Save Me

by Grady, D. R.

  She was quite familiar with the long rows of black-topped work benches and gleaming apparatus. In awe, she shoved the door open and stepped into the room. One flick of a switch washed the room in light. Cabinets crammed with scales, gel electrophoresis equipment, and many other laboratory components lined the walls. Scattered on the gleaming benches were more tools of her trade.

  The rounded door in one corner protected a dark room and after hurrying to a windowed wall, she noticed a complete room for cell and tissue culture. Beside that lay another room for microbiological needs and yet another for supplies. Barely blinking, she stared at the wonderful spaces, her heart expanding.

  She took in several computer workstations and more equipment the longer she looked. Everything, while not perhaps the most up and coming, was still new enough to qualify as state of the art.

  A desk nearby that seemed especially cluttered drew her. She stepped as though in a trance to the chair and hesitantly sat down. Rows of laboratory notebooks were haphazardly stacked to one side of the desk. Julia picked up the first one and gingerly opened it. She soon became immersed in the science.

  ***

  Giselle’s phone rang and she sighed as she snatched up the receiver. She noticed her caller was Mallen.

  “What?” She asked in their native language.

  “Have you seen Julia?”

  “No, should I have?” She wondered at Mallen’s tense voice.

  “Not necessarily. I can’t seem to locate her.”

  “Have you tried the gymnasium or pool?”

  “Yes, she’s not there.”

  “How about the kitchens?”

  “I haven’t checked there yet.”

  “I’ll check them. I’m right around the corner. What’s your location?” Giselle rose from her desk and strode to the door.

  “I’m in the offices corridor.”

  “Have you checked all of the offices?”

  “Not yet, but I’m planning to.”

  “What about the laboratory? She’s a scientist, so she might have gotten sucked in. You remember how Dad became if he entered that room.” Giselle hurried through the kitchen door. She smiled at those working there, and snagged some cheese from the assistant chef who shook her head as Giselle sent her a cheeky grin.

  “I’m heading there now.”

  “Kitchens are clear. She’s not here.” Wondering if she could make another pass to grab more cheese, Giselle decided she better continue her search instead.

  Her brother muttered something she didn’t catch.

  “Easy, Mallen. We’ll find her. Remember Sebastian is with her.”

  “Yes, but he may give her a false sense of security.”

  “True, but she is smart and perfectly capable of taking care of herself.”

  “I’d feel better knowing where she is.”

  Mallen’s worry broadcasted very clearly to Giselle so she remained silent. She didn’t want to give him a false sense of hope but she couldn’t help but think Julia was safe somewhere in the palace. Giselle never argued with her woman’s intuition. It hadn’t failed her yet.

  ***

  Mallen paced up the offices corridor, anxiety forming a tight knot in his stomach. He approached the lab and breathed a little easier when he saw light seeping beneath the door. He sent up a silent prayer that he’d find Julia on the other side before pushing the door open.

  A silent, dark haired figure hunched over a lab notebook at Bruce Regin’s old desk. He leaned momentarily against the doorjamb in relief before he padded across the room. He breathed in her scent, thankful to find her safe, if in another world. That completely involved, intense concentration was familiar. Mallen cleared his throat.

  Her brow wrinkled, but she continued to read, her eyes scanning the page at rapid speed. His lips curled up as he watched her, his eyes caressing her face. He shifted closer and settled a hand on her shoulder.

  She started, her eyes widening, her mouth forming an “o”. Mallen watched with interest as the concentration haze drained from her gray eyes and she reentered reality. Julia cocked her head at him while her brow wrinkled.

  “What time is it?” Her voice sounded husky.

  “Lunchtime,” he replied. “We missed you.”

  “Missed me?” Her blank look made him smile again.

  “I went to your office looking for you and you weren’t there so I started a manhunt for you.”

  “Why?” The furrow between her brows increased. He hoped he could explain the danger she was in, even within the palace, without frightening her too much.

  With a sigh, he hitched a hip onto the desk. He couldn’t resist running a hand down her face.

  “You are in danger, Julia. I have every intention of keeping you safe. You are as safe as you can be here, with us,” he broke off and ran a distracted hand over his own cheek. “However, you still must be on guard. Chalmers is evil. He wants you, because you thwarted him.”

  “I don’t understand. Why should he care about me any longer?”

  “Chalmers doesn’t care why you’re not with him. He feels you’re his personal property. The fact you’re not his any longer means, in his sick mind, that you must be punished.”

  “How do you know he’s after me?”

  Mallen sighed, and then looked her in the eyes.

  “The day we took you from your home, George killed a man. Now he’s killed his mother.” Mallen tensed as her hand flew to her mouth and he heard the jerky breath she unsteadily drew in. He thought he should continue, while she was still numb.

  “On the telephone stand in his home, her picture had a red X over the surface.”

  She swallowed. “So the police suspected he intended to kill her?”

  “Yes.” He gave her time to process the information before offering the rest.

  Julia asked another question before he could organize his thoughts. “The police think I’m in danger because George killed his mother?”

  “Yes.”

  “But he’s back in prison and probably won’t get out, right?” She shoved a hand through her curls and dislodged the tresses.

