WindSwept Narrows: #23 Molly & Natasha

by Diroll-Nichols, Karen

  “You think a business is driving this?”

  “It’s all driven by profit, Cass. Without profit, why bother? The risk would be very high, that’s why this isn’t making sense. Molly isn’t a kid anymore. They wouldn’t be able to convince her it’s all part of her academic schooling like they did before.”

  “Can I get the names of her parents? Her birth parents and the ones in San Francisco,” Cassidy waited while Tanner printed out names for her. “I don’t know how to fix this. How to keep people safe from something like this.”

  “I’m thinking exposure and attorneys,” Vianne said with a satisfied nod. “I’ve got connections in education I can tap. If I find out anything, I’ll let you know, Cass.”

  “Thanks. Both of you,” she walked to the arched doorway and faced them again. “Do you think she’ll try and run?”

  “To protect her friends?” Tanner arched a brow and remained quiet. His answer in that silence.

  “Yeah…that’s what I thought, too,” Cassidy nodded and told them goodbye, wandering back along the corridors to her office. She called up one of her traffic officers and gave him an order. She could tell he was a little confused, but he was good and would do what she said without question.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Cassidy knew Faith never saw her coming. She was sitting in the back of the cafeteria reading through what looked like a programming manual. One leg was bent and resting on another chair. So when she came in from the side and quickly grabbed the blonde ponytail and lifted, she knew she had Faith’s undivided attention. And she was really glad they were all good friends.

  “We need to talk, blondie.”

  “Ow! Ow, ow, ow! You lost, elf! Get over it!” Faith growled back, abruptly straightened in the chair, the heavy book snapped closed and wide eyes flashing at Cassidy.

  “You cheat, but that’s another story,” Cassidy released her ponytail, and leaned in to admire the ties. “Where’d you find the bands?”

  “Emily found them in the shop across the street from her. It’s run by some girls from Vietnam and I think they make them and sell them in the hair shop,” Faith rubbed at her head and scowled. “What’s wrong? This isn’t your normally chipper self.”

  “Molly Fielding,” Cassidy said simply. She sighed when a mask fell over Faith’s expression. Anyone who didn’t know her would think she had no clue what the topic was about. Problem was, Cassidy did know her. “I just finished talking to Tanner. I feel like the lead pencil being used in a connect the dots game, Faith.”

  “What happened?” Faith put both feet on the floor and turned her chair to the table, her chin resting in the upturned palms. She watched the short video play on Cassidy’s iPad, her head shaking at the end. “They shouldn’t have been able to find her. Not by her name. Someone has to have seen her…made a guess at who she was. She’s not a kid anymore. I did that identity adjustment a long time ago for her. It was one of my first and finest, if I do say so myself.”

  “Damn it. She was featured in the news story when she was hired,” Cassidy said with a groan, Faith’s words setting off a set of clinking pieces in the puzzle. “Her and Tre and a couple of the new specialists for the health center. Damn it. She never said anything.”

  “It’s been twenty years plus, Cass,” Faith exhaled thickly. “How much crap from then do we shove into boxes in our heads and don’t think about. Until something like this happens? Jeeze…she was so excited about the job and the center and she’s so good at her job. How’s she doing?”

  “Not so good. I had Mick put a boot on her car and I’m thinking that’ll get a reaction. She’s supposed to come talk to me at three-thirty,” Cassidy crossed her arms on the table and put her head down. “I can’t shoot them. Logan would get upset at the publicity.”

  “Your husband might be a little disturbed, too,” suggested the masculine voice near her ear seconds before he kissed her. “What’s up, ladies?”

  “I found the connection,” Cassidy answered without moving.

  “It’s Molly,” Faith said when Mac looked around quizzically at her.

  “The think tanks,” Mac said with a long breath. He pulled out a chair and sat down, his head back for a long quiet moment. “Most of us knew about the schools, but we didn’t have the type of parents that were interested in dumping us in exchange for money.”

