"Don't defend him to me." His hand rested on the back of her neck as he held her in place. "Damn you, Kia. He'd destroy you if he had the chance and you stand here defending him to me?"
"I'm not defending him." She fought to keep back tears. "I'm trying to keep you from making a horrible mistake, Chase. There's murder in your eyes, and it's directed to the wrong person. Drew wouldn't try to harm me like this. He'd confront me, he'd hit me, he'd humiliate me. But he wouldn't try to kill me."
And whoever had hit her a few nights before had attempted to do much more damage than simply stealing her purse, or hurting her. She could feel it. The knowledge of it was sinking into her bones.
Chase's lips thinned as he stared down at her.
"If I find out it was him, he'll pay for it, Kia."
"As long as you wait on the proof." She wouldn't ask for more; she knew it would do no good.
The darkness she glimpsed inside Chase went deeper than just sex. It went far deeper than his sensuality. It was at the core of him, and she knew on an instinctive level that it would never stay silent should anything or anyone Chase claimed be threatened.
She laid her head against his chest, accepting that about him. She had to accept him as he was; she always had. She had always known there were things about Chase that would never be comfortable.
The sound of the elevator sliding to a stop had her flinching at the sudden sound. Chase held her close to his side as she tried to pull away. He peered around the bend in the hall as Detective Allen and several officers stepped out.
"Carl." He wrapped his arm around Kia's waist and drew her with him as the short, hard-eyed detective stepped into the elegant hall. "Her apartment's the last one on the right, corner apartment." Chase nodded to the door.
"Jimmy, get started." Carl motioned the uniformed officer behind him toward the door. "I want prints first. Do a thorough sweep."
The dark-haired officer nodded quickly before he tightened his grip on the case he carried and headed for the door.
"Matt, check that security pad when he's done," Carl ordered another man. "I want to know how they got in."
"Key code and locks were changed on that door the night Kia was mugged outside the building," Chase informed him. "She's been with me ever since."
Carl Allen's brown eyes turned to her. He was a little portly, his expression a bit hangdog. His eyes were hard, but beneath that hardness, Kia convinced herself, she glimpsed compassion.
He had taken her statement in the hospital before Chase had taken her home with him the night of the attack.
"You doing okay, Ms. Rutherford?" That hint of compassion slipped into his voice. Maybe she hadn't imagined it.
She nodded slowly, as Chase pulled her more firmly to his side.
"I'm fine, thank you, Detective."
He nodded and turned back to Chase. "Do we have a situation here?"
Chase shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of, Carl. I have no idea what the hell is going on here."
Carl tugged at the waistband of his slacks before pushing his fingers through his thinning hair and glancing back at the door. "Okay then, let's go see what we have. Don't touch anything, don't get in the way."
They moved to the apartment as the officers moved back, storing the prints they had taken from the security pad and the door. As they neared, Carl nodded to one of the men, and he pushed the door open slowly.
Kia stepped inside behind them. Her heart expanded in her chest, nearly blocking her ability to breath. Complete horror filled every cell of her body as she stared at the entry, living room, and open kitchen.
It was destroyed. The flat-screen television on the wall had been smashed, her couch slashed until it was less than ribbons of stuffing and upholstery. Red paint streaked the walls and floor; at least, it smelled like paint, but it looked like blood. And the words DIE BITCH were spelled out on the wall of windows that led to her balcony.
She was vaguely aware of Chase cursing at her side. All she could feel was the complete and utter horror racing through her.
DIE BITCH. In big letters, like blood, covering the windows. Everything was trashed. There was nothing salvageable.
"Kia, let me get you out of here." Chase's arm tightened around her as she tried to move through the rest of the house.
She shook her head and moved slowly through the rooms.
Her bedroom door was open, and she could already see the destruction there. Once she entered the room, she saw it was worse.
Her clothes were destroyed. The walk-in closet was filled with ripped and shredded cloth. Shoes were cut apart, boots sliced and purses ripped. Lingerie spilled from dresser drawers along with gowns and silken robes and more casual clothing. All ripped and torn, destroyed.
Her jewelry box was open. Gold chains were broken. On the dresser it appeared as though the rings themselves had been beaten with a hammer. Gems were in fragments, the bands curled.
Everything she had owned was gone. And this time, on the wall over her bed, the word whore was emblazoned in red.
She moved into the bathroom. The smell of perfumes and makeup still strong. Destroyed. It was all destroyed. Five years of her life shredded and ground to dust.
She was barely aware of the tears that fell from her eyes as she glimpsed the little teddy bear that had been tossed in the tub, shredded. She had brought it from home. She'd had it since she was a baby. The first gift her father had bought her.
She shook her head as she stared at that pathetic little bear. "Who would want to do this to me?" she whispered, her lips numb, shock seeping into her as she stared up at Chase. "Who would want to? Drew couldn't, he wouldn't do this."
Chase grimaced. His eyes were like ice, his expression savage. "I don't know, baby, but I'll find out." He pulled her against him, holding her close to the warmth of his body. "I promise I'll find out."
She could barely feel his warmth now. She felt frozen, inside and out, felt as though something vital had been stripped out of her.
"I'm getting you out of here." He pulled her from the bathroom, keeping her against him, moving her quickly through the apartment. "I'll get someone in here once the police are finished, and we'll get it cleaned up."
She shook her head.
"Don't argue with me." He turned to her, gripping her arms, his stare fierce, his expression so determined now that she knew better than to argue. "You can't stay here, Kia. And I'll be damned if you'll stay anywhere else but with me. Do you understand me?"