‘I’m glad. I can’t wait to see the three of you.’
‘I’m baking brownies.’
‘Oh, my favorite! You sweetheart!’
‘Cara, Grace and I love them, too. You can’t have all of them,’ Audrey laughed, then paused. ‘Good luck, Nessa. I hope Roxanne is …’ Audrey’s voice wavered. ‘I hope she’s the Roxy we all remember.’
Vanessa pulled into the Everly Cliffs Hospital parking lot, chose a spot close to the building, then sat rigid, gripping the steering wheel. Her gaze drifted up to the silky, thin white cirrus clouds stretching against the periwinkle sky. A lemon-yellow sun shone and a golden-crowned sparrow soared past her windshield. Nothing bad could happen on such a perfect day, she told herself. She knew that in the midst of all this beauty, she could not walk into the hospital and find the woman who had appeared last night had no resemblance to her sister because the real Roxanne had died eight years ago when Vanessa had taken her to a beach at night …
Except that it could happen. It could. It might.
Vanessa pressed down the thought and walked toward the hospital. She entered the lobby and went to the desk. ‘I’m Vanessa Everly,’ she said to a girl who couldn’t have been more than twenty-one. ‘I need the room number of my sister Roxanne Everly.’
‘Oh!’ The girl’s eyes widened. ‘I’m sorry. We’re not supposed to give out her room number.’
‘But I’m her sister.’
‘That’s the rule. I was told not to give anyone her room number.’
‘Never mind. I’ll take her to Miss Everly’s room.’
Vanessa hesitated a couple of seconds before looking up at Christian Montgomery. She’d never seen him in the white coat of a doctor. Other than that, he looked remarkably the same as he had almost eight years ago – the same shining, medium-brown hair, the same long-lashed hazel eyes, the same perfect, straight-bridged nose and slightly full, tender lips that had always made her want to kiss him and still did. She hadn’t prepared herself to see him and was embarrassed by how vulnerable she felt and the wave of yearning for him that rushed through her. She blushed as if he could read her mind. ‘Hello, Christian,’ she managed crisply. ‘Were you waiting for me?’
‘Audrey called and told me you’d be here around two thirty. We were afraid that in spite of all our precautions, word might get out that Roxanne is here so everyone has orders not to give out her room number to anyone.’
‘I understand. I appreciate it.’
His smile was slow and kind. ‘I’ll walk you to her room.’
Vanessa started to protest, then decided she didn’t want to walk into Roxanne’s room alone. She needed moral support, even if it came from Christian Montgomery. ‘Is she better today?’
‘As well as can be expected.’ At six foot one, Christian had an imposing presence and as they walked down the hall, Vanessa noticed he still moved with the easy grace he’d had at twenty. ‘It’s only been a few hours. She doesn’t have any broken bones, but she’s malnourished and battered, Vanessa. Don’t expect her to look like she did the last time you saw her.’
‘I don’t!’ Vanessa snapped.
He merely raised his eyebrows.
‘I’m sorry, Christian. I’m edgy,’ Vanessa apologized.
‘I understand. Here we are.’
A policeman sat on a chair outside the doorway. Vanessa turned to Christian.
‘Sheriff Baylor ordered protection. It’s only a precaution,’ he reassured her.
‘Hello, ma’am,’ the officer said.
She nodded, suddenly unable to speak, and paused in the doorway of the hospital room. She felt frozen, numb. She wanted to run away and run inside at the same time.
‘Vanessa?’ Christian asked.
‘I’m fine.’ She summoned every ounce of her strength and stepped into the room. It was dim and she had to take another step inside before her eyes adjusted. She blinked twice then focused on the white sheet drawn up to a pale face and a mass of wavy blonde hair on a pillow.
Slowly the woman sat up and held out her skinny arms. ‘Vanessa!’ she croaked in a thin, raspy voice. ‘Oh, Nessa, how much I’ve missed you!’
THREE
‘Roxanne.’ Vanessa suddenly realized that until this moment, she hadn’t been certain the woman in the hospital really was her sister. ‘It is you!’
‘Yes, it’s me! Please come here,’ she nearly gasped, then began coughing.
‘She has bronchitis,’ Christian said.
