Simon nodded. “I understand. Any help would be appreciated.”
He stood back as Jake slid behind the wheel and left Mrs. Dawson’s driveway.
No one understood the need to protect a family more than Simon.
He turned back to the house, determined to protect his.
* * * *
Helen felt a bit like a teenage kid sneaking out of the house. A part of her loved having so many people around who seemed to care, but she’d always lived her life alone. Only abiding by the rules she made for herself and no one else…so waiting until Simon and the others approved of what she wanted to do wasn’t in her.
One good thing about having a house full of people was her ability to play each against the other to sneak out. She told Myra she was with Simon, told Simon she was with Liz and told Mrs. Dawson that she needed a nap. Cian wasn’t anywhere to be found, not that she’d say anything to him. The guy wigged her out. The strong silent type never did anything for her. Cian was all that and more.
Jake had called the day before to inform Liz that Philip’s record was clean. Not one prior, not one juvenile offence. He had a brother, however, who was anything but clean. Serving life for a rape and murder charge without the possibility of parole. According to Jake, Philip visited his brother on occasion, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary. The police had brought Philip in for questioning a couple of times in regards to Helen’s disappearance. With nothing more than a criminal brother to go on, they didn’t hold him.
Philip wasn’t the reason for her disappearance and didn’t like the thought of the man being accused of something he hadn’t done.
Armed with a story written in her head, Helen drove away from Mrs. Dawson’s home ready to face her boss. It was Wednesday. Shipments came in on Wednesday so the auction house would have a few more people around than normal. Though she probably would have lost her job, she thought it best to act somewhat remorseful for her unexplained absence.
Her hands shook as she pulled into the parking lot and turned off the engine. “Here goes nothing,” she whispered to herself as she slid out of the car. Not taking any chances, she walked through the front door, knowing the cameras pointed there were always running.
A shriek from the back of the building told Helen she’d been seen.
“Oh my freaking God.” Lisa darted around the tables and embraced her hard. “I thought you were dead.”
Guilt welled in Helen’s chest. She hadn’t thought she’d be missed. Not like this anyway. “Not dead.”
Lisa moved away to look at her, and then pulled her in for a second hug. “You scared the crap out of me. Jesus, where have you been? Are you all right? Were you hurt?”
“I’m sorry I worried you. I met this guy—”
“A guy?”
“Yeah, an amazing Scottish yummy—”
“You’ve been missing for over two weeks. The police have questioned everyone. We thought you were dead and you were off with a guy?”
The concern in Lisa’s face shifted to hurt.
“I know, totally irresponsible of me. He took me to this remote cabin. I lost my cell. It’s been crazy. God, I’m sorry I didn’t find a way to tell you I was okay.”
“I hope he was worth it.”
“Is any guy really worth it? I’ve probably lost my job, huh?”
Lisa crossed her arms over her chest and blew a strand of bleach blonde hair from her eyes. “You don’t take a two week vacation without telling the boss. Philip has been worried like the rest of us.”
Helen glanced beyond Lisa to the back of the showroom. “Is he here?”
“He was in the warehouse a few minutes ago.”
Ignoring the pounding of her heart, Helen pushed around Lisa. “I better let him know I’m alive.”
“You should do that.”
As Helen made her way around the room, Lisa called out. “I’m going to want details about your Highland hottie.”
Helen pictured Simon on his horse and wearing a kilt. Something in her expression must have shifted because Lisa whistled and winked. “That good, huh?”
“I’ve had an unforgettable two weeks.” There wasn’t a trace of lie in her statement.
Helen heard voices in the warehouse before she rounded the corner and noticed Philip standing beside two men who were setting an early Regency buffet down.
“Philip,” Helen uttered his name and waited for him to turn her way.
For a brief moment, Philip didn’t look at all surprised to see her, but his expression quickly changed to one of complete concern. “Helen?”
She lifted her arms. “Back from the dead, apparently.”
Philip strode her way and pulled her into his arms. She stiffened, never having had the man this close to her before.
The delivery guys watched the exchange.
Unable to avoid his brief hug, Helen patted his back and tried to push out of his arms. “I’m sorry I worried everyone.”
He didn’t let her go immediately and Helen’s skin started to buzz. He tightened his hold and the realization that the man holding her was stronger than she was, made her question the wisdom of coming there alone. When he let go, he kept his hands on her shoulders and squeezed.
His touch was cold, his eyes dark. “Where the hell have you been?”
“It’s complicated,” she offered.
“Ah, Mr. Lyons, where do you want the rest of this stuff?”
Philip kept one hand on her shoulder and turned toward the men. “Set everything on the east wall. I’ll have Lisa come back and finish the inventory.”
The guys nodded and went back to work.
Philip kept a hand on Helen’s shoulder and led her out of the warehouse and into his office.
He barked an order to Lisa and closed the door.
Some of the concern lifted and Philip’s eyes crawled up and down her frame. They leveled on her chest briefly before returning to her face.
