“There’s more, most of them follow the same lines, but there’s one that is especially concerning.” He said, pulling another one out of the stack. “Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to build the lab behind the house.”
When her father had begun his research into the cancer vaccine, he’d decided to fund his own research so that he’d own the rights to the vaccine, eliminating the high markups that pharmaceutical companies always added to new drugs. He wanted it to be affordable to anyone who wanted it, not just those who could afford it.
“Do you really think they’ll follow through with this threat? Should we send Annabelle back to college early? What about the police, have you called them?” Her mother was rattling off questions so fast her dad couldn’t answer them.
“I’ve called the police, but there’s really not much they can do, although they do think that we should be on our guard. There’s a lot of money to be made with this vaccine, I’m afraid I didn’t think about this possibility.”
They were all silent, thinking about what might happen if someone decided to come after the formula for the vaccine using force. They weren’t the type of people that had any personal experience with violence, it seemed a foreign idea that they might be facing someone who would hurt them.
Her father had just opened his mouth to say something when there was a big crash in the front entry way. They all jumped to their feet, but before they could move, two men came into the room, shouting for them all to sit down again. Her father opened his mouth to say something, but one of the men stepped up to him and hit him. Annabelle watched shocked as her father sunk to the carpet.
“We’ll make this clear, we’re here for the formula, give it to us and we’ll leave you unharmed. Now go get the formula and we’ll be on our way.” The man who was clearly the leader said, the other man standing behind him bouncing up and down on his toes.
“You wouldn’t hurt us. This is ridiculous, I’m not giving the formula to anyone. Go back and tell your boss that.” Her father said, getting up from the floor.
“I might not hurt you, but what about your wife and daughter?” The man said, moving around the table towards her mother.
“Leave them out of this.” Her father said, starting to follow the man, but before he could take more than a couple steps the other man raised his gun and told him to stop. He took one more step and the gun went off.
Annabelle watched shocked as a red stain began to spread across her father’s chest. He dropped to the floor clutching his chest. She ran to his side, but it was obvious that he was gone. Her mother was screaming her father’s name, starting to go to his side, but the gun went off again, and her mother was thrown against the wall. Annabelle was frozen in shock, the sight of both her parents covered in blood, leaving her paralyzed.
It had gotten very quiet in the room, when the leader finally spoke, “Are you stupid, we weren’t supposed to hurt them until we had the formula. This was supposed to look like a break in gone wrong.”
“So, nothing had changed. Let’s get the formula and get out of here.” The other man said, clearly amused that the other man was upset. “I’ll even let you finish this one off.” He added, waving his gun at Annabelle.
“You idiot, I don’t know where the formula is. Do you?”
The man was silent for a few seconds, realizing his mistake. “She’ll know.” He finally said.
Annabelle was so frightened she could hardly make her mind function. “I don’t know where it is. My father has it hidden somewhere.” She managed to squeak out from the floor.
“Well, that’s too bad for you isn’t it?” The man said, walking over to where Annabelle crouched on the floor next to her father. “But maybe we’ll have a little fun with you before we kill you.”
Annabelle’s heart stopped, there was no way she could escape the men, her only choice was to hope that they’d be more interested in the formula than her. “My father’s lab is behind the house.” She said, hoping that they’d leave her and go look for the formula.
“That’s a good girl. Now get up and show us where the lab is.” The man said, pulling Annabelle to her feet.
Her legs were so shaky, she couldn’t support herself and fell back to the floor. The man started to reach for her, but just then they heard sirens in the distance. One of the neighbors must have called the police when they heard the gun shots. A look of panic came over his face, then he turned back to Annabelle and pointed the gun at her, just as he was about to fire, the other man pushed him. The bullet went off course and instead of hitting her in the chest, it lodged itself in her hip.
“You can’t kill a kid.” He shouted at him. “We weren’t supposed to kill anyone, just scare them.”
“They weren’t going to tell us nothing.” The man shouted back, “We gotta get out of here.”
Annabelle was in terrible pain and shock, but she managed to crawl over to where her dad was. “Daddy, Daddy. Please be alright.” She cried, taking his hand in hers.
His hand weakly gripped hers, and his mouth opened like he wanted to say something. Annabelle leaned closer, hoping he’d say something. “Don’t forget about the microscope.” He finally managed to whisper.
“What?” She said, the world beginning to spin from the pain and blood loss.
“It’s in.....” Her father was never able to finish the sentence the light going out of his eyes.
Annabelle began to sob, then everything went black.
Chapter 2
She woke up in the emergency room, her hip on fire, a pain like she’d never felt before. She looked around the exam room for her mother, but then she remembered that her parents were dead, shot by those men looking for her father’s formula. She started sobbing for her mother and father, repeating no over and over again.
A nurse came rushing into the cubical and gave her an injection, the world started going black again. She fought to stay awake, wanting to make sure that someone knew about the men who had broken into her home and killed her parents. But all she could manage was a weak whimper as the drugs took effect.