‘You’re afraid of catching it,’ Roxanne said between coughs.
‘No. No, of course I’m not.’ Vanessa rushed to the bed and clasped the frail woman in her arms, holding her closely. When she pulled back, she looked into blue eyes. ‘Sapphire-blue eyes like Mom’s.’
‘At least my eyes haven’t changed.’
‘Roxanne.’ Vanessa felt tears begin to pour down her face. ‘Oh my God, Roxanne, I never thought I’d see you again.’
‘You gave up hope.’
Vanessa looked into those unmistakable eyes. ‘Yes, Roxy, I did. Mom and Dad didn’t, but I did. I’m sorry.’
‘It’s all right.’ Roxanne hugged her again. ‘I know Dad’s dead. Christian told me this morning. It’s my fault, isn’t it?’
‘No! He was drinking too much even before you … disappeared.’
‘No, he wasn’t. At least I don’t think so. He must have started drinking a lot after I was kidnapped. And Mommy …’
‘She always depended on pills and liquor and then after Dad died, she fell apart. But she’s alive and getting excellent care.’
‘I feel so guilty.’
‘You feel guilty?’ Vanessa was incredulous. ‘Sweetheart, there was nothing you could do. You weren’t responsible for Mom’s and Dad’s actions. You certainly aren’t responsible for being kidnapped. You’ve been through so much. Not that I know the exact circumstances of the last few years, but I can imagine … I mean, it must have been bad …’ Vanessa ran out of delicate words and asked bluntly, ‘Who took you that night on the beach?’
Roxanne shook her head. ‘I don’t know. I didn’t know anything for a while.’
‘Have you been with him all this time?’
‘I’ve been a prisoner, Vanessa.’ Her face crumpled. ‘It was so awful – mostly sexual. I just endured it. I never saw a face.’
‘Never?’
‘I was blindfolded and usually drugged. When I was able to see a little bit, whoever was well, with me, wore a hood. It didn’t always feel or smell like the same person.’
‘There was more than one?’
‘I’m fairly sure, but only one talked.’
‘And you didn’t recognize the voice?’
‘No. It wasn’t a natural voice – more like a growl.’
‘Where were you kept?’
‘I think there were three or four places but I don’t know where they were except for the last place – Portland. I was there a long time. In a room …’ She closed her eyes tightly and tossed her head. ‘Oh, the smell and the music!’
‘What kind of smell? What music?’ Vanessa asked.
‘I don’t want to think about it now. I can’t!’
‘OK, honey. It’s all right. But you’re sure you’ve been in Portland for a while?’
Roxanne nodded. ‘I didn’t know where I was for months. Then I was alone. No one came for days.’ She started coughing. ‘I was starving and I felt sick. I knew I was going to die. I was tied up but I kept struggling until I got loose. I was in a basement. I crawled up the stairs and saw that I was in an old house. I found a pair of men’s shoes by the front door and put them on, then I slipped out the front door as quietly as I could in case someone was upstairs. Outside I ran for what seemed like forever.
‘Then I couldn’t run anymore. I was dragging along beside the road and a woman stopped and offered me a ride. I would never have gotten in the car with a man. She asked a lot of questions but I kept dodging. I hardly remember what I said. Finally I saw signs saying Portland …’ More
coughing.
‘I didn’t know what to do. I thought about the police but I was afraid …’ Roxanne started to cry. ‘They’d ask a million questions and waste time and someone might come for me – one of them—’ Coughing. Sobbing. ‘I asked the woman to let me out. She didn’t want to, but I got loud. After I left her car, I walked and walked and finally saw the bus terminal. I went in but I didn’t have any money. I went around begging.’ She held out her right hand with its ragged, broken nails. ‘The fare was less than twenty dollars. A nice old man gave me more money than anyone else. I got on the bus and slept most of the way. I walked home from the Everly bus terminal. I didn’t want a ride. Even a taxi. Someone might take me to the police.’ She started to shake violently. ‘I had to get home. Home … home …’
‘I think that’s enough for now.’ Christian gently disentangled Roxanne’s arms from Vanessa’s. ‘You need some rest, Roxanne. The nurse will give you a mild tranquilizer—’
‘No! No!’ She wrenched and screeched, ‘I’ve had what was called a tranquilizer!’ Her cough-roughened voice deepened to imitate someone else’s making an eerie, syrupy request. ‘“This tranquilizer will make you feel better, sweetheart. So much better. Let me put the strap around your arm. Make a nice big vein for me. That’s right. That’s my dear girl. Now doesn’t that feel good?”’