  “They actually paid the parents?” Cassidy looked up and stared at Mac.

  “Babe, you’re so sweet and innocent,” he teased with a grin at the face she made at him.

  “I’m not naïve but…” She shook her head and glanced at the face of her watch. “I’ve got to go meet with Molly. Hopefully.”

  “Did they ever approach you?” Faith asked, looking at Mac curiously.

  “All the time. First time I remember I was about seven,” he took the iPad and called up what Cassidy had cued. “I never met them. My folks are probably like the rest. They didn’t get me or why my brain was always on, but they didn’t want me off out of their sight and influence.”

  “I didn’t find out about them until I was almost eleven. I met Molly and a few others then. Something on the news triggered it and Mom told me about this school that kept trying to snag me. But she was really intuitive and said she thought something was crooked about them,” she smiled over at Cassidy. “I saw her with a new guy. Is she alright?”

  “No…and neither is the new guy.” Cassidy straightened up and rotated her head slowly. “But…I think I’ll invite him to the meeting,” she pulled her phone from the pocket of her light jacket before standing up and bending over to kiss Mac. “See you later. Thanks, Faith.”

  ****

  Molly was furious. No, she thought, beyond furious.

  She stormed through the underground after kicking at her tire and the metal device now locked into place around it, preventing her from taking off in her car. The rational side of her knew it was for her own good; the irrational side of her wanted to stand in the middle of the beach and scream. A lot.

  Why were they looking for her now? After all this time it made no sense at all. They had to know she wasn’t about to help them with anything.

  Somehow she managed to drag in some deep breaths before she hit the door to the large security department.

  “I’m here for an appointment with Cassidy at three-thirty,” she managed to grumble in an even but somewhat cool voice. She squeezed her lashes tight, almost apologizing. Almost.

  “She’s expecting you,” Melanie gestured to the partially open door. “Can I get you some coffee or water?”

  “I…no…no, thank you,” Molly shook her head and went straight to the door, her palm slapping it with a resurgence of her anger. “You wheel locked my car!”

  The declaration came out the instant she caught sight of Cassidy frowning into the large monitor on her desk. She tilted her head to the side, the high perched silver ponytail barely moving when she raised one hand and held up a finger.

  A growl rumbled in Molly’s throat. “Cassidy!” She stopped inside the large office, hands on hips. “I want my car released now. I haven’t done anything to deserve this.”

  “You were planning to run,” Cassidy said simply, her lips pulled into a taut, thoughtful pucker. “True?”

  “My life is my life. My choices are mine,” Molly returned vehemently. “Send someone to unlock my car.” She pulled in a deep breath. “Please.”

  “Why won’t you let me help?”

  “I don’t need help. I am fine. I can handle my life,” Molly repeated the phrases she’d been using all her life.

  “That isn’t what your parents taught you,” Cassidy said thoughtfully, calmly. “I spoke with them. They’re worried about you.”

  Molly felt her knees shaking at the same time she shook her head. “No. No!” She whispered, her mouth closed and breaths came in hard puffs. “You had no right to contact them! No right involving them…”

  “And you have no right denying people who care about you the cho
ice to be there for you. Do you realize how much it hurts to be shoved outside, Molly?” The low, male voice ripped straight to her heart.

  Molly spun at the same time the door was pushed closed behind her. Her gaze shot to the clean shaven man dressed in a very well made, very tailored suit, his hands making him look casual where they rested in the pockets of his slacks. The sides of his suit jacket were pushed back out of his way. He took a step to the side, blocking the only exit in the room.

  “Why are you doing this?” Molly demanded, glaring at Cassidy. “This isn’t the business of the resort. It doesn’t involve any of you.”

  “You have got to be the most stubborn, hard headed woman I’ve ever met,” Jonathon took two steps and gripped her shoulders, spinning her to face him. He lifted until her toes barely touched the ground. “Will you please sit down and talk to Cassidy? Talk to me, Molly.”

