by Dale Mayer
“In theory you are supposed to get the help you need at these places.” Only he had firsthand experience that they didn’t always get that. In many cases, they received no help at all. But modern medicine knew very little about the working brain or the psyche. And when it came to energy workers – they knew nothing at all.
And people did end up locked up so they couldn’t hurt anyone – including themselves. So maybe her father was doing this out of love, after all. He’d seen parents do many things in the name of love – including kill their children.
“We need to figure out why the blackouts occur and hopefully track them backwards to see what you may have done during them.” He paused, studying her. “When was the last one?”
She winced.
And he knew. In fact, he’d brought it up earlier and it had been brushed off. “You woke up on the highway outside of Stefan’s house, didn’t you?”
Her breath gushed out. “Yeah, but I didn’t know who he was until I saw him at the hospital.”
“You were injured though, so that’s to be expected,” he pointed out.
“Or did I kill someone. I told Stefan I’d tried to kill him.”
“Ah, so you do remember that part.” He laughed. “Good.”
She frowned at him. “That’s hardly something to laugh at.”
“Sure it is. Stefan has a lot of stuff happen in his life. That doesn’t mean all of it was good or bad, but you walking to his door saying you’d killed him – that was unique.”
“Not exactly a great greeting.” But in spite of it, she grinned.
“But not the worst either.”
A commotion outside the doorway had him straighten. “It’s almost showtime.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning you are in deep trouble, and there are very few ways to get you out of it.”
“I’m not going home with my father,” she said, her eyes darting around the room as if looking for a place to hide.
“He controls your fortune and you’ve let him. Unless you appoint someone else to take control and can do so legally, then he’ll get what he wants fairly easily. I can block him, try to take him through the courts, but that all takes time.”
“What options do I have in the short-term?”
He frowned. “I have one solution but it’s drastic.”
Her father’s voice sounded in the hallway along with several other men.
“I’m desperate,” she said quietly, her voice a squeaking sound. “What is the solution?”
It was his turn to feel panicked. He took a deep breath and said, “Marry me.”
Chapter 7
As proposals went this one sucked. But her mind quickly grasped how the husband received priority over a father. And it would stop her father from trying to marry her off to his lackeys so he could continue to control her.
But marriage…
To a stranger…
And a lawyer…
A savior lawyer not a barracuda apparently but still…she had only his word on that.
“For how long?”
He raised his eyebrows. “Until we can get to the bottom of this mess in your life. If you want your freedom you only have to ask for it. But as long as you are unmarried and everything goes to your father who already controls your estate, medical issues, etc…”
“I got it. I got it,” she whispered, her hands trembling. The reality was she was in a bad spot. “It takes time to set this up. We don’t have that time.”
He had his phone out and was making phone calls even as she spoke. “Your father will fight this so if he’s coming here, you need to stall him. I don’t care how but don’t mention me or the marriage and definitely don’t be too resistant.”
She snorted. “If I’m not resistant he’ll know something is up.”
He patted her knee. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
He strode to the doorway. Damn it. Her savior was leaving her…
“Wait,” she cried out. “Do you have to leave?”
He frowned, glanced down at his phone and appeared to consider something. “Maybe not, but it would be faster.”
“Okay,” she said in a small voice. “Hurry back or I might not be here when you return.”
“Don’t say that.” He ordered, “Be here.”
And he left.
She leaned back and wondered at her options. What could she do to stave her father off? Pretend to be asleep? Pretend to be more badly hurt so she wasn’t capable of traveling? Hurt herself for real?
And then what? Be too injured to participate in her own wedding. At that she almost broke into hysterical laughter. Marriage. Dear God, was she really going to marry a stranger? Why? Surely there was another option? There had to be. She didn’t know this man at all. What if he was a liar? A cheat? He could be a serial killer for all she knew. Stefan, the man who’d brought her to the hospital, he knew Trevor – would he vouch for him? Of course he would as he already had. He’d asked Trevor to help her in the first place. And that was giving her his recommendation.
The nurse walked in just then, a big smile on her face. “Don’t you look better?” She held out her hand and the small bag. “This is the little bit you had in your pockets when you arrived here.”
Curious, Hannah opened the bag and realized there was essentially nothing inside. She pulled out a handful of loose change, a few bills, a crumpled receipt that was bloody and hard to read and a crumpled photo. She took a quick look but tucked it away so fast she didn’t get a chance to identify who was in it. A man and a woman but that was all. Not wanting the nurse to see, she leaned back and laid the bag beside her.
“Everything okay?”
“I’m feeling a little better. I don’t suppose there’s more food is there?”
“Lunch will be here soon. At least you’re awake this time.”
She smiled. “I am but very tired. I want to sleep but don’t want to miss out on lunch,” she fudged. “I figure I’ll be out like a light as soon as I’ve eaten.”
“That would be best. You’re moving today so any sleep you get early will help.”
“Moving?”
“Being transferred,” she said with a bright smile. “Don’t you worry about it. Your father is taking care of it all. Such a caring father. Very take charge too,” she said in admiring tones.
