Maggie tried to push him away, saying, “I’m sorry. I don’t know who you are.”
The man in the suit frowned, and looked genuinely upset. “What's happened to you Maggie? He turned his glare firmly on Aiden and Cyrus. “What have these two done to you?”
Instantly defensive, Maggie said, “Nothing. They found me in the woods.”
“Then why didn’t they call the police. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“Who exactly are you?”
“Maggie, please. Don’t play games, I know you’re upset with me, but this is taking it too far.”
“I don’t know who you are. I don’t remember anything.”
“Oh my god. And you didn’t think to take her to the hospital?” He was almost shouting now, looking at Aiden and Cyrus as if they were the scum of the earth.
The shop assistant stood watching the drama unfold, probably the most entertainment she'd had for weeks.
“Come on, Maggie. Let’s get you out of here.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and began to pull her towards the door.
At last, Aiden moved. “Wait! How do we know you’re telling the truth?”
“What? Ask Yvonne here, I've been looking for Maggie since she ran off.”
“He has. Been up and down looking for her all day today, and yesterday.”
“That still doesn’t mean you don’t mean her harm. Why did she run off from you?”
“We had a lover's tiff, that's all.”
Cyrus visibly baulked at the term lover. Maggie could see his temper rising and knew she had to defuse the situation. Trouble is she did not know how.
“Look, I’m going to have to call the police if you don’t back off. However, if you leave now we’ll leave it at that. We won’t press charges.”
“Press charges,” Maggie repeated.
“Yes, honey. Kidnap, holding you against your