  He shook his head as he smoothed them. “I wish that were the case, mon ami, but Chalmers has disappeared again.”

  “So I’m still in danger?”

  He hated the fear in her voice. “Yes, you’re still in danger,” Mallen reiterated, but he took her hand in his, hoping to calm her, help her, offer her some strength.

  “Why do the police think I’m in danger?” she finally whispered.

  Mallen hesitated. “They found your picture under his mother’s. Your face had a big red X over it too.”

  Chapter 8

  The euphoria passed and George enjoyed staring at the mangled remains of his mother. He wished he could be sorry for what he’d done, but he had so enjoyed it. The woman hadn’t loved him the way she should have, never had, so his deed today was not ridden with guilt or remorse. He’d do it again. Gladly.

  Power surged through him and he wished he could kill her all over again. He viewed his mother’s twisted corpse and wanted more. But he wanted a living victim again. The dead ones were no fun.

  His first victim, a man, hadn’t been as fun as his mother had just been. George decided he preferred women, ones who should love him. That meant...

  Julia McNeal, slut extraordinaire, and the next woman worthy of death. George smiled. He rubbed his hands together in glee. Yes, he’d enjoy killing her, too. He longed to hear her scream. Just as his mother had.

  ***

  Julia’s head dropped onto her arms as she struggled to compose herself. Fear clenched her insides so tightly she feared she might vomit. A frantic swallow cleared the rising bile that left a terrible taste in her mouth. Her life’s choices had left her in utter turmoil and she didn’t have the first idea how to stop the tailspin.

  His hand smoothed up her spine and then down again in an age-old comforting gesture. She didn’t know whether she could be comforted or not. She swallowed agai
n and lifted her head.

  “I feel like I’m spinning out of control. I don’t know who I am or what to do or who to turn to. I feel like I’ve lost everything.” Julia shuddered and contemplated dropping her head back onto her arms when a gentle hand curved under her elbow and tugged. She could have resisted, He gave her the option, but she wanted his comfort and allowed him to lift her.

  He folded her into his arms. The strength emanating from him was a temptation she couldn’t resist. Instead she savored the sense of security that washed over her. It was real and true and a balm. She inhaled his masculine scent and shared his warmth and that helped too.

  They stood quietly for several long moments, and slowly, her arms wrapped around her protector so she could hold him. He murmured something encouraging and tugged her closer. The reassurance that she could offer something in return was a further comfort.

  When Mallen’s voice finally broke the silence, she didn’t mind. “You are Dr. Julia Helene McNeal. You can and should go about your normal activities here in the palace. I will help you, Julia McNeal, in any way I can.” Julia’s heart swelled as her eyes dampened.

  That easily he halted her downward spiral, lifted her back up, and righted her world again. She reflected on the importance of friends, but she was afraid Mallen Saltaire had moved into a far more dominant position in her life. Did she want to risk her heart again? She didn’t know if she could, much less whether she dared.

  Did she want him to be more than a friend?

  What was the cost? Could she afford the price?

  Falling in love with him would be so easy. She took a deep breath.

  What if he only wanted to help her, but wasn’t interested in more?

  What if she was only using him as rebound material? A new lump formed in her stomach. She couldn’t bear the thought of hurting him.

  Julia broke their embrace and swiped at her tears with a shaking hand. She sent Mallen a watery smile. “Thank you. That seems so... paltry compared to what you’ve done for me.”

  He returned her smile and reached out a finger to curve beneath her jaw. “You are most welcome. We help our friends because we love them, not because we expect or want payment of any type.”

  She sniffed and wiped at her eyes again. “You’re wonderful, do you know that?”

  “Perhaps you should verify that with Giselle and my mother.” His lips curled into a mischievous grin reminiscent of his mother.

  Julia gurgled at his droll response. He effectively broke the tension in the room without removing their rapport. She wondered how she could have thought he could ever be interested in her.

  Afraid of her new train of thought, she changed the subject. “Whose lab is this?”

  “My mother told you about losing my father?” Julia noticed he’d gone pale. She stepped closer out of instinct and tentatively placed a hand on his arm. He acknowledged her action by placing his own hand over hers. Sorrow replaced the mischief.

  “I understand your spinning-out-of-control feelings. When we lost my father...” He breathed in a ragged breath before continuing. “I thought I’d never be happy again. I was locked in a room where I could see out, but I couldn’t get out.”

  She tightened her hand on his arm.

  “Mom and Giselle were both having trouble, too, but when you’re sucked into that world of despair, you don’t see anything but what’s inside you.” Mallen fell silent.

  “So what happened?”

  “Our doctor noticed my weight loss, and lack of concentration. Those along with my surly attitude and a severe inability to make decisions made his diagnosis fairly simple. He prescribed an antidepressant.” Mallen shrugged one massive shoulder. “It saved me.”

  “Antidepressants get bad raps, because people don’t want to admit they’re depressed, but in trauma like yours it’s common. It would have been more unusual if you hadn’t experienced depression than that you have.”

  “It’s common?” Mallen’s voice held surprise.