When she woke up again, she was confused about where she was at first, then the pain in her hip brought the reality of what had happened back to her, except that some of the details were a little fuzzy. As she looked around the room, she saw Millie sitting in a chair by the window, she must have been there a while because her clothes looked crumpled and her hair was messy.
Minnie opened her eyes and saw Annabelle looking at her, then jumped to her feet and rushed to her bedside. “How are you feeling? The doctor said, you could have some more pain meds if you’re hurting.”
At first, she wondered why Millie was here, but then she remembered that her mother and father were gone, she was alone in the world. The tears began running down her cheeks and Millie sat down on the bed and wrapped her strong arms around her. She held Annabelle until she’d cried herself out and fallen back asleep, feeling sad that Annabelle’s life had been destroyed so completely in only a matter of hours.
She knew at some point they’d have to deal with the reality of Annabelle’s injury and the possibility that she might not ever be able to walk again. The bullet that had been meant for her chest, had gone straight into her hip, shattering the bone in such a way that at this point not even a hip replacement could be used. If she was ever going to walk again, she’d have to do it the old fashioned way, through physical therapy and pure will.
Smoothing Annabelle’s hair back from her face, she prayed that the girl would have the strength to survive what was to come. As much as she thought she was alone, and Millie knew that was what the tears were all about, she had people who loved her and would see her though this.
When Annabelle was transferred to Peterson Manors several weeks and three surgeries later, she had lost all hope, but Millie was determined to see her best friend’s daughter up and on her feet again. She’d brought things from home to make Annabelle feel more comfortable and set up a
schedule with the other women at church so that she had at least one visitor every day.
Millie’s determination and love would be the key to Annabelle’s recovery, just knowing there was someone who cared that much about her kept her going, even when the physical therapy and emotional strain threatened to bring her down. Now sitting in the warm sun, she was happy to be going home with Millie. Where her life would go from here she had no idea, but she knew that there were people who were there for her and would help her figure out her path in life, now that her old life had been destroyed.
As she walked out of the doors of Peterson Manors she thought about how different she’d been when she’d gotten there almost two years ago. When she got out to the parking lot, she turned to take one more look at the building and her friends waving to her from the windows. In the years she’d been there, the nurses and staff had become as much her family as Millie and her friends had.
Physically she’d regained her strength, but emotionally she was still a mess. Living at Peterson had isolated her from the world, blunting the reality of losing her parents. The psychologist explained that it was perfectly normal for her to still be healing emotionally after her experience, and with time her emotional wounds would heal just as her physical one’s had.
Annabelle still had flashbacks of that night, but it was more like a dream than reality. She would have been content with this, except she knew her dad had told her where the formula was, as of this day, no one had been able to locate it. The police had searched the house and the lab, but its location remained a mystery. She was a bit ashamed to admit that she really didn’t care if it was ever found, medical miracle or not, she didn’t want to remember any more about that night.
As they got in the car, Millie was chatting away at her, but she wasn’t really listening, suddenly nervous about leaving. Millie must have seen her distress, because she said, “Hey, we’re only going to my house. You’re going to stay with me as long as it takes. I’ve got a bedroom all set up for you in the back of the house.”
Annabelle looked at Millie seeing the love in her eyes and relaxed, she’d be fine at Millie’s. Taking a deep breath, she pushed her nerves aside, the psychologist had taught her how to deal with the fear and panic that at times overwhelmed her and she used one of those techniques now.
“I’ll be fine Millie. It’s just such a big change and I feel a little exposed.” She’d said, looking out the window.
“The police said that there was nothing to worry about. Those men are long gone, besides very few people know where you are, we’ve kept it quiet.” Millie said, patting her hand.
“But once I’m at your house there won’t be any way to hide my presence. I know it’s irrational, but I’m still scared.” Annabelle said, rubbing her arms.
“We’ll just take it one day at a time. Fear isn’t a bad thing as long as you face it and you won’t have to do it alone.” Millie said as they pulled into her garage. “Now, let’s get you settled. Everyone wanted to come over and welcome you home, but I thought we should put that off for another day.”
“Thank you, Millie. As much as I love everyone, I think I just need a quiet night to get used to everything.
Annabelle was pleased with the room Millie had given her and felt at home almost at once. Millie had put a picture of her parents on the dresser by the bed and although it hurt to look at it, it was nice to see their smiling faces. The passage of time had done what it always did and some of her memories of her parents had begun to fade, which made her sad, but the picture allowed her to bring them back to life, if only in her mind.
As it turned out the move to Millie’s had been an excellent idea, her house was always bustling with people, which allowed Annabelle to reenter the world at her own pace. But if it all became too much, she could retreat to her bedroom and the peace she found there.
The best part about Millie’s house was that she ran a daycare center out of the big barn in the backyard. He sons had renovated it, creating the perfect space for the children. The center had done so well, that Millie had hired extra help, a nice young woman who was studying to be a nurse, but wanted to specialize in pediatrics.
