by Dale Mayer
“They are already in the garbage,” Trevor assured her. “Never to be worn again.”
She shooed him away. “We might be married but I’ll be getting dressed on my own.”
“Except for one thing,” he said gently. “You’re injured.”
She frowned and assessed her injuries mentally. “I’ll try first. If I need help, then I’ll call you.”
*
He had no plans to leave. But she was nervous of him and this wasn’t the time to push it.
“Fine, however, I’ll stay here just in case.” He pivoted, turned his back on her and waited. He could hear the bedding being thrown back and the tiny smack as she slid off the bed and her feet hit the floor. The clothing rustled.
He waited. And waited. Then frowned. He couldn’t hear much. “How do they fit?”
“Take a look.”
He turned. She held out her arms. “Well?”
Except for the sheen to her forehead from the effort of getting dressed on her own, she looked fantastic. And then there was the dried blood in her hair.
“The clothes look great,” he admitted. She was slight and relatively average in height yet the clothes were a perfect fit and made her look special. Then he’d known they would. He’d given Mina the sizes. She’d been an injured waif to him so far, but in those clothes she was all woman.
He grinned as bare toes peeked out from under the edge of the jeans.
“Sorry, there was a pair of something in there, but they didn’t look like shoes to me. More a slipper.”
He walked to the bags and sure enough found what he was looking for in the second bag tucked inside the big one. He stared at them doubtfully. “I don’t know what they are meant to be, but you can’t walk in them outside.”
She laughed and snatched one out of his hand, and using his arm for support, she slipped it on. Stretching her leg forward she admired the ballet flat on her foot. Then put the second one on. “They are perfect,” she cried out happily.
“They offer less protection than socks,” he argued. “At least socks cover your foot.”
“They are how they are meant to be.” She reached up to brush her hair back and winced. “Right. Didn’t get a shower so still very grungy despite the prettier exterior.”
“I don’t know if that will be allowed right away on Maddy’s Floor,” he said. “But let’s get you away from here and find out.”
He motioned to the wheelchair. “Hop in.”
“I can walk,” she protested.
“You might be able to, but the more you can stay off those legs, the better and the faster you will heal.” Into the face of his logic, she took a seat and he wheeled her out into the hallway. There he stopped and assessed the people, the level of danger.
“Problems?” she asked in a hushed whisper.
“No.” At least not at the moment. He turned left and took her down to the parking level below.
*
They could run. But they couldn’t hide. Not from him. Not like this. If he could figure out where she went on those times she did manage to get away from him, he’d have total control. As it was, she had some way to escape him, and it pissed him off every damn time.
It went toward why he kept her around. She was a challenge. As he poured more onto her, learning who and why, what made her tick, investing into her system, tying her to him, she developed bigger and stronger as she found ways to defeat him. That he loved. Most games once you beat them, they were done. Boring as hell afterwards. But not in her case. She just got stronger, more devious. And it challenged him to do the same.
Adding to the fun was she had no idea.
He crept into her dreams and turned them to nightmares. He woke her up in a cold sweat over nothing. He made her panic from the voices in her head and he laughed.
For all that she was so malleable, she had this one part of her that she held inviolate. And he hated it. He wanted into that part of her. It was the mechanism that continued to defy him. He wanted to know how she was evading him. He had to know. It was the only trick she was doing on her own that he had no idea about. The scientist doing research inside of him needed to know. The man inside demanded to know.
The owner of all control over her was desperate to know.
He couldn’t help the feeling that there was more to this than he knew, and he suspected there always had been. He hated to be made a fool. And she’d done so time and time again.
How? What? Why?
He needed to understand her tricks.
So he could put a stop to them permanently.
It was time. But not until he knew how she’d been evading his strongest efforts up until now. Then he’d kill her. And find someone else to play with.***
Stefan stared at the phone in his hand. It had been ringing all morning. He’d just gotten off a call with Trevor letting him know they were on the move when Dr. Maddy’s partner called. “Drew, Could you repeat that please?”
“I said we received an anonymous tip that Trevor was involved in a murder years ago. That he had a hand in killing a teacher fifteen years ago.”
“Was the case ever solved?”
“It was never closed. It ended up in cold cases. Hence the file landed on my desk.”
“Interesting timing.” Stefan shook his head at the ploys of men. Goodman required having an eye kept on him. How much trouble was he planning to cause Trevor over this marriage? He suspected it was just the beginning.
Drew hesitated. “You’re sure about Trevor? That he’s a good guy?” He cleared his throat. “I’ve met him but don’t know him.”
Without hesitation Stefan said, “Yes. He’s never killed anyone.”
“There is something very important there.” Stefan watched as the energy in front of him shifted and changed. “It leads down a convoluted path but I think at the end there is evidence of wrong doing – but not at Trevor’s hands.”
“Good. I like a good puzzle. If the teacher was murdered, then justice will prevail.”
Drew hung up, leaving Stefan to deal with the painful yet faded image of a teacher’s badly burned body from the blast that dropped the science building at the school.
Chapter 10
She understood taking precautions but he was being paranoid. Maybe he’d just realized how serious her father was. That he couldn’t take enough security measures.