  “Yes. Especially for someone like you.”

  “Like me?”

  “Heroes always get depressed when they lose someone they love, and you lost your father, and Celeste too. However, you’ve forgotten something.” She hoped that distracted him from her calling him a hero.

  “What?”

  “Of all your father’s children you’re the one most like him. So you carry him with you wherever you go. He’ll never truly be gone.”

  Mallen nodded slowly, and then tugged her back into his arms. “You’re wonderful, do you know that?” He used her exact phrasing.

  Julia chuckled. “We can be each other’s number one fan, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  They stayed in each other’s arms, extending the moment. When Julia’s stomach rumbled, to be answered by his, they finally broke apart and headed for the door. By mutual consent, their hands clasped.

  “So, whose lab is this?”

  “When my dad’s plane crashed, he and the pilot and Sandovia’s top researcher were lost with him. The researchers name was Bruce Regin. Uncle Bruce to us. This was his lab.”

  “From what I gathered from his notebooks, he was a skilled scientist.”

  “Yes. He and Dad spent hours in here.”

  “His research, was it on Parkinson’s disease?”

  His eyebrows soared. “You picked that up in the short amount of time you spent reading?”

  “I did, but only because my current research relates directly to Parkinson’s.”

  “You have experience with the disease?” She didn’t miss the hope in Mallen’s voice.

  She answered truthfully. “As much experience as any other scientist has.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “There is so much we don’t know. We know some of the symptoms and what causes them, but we have no cure...” Julia trailed off, helpless, an emotion so many researchers were intimate with. Yet they got up the next day and fought again anyway.

  “My country,” Mallen broke off to swallow before continuing. She noticed he had to swallow again. His hand clasped hers a little tighter. “My country has a very high percentage of an illness like Parkinson’s disease. Many of my people have been affected. Everyone in this country either has the disease or knows someone who does.”

  He shook his head. “Uncle Bruce and Dad struggled to find answers. They were actually flying to a Parkinson’s conference when their plane went down.”

  “I’ve referenced Dr. Regin’s work in my current paper.” Her mind turned over the reference material.

  “Some might say he was obsessed, but if so, one would need to say the same for my father.”

  “Tis the way of the research scientist.” She smiled. “That’s how we’re made.”

  They reached the dining room and greeted Giselle and Lila.

  “Thanks you for calling me when you find Julia,” Giselle heckled Mallen the moment he stepped into the room.

  He looked exceedingly guilty. “I forgot, Gissy.”

  “You not call me, but I know you find her.”

  One of his eyebrows shot up. “How did you know this?”

  “Woman intuitions, silly.” Her smile was smug.

  “I see.”

  Julia suspected he didn’t. She winked at Giselle who returned the gesture.

  “If whatever you children are discussing is finished, I’m wondering if we could have lunch?” Lila asked patiently. Julia observed that mothers tended to possess the deepest wells of patience in any given population.

  They took their seats and Mallen beamed at his mother. “Certainly, Mom.”

  Lila smiled at Mallen before patting his arm. “Sons are wonderful.”

  Giselle snorted. “Yes, so too brothers.”

  “Exactly,” Julia agreed, “especially when they put bugs in your bed, hang you upside down above the toilet, or push you off the hay mow. Brothers are great.” She moved to the side as a bowl of wonderful smelling soup was placed in front of her.

&
nbsp; “You have brothers also.” Giselle smirked at hers.

  He pointed his soup spoon at her. “I never pushed you out of the hay mow.”

  “No sweetling, it was the straw mow, right Gissy?”

  Julia choked.

  Mallen helpfully tapped her on the back while Giselle nodded vigorously.

  “Definitely the straw mow. I not allowed in the hay mow.” She stuck her tongue out at Mallen who flicked her nose.

  “Your brothers hung you over the toilet, love?” Lila made eating soup look elegant.

  “All the time.”

  “That wasn’t because you’d just led them into trouble by any chance?” Mallen questioned with a knowing look.

  Julia laughed. She also reddened. “Okay, I may have deserved a few of those “hangings”, but not all of them.” Her empty soup bowl was removed.

  “You are baby, are you not? How you manage to put all your older siblings into trouble?”

  “She’s a scientist, so she’s naturally curious, but she’s also a researcher, so she has to be creative. Curiosity and creativity are sure bets for trouble.” Lila sent her a knowing look.

  She resisted the urge to squirm in her seat. “Speaks the voice of knowledge,” Julia intoned which set off a round of laughter. She watched as a scrumptious looking salad was placed in front of her next.

  “See, she’s trying to get us into trouble,” Mallen pointed out, and she kicked him under the table. He grinned unrepentantly at her.

  “Well, your mom was married to a researcher, so she’d know. We do have to give her credit.” Julia sent him a mock glare.

  “Yes, you do.” Lila dipped some lettuce into a little pot beside her plate. Ah, that must be the dressing.

  “We do tend to get sucked into our work.” She forked up some of her salad and tried the contents of the little pot. Mingled flavors of oil, vinegar, and spices burst onto her tongue.

  “Absolutely,” came Lila’s heartfelt agreement, which caused another round of laughter.