by Ana Stone
Blake pushed the door open and entered the room. Sydney was lying on her back on the bed; her arms strapped securely to the bed rails. He turned and looked at Weasel but found no comfort in his friend's dark eyes.
"Syd?" Blake said softly as he sat down in the chair beside the bed. "Can you hear me?"
"Adrian?" she asked without opening her eyes.
"No." Blake felt a pang of hate for Zayne stab at him but tried to keep it out of his voice. "It's Blake."
Sydney's eyes flew open wild and frightened. "What are you doing here?" she whispered in a strained voice, tugging to free her arms from the restraints.
Blake could not believe how afraid she was. "Syd, calm down. I'm not going to hurt you."
"I haven't said anything.I swear. I haven't told anyone. I won't tell them. I promise. No one has to know it was you. Just leave me alone. I won't tell, I promise. Please, don't let them hurt me anymore. Please−"
Her words were choked off by sudden crying. Blake stared at her in shocked silence. What's happened to her? He asked himself. What's she carrying on about?
"Sydney, you don't have to be afraid," he tried to speak soothingly. "No one's going to hurt you. I'm here to make sure you're all right. I just need to know what happened. Can you tell me−"
A hysterical laugh cut him off. "Here to make sure?" her voice was a shriek. "Here to make sure what? That I don't tell anyone what you let those men do to me? How they −"
"What is going on here?" Adrian's angry voice cut her words short. "What are you doing to my wife?" He demanded of Blake.
"I'm simply trying to talk to her." Blake stood to face Adrian.
"Well, it's obvious to me that she has no interest in talking with you, so I suggest you leave."
"Or what?" Blake asked with rising anger. "You'll call the cops? Try again, Zayne. I'm the one in charge here. This is an official investigation and unless you suddenly have higher rank than I with the bureau, you'll button it up and stay out of my way, or I'll have you removed. You got it?"
"Get away from my wife." Adrian stepped closer. "Or I'll move you myself."
"You can try." Blake barked. He’d like nothing better than to have Zayne take a swing at him. That would give him the perfect excuse to beat him to a pulp.
Adrian started towards Blake. Weasel jumped between them, holding up his hands in a placating manner. "Hey, this is very uncool, dudes. Why don't we− "
"Get out of my way!" Adrian shoved Weasel, causing him to topple over backwards on the bed, on top of Sydney's legs. Then he took a swing at Blake.
The blow never landed. Blake saw it coming and deflected it with his forearm, countering with a solid punch to the face. Adrian's head whipped back but he righted himself in moments and came at Blake. Weasel was pushing himself upright and Sydney was just lying in bed, staring at the two men fighting as if she were in a trance.
"I'll see you rot in jail, you sorry− " Blake's sentence ended in a grunt as Adrian kicked him in the mid-section.
"You're the one who'll be imprisoned!" Adrian countered. "After what you've done to my wife, you deserve to die!"
Blake delivered an uppercut to Adrian's chin, sending him reeling backwards. "You lying bastard!"
"Lie?" Adrian started towards him. "That's funny coming from you. How many lies have you told? How many women have you tortured like you tortured Sydney and Sheila? How many, Mr. Edwards? Lost count?"
Blake struck out in rapid succession, landing three blows. But Adrian did not stop coming. He issued a hard blow to Blake's stomach, followed by a low front-kick. Blake's breath whooshed out and he stumbled back, with Adrian advancing on him.
The noise drew the attention of a nurse who ran in the room to see the fight that was taking place. She ran out of the room at full tilt, shouting for someone to call security. Weasel pushed himself off the bed and tried to get between the two men. Unfortunately his timing was bad. He stepped right in front of a punch Blake was throwing at Adrian. Blake's fist met the side of Weasel's head and sent him crashing back into the bed and pushing it halfway across the room.