At the parking lot, he led her to a small silver car and assisted her into the front seat. She waited for him to make his way around to the driver’s side and get in.
His gaze never stopped searching the area.
When he got inside, she asked, “You’re expecting an ambush, aren’t you?”
“I’m expecting anything and everything,” he said, then added, “Especially the unusual.”
“My father metes out punishment that is pretty mainstream. Knifings, beatings, a gunshot or two, but mostly he likes to crush people by taking away their homes, businesses, and savings accounts – you know, their livelihood. In a perfect world he’d like to see those that defy him injured and homeless.”
He turned to look at her. “Your dad sounds like a piece of work.”
“He is,” she said coolly. “I’ve been fighting with him since forever. But I believe he loves me. Will on the other hand – I’m not sure he knows what that word means.”
Her self-confidence had taken a huge beating at Will’s threat. Yet she didn’t think he’d be waiting outside on the street for them. Unless it was to follow them. No, he was more subtle. He’d assign someone else to follow them, but he’d come personally in the middle of the night to terrorize her. Maximum pain. That was something he’d enjoy.
“You’re really scared of Will, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” she admitted. “With good reason.”
“Has Will ever physically hurt you?”
She frowned thinking about it. “No, it was always an implied threat. Something hanging over me that I’d better behave or else.” She hated that man with a passion.<
br />
“There must have been something that made you believe in his brand of fear, originally.”
There was. But telling it would hurt. She stared out the window. “When he first arrived, he was determined to establish order. One night my dog escaped. I was grounded by my father and not allowed out, but I went out after my dog. Will killed my dog as a punishment,” she said softly. “I got the message.”
Trevor’s breath gushed out. “I’m sorry, that had to be tough.”
“It was,” she whispered, tears trying to form in the corners of her eyes. “It was a long time ago.”
“Maybe, but that’s not a memory you forget.”
She glanced around, looking for anything else to talk about. The pain of losing Tidbit was just too much to bear even now. And that’s when she realized they were whipping down the city streets in an area she didn’t recognize. “I didn’t even realize we were out of the hospital lot and on the main roads,” she exclaimed.
“No.” He grinned. “You were thinking of other things.”
“You did that on purpose,” she accused but with a smile. “I was worried they’d be lying in wait,” she admitted, “even though I’d have bet on them not doing something so obvious, but one can never tell.”
“I didn’t want to take a chance so came out the service entrance.” He turned to look at her. “We’re only about ten minutes away from our destination.”
She settled back. Before she realized it, Trevor was turning into a large parking lot. She leaned forward to study the huge building. “What is this place?”
“It’s a multipurpose building, that’s for sure,” he said with a laugh. “It’s a long-term care home with a hospital attached and this is where Dr. Maddy operates from.” He turned off the engine and pointed to the top of the building. “Maddy’s Floor is at the top.”
“And why are we going to see her?”
He exited the car and came around to her side where he helped her out. As she stood there and studied the multiple balconies all along the top floor, he locked the door, pocketed the keys and in a surprise move, swung her up into his arms.
She squealed in surprise and clutched at his shoulders. “I can walk.”
“No, you can’t. There are wheelchairs available, but they aren’t right here in the parking lot, and I never thought to arrange one ahead of time. Besides, you are a lightweight and it’s not far.”
By the time he finished speaking they were already at the front door. Both double doors opened up to…chaos. She had no other word for it. Sure it was a hospital and home, but there were people going in all directions.
He didn’t put her down. Instead he walked straight ahead to a bank of elevators then on to an elevator further back. There he set her on her feet and pushed the call button.
It opened immediately.
With his help, she hobbled in the small space. “What’s this one – a private elevator?”
He grinned. “One for VIPs.”
She snorted. “So not me.”
After moving up several floors, the elevator came to a stop. The door opened then, and it was as if she stepped into a completely different world. Gone was the hustle and bustle of downstairs. No one raced in front of her or stood speaking in large groups to the side. This was mellow, a sweet ambiance of peace. She loved it.
“Now this is what the downstairs should be.”
“Welcome to Maddy’s Floor.” A nurse, her name tag said Glenda, smiled at her. “Come this way. Your bed is ready and Dr. Maddy will see you shortly.”
In pleased surprise, Hannah tried to fall in behind Glenda, but Trevor picked her up again and proceeded to carry her down the hallway. There were no closed doors that she could see, just beautiful small sitting rooms with beds and massive windows. Small seating areas for visitors, each with small balconies, dotted the hallway. It was so non hospital-like, she was shocked. It was like a five star resort hotel and she loved everything about it. Glenda led them into a small room to the right. A similar layout to the rest of the other welcoming spaces she’d seen on the floor. Trevor laid her down on the bed.
“Now relax. We’re here overnight.”
She stared up at him and smiled in pleasure. She motioned to the huge window. “Wow, it is beautiful here.”
“It is, and the turnover on some of these rooms is unbelievable,” he admitted.
“How sad.”
She felt his sharp look and returned it with one of her own. “What did I say?” she asked in confusion.
“Why is it sad?”
