Page 83 of Ice Cold Christmas
Her finger curled over the phone. Over his. A soft, hesitant touch even as she nodded quickly, eagerly. “Yes. That’s it. The black one.”
Victor checked the screen. There was no eye covering with the balaclava mask. She would have seen the abductor’s eyes. She’d said there was lantern light, so maybe she’d gotten a glimpse of their color and shape. “What did his eyes look like, sweetheart?”
She blinked. “Me.”
A frown pulled at his lips. “I’m not sure I’m following.”
“I just see me reflected.” She let go of the phone and backed up. “Not goggles but not sunglasses, either. Sort of both. He shoved open the door to the cabin. He rushed inside, and he came at me with the knife.” Fast words. “He said he was going to kill me. There would be no going home. Then—then he attacked. But I’d worked the ropes loose. I jumped out of the chair. The knife sliced me, and I fought and I fought and…” A ragged exhale.
“You got away.” He tossed the phone onto the nightstand. “You got away, and you found your way back to me.”
She pulled in deep breaths. She’d changed into a black nightgown, a soft, silky one with spaghetti straps and a lacy hem that skimmed her thighs. He’d seen her wear that nightgown dozens of times. He’d removed it from her body, dozens of times. Carefully tugging the delicate straps from her shoulders, letting the silk slide over her and fall into a puddle at her feet.
“I came back to you,” she whispered.
He nodded. Victor closed the distance between them. His hand lifted and curled under her chin. “He spoke to you.”
“S-said he was going to kill me.”
“Not gonna happen.” He’ll be the one who dies. “What did his voice sound like?”
“Hard. Grating.”
“Did you…” Ask. “Did you recognize his voice?”
Her smile was sad. “I have no idea.”
“It’s okay. You are remembering more. The memories are returning. Tomorrow, we’ll go back to Mage Industries.” Tomorrow—hell, had they already passed midnight? He didn’t even know. It was late. That was all he understood. “The office is closed for the holidays. Only security is there now.” And it was a Sunday. Wasn’t it? Fuck, he was confused on his days. “I’ll make sure the security guards know we are coming. We’ll search, and maybe something else will come to you. Another piece of the puzzle.” She appeared so uncertain. He hated that. “We will figure this out. We will find the bastard who took you.” He searched her eyes. “Do you remember anything else about your life? Other than the attack? Have more memories come back to you?”
A sad shake of her head.
“It’s okay.” He edged ever closer and pressed a kiss to her forehead. His mouth lingered against her skin. She is back. She is safe. “You’ve had one hell of a day, baby,” he murmured against her skin. “You want to try and get more sleep?” He forced himself to step back.
But she shook her head. “I don’t know if I can sleep. Too—too scared. Too hyped up.”
Okay. He nodded. “How about we go down to the kitchen? You used to love hot chocolate.” It had always been her go-to favorite. “I’ve still got the machine I bought for you last year. It froths for you.” The frothing had delighted her. A necessary requirement, she’d called it. “I even have the hot chocolate mix ready to go.”
“Do…do you drink hot chocolate?”
“Nah. Can’t stand the stuff.”
“But…you have the mix ready to go?”
Yes. “I bought some fresh supplies a few weeks ago.”
Her lower lip trembled. “For me.”
“For you.” He swallowed the lump in his throat and caught her hand. His fingers twined with hers. “Come on, sweetheart. Hot chocolate and some Christmas music always perk you up.”
But when he tugged her hand, she didn’t move. “You know me better than I know myself, don’t you?”
No, he didn’t. Because he hadn’t known that Brant McKee had hurt her. He hadn’t known that she’d started the shelters for abused women and children because of her own past. And he couldn’t help but wonder, what other secrets had she kept from him?
A year ago, Melody hadn’t told him that the detective had come to her and spouted off about Colton Crane. But, apparently, she’d just defended Victor to the cop. Told the detective that she trusted him.
I kept secrets, Melody. Dark truths that I never want you to discover. Because he was afraid that if she discovered the truth that he’d concealed for so long, he would lose her again. Victor wasn’t sure he could survive her loss, not for a second time.
“Did I know you just as well?” Melody asked him. “Before I lost my memories, did I know all of your secrets?”
