“So that’s a yes on the incontinence?”
He snarled, spilling an odorous wash of garlicky breath over her. “Shut. Up.”
She grimaced, anger making her mouth smart even as she trembled with fear. “In a strange way, I almost welcome death.” He looked surprised. She shrugged as best she could while bound. “At least I wouldn’t have to smell your breath anymore.”
That earned her another crack across the face. She blinked at the pain, the stars in her eyes the only thing she could see. Holy crap. He’d hit her so hard, she’d lost her vision.
As her cheek throbbed, Fat Eddie cursed and yelled upstairs. “Who turned the friggin’ lights out?”
Good to know she wasn’t blind.
A cacophony of footsteps, muffled screams, loud thumps and the soft whistle of fast-moving air followed in the darkness. Someone snapped the zip ties, releasing her wrists. Then a hand brushed her cheek and she yelped. Her heart hammered in her chest. This was it. Fat Eddie was either about to kill her or going to drag her to a new location. She swung wildly, trying to fight. “Don’t touch me!”
A hand caught her wrist. “Delaney, it’s me. Hugh.”
She sucked in a breath that filled her entire body with relief so strong she could taste it. Way better than chocolate. “You found me.”
A voice from upstairs asked, “All right for lights again?”
“Yes,” Hugh answered. He snapped the zip ties off her ankles.
The lights flickered back on. Hugh was kneeling in front of her, the broken zip ties in his hand. Fat Eddie sprawled on the floor, unmoving. Unbreathing, too, by the looks of him.
“Thank you,” she whispered. The words still came out like a half sob. A bead of cold sweat trickled down her spine. Going from certain death to being rescued in a few short seconds had a way of whipsawing the nervous system.
Hugh wiped her tears away. There was anger in his softly glowing eyes. “You’re bruised. He’s lucky I didn’t see that first.” A muscle in his jaw tightened. “No one’s ever going to hurt you again.”
“Rastinelli’s still out there.”
“Merrow will make sure he’s dealt with, or I’ll take a trip to New York and handle it myself.”
Stanhill came halfway down the stairs and smiled at her, but his gaze lingered on her face with great concern. “You all right, miss?”
“I am now.” She smiled, feeling tears streak her face and not caring. “Thank you.” She looked at Hugh. “Thank you, both. He was going to kill me.”
She slumped forward and rolled her shoulders to relieve the pins and needles from being strapped into the same position for so long. “Are you still mad at me for what I did in the lab?”
He reached up and massaged her upper arms and shoulders, sending the most heavenly sensations through her. “I was never mad at you. I was mad at myself.”
Eyes heavy-lidded from his tender caresses and the relief of being safe, she forced herself to pay attention. “For what?”
“For being a coward.”
She laughed. “You? You’re not even close to being a coward.”
He stared at her, reaching out to lightly stroke her cheek. The skin was tender where she’d been hit. “I was so afraid of losing you to a possibility that I refused to let myself love you anymore. After what happened in the lab, I thought the only way to save you was to run you off.”
“So you were cold to me on purpose?”
He nodded. “I’ve never done anything so hard and so awful to another person in my entire life. Forgive me.”
“You saved my life. I think we’re even.”
“Thank you.” He kissed her mouth tenderly, but as he pulled away, his eyes went luminescent with anger. “I am so sorry he hurt you. It’s a good thing I couldn’t see the bruises he put on you with the lights out, otherwise I would have killed him.”
She looked over Hugh’s shoulder at the fallen mobster. “Are you sure you didn’t? He looks pretty dead to me.”
“No, only unconscious. I didn’t want his murder on my hands. I don’t want anything else keeping us apart. Ever.” He stood and helped her to her feet. “I love you, Delaney James. Be my wife. For eternity.”
She blinked at him, feeling a little speechless. “I…”
“If you were a vampire, those men wouldn’t have been a match for you. I cannot stand the thought of you being unable to protect yourself.”
“Are you saying you’re willing to turn me even after what happened to Juliette?”
“Yes. Maybe.” He sighed. “I am saying I will research the turning until I am absolutely certain that what happened to Juliette will not happen to you. The thought of that haunts me to the point of madness, but losing out on an eternity with you because of my own inaction is far worse.” He kissed her, then leaned his forehead against hers. “Save me from myself. Please say yes.”
She put her hand on his chest and smiled, the joy inside her erasing the last shred of fear the mobsters had caused. “Yes, Hugh. I’ll be your vampire bride.”
With a guttural growl of joy, he scooped her into his arms and started up the steps.
She threw her arms around his shoulders. “I can walk, you know.”
“I don’t care.”
Hugh had no intention of putting Delaney down, even when Deputy Blythe had to turn sideways to get past them on her way down to secure the other Mafioso. When they got to the top of the steps, Sheriff Merrow had returned.