Vanessa felt as if something shriveled in horror inside her. She and Christian exchanged glances. He didn’t look too steady, either, but he said soothingly, ‘I’m Christian Montgomery. You’ve known me since you were a little girl, Roxy. Don’t you trust me?’
She looked beyond him, frowning, then muttered, ‘Maybe.’
‘And this is your big sister Nessa. Certainly you trust her.’
She nodded. ‘I love her.’
‘Then you know that neither of us would do anything to hurt you. You’re very tired, Roxanne, and you have bronchitis. You’ve strained your voice so much you can hardly talk. I swear that what the nurse will give you is just a mild tranquilizer. It might not even make you sleep. It will calm you and you can rest for a couple of hours. All right?’
Roxanne collapsed against her pillow, pressed her chapped, bitten lips together and nodded.
‘Good,’ Christian continued. ‘You’ll talk to Vanessa again later, won’t she, Vanessa?’
‘Oh yes.’ She leaned down and kissed Roxanne’s sweating, scratched forehead. ‘I promise.’
‘OK,’ Roxanne croaked wearily. ‘OK. Whatever.’
Vanessa and Christian waited until a nurse came in and began talking to Roxanne in a calm, soft voice. Roxanne didn’t answer but she didn’t struggle, either. The woman was chatting about her grandchildren when Vanessa and Christian slipped out of the room and closed the door. The policeman was still in place, casually looking at a vacation magazine of Tahiti.
As they walked away from the room, Vanessa had trouble catching her breath. ‘Are you all right?’ Christian asked.
‘I don’t know what I expected but not that.’
‘It was rough. You probably thought you were only going to identify her. You didn’t factor in the emotional side of it.’
‘I did. A little bit. Not nearly enough.’ Vanessa suddenly went ice cold and dizziness washed over her. ‘Oh, Chris, I feel like I’m going to fall down.’
He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. She felt an unexpected urge to hug him, to hold him close like she used to do. Then she remembered. They weren’t a couple any more. She stiffened and took a small step away from him.
‘I’m OK now,’ she said abruptly.
Christian seemed not to notice her body language. ‘Let’s go to the cafeteria and get some coffee,’ he said.
‘No more coffee for me. I’ve had about a gallon today.’
‘You need to drink something and have a bite to eat. You’re almost as pale as Roxanne. You can’t drive home this way.’
Ten minutes later they scooted into a booth at the far end of the small, bland green-and-white room. ‘At least we didn’t hit rush hour in this gourmet restaurant,’ Christian said.
Vanessa raised her glass of milk with a shaky hand and took a sip. She looked at a piece of dry banana bread. ‘The few people here are staring at us, though.’
Christian shrugged. ‘You’re a big television star. You must be used to it.’
‘I’m not a big star—’
‘You are. You’re famous.’
‘Maybe, but I’m not used to being noticed. And now I feel like the stares are more because I’m Roxanne’s sister than an actress in Kingdom of Corinna.’
‘By the way, I like the show.’
‘You watch it? I’m surprised.’ Vanessa stared at him, noting the little mole beside his right eye and the small scar on the left side of his jaw he’d gotten during an adolescent brawl when a boy had called her a ‘snotty bitch’.
‘Is something wrong?’ he asked.
Vanessa quickly lowered her gaze and sipped her milk. ‘Please tell me more about Roxy’s physical condition.’
‘We’re still doing tests.’ Christian took a drink of his coffee and made a face. ‘Ugh. It’s even worse this time of day. She has vaginal tearing, which doesn’t seem to have happened in the last few days. She has a tubal blockage from a pelvic inflammatory disease that was left untreated for too long. She suffered a broken left wrist perhaps a couple of years ago and there is some scarring around her wrists and ankles. Second, she’s negative for drugs and alcohol. I told you she hasn’t shot up – or he hasn’t shot her up lately. No HIV. She has a case of bronchitis. Then there’s the cut above her eye. She doesn’t remember how she got it. The plastic surgeon looked at it and said it won’t leave much of a scar. She’s malnourished and dehydrated. She needs fluids, vitamins, and antibiotics, which she’s getting intravenously …’ He looked down at his small piece of soggy apple pie.