Marcie and Annabelle hit it off immediately, both shared a love for children and through this love created a bond. It was refreshing for Annabelle to spend time with someone her own age, it made her feel like a normal person. She even braved the mall with Marcie, buying some new clothes and makeup. Between Marcie and the children, Annabelle continued to heal, spending more and more time out of her bedroom at the daycare center and even in town.
As summer turned to fall, Millie began to hint about Annabelle’s future plans. The problem was Annabelle had no idea what she wanted to do now. She was happy working with the kids, but knew that she was just biding her time, waiting for her life to begin again. The psychologist, she still visited once a week, suggested that a change of scenery might be just what she needed, but the idea scared her beyond belief.
One morning as they were having coffee, Millie finally brought up the topic of her future. “Annabelle, you know how much I’ve loved having you here, but I think it’s time for you to think about getting on with your life.”
“I know Millie, but I’m still so confused. I used to love school, couldn’t wait to get to class, but every time I even think about going back, I get a panic attack. It scares me to think that I’ll be out there all alone, but I know it’s time for me to move on. If I stay here, nothing will change and I do need to move forward.”
“Well, I might have a solution to your problem. I have a cousin in Colorado who is in desperate need of a nanny and I think you would be perfect for the job.” Millie said, setting a stack of pictures in front of Annabelle.
Annabelle picked up the stack and rifled through them, some were pictures of people, and some were pictures of what was obviously a cattle ranch. There was a photo of a group of people and it was clear that the men in the picture were all related, each had the same rugged good looks and blue eyes. But while the men were all white, the women were all black, a strange thing Annabelle thought.
“The women are all black.” Annabelle said, mystified.
“Don’t ask me.” Millie said, shrugging her shoulders. “But from everything Leslie has told me, they’re wonderful people. I think you’d feel comfortable there.”
“I don’t see any children in the pictures.” Annabelle said, looking at the group photo again.
Millie laughed, “There are a pack of them, plus three more on the way. Leslie and Allison are both due this fall and Sabrina is due in the winter. So you can see that they’re going to need all the help they can get.”
“Who are these people?” Annabelle asked, intrigued.
“The family has been running the ranch forever, but also own the town and a ski area. They’re very wealthy and more than willing to not only give you a place to live but a salary as well. It’s in a place called Pleasant Valley.” Millie said, getting up to refill their cups.
Annabelle’s head shot up, “Where?”
“Oh, you probably wouldn’t have heard of it, but it’s in the mountains of Colorado. It will be cold and snowy in the winter, but you’ll adapt to that. It’s a great opportunity, I hope you’ll consider it.”
Annabelle didn’t even have to think, she’d fallen in love with the town when she’d been there two years ago. Plus she’d be working for Millie’s cousin, which gave her a sense of security. “I’ll do it.” She said, jumping to her feet.
“Don’t you even want to think about it?” Millie said, shocked at Annabelle’s sudden decision.
“No, in fact I’ve been to Pleasant Valley before, it’s a wonderful little town.” Annabelle said, suddenly excited.
Millie was silent for a long time. “Well, it looks like someone is looking out for you. Leslie said you’d be welcome any time you want to come.” Millie said, silently thanking God for answering her prayers.
Now that she’d made the decision, she w
as suddenly nervous, but she knew that at some point she’d have to rejoin the world and what better place to do that than the wonderful little town that had charmed her so much that summer. It was an opportunity that she couldn’t pass up.
“Do they know what happened to me?” She asked, suddenly worried that she’d have to talk about that night with strangers.
“Oh, yes. Leslie’s one of the few blood relatives I have left, she and I talk frequently. I’d love to go with you and see her, but I just can’t leave right now.” Millie said, then added. “But maybe once you’re settled I’ll be able to come out and visit.”
Things happened quickly after that, Annabelle did some shopping for warm clothes and a coat, remembering how cold it had gotten at night that high up the mountain. She’d probably have to buy more clothes when she got there, but that would be fun she decided, remembering the all the little shops in town. There was one that sold only coats, they hadn’t gone in because who needed a winter parka in the south, but now she would need one or maybe even two.
Since she’d been hurt, life had been about putting one foot in front of the other and getting through the day, but now with an adventure on the horizon, Annabelle felt a little of the old excitement for life returning. She’d be in a new place, a place that wouldn’t remind her of all that she’d lost. There would be people there who cared about her, well at least one who cared, that was good enough for her.
All too soon for both Annabelle and Millie, the day arrived for her to leave for Colorado. Millie dropped her off at the airport, gave her a hug and sent her on her way. Annabelle had always loved traveling and that hadn’t changed, after her flight landed in Denver, she’d ride the train the rest of the way to Pleasant Valley. Leslie and her husband were to meet her there, then take her to the ranch where they lived with the rest of the Terrell family.
I'll Be There: BWWM Romance (Brothers From Money Book 5) Page 2