“Very,” Hannah said softly.
Carts rolling down the hallway spoke of more arrivals. Hopefully lunch. She wasn’t sure she could eat, but not knowing where or what was coming in her world, she’d do her best to get it all down. Besides, she was always hungry. Once she saw the food, it would disappear in a heartbeat. If this fake marriage thing didn’t work out she might have to make a run for it. And that would be damn near impossible with an injured leg and a swollen ankle. Adding constant hunger to the scenario would just make it worse.
“When is the doctor coming?” she asked. “I haven’t actually spoken to him yet.”
“He’s been in surgery all morning. He does his rounds at this time normally. As long as he doesn’t encounter problems in the OR, he’ll be here soon. One must be patient.”
Hannah nodded. “True, but it would be nice to speak with him at least once and thank him since I’m supposedly being transferred.”
“No supposedly about it,” Will said from the doorway. “Your father will make that happen.”
She cast him a sideways look. “You can stand outside while I eat, thank you,” she snapped. “I’d hate to have my meal turn sour in my stomach by having you here.”
The nurse’s shocked gasp made Will laugh. “Don’t worry about her. She’s always cranky when she’s hungry.”
“No. I’m not,” Hannah said, her temper spiking again. “But you’re right on one thing, I am hungry.”
The nurse patted her hand. “I’ll see about your lunch, don’t you worry. I can see you’re worried about that transfer. Don’t be. Sometimes we have to trust in those who care about us.”
And she wa
lked out of the room, smiling at Will. Like all the women smiled at Will. What was it about him that made women of all ages make fools of themselves?
Will’s genial smile darkened as he turned it on her. She’d pay for her resistance. Whatever. She’d been paying since forever already. What did his brand of payback mean now? Especially if she was going to be locked away again. A gilded cage was still a cage.
She closed her eyes and tried to block it all out.
Inside her heart pounded. And her palms turned moist. Marriage was a way out. If Trevor was for real.
And if they could make this happen in time. But was it just another cage by another name?
If her father caught wind of the plans and managed to stop them, she knew the penalty would be severe. Her father not only hated to be thwarted – he refused to be. Often he put out a great cost to smash his opponent. Worse, he didn’t give a damn what it cost. It was more of a chess game to him. Notches he could mark on the chalkboard in his mind. He didn’t give a damn about what was right or wrong in the game as long as his side won.
He’d win in this issue too if her new husband-to-be wasn’t faster – smarter – meaner.
She didn’t think he was.
Worse – she wasn’t sure she could trust him?
God, she had to be nuts to be thinking about this. Surely there was another choice. But as she stared at her injured legs, she realized she needed help as never before. She couldn’t run away again. Not on her own.
Likely her father would find her store and run her into the ground there. The only reason he hadn’t done so already was he hadn’t looked in that direction yet. Besides, he wouldn’t believe she had the business sense to buy and run a florist shop in the first place. She might not have at the beginning, but she had learned. She’d also hired the old owners to teach her the ropes. They’d wanted to retire to go travelling, having crossed the sixty line, but didn’t really want to retire to the point of being bored. That arrangement had worked for both.
Many of the customers had stayed with the shop because of the older couple and seeing them help her out had given her reputation a boost. Then hiring her manager, she’d done fairly well for herself.
But she didn’t want her new husband to have any of it. Shit. She didn’t understand any of this mess. She figured she should have some kind of document in place between her and Trevor, but he was a lawyer. He could document her to death and she could still miss out on having the right ones to protect herself.
Then again, he wasn’t exactly getting a bargain with her either. In fact, she’d be setting him up. Shit. She couldn’t do it. Will would go after him. Maybe even kill him.
How could she accept his offer of help if she was signing his death warrant?
She couldn’t. There’d be no wedding.
And that meant she couldn’t escape her future.
She’d be a prisoner for life.
*
Outwardly calm, Trevor strode down the hallway, but inside he was keyed up. He’d been involved in too many cases not to know how delicate this situation was. The guard stood outside the door, his attention on his phone, but Trevor wouldn’t make the mistake of thinking he wasn’t aware of every step he took toward Hannah’s room.
That the guard was still there was a good sign. It meant Goodman, Hannah’s father, hadn’t managed to get her out of the hospital yet. Trevor had been busy throwing as many legal roadblocks as he could find. That’s when he found out the man likely was a billionaire, and Hannah his only daughter. This marriage thing would have serious repercussion for Hannah. She could be disinherited and likely cut off from her father forever, given everything Trevor had managed to learn about the man in the last hour. Goodman hated to lose. And if Trevor pulled this off, he’d lose his daughter to Trevor.
If the man loved Hannah then he’d work with Trevor to see she got the best help available.
Stefan figured that help was Maddy. Trevor wasn’t going to argue. If Stefan could get them an hour of Dr. Maddy’s time, it could tell them so much, and if it didn’t then maybe Trevor was needed more than he thought. At the door, the guard straightened and threw an arm out across the doorway to stop him.