‘And?’
‘Roxanne’s had an abortion.’
Vanessa closed her eyes. ‘Oh, no.’
‘Yes. There’s quite a bit of scarring probably dating from four or five years ago.’
‘How awful for her.’
‘Would you rather she had that monster’s child?’
‘That monster?’ Vanessa said flatly. ‘She said she’s not certain she’s always been with the same man. It could have been the spawn of any one of several monsters.’
‘Spawn?’
‘She was kidnapped and drugged and raped. I can’t think of it as a baby.’
‘All right. I understand how you feel but we don’t know how she felt about it.’
‘You think she wanted it?’ Vanessa demanded hotly.
‘I don’t know what she thought or how she felt. How could I?’
‘Oh, stop being so dispassionate,’ Vanessa snapped. ‘It’s not in your nature. It never was.’
‘You haven’t even spoken to me for nearly eight years. Maybe I’ve changed.’
Vanessa said nothing.
‘I promised Roxanne that you’d see her later today,’ Christian said. ‘I was trying to calm her, but I think she’s had enough for one day. She needs to rest, not to be agitated before bedtime. Can you wait until tomorrow to see her again?’
Vanessa hesitated. ‘You really think it’s best for her?’
‘Yes.’
‘All right. You seem extremely caring for her.’
Christian looked surprised. ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’
She leaned forward slightly and said quietly, ‘Because of Brody.’
Christian drew back, his hazel eyes narrowing. She had forgotten how one minute those beautiful eyes could twinkle with humor and the next sharpen until you felt pinned to the wall. ‘Are you going to start this now, Vanessa?’
‘When it comes to my little sister who’s been abused for years, you’re damned right I will!’
They stared at each other and Vanessa felt them both gathering for a fight. Instead, Christian glanced around at the few people in the cafeteria, most o
f whom were looking at them. He paused and finally said, ‘My brother is working.’
‘Where? Here?’
Christian’s gaze hardened as if expecting her reaction. ‘Portland.’
‘What a coincidence.’
‘Don’t be sarcastic, Vanessa. I’m not in the mood.’
Vanessa started to say something else but his steely look silenced her.
‘Brody never went back to school. He was always really interested in computers and he’s become a software developer. He and a friend he met here in Everly Cliffs years ago have a company named Blackbird.’
‘Blackbird?’
‘The name comes from the Beatles song. A lot of software companies have unusual names. Anyway, he’s been very successful, both in business and in staying on his medication. I couldn’t be more proud of him. Dad and Mom would be, too.’
‘Who’s his business partner?’ Vanessa asked, taking a last gulp of her milk.
‘Zane Felder. Zane’s parents used to spend their summers in Everly Cliffs. Brody and Zane met then. They formed Blackbird four years ago and it’s grown by leaps and bounds. They have a fine reputation.’
Vanessa could see that Christian was doing all he could to hold on to his temper. And no wonder, she thought. She’d immediately brought up a sensitive subject they’d agreed to lay to rest years ago along with their relationship. ‘I’m sorry, Christian. I was out of line.’
He paused as if thinking. Then she could see him calming down. ‘You’ve had an incredible shock.’
‘That’s no excuse,’ she said sincerely. ‘I am sorry.’
He smiled slightly, his hazel eyes tilting the way she’d always thought so charming. ‘Apology accepted. Now, are we finished or do you want another piece of that delicious banana bread?’
‘Oh, gosh darn, I’m afraid I’ll have to skip another piece. Audrey has fresh brownies waiting at home.’
They left the cafeteria and walked to the lobby. ‘Thanks for taking care of me, Christian. I don’t think I could have faced seeing Roxanne without you.’
‘I would never have sent you in her room alone.’ He looked at her earnestly. ‘I know she looked bad, Nessa, but she’s been here less than twelve hours. Give her a couple of days. I promise she’ll improve.’
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