“I’m sorry, Philip, I should have found a way to call.”
He leaned against his desk and waited for her to explain.
Ten minutes later, Helen had delivered her well thought out lie that sounded convincing even to her.
“I should fire you on the spot.”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”
“Did you tell Mrs. Dawson you’re back?”
Helen nodded. “I called her when I arrived.”
“What about the police? We filed a missing person’s report.”
None of what Philip was saying sparked any alarms, but the way his eyes kept a hooded stare on her made her heart leap. “I’ll have to give ‘em a call. I didn’t think everyone would be so shook up with me taking a few days off.”
“We wouldn’t have if you’d told us.”
He sounded sincere, and Helen started to feel guilty about her deception. Maybe Amber was wrong about the man, maybe he was only concerned for her well being. But then why had he been in her apartment snooping around? And why had he followed her to Scotland?
“Lisa told me you followed me to Scotland.”
Philip pushed off the desk as he spoke, his eyes leaving hers. “I thought you’d like the help. I didn’t think I’d be interrupting…”
“It wasn’t like that.”
He waved her off. “I don’t want the details.”
He closed himself off and slid into his chair. “I’m sorry.”
“Do you know the police questioned me?” A spark of anger edged with his words.
“Why you?” Now was the time to ask some questions. Maybe find out why he was at her apartment.
“I’m your boss. We were both in Scotland when you disappeared.”
His explanation was plausible.
It was time to stretch some of the truth. “I talked to one of my neighbors today, they said they saw someone who looked like you at my apartment right after I left.”
His hand hesitated as he reached for a pen on his desk. “I went to your apartment after you went missing. The
y must have seen me then.”
Helen shook her head. “That’s funny, they said a guy in a suit was there the day after I left. They must have you mixed up with someone else. But you’re the only one I know who wears a suit.”
Philip’s eyes found hers and held.
They were cold, piercing.
Helen shivered.
“It wasn’t me.”
“Okay.”
But it wasn’t okay.
“I should be going. Let the police know I’m not missing.”
Philip lifted his chin. “I’m glad you’re not dead.”
Helen’s skin started to buzz and her hand reached for the necklace. It was warm in her palm and reminded her of who waited for her at Mrs. Dawson’s home. She really should get back before someone came looking for her.
“I’m sorry.”
“You should be. I’ll have to think about your job.”
“I thought I’d be fired.”
“I should fire you. Not look back.”
Any other boss would. The fact he didn’t told her he needed her for something.
“I’ll be in touch.” His voice stopped her before she left the room. “The next time you end up missing, people aren’t going to search hard to find you.”
It was a warning. Or maybe it was a threat. “I’m sure you’re right.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Where the hell is she?”
Simon was frantic. He’d searched the house and hadn’t found Helen anywhere.
Her car was gone.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Myra said as she slowly made her way across the room. “Probably just needed some air.”
“She would have told one of us if that were true.” No, Simon had seen something in her eyes earlier that day. She’d been quieter than normal.
Amber placed a hand over his. “She wanted to confront Philip. Do you believe she’d go alone?”
Damn he hoped she wouldn’t be blind to the threat the man posed. But he knew how determined she’d been the other night. “Aye. She would.”
“Helen’s a smart girl, if she did go to him, she wouldn’t have met him alone.” Mrs. Dawson picked up her phone and started to dial.
The room grew silent while Mrs. Dawson made her call.
“Hello Lisa, dear. It’s Mrs. Dawson.”
She paused and nodded. Then smiled. “So she was there?”
Simon’s shoulders fell. At least he knew that much.
“Oh, okay. Well, can I speak with Philip, then?”
Mrs. Dawson’s lips fell, her back stiffened. “I see.”
The room felt cold.
“Okay. Be a dear and tell him I called, will you? Fine.” Mrs. Dawson hung up and set the receiver down. “Helen was there. She told Lisa the story about her fling and spoke briefly with Philip before leaving.”
“So she’s on her way back?”
Mrs. Dawson’s eyes grew wide. “She left over an hour ago.”
Liz stepped forward. “How far away is the office?”
“Thirty minutes.”
Simon reached for his broadsword, but his hand only met the denim on his hips. “Where was Philip?”
“He left shortly after Helen. Told Lisa to lock up.”
Everything went still inside of Simon’s head.
She should be back by now.
Something was wrong.
* * * *
The rural road that led to Mrs. Dawson’s home seldom had drivers; it was one of the things Helen liked most about the location of the house.
She rounded the curve and slammed on her brakes. A car sat crossways, blocking both lanes.
Her compact car came to a screaming halt, missing the front bumper of the sedan.
Adrenalin rushed through her veins, her body buzzed with unleashed anxiety. With both hands on the steering wheel, Helen gripped it hard and stared out over the hood. The seatbelt held her in place and kept her from flying through the windshield. Good, lord, leave it to her to nearly die in a simple traffic accident. She could travel through time, come against a bunch of burly men wielding swords in the forest, but meeting the number one guy because of a stalled out car was just stupid.
