Page 33 of Heart in Waiting
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Dane and Carter searchedall the hallways and anywhere Nolan might have possibly ran off to. He was nowhere to be found anyplace in the hotel. His evil brother had gotten too close to Reese for his comfort. Thank God she’d managed to escape from him. Dane should never have allowed her to go off on her own, but after days of no sign of Nolan, he’d became complacent. A part of him had started to believe he would leave Reese alone. After all, he hadn’t actually attacked her before. Maybe with Claire out of the picture, Reese had become the obvious choice. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Chances were Nolan wouldn’t either. This hadn’t exactly been well planned, and Dane was willing to bet he’d acted on an opportunity that had presented itself.
“I think he’s gone,” Carter said. “As soon as Reese was able to get away, he took off. We’re not going to find him here tonight.”
“I agree.” Dane cursed under his breath. “Are we sure it was him?”
Carter shook his head. “No, but who else would have tried to grab her?”
So, they were back to nowhere. Nolan was a crafty bastard, but he had to slip up at some point. In some ways he had by trying to snatch Reese at a fundraiser. Dane had to wonder how much Nolan was aware of her activities. Had he been watching her for a while? Would it be safe to leave her on her own at the hospital while she worked? They had been working under the assumption that she would be safe there with the hospital security and all the people in the building. Now Dane wasn’t so certain they shouldn’t stay with her there too. She’d always been important to him; however, she had grown to be even more so over the past couple of days. He refused to put her at risk. Convincing her it might be dangerous to work unprotected might be a problem though.
“I’m going to take Reese home.” And try to talk some sense into her... “Why don’t you stay here and see if you can find some more information. Maybe someone saw something and didn’t realize it.”
“That’s a good idea.” Carter scanned the room. “Let me go talk to Olivia first. See if she’ll ride back with you.”
Dane nodded. “I’ll check on Reese. She has to be terrified.”
They both headed in the direction of the women. Olivia hadn’t left Reese’s side. Dane was glad she had stayed with her. Reese shouldn’t be alone after such a scare. When they reached them, both women rushed to their sides. Reese wound her arms around him and leaned her head on his chest. “Did you find him?”
God, he hated telling her no. “I’m afraid not.”
“Don’t leave me again.” His heart beat harder at her words. She wanted him to stay by her side—even if it was just for protection. Her trust meant a great deal to him.
It was the last thing he intended to do. He glanced over at Carter, and he nodded. “Carter is going to stay here and investigate further. I think you would be better off at home.”
Carter turned to Olivia. “I want you to go with them. Dane will drop you off at home.”
“No.” Olivia pursed her lips. “I’m staying with you. Do you honestly think I want to go home to my empty apartment?” She shivered. “He might not be after me specifically, but I’d rather not give him the opportunity.”
In some ways, Olivia fit Nolan’s profile too. She didn’t have hair quite as blonde as Claire and Reese, but it was a dark blonde. In a pinch, he could see Nolan settling for her as his next victim. It was terrible that he had to think of the women in those terms, but if he didn’t see all sides, then one of them might end up dead. He’d never loathed his brother more than in that moment. “She’s right.” Dane sighed. “She’s probably better staying with you.”
“We can get a room here,” Olivia said. “You’ll be too tired to drive back tonight after you do a thorough investigation anyway.”
Dane almost laughed at the look of shock on Carter’s face. Olivia could be quite calculating, and had probably already had that room reserved before this had all gone down. He couldn’t be certain, but he’d bet they’d have an extra special night at the end of it all. Dane had hoped to have something similar with Reese. He didn’t believe that would be in the cards for them after all of this though. She’d probably want to be left alone, and he’d respect her wishes.
Reese let go of Dane and hugged her brother. “Be safe and take care of Liv.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m tough and can take anything.” Carter hugged her back. “Liv will be quite safe with me.”
“I know,” Reese said and stepped back. “I’ll still worry. Text me when you settle into your room for the night.”
“All right.” The muscles in Carter’s jaw tightened. “You do the same when you are back at your condo.”
She nodded and went back to Dane’s side. “I’m ready when you are.”
He took a deep breath and slid his arm around her waist. They walked to his car in silence. When the night had started, he’d had so many hopes. Trust his brother to squash every one of them without even trying. At least Reese was all right and would remain so. If something had happened to her... He pushed that out of his mind before it spiraled out of control. Nolan would not win.
“Where do you think he went?” Reese asked.
“I can’t be certain.” He wanted to reassure her, but he didn’t have anything concrete to offer. “Carter will dig until he uncovers every piece of evidence. Nolan messed up coming here tonight, and it puts us a little closer to finding him.”
He kept his focus on their surroundings as they moved through the parking lot. When they reached the car, he opened the door and helped her inside. If Nolan was out there, he hid well. Dane didn’t relax until he sat in the driver’s seat and had the engine running. “We will be back at your place in no time.”
Reese shivered. “I’ll feel better once we’re there.”
“Try to relax and rest a little until then.” Dane didn’t know what else to say to her. He wasn’t sure there were any correct words to spout out either. Everything he thought of sounded ridiculous in his mind. So, for the entire trip back, he remained silent. Reese didn’t need him adding to her anxiety. The trip flew by for him because he’d been so lost in thought the entire way. When he reached her condo, he parked the car and then went to help her out. He didn’t want her alone for any amount of time if he could help it.
“I don’t need you holding my hand every step of the way,” Reese chastised him.