“Well, it’s a nursing home so obviously a high turnover means the patients died.”
Glenda smiled at her but stayed quiet as she brought over a tall glass of water and sat a pitcher of water beside her. All glass. The bedding beneath her was beautiful cotton. She didn’t know what to say or think. What kind of place was this?
“It’s special,” Trevor said as if reading her mind.
She frowned and nodded but stayed quiet.
Glenda left silently, and Trevor made himself comfortable on a leather recliner beside the bed. Hannah didn’t have anything so nice in her own place. She frowned. Her own place? That’s the first time that thought came to her. But she knew she had a place – somewhere. “I wonder if my plants are all right.”
Trevor glanced at her. “I never thought to ask if there was anyone we should have notified about your accident. I figured the hospital and then your father would have taken care of that.”
She winced. “I need a phone again so I can make some calls.”
He held out his phone. “Use mine for the moment.”
He placed his phone in her hand. She slowly dialed the store to talk to Tasha. It rang and rang. She frowned. “What time is it?”
“Almost four.”
She swallowed and dialed again. Still no answer. Perturbed she handed the phone back. “No one is there,” she said softly.
“Where?”
“At Some Things Are Forever.”
“A store?”
“A florist shop. The manager is a friend and I need to tell her what happened. She’ll worry.”
“I can swing by later, but she’s likely to be closed.”
Hannah said, “The shop closes at six.”
“Then you can call again in a few moments.”
“Unlikely,” said a new melodic voice from the doorway. “And I’m not a big fan of cell phones or anything electronic while healing is going on, anyway.” A tall woman in a bright blue dress and stilettos making her well over six feet tall walked in. “Hello, Trevor.”
He bounced to his feet and hugged the woman gently. “You are looking gorgeous as always, Dr. Maddy.”
“Liar.” She laughed. “But the healing is a nice side benefit of my profession.”
He grinned at the woman as they exchanged a knowing look. Hannah once again had the feeling she’d missed something.
And then the air filled with static again. “Stop it,” she said crossly. “You’re doing the same thing you did with Stefan. It’s really irritating.”
Both of them stopped to look at her. “What thing?” the woman asked. “How nice that you got to see Stefan. I’m Dr. Maddy by the way.”
She said the last bit almost absentmindedly as if it was the most natural thing in the world. And for her, it was. But Hannah was used to doctors who were old and gray and wore arrogance as their coat. Dr. Maddy likely wore sunshine as hers.
It was such a unique experience to see this that Hannah almost forgot the question but as both people were still staring at her, she shrugged and said, “It’s like you’re communicating in such a way that no one else can hear you. Hell, I wouldn’t have heard you either except for the static in the air.”
“Static?” Trevor asked. “Interesting.”
“Very.” Dr. Maddy smiled at him. “Now go away. I want to spend a few moments with your new wife.”
Trevor hesitated but although couched in nice terms it was obvious to Hannah this wasn’
t a request but an order.
“I’ll be fine,” Hannah said to him. “Go.”
He nodded and in a move that seemed to surprise him as much as it surprised her, he leaned over, gave her hard kiss and walked to the doorway, whistling.
“You appear to have made him very happy,” Dr. Maddy said gently. “Interesting, considering you two just met.”
Relieved the woman knew the details and Hannah wasn’t going to be required to play act at this stage, she nodded and said, “He’s a nice man.”
“He is indeed.” Dr. Maddy walked closer and said, “Let’s see what we’ve got here.”
She checked Hannah over. Only she never once removed the bandages and only gave the bruising on her ribs and collarbone a cursory look. The head, however, was a different story. “I’m not too happy about the head, but the rest we can fix up pretty easily. I need to do a full diagnostic on your physical body,” Dr. Maddy muttered more to herself and Glenda who’d appeared as quietly as she left. “She had X-rays done at the hospital. See if we can get our hands on those, will you?”
She stepped back and frowned at Hannah. “I want you to lie here quietly and close your eyes. I need to run some scans. You need to lie perfectly still while they are going on, understand?”
Hannah nodded. She wasn’t sure what to think about an exam that didn’t involve looking at wounds and that went through clothing in rooms that resembled high end homes.
But she wasn’t going to argue. This was much easier on her soul.
She closed her eyes and waited. She heard sounds of footsteps but following Dr. Maddy’s instructions she lay quietly with her eyes closed. No hardship really. And in no way did she feel threatened. That might be partly due to the fact she was fully clothed with her shoes on. As if escape was possible and just right around the corner. And knowing that, she didn’t feel the need to run. She’d just relaxed when she began to feel the heat.
It started at her toes and ran lightly up her foot and ankles to shine all over her calves and knees. This must be the scan Dr. Maddy had mentioned.
Letting it do its thing, she relaxed back. When the scan reached her leg she sighed, loving the heat on the injury. It felt so much better already. If she’d known heat would make it feel like that, she’d have asked for a warm blanket at the last hospital. The scan carried on but left the injury warm and tingly. Next it moved across her pelvis and slowly worked up her belly. It moved at a fraction of the speed it had before. Then moved up to her ribs. Again the heat intensified.