The table beside the bed overturned as Adrian slammed into Blake, ramming him into it. The plastic water pitcher spilled crushed ice and water all over the floor, making both men slip and slide as they battled. Weasel pushed off the bed and tried to grab Adrian but succeeded only in losing his footing on the slick floor and falling. Adrian tripped over him which gave Blake the advantage. He grabbed Adrian by the hair of his head and jerked up. As soon as Adrian's face turned up, Blake slammed him with two quick punches.
Adrian roared and jabbed his fist into Blake's stomach, breaking Blake's hold. Adrian stood and dove at Blake just as the door to the room opened and two security guards ran in. Blake had his back to the door and did not see them until one of them grabbed him in a choke hold around the neck and ordered an end to the fight.
Adrian straightened his tie and brushed back his hair. "Officer, I think perhaps you should place a call to this man's superior at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He just attacked me while I was visiting my wife."
Blake jerked away from the security guard and pulled his identification from his pocket. "Special agent Blake Edwards. This is a federal matter. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"I think maybe we should all leave," Weasel suggested and nodded his head in Sydney's direction. She was looking around blankly as if she were in a stupor.
Blake looked at her in concern. She seemed totally removed from what had just happened. There was something very wrong with her. He realized that the best thing he could do at that moment was to follow Weasel's suggestion and get doctor Harrell to start the hypnosis as soon as possible,
He nodded at Weasel then turned to the guards. "Gentlemen, why don't we step outside?"
One guard opened the door and led the way. The other waited until Blake and Weasel had left the room then spoke to Adrian who had by then gone to sit on the edge of Sydney's bed. "Sir?"
"I think I should remain with my wife," Adrian said. "Please have someone call her doctor. She seems to be in some type of shock."
The guard nodded and left the room, informing his partner that he was going to find Mrs. Zayne's doctor. Inside the room, Adrian loosened the restraints on Sydney's wrists and pulled her up into his arms. She came unresisting.
"My poor darling," he whispered, stroking her hair. "That Edwards chap is obviously quite insane. Imagine him coming here after all he's already done to you."
Sydney closed her eyes as she sat with her head against Adrian's chest, listening to him. The fight he had just had with Blake had confused her. Both of them seemed so sincere in their accusations of the other. But one of them had to be lying. The trouble was, she didn’t know which one it was. She was still afraid of Blake but watching him fight she had been seized with the feeling that he was somehow fighting for her. It didn’t make any sense.
Suddenly she became attentive and alert. Something Adrian was saying made her mind shift gears. " . . . all that abuse and torture. It cuts into my soul knowing the fear you had to endure at the hands of those cold-hearted men in white, my darling. If I could find them I would kill them with my bare hands."
Sydney's eyes flew open. How could he have known the men were wearing white? She had not told Adrian that. Then it dawned on her that he had referred to the other woman she had seen while she was being held. She knew she had never mentioned the woman's name. And yet Adrian knew it. But how?
Some of the fog that had been clouding her mind dissipated and she felt a tightening in her chest. Adrian pulled back from her and she lowered her eyes. "I don't want to talk to any more doctors," she whispered. She was beginning to realize that the answers didn’t lie in talking about what had happened. There was nothing that could be done about what had happened and she could not find answers in the hospital. She had to get out.
"Please," she looked up at him. "Do something so I don't have to talk to them, Adrian. I just want to go home."
Sydney smiled slightly as he stood up. "Will you be back?"
"As soon as I have taken care of things."
She nodded and watched him leave the room. Only moments later the sound of raised voices in the hall could be heard. She got out of bed and went over to the door, listening to what was being said. She heard Blake tell Adrian that he had no choice. The session would talk place, by order of the FBI. Adrian threatened to go over Blake's head and Blake told him to go ahead.
Sydney jumped back in bed just a moment before the door opened and Blake walked in with Weasel. "Doctor Harrell will be here shortly. He's going to regress you so that you can remember what happened. I want you to cooperate with him."
"There's no need," she said without emotion. "I remember what happened."