Helen leaned her head on the steering wheel and caught her breath.
After a few seconds, she lifted her gaze to the car in front of her and ignored the itching under her skin. She undid her seatbelt and slid from the car, wondering if someone was unconscious in the front seat of the other car. Why else would it be sitting like it was without anyone in sight?
Without thought, Helen ran to the other car. “Hey, is anyone in there?”
There wasn’t an answer.
She reached the door and peered through the glass.
The seat was empty.
Gravel slid along the pavement behind her. Before she could turn to see what caused the noise, splitting pain met the side of her head.
The world weaved in front of her eyes and the dark dash of men’s dress shoes met her field of vision as she slid to the ground.
* * * *
Maybe there was more of his brother’s blood flowing in his system then he gave credit. Philip watched the rise and fall of Helen’s chest as she breathed. He hadn’t meant to hit her so hard. He wanted her stunned, but her deep sleep that followed concerned him. Maybe he’d already caused damage enough to make her useless.
With bound wrists, and a gagged mouth, she wouldn’t be difficult to hold once she woke. If she woke.
Thanks to the lousy economy and constant evictions, he found an abandoned home not far from where he’d picked Helen up.
He’d parked his own car in a garage at a different home several blocks away.
Now all he needed was for the crazy bitch to wake up.
He needed answers.
Malcolm needed answers.
Thankfully, the bank realtor felt it necessary to keep the house water running and the electricity flowing. Philip sipped water from a plastic bottle and kept half an eye on his captive.
He knew, somewhere deep inside, that Malcolm needed this woman to survive. The fact that she’d lied straight to his face, saying she’d just arrived back in the States after a hurried liaison with a man, made something inside him boil with rage.
All women were liars.
First his mother. Now Helen.
And to think, at one time he would have considered fucking the woman.
Not now.
He hated liars more than anyone.
Philip had listened to several conversations over the past few days from Mrs. Dawson’s home. Whoever spoke in the room had entirely too much knowledge about him, about his brother. They knew he’d been in Helen’s apartment. Knew he needed something from her. But they didn’t know what.
Every one of them sounded foreign. Ignorant. They asked the most stupid questions about simple things like the television or computers. Any first grader knew what Google was.
Out of the corner of his eye, Philip noticed Helen stir.
He kept to the shadows and waited.
Helen moaned and wiggled on the carpeted floor of hallway. Philip placed her beside the back wall and shut the doors to the rooms. He kept a small light on in the bathroom, allowing only a small amount of light into the hall.
Her eyes blinked open. Her body stilled.
Philip laughed.
Helen pulled against the restraints until her back was against the wall. She searched the darkness but Philip knew she couldn’t see him.
Her breath started coming in short pants as panic set in.
He tapped the wall with his foot.
Every muscle in Helen’s body tensed. Her eyes shot in his direction. Fear rolled off her in waves that Philip could actually feel. It warmed him and sent a shot of excitement up his spine. It was sick, he knew, but he liked it.
“You should have listened to your ignorant friends and stayed away.”
Helen moaned behind the rag in her mouth.
“I’m going to remove the gag, He
len. You will not scream.” He held up the taser he had in his palm and squeezed the trigger. The snap of current and beam of light filled the dark corners of the hall.
Helen’s fear soared higher and Philip felt blood pump to his groin.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Her skin burned, sizzled, and popped. Her head throbbed. Philip ripped the gag from her mouth along with the duct tape holding it in place. The pain in her cheek wouldn’t compare to the pain of the taser. She didn’t scream and test him. His hand was far too steady, his stare entirely too comfortable.
“Why?” she choked out of her raw throat.
“I despise liars. Can put up with just about anything other than a bitch liar.”
How did he know she’d lied? And what lie was he referring to? “Please, Philip, let me go. You don’t want to do this.”
He touched the cold metal of the taser against the flesh of her cheek and ran it down her jaw.
She braced herself for the shock that didn’t come.
“I didn’t. But you didn’t leave me a choice. Now our time is running out and I need to know how this thing works.”
He tapped the taser against the stone on her necklace. It wasn’t possible for him to know the power of the stone, yet he stared at it now in morbid fascination.
“W-what are you talking about?”
“I think you know,” he said as he lifted the stone from her neck and rubbed it with his thumb. The stale garlic scent of his breath mixed with hers as he peered closer.
“I don’t.”
Philip wound his fingers around the pendant and yanked the chain. The force jerked her neck, and the metal bit into her skin. Piercing pain rippled down her back.
With her moan, Philip smiled.
Helen could feel his grip on reality starting to crack. She wasn’t sure how she knew his psyche was crumbling but it was. Every time he touched her in some sinister way his smile became more of a sneer, his eyes lost more focus.
“Please.”
“Please, please,” he mimicked. “Just tell me how it works, Helen, and I’ll be happy to let you go.” Said the spider to the fly. So she could run to the police and send his ass to jail? Not likely.
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