Bound by Light

by Tracey Jane Jackson

  She didn’t respond as he left the room.

  Uncle Cary made his way to Sydney and sat beside her. “How are you, love?”

  “You’re asking me that? Lucy’s your daughter, you must be frantic.” Sydney reached for his hand. “What does Auntie Clara say?”

  “She’s been sedated at home.”

  “I would imagine this would be upsetting.”

  “She was beyond upset, so we are helping her rest.”

  Sydney frowned. “Does she know she’s been sedated?”

  Her uncle lowered his head.

  “Seriously?” Sydney shot out of her chair. “You’re keeping her sedated without her consent?”

  “It’s only until we find Lucy. This way she doesn’t know what’s happening and when she wakes up, Lucy will be there.”

  Sydney let out a frustrated groan and stormed out of the office. She needed to run... or hit something; she wasn’t sure which at the moment. Maybe both.

  Her eyes flooded with angry tears as she rushed down the hallway. She needed to get away from all this testosterone-filled bullcrap that she was being subjected to. She couldn’t believe her uncle would pull the same thing Thane was pulling; only using actual drugs to control her aunt. Sydney was disgusted.

  Probably because she was distracted by being disgusted, she didn’t notice Thane walking toward her. So when she felt an arm of steel wrap around her waist, causing her breath to leave her with an, “Ooof,” she was taken totally by surprise. And when she was pulled into a small room that looked part supply closet, part shipping office, it took her a second to figure out what had just happened.

  Without warning, she was pushed against the now closed door and kissed for all she was worth. She forgot that she was distraught and fisted her hands in Thane’s shirt. Opening her mouth to deepen the kiss, she let the worry of the moment dissipate.

  However, something Thane probably hadn’t counted on was that her abilities were growing in strength. It didn’t take her long to come to her senses and shove him away from her. “No!”

  “You need to stop going down this bloody rabbit hole of despair, Sydney.”

  She stood by the door, one hand out to ward off her mate, and one at her chest, trying to catch her breath. “You need to stop trying to control me. It’s not okay, Thane.”

  He swore, running his hands through his hair.

  Sydney took several deep breaths. She felt her heart slow and her emotions calm. Once that happened, she folded. Sliding down the door to her bottom, she drew her knees to her chest and dropped her head as she burst into tears.

  Thane sat next to her, but didn’t try to placate her or control her emotions. He just sat there, his hands fisted on his raised knees while she watched him.

  “What’s happening to me?” she whispered.

  He sighed. “The same thing that’s happening to me.”

  “That’s helpful, Thane. Thanks.” She frowned. “Do you know what my uncle did to my aunt?”

  “Aye, but only because I read it in your mind.”

  “He drugged her, Thane. Drugged her. She has no idea what’s happening, because he is treating her like chattel. What if Lucy dies and Aunt Clara isn’t awake to know about it? She will be devastated.”

  “I know, love. I don’t agree with his methods, but I do understand the emotion behind it.”

  “I don’t give a rat’s ass about the emotion behind it, Thane. What he’s doing is wrong!”

  “Aye, love, ’tis. I agree with you.”

  “You do realize,” she cocked her head, “that it’s what you try to do to me.”

  Thane’s eyebrows came together in a tight V and Sydney watched him as he processed her words. With a sigh, he held his hand out, palm up, asking rather than insisting, and she linked her fingers with his, the only movement she made to connect with him.

  “I’m sorry, love.”

  She closed her eyes and nodded. “Thank you.”

  “We are obviously dealing with some emotional conflicts.”

  “Ya think?”

  “I have a theory but until I can do some research, I’m not sure if I’m right.”

  “What’s your theory?”

  “It would seem we have similar gifts that are now clashing, which makes us stronger in all the wrong ways. You and I feel things on a level most don’t.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. “We need to figure out how to control our emotions and make them work for us, or we’re going to find ourselves in a place where we might damage each other.”

  She opened her eyes and studied him.