  “Let me go,” she said simply, pulling the emotionless expression into play that she’d used for most of her childhood. She stared for a long minute into his eyes. The grey edged with a brighter, clearer silver that held her attention. “I want my car released.”

  “Let her go, Jon,” Cassidy pushed away from the computer, turning in her chair and studying Molly. “We might be able to help, Molly. Running doesn’t solve anything.”

  “It’s my choice until I figure out an answer,” she replied flatly. “I have that right.”

  “And what about me?” Jonathon somehow managed to release her, stuffing his fists into the pockets on his slacks again. “What about us? Is it that simple for you to walk away, Molly? To run away from something we’re just exploring?”

  “Are you going to release my car?”

  “No,” Cassidy said with a simple shrug. “I don’t think you’re in any condition to be behind the wheel of a vehicle. I think whatever these guys want, it’s upset you. I think, if you give us a chance, we can protect you here, without making it seem like a cage. I’m also arrogant enough to believe if you give us information, we can find a way to make them leave you alone.”

  “I have to stop them. I have to stop the school. I thought I did,” Molly looked down at the floor. “You’ll release me now. There are things on my application that aren’t quite accurate.”

  “I know. I’ve already talked to Logan and Donovan about it. The circumstances behind the inaccuracies make them acceptable. You’re a good physician and the patients and staff like you, Molly. Logan, Cade and Donovan have already had a long talk with your adoptive parents. Stay and give us a chance to help,” Cassidy continued watching her, remaining in her seat behind her desk, her hands folded over her lap.

  “You shouldn’t have involved them,” she whispered fearfully. “Harrison doesn’t know about them. I don’t want them…they’re the one good thing I’ve ever had in my life.” Her gaze swung to Jonathon and she felt the burning in her eyes.

  “Tell me about them, Molly,” Cassidy urged gently. “Please.”

  “They’re backed by a large pharmaceutical company…or at least they used to be…I think…I really never knew everything about them. Just things I heard talked about in halls and rooms where I was hiding,” Molly squeezed her lashes tight, ignoring the large, warm hands on her shoulders pressing her gently into the chair. “I thought he was dead. It’s been so long…”

  “Who is he, Molly?” Cassidy leaned forward, meeting the slowly opening eyes with a smile. “I need information. The more I have, the better I can find answers.”

  “James Harrison. He ran the…the school when my birth parents put me there. I was ten…just had a birthday. We lived in a trailer park then,” she kept her gaze on the two hands lying palm up in her lap. “It was fun there. I had friends. There were two schools in the area and the kids in the park where we lived went to a different school than I did. No one knew…no one there treated me differently. At first I just thought it was another school. Another counselor. Another round of tests…always tests…” she whispered, her head shaking suddenly. “I can’t do this. I won’t…do this,” she informed them. Without waiting for a response, her hands hit the arms of the chair and she was up and at the door, taking off at a run from the office.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Fucking A,” Jonathon was up and around the chair, taking off after Molly and trying not to attract too much attention. He wasn’t nearly as familiar with the corridors as she was and, as a result, the instant he rounded a corner, he almost tripped over the figure sitting against the wall.

  “You won’t catch her,” the blonde said from her perch on the floor. Her voice was light, whimsical. Long legs were hidden beneath a comfortable dress and crossed, a laptop open and balanced on her knees, and her feet bare. “Molly is scared. She’s scared of yesterday and what it might do to the today she has. And she’s angry that other people want to take her control,” Francine Kendall peered up at him through pale lashes. “Do you know what that feels like? To have people always want to control you? It isn’t pleasant.”

  “Do you know where she went?” Jonathon worked to level off his breathing.

  “Well, I saw her car had a lock on the tire and I know Cassidy has someone watching her,” she finished a few taps on the keyboard and closed the lid. Delicate hands worked it into the case at her side before she stood up, smoothed down her dress and offered her palm. “Francine Kendall.”

  “Jonathon Shepherd. You seem to know a lot about the situation, Miss Kendall.”

