park and rested her forehead against the steering wheel. It was several minutes before she sat back, still staring out the front window. She finally looked down at her left palm.
A sense of apprehension filled him when he saw her slowly lift it to her mouth. His hand reached out, wrapping around her wrist to stop her. He waited until she turned to stare into his eyes.
“Addie,” he murmured in a voice filled with husky warning.
“I want to see,” she whispered.
Merrick drew in a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come. Nodding, he released her wrist. He should have known better when he saw the glint of amusement and her raised eyebrow as she raised her palm to her lips.
A low moan escaped him when the tip of her tongue teased the symbol, running in a slow circle. He felt the tension growing and stiffened his shoulders when she gently blew a breath of cool air across it. He swore it felt like she was touching his cock.
Sweat beaded on his brow when she scraped her teeth against the mark. He opened his mouth to warn her again at the same time as she stuck out her tongue, pausing to give him a look that suggested he better not say a word. Her eyes lit up when he snapped his lips together in a tight line.
This could get very interesting, she teased.
Or very dangerous, he muttered. Addie, Gods breath, you are going to make me come in my pants like a lad!
Addie’s silent chuckle echoed in his mind as she continued to scrape, lick, rub, and blow on the mating mark. When she appeared satisfied, he breathed a sigh of relief, fighting the urge to adjust himself. Unable to leave it at her teasing, he reached over and wrapped his hand around the back of her head.
Pulling her toward him, he captured her lips with his, thrusting his tongue through her parted lips and kissing her deeply. His other hand came up to tangle in her hair. He would never get enough of her.
Breaking the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers for a moment as they both tried to catch their breath. He stroked his thumb against her temple. Wishing they were anywhere but here at the moment. He hurt!
Addie’s giggle showed that she’d caught his discomfort. A wry grin curved his lips as he released her and sat back in his seat. It was good to hear her laughter.
“We’d better get moving,” she said in a husky voice. “The sooner we get there, the sooner we can take care of the ache we are both feeling.”
“Goddess’ blood, Addie, you are going to kill me,” Merrick whispered hoarsely as an image of the two of them tangled around each other filled his mind. “How much further?”
Addie laughed, checking the mirror before pulling back onto the highway. “Thirty minutes, give or take,” she replied. “We will need to get some food. This little adventure is killing my savings,” she added with a disgruntled sigh.
“I will care for you from now on,” Merrick said with a shrug. “You will have no need for your savings.”
Addie frowned, but
didn’t say anything. Instead, she asked him questions about his home and family. All too soon, they were entering the city limits of Seaside, Oregon. It was a small tourist town, but it had retained the family atmosphere of those who had homes along the coast.
Addie pulled into the local grocery store parking lot and pulled into a space. Reaching into the pocket of her jacket, she breathed a sigh of relief that she still had her wallet on her. She touched Merrick’s arm when he started to reach for the door handle.
“You need to stay here,” she said. “It is too dangerous for you to go with me. From a distance, you look almost human, but from close up, it is easy to see that you are different. I won’t be long.”
Merrick frowned before giving her a brief nod. “Be careful.”
“I will. I’ll leave the keys in the ignition in case you need to roll the windows down,” she said, opening the driver’s door and stepping out. “Is there anything you would like?”
Merrick shrugged. “I will eat most things,” he replied.
“Okay, I’ll be back in a few,” Addie said, shutting the door.
Merrick watched Addie as she grabbed a metal cart from between some yellow metal poles. His eyes roamed her figure as she hurried across the parking lot. Turning his attention back to his surroundings when she disappeared inside the store, he studied the humans coming and going from the store, trying to sense if any of them could be a threat.
Settling back to wait, he ran through what happened earlier. It was clearly evident that Weston hadn’t given up. The question was, had Markham? From the briefing RITA2 and Core had given him, neither man had been caught. The attack on Addie earlier just proved that the men were not only out there, they were close.
Something told him this would not be the last time they would meet up with them. What he didn’t know was if Markham was a part of the earlier attack or only Weston. Personally, he didn’t care. He planned on hunting both humans down and killing them.
There was also the concern about how Weston, Markham, and Rockman had known that Cosmos’ teams were getting close. According to Core, he was moved, sometimes just hours, before a raid. RITA2 stated that all her analyses came back with the same answer: there was a traitor somewhere within the links, either from a member of Cosmos’ team or from the government.