  “I don’t want to hurt you, sweetheart. I’d rather cut off my arm than do that, and my heart breaks when you’re upset. I find your pain affects me to my soul, and I’ll admit I’m not handling it well. I’m so sorry, Sydney.”

  She couldn’t hold on to her anger any longer, and she climbed into his lap as she burst into tears. “I’m sorry too, honey. I’ve never felt like this before, which isn’t an excuse, but I feel totally blindsided by these emotions. They’re overwhelming.”

  “I know, baby.” He kissed her throat. “We’ll sort it out. I promise. In the meantime, will you please let me work with your uncle’s security to figure out what we’re going to do? I will do my best not to keep things from you or treat you like chattel, but I’m hanging on by a thread here, and I can’t worry about you and focus on finding Lucy at the same time.”

  “I can try, honey.”

  “Thank you.”

  She wiped her tears and took a deep breath. “Did you hear anything on the recording that might be helpful?”

  “Aye. Water. Cary’s sent men down to a few of the local piers and docks.”

  “Won’t that take time?”

  “Probably. They’re starting with the Royal Albert dock.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know, love. I just have a feeling.” He rose to his feet and held a hand out to her.

  “What kind of feeling?” she asked as she took his hand, and he pulled her up.

  “I can’t explain it, which is one of the reasons I’m taking notice. I think our bonding has given me something I’ve never had before.”

  “Which is?” she prodded.

  “Psychometry.” He pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her. “I touched something Lucy had given her father and was able to see or sense, I’m not sure, the dock. I’m running with it and praying it’s the right direction.”

  Sydney settled her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes. “Me too.”

  “I’m going to kiss you now, love.”

  She let out a quiet giggle and lifted her chin. “Okay.”

  Thane kissed her gently and then led her out of the room and back to Uncle Cary’s office. She took a seat by the window again, but kept a wary distance from her uncle. She was still beyond angry with him, but she needed to stay on point. It wouldn’t help Lucy if Sydney went down an emotional rabbit hole.

  Thane slid his hand to the back of her neck and squeezed. Well done, love.

  She sighed. Don’t congratulate me just yet, Thane. I’m still pissed.

  Before he could respond, her uncle’s office door was thrown open and a very angry, unusually disheveled and haggard-looking Clara Armstrong Ashworth stormed into the room, straight for Uncle Cary, where she laid a perfectly painful slap across his cheek. “You sodding bastard!” she screamed.

  Thane pulled Sydney to her feet. “Let’s give them a minute.”

  Sydney nodded and they left the room, along with Mathew and Nigel. Nigel ushered them into another office two doors down, but even with the door closed, the occasional four-letter word filtered through as Aunt Clara gave Uncle Carville the verbal thrashing of his life. Sydney hoped they would survive this... it was a betrayal her aunt wouldn’t take lightly.

  * * *

  Lucy came to in stages. The pain slamming into her skull was something she’d never felt before, and her immediate thought was she was having an aneurysm.
But then the memories flooded in and she bit back a whimper as she tried to open her eyes. She could only see through one.

  “Well, there you are,” Zach crooned.

  “Zach?”

  “Yeah, babe. Ya miss me?”

  She swallowed, her throat raw. “Where am I?”

  “Somewhere safe.”

  Lucy shifted and discovered she couldn’t move much. She tugged on her hands and found they were bound tight. “What’s going on, Zach?”

  “Well, I’m trying to get your cousin to listen to what I have to say.”

  She remembered being in line at the coffee shop and then someone grabbing her from behind as she left and cut through the alley to get to the Tube. A twinge in her bicep brought back the memory of a brief but sharp pain and she remembered a needle jamming into her arm and then everything went black.

  “I don’t understand.” Lucy still couldn’t see him. She sensed he was behind her.

  “That’s because you’re the dumbest bitch on the planet.”

  Lucy gasped. “What the hell?”

  “Yeah, go ahead, get all pissy, Luce. It doesn’t change the fact you’re an idiot.” He let out a cackle of a laugh. “And you’re a really bad lay.”

  “What do you want, Zach?” As she tried to focus on his words, she took a look around her. There wasn’t a whole lot to see. She was in a small, windowless room and the only source of light was an exposed lightbulb by the door.

  “I want your cousin to get her head out of her ass and come take your place.”

  Lucy groaned. “Why?”

  “Because she owes me.”

  “Can I please get some water?”

  “No.”

  Lucy sighed. “Zach, I don’t understand why you need to talk to Sydney, but we could have set something up.”

  “God, I can’t believe you dumped me,” he said as though he didn’t hear her. “I just needed to keep you on the hook for a few more days, but no, you had to ruin the plan.”

  He slapped her on the head and Lucy felt like he’d hit her with a hammer. She cried out, even though she tried not to.

  “None of this had to happen, Lucy. If Sydney had been as dumb as you, it wouldn’t have. Now we’ll see just how smart she is, because she’s got twenty-nine minutes to show her face or you’re dead.”

  “Why, Zach? What did we do to you?”

  “You had nothing to do with any of this, Lucy. You were simply an avenue to get to Sydney.”

  “What did Sydney have to do with this then?”

  He tsked as he came into focus. “That’s for her to know, baby. It’s gonna be our special connection.”

  Lucy licked her dry lips and tried not to shiver at the look in Zach’s eyes. He was crazy. He was no longer the good-natured guy she’d met a month or so ago. He was a sociopath, and Lucy was in his clutches. She sent up a silent prayer of desperation as the black surrounded her again.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  THANE SET A bottled water in front of Sydney and cupped her cheek briefly as they waited for word from Nigel’s men. Mathew had left the room about ten minutes ago and Sydney was on edge waiting for him to return. She took a sip of water, realizing just how thirsty she was, and sighed with relief. Maybe the fact her mate knew her so well was becoming more of a positive than a negative.

  Thane’s chuckle sounded in her mind and she scowled at him over her shoulder. Nope, back to a negative.

  He leaned forward and kissed her gently. “Love you, baby.”

  She smiled. “I love you too.”

  Give me your hand.

  She shifted her chair so they were next to each other and linked her fingers with his. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her palm.

  Mathew returned and both Thane and Sydney stood quickly as he faced them. “Okay, we think we’ve found them.”

  “Who is it?” Sydney asked.

  “Do you recognize him?” Mathew held his phone up.

  “That’s Zach,” Sydney said.

  “Aye,” Thane confirmed. “Zach Miller. He and Lucy dated for a little while.”

  “You know his last name?” Sydney asked, surprised.

  “Cary shared his findings after the background check. He wanted me to know before we met him for dinner. But your uncle had some concerns about the name and was looking further into him.”

  “And what did you find?” Nigel asked.

  “Not much, honestly,” Thane admitted. “Cary will know more.”

  Nigel looked at Mathew. “Do you think we’ve given them enough time?”

  Mathew shrugged. “He’ll want to know either way.”

  “I’ll go and see,” Nigel offered, and left the room.

  Sydney leaned against Thane as they waited for Nigel to return.

  Mathew checked his phone and pulled open the door. “We’re free to join them.”

  Sydney led the group back down the hall and into Uncle Cary’s office. She gave him a wide berth as she made her way to her aunt and hugged her. “Are you okay?”

  “No, love, but I will be.”

  Sydney sat next to her and took her hand.

  Uncle Cary’s phone rang and everyone in the room went still. He put it on speaker. “Hello.”

  “So, Sydney’s there,” Zach said.

  “Yes, she’s here,” Uncle Cary acknowledged.

  “Hi, Sydney. Do you remember me?”

  “Zach?” she said, playing dumb. Thane scowled at her.

  What? He knows I’m here.

  “Yep, it’s me. Well done. I told Lucy you weren’t an idiot.”

  Mathew held up a piece of paper he’d just written directions on.

  “Is Lucy okay?” she asked.

  “For now.”

  Another note and Sydney asked, “Can I speak to her?”