"Then I want to know," he said as he crossed the room to her.
She shrank away from him as he reached for her hand. She couldn’tt help it. Part of her still did not trust him. But she nodded. "All right."
Blake looked at Weasel. "You want to record this on your phone?"
Weasel nodded. Blake picked up the overturned chair and put it beside the bed.. "Are you ready?" he asked Sydney as he took a seat.
She nodded and he nodded to GW who stood behind him. “Start recording.”
Sydney looked at him and then Weasel, closed her eyes and started to talk. "I was at my apartment. I had just left you in the parking lot a few minutes earlier and gone inside. The doorbell rang and there was a man there who said he had come to take me to Adrian's yacht. I went down to the car with him and . . . "
Almost two hours later her voice was reduced to a hoarse whisper. "Then I got a taxi and went home. You know the rest."
Blake motioned for GW to end the recording and closed his eyes for a moment. The things she had told him made him both sick and enraged. He couldn’t imagine the pain she had endured or the terror she had been put through. That made him mad enough to kill. The part that sickened him was her thinking that he was the one who had put the men up to what they did. It tore at his heart that she had been made to believe that he was responsible for her pain. But in her story was the key. The fact that she had been led to name Adrian Zayne as her savior told him that someone had worked very hard to turn her against him and send her running to Adrian.
"May I ask you a personal question?"
She looked at him for a moment. "What?"
"Why did you marry him?"
"I don't think you have the right to ask that.My personal life is none of your business anymore. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to see my doctor. Unless there's something more you need from me."
"No," Blake stood. "That's all for now."
She looked away from him, refusing to turn back until he had left the room. Then she slumped back against the pillows. Talking about what had happened had both exhausted and freed her. It also had made her question things she had not bothered to question up until now.
But she still was not going to trust Blake. Just like she was no longer going to trust Adrian. In fact, until she could find some answers she was going to trust no one but herself.
Blake stopped just outside the security door and drew in a long breath. After a moment he exhaled and swiped his card through the reader. The door latch released and he pushed open the door. Weasel followed him to his office. They had just walked inside when the door opened and Steve Greenland looked in. "Director of the Criminal Division wants to see the two of you in his office. Now. Donaldson, Peters, Roberts and Turner are already there."
Blake nodded. Fastening the top button on his shirt, he straightened his tie and followed Steve out. "I guess you heard?" he asked as they walked down the long corridor.
"Yeah."
"You catch any flack?"
Steve shrugged. "Aside from losing Tyler and not being able to locate him I'm not exactly in the loop. So, my fat behind is relatively safe." He stopped at the director's door. "I wish I could say the same for you."
Blake watched him walk off then knocked on the door. A muffled directive from inside directed him to enter.
"Sir?" Blake stopped just inside the door with Weasel behind him.
The director of the criminal division, Ross Braswell looked in his direction. "Have a seat."
Blake and Weasel took a seat. Blake looked at the other four agents who were staring straight ahead as if their eyes were glued in place. "Do you have any idea the amount of time and money you've wasted on this - investigation, agent Edwards?"
"Yes, sir," Blake answered. "According to my calculations, this investigation has cost the bureau . . . "
"I'm not interested in your calculations!" Braswell cut him off. "What I am interested in is seeing this entire matter put to a rest. To that end, I now ask you. Is there any reason - any at all that I should not stop this operation right now?"
"Yes, sir, there is," Blake answered with conviction.
"Then by all means, enlighten me," Braswell leaned back in his chair and stared coldly at Blake.
Taking a slow breath, Blake stood and started to talk. A long time ago one of his law professors had written that he had the uncanny ability to make people believe what he said was what they believed as well. Blake hoped that he still had just a little bit of that ability left. Because if he could not convince the director to have Adrian brought in, his case was ashes in the wind.
Chapter Twelve
Friday, May 5
Washington, D.C.