  “We’re a family. The more you want something kept secret, the bigger the balloon grows,” Frannie said with an impish smile. She began walking along the corridor. “I can get you through to the employee residence and I know where her apartment is,” bright blue eyes went from the floor to his head. “I haven’t much information on you, however. Which portion of the resort are you working in…if you don’t mind my asking, of course.”

  “Vincent Technologies,” Jonathon answered almost without thinking. “We’re in the process of joining the reclamation on a full scale. That’s one of my new tasks.”

  “Ahh…the one easing Erika’s headache. Rumor does say you’re quite good at your job,” Frannie said with a smile at him. “And you have a marvelous aura. Though I would never have pictured Molly with a suit…” She paused and chuckled a little. “Then again, I’m with a suit, too. It might take a little adjusting on your part.”

  “How long does it take to adjust to the lack of privacy?”

  If she heard the hard edge in his voice, it wasn’t reflected in her laugh and had him looking over at the blonde with the hair at the sides of her head braided into tiny strands and pinned to the back.

  “I know it’s not something you can avoid. Although, Mariah’s fiancé, Eli, he wasn’t too sure of the whole deal when they first got together. If you think about it, you waste a great amount of energy hiding things. Consider an entire bevy of specialists to help with any given problem that arises. Add to that the fact that if one of us is busy, they’ll surely know someone equally qualified to provide answers. It’s not such a bad thing.” She came to a stop outside a first floor unit.

  Jonathon raised his hand and brought it down on the door. “Molly!”

  “You honestly don’t believe she’ll respond, do you?” Frannie placed her thumb in the reader.

  “Dr. Kendall recognized,” stated the computer reader. “Door opened.”

  “Thank you,” she told the computer voice with a smile, turning the knob and pushing the door inward.

  “This is not fair,” Molly complained from the corner of the sofa, her knees drawn up and head on the tops, facing away from them. “Just let me think. Please. Just go away and let me think.”

  “Thinking doesn’t generally involve feet,” Frannie said with a sigh. “I’m going to fix you something to eat and we’re going to talk to Cassidy when she gets here. I’m not authorizing the release of your vehicle.”

  “You can stop that?” Jonathon felt his palms itch to wrap around her shoulders and haul her into his ar
ms.

  “She made me her designated physician,” Frannie told him with a little shrug. “I’m fairly certain Mariah would do the same thing. Guys might react differently. I wouldn’t care for the invasion on my privacy, but once I calmed down and had a normal blood sugar level, I’d realize they only wanted the best for me.”

  Jonathon couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt at a loss in any situation, even one involving one of his wives. This was different. This was Molly and he wasn’t prepared to walk away from her.

  “You know talking about that stuff is bad for me,” Molly said with a tiny sniffle.

  “Would you rather we talk to Faith or Mac?” Frannie stopped moving things around in the fridge and began building a sandwich. “When did you eat last?”

  “I had toast this morning,” she grumbled out before the annoyed sigh followed. “No. No, it’s not fair to them. If I hadn’t been a kid…”

  “You used your brain, Molly. You didn’t do anything wrong. The universe put you where you needed to be to solve the problems. Then and now,” Francine stated simply, a plate in one hand and a glass of water in the other. “Now. Eat. Cassidy will be here in a bit and she has to know everything so we can help.”

  “I told them to go away,” Molly said softly. “The only way they’ll leave people alone, is if I’m not here.”

  “And you really think I’m going to let that happen?” Jonathon demanded firmly.

  She sat up straight, unfolding her legs until her feet touched the floor. Her hand shook when she reached for the plate and she closed her eyes, trying to focus.

  “You just started a new job. The last thing you need is someone messed up with idiots from a big company chasing me down because they think I can help them with the next big drug on the market. When I realized what they were doing…what I was doing…I told them they were crazy. I told them I just got lucky on some of the things I managed to unravel for them,” Molly took a long drink of the cold water. “They don’t listen.”