  “She’s a little tied up right now,” he said, then laughed. “Literally.”

  Mathew held up another piece of paper and Sydney frowned.

  “Zach?” Sydney asked. “Have you actually tied her up? Is she okay? Can she move?”

  Seriously? She’s tied up and Mathew wants me to ask him if she can move?

  Just do as he says, Sid. He knows what he’s doing.

  “She’s breathing, Sydney,” Zach said. “She’s fine, but she’s not awake.”

  “Okay, what did you give her?”

  “Question and answer time is over, Sydney,” Zach snapped. “You have eighteen minutes to come here or she’s dead. Your uncle has the address.”

  He hung up and Sydney rose to her feet. “Where am I going?”

  “No,” Thane said.

  “I have to do this, Thane,” Sydney stressed. “It’s not up for debate.”

  No, Sydney, it’s not going to happen.

  It is, Thane. I can do this. You can be close.

  “Shite.”

  “Can you take me?” Sydney asked Nigel.

  He nodded and they headed out the door with her uncle. Thane followed closely and climbed into the back of the SUV with her. “I don’t like this.”

  “I know, honey, but I’m doing it. You know I can handle it.”

  What if it’s hot?

  I won’t do anything stupid, Thane. If it’s hot, I won’t go in. She grabbed his hand. “I can do this.”

  He clenched his jaw but gave her a slight nod.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “The building is on the right, Sydney,” Nigel said, and pulled into a parking lot near the dock.

  Sydney peered out the window at the shabby brick building and bit her lip. It appeared abandoned.

  “You don’t have to do this, Sydney,” Thane said.

  “Yes, I do.”

  “If you feel threatened at all, get out of there, okay?” her uncle said.

  “I will, Uncle Cary.”

  Nigel pulled the car to a stop and turned to face her. “The door is closest to the water.”

  Sydney took a breath and nodded. “Right.”

  “Sid,” Thane whispered. />
  “I’m okay, honey.” She kissed him quickly and then climbed out of the car.

  I don’t like this.

  She glanced back at the SUV and frowned. I got it the first three hundred times you said it, Thane. Settle.

  She made her way around the building and found the door Nigel referred to. Squaring her shoulders, she turned the knob and pushed open the door. It appeared to be a boat house of some kind with an empty boat slip and not much else. She stepped further inside and the door slammed behind her, making her jump.

  Sid?

  I’m okay, I’m okay.

  Shite.

  I really am okay, Thane.

  Another door opened across the building and Zach walked out. “Well, hello, dear sister.”

  “What?” she breathed out.

  “Surprise! We’re related.”

  “You’re insane.”

  “I’m not crazy!” he screamed.

  “Where’s Lucy?” she demanded, trying to bring him back to the present.

  “She’s safe.”

  “Zach, I need to see her. I don’t know what this is all about, but we’re not talking any further until I see her.”

  What’s the temperature, love?

  It’s fine, Thane.

  “Well, come on, then,” Zach said, and waved his arm.

  Sid?

  I’m fine, honey.

  She followed Zach through the door he’d come out of and once her eyes had adjusted to the dim light, she located Lucy tied to a chair. “Luce!”

  Zach grabbed her arm. “Don’t.”

  “I have to make sure she’s okay.”

  Sydney?

  I’m fine, the temperature’s fine... Lucy I’m not sure about. Just zip it for a bit.

  “She’s fine,” Zach snapped.

  Sydney wrenched her arm from Zach and rushed toward her cousin. Kneeling in front of her, she saw she’d been beaten pretty badly. “Lucy?”

  Lucy groaned and raised her head. “Sid?”

  “Hey, cuzzie. You doin’ okay?”

  Lucy licked her lips. “I’m so thirsty.”

  “Zach, Lucy needs some water.”

  “If I give her some damn water will you sit down?” he snapped.

  Sydney took a deep breath. “Yes, if you untie her, give her some water, and let her go, I will talk to you.”

  Bloody hell, Sydney.