Doctor Harrell finished signing Sydney's discharge papers then looked at her as she ran a brush through her hair. "I still think it would be in your best interest to see a therapist, Mrs. Zayne. After what you've been through there are bound to be residual−"
"I know," Sydney stopped brushing her hair as she interrupted. "I'm a psychiatrist, remember? And I'll consider it, Doctor Harrell. But right now all I want to do is go home. So, unless there's something more we need to discuss, I'd like to call and have someone come for me."
"No, there's nothing else," he replied and extended his hand to her. "I wish you all the best, Mrs. Zayne."
"Thank you." She gave him a quick smile as she shook his hand.
He left the room and she turned to reach for the phone. Just as she was lifting the receiver the door opened. Weasel walked in, followed by Blake. Sydney cradled the receiver and looked at them coolly. "This is a surprise."
"We have orders to take you to headquarters for questioning in the investigation of your husband, Adrian Zayne." Blake's words were spoken in a brusque manner.
She looked from him to Weasel. "Has Adrian been arrested?"
"He's been asked to come in for questioning," Weasel replied and walked to her. "Syd, you have to come with us. You played a part in this from the start and−"
"I understand," she cut him off. "Am I under arrest?"
"No." Blake shook his head. "There's no law against stupidity."
Sydney's brows rose and a pink flush stained her skin. "Just what do you mean by that?"
"You tell me, Mrs. Zayne." His words were clipped and hostile.
She opened her mouth to retort but decided against it. There was no point in getting into an argument over her marriage to Adrian. And there was nothing she could say that would make Blake understand. She picked up her purse and looped the strap over her shoulder. "I'm ready."
Without another word Blake opened the door and held it for her. She followed Weasel out. At the Hoover building she was taken to what looked like a conference room. Inside were three men, seated at one end of a massive table. They stood as she entered with Blake and Weasel.
"Mrs. Zayne." A stocky man with light brown hair and sun-weathered skin stepped forward. "My name is Ross Braswell. I'm the director of the Criminal Division. This is deputy Frank Wright of the Justice Department and Inspector Mark Daniels of the FBI."
Sydney nodded to each man in turn. "Please, have a seat." Director B
raswell indicated to a chair at the table.
She took a seat at the end of the table on the opposite side of the director. Weasel sat down beside her and Blake took the chair beside Weasel.
"Mrs. Zayne." The director looked up from a notepad on the desk in front of him. "Before the others arrive, I'd like to talk with you about the information you received from Senator Ned Tyler concerning−"
He was interrupted by someone opening the door. "Sir?" A dark-suited man looked in. "Mr. Zayne and his . . . representatives are here."
Sydney turned toward the door as Adrian walked in, followed by half a dozen people. Adrian walked over and leaned down to kiss Sydney on the cheek. "Darling, I had no idea they would drag you into this. I'm so sorry."
"That's okay," she murmured, wondering what in the world his entourage was up to. They were moving around the room, setting up large artists easels, televisions and video equipment and taking stacks of bound folders from briefcases.
Adrian looked at the head of the table where director Braswell sat. "Adrian Zayne," he said and inclined his head slightly.
"Ross Braswell. May I ask just what this is all about, Mr. Zayne?" Braswell gestured to the people who were busy setting up their equipment.
"I was under the impression that you had some interest in my involvement with Senator Ned Tyler," Adrian replied with a smile.
Braswell frowned. "I fail to see what this has to do with the Senator, Mr. Zayne."
Adrian took a seat at the opposite end of the table. "Director Braswell, we are both busy men, with little time to waste. I felt it would be expedient to bring my people with me so that we can clear up this unfortunate misunderstanding that your agent Edwards seems to have precipitated."
Braswell looked at Blake for a moment then back at Adrian. "You do understand the nature of the accusations being brought against you?"
"Of course," Adrian said. "Agent Edwards seems to have the misguided notion that I am somehow responsible for the hideous events that took place in Akron."