Trevor shot him a disgusted look and shoved his arm out of the way. And damn if there wasn’t an electrical shock as he connected. Shit. Trevor shot him a dirty look and caught Will’s smug grin.
Will was a man of power.
Did Hannah know? Did she even know what that meant?
He wanted to ask but figured this wasn’t the time. Besides, Hannah was eating, like seriously eating.
Again, like she hadn’t eaten in weeks. Yet he’d watched her polish off scones and muffins for breakfast. Now she was plowing into a bowl of soup and a sandwich. He stopped and waited for her to see him. He didn’t want to startle her, and if he had a chance he wanted to see if that same dark shadow showed up again on her face.
He’d been dealing with Stefan too long to not know something psychic was going on here. But was it to her benefit or detriment?
Her aura was still thin. Strong but such a narrow band that he couldn’t read it.
She was skinny and ate thousands of calories right now. Was this an unnaturally high metabolism or was something else going on?
“You can come in you know,” she said without raising her head. “I don’t bite.”
“I wonder if that sandwich would agree with you,” he murmured, approaching the bed. “It looks like you’re starving.”
She nodded. “I’m always starving. Started when I was a teen and it just keeps getting worse. Of course I’ve been tested for everything, but apparently no one knows what’s wrong.” She lifted the sandwich and took a big bite. Then eyed him. In a low voice she said, “I changed my mind about marrying you.”
He raised his eyebrows. Oh, interesting and dare he say – almost a relief. “Of course you have.” He sat down on the visitor’s chair. “And why is that?”
She nodded to Will standing at the doorway and lowered her voice to a whisper, “He’ll likely kill you, then I’ll just be a widow and still at my father’s mercy. Only now, a very angry father.”
Trevor blinked at the reality she’d laid out so calmly. “Really?”
She shrugged. “Given the circumstances it’s all too likely,” she said candidly. “Of course no one will know. I’ll be widowed today – and tomorrow he’ll bring up the issue that my husband’s unfortunate demise added to my ‘delicate’ sensibilities and speed my mental decline.’”
He sat back as the reality of the situation hit him. It would sound like that. No matter how many legal issues came up, her father could make a case for such a series of events.
“I guess I need to add a few pieces of paper to the stack we need to sign then,” he said calmly.
She frowned at him and took another bite. “What kind of papers?”
“Well, I have the marriage license but figured that to protect your assets we needed to sign a prenuptial agreement so I can’t legally take your money. And now you’re going to sign one that allows my law firm to defend you in the chance of my death or injury that stops me from being able to protect you from your family.”
“Can you do that?” she asked in a harsh whisper. She straightened, then glanced at Will and hunched down again to whisper, “Is that possible?”
Trevor nodded. “All kinds of things are possible. The bottom line is you need to trust me to do this right. We can always add or change paperwork later to tie up any loopholes and lock down trust funds to keep you and your money safe, but we have to stop him right now. Or he can have you declared mentally incompetent and that is seriously difficult to reverse.”
She stared at him, the bite of sandwich sticking in her throat as she thought of those options. He was sticking his neck out to help at a huge cost, and she was grateful as all hell. But, there was something in that gaze, something special. She wanted to believe him, believe in him.
“I don’t think I could live with the guilt
if something happened to you because you were trying to help me,” she whispered.
“I’m doing this with my eyes open,” he said. Only instinct prodded him forward. In fact, his actions stunned him, but he was quickly becoming okay with them.
“But why? Why would you do this for me?” Her gaze was intense as she studied his face. “It’s crazy.”
“It’s not crazy. Legal issues that have to be put in place to protect you. And if you don’t want to stay married then we can process an annulment as well. Although I suggest we don’t do so too quickly.”
She blinked. “And if you meet someone?”
“Else you mean? Other than you who will be my wife?” he said with a wicked grin. “Not likely. But if I do then if she’s right for me, she’ll understand. If she doesn’t she wasn’t, and I’m in no different a situation than before. However, at no time will I be looking, and as your husband, I will be standing at your side, not dating other women.”
She took another bite of sandwich and chewed it slowly. “What about you?” he asked. “Do you have someone in your life?”
She shook her head. “Not for years. I didn’t want to drag anyone into the craziness that my world had become.”
“Good. Unless there’s someone you can’t remember. Other than that, we’re both single. Unemotionally attached and adults. Then,” he glanced at his watch, “all I need to know now is…”
Realizing it was the first and could possibly be the last time he’d ever ask this question, he hopped up onto the bed, reached for her hand, and in a low careful tone asked, “Will you be my wife?”
Tears shimmered in her gaze. He didn’t know if that was because this was not the proposal every young woman dreamed of or because of the reason behind this legal maneuvering, but he hoped it wasn’t because he was the opposite of the type of man she’d like to have asking her this question.
Even given the circumstances, there was a solemnity to the moment he’d rarely experienced.
She took a deep breath and nodded.
“I need to hear the words,” he said gently.
“If you are prepared for the consequences, then I will marry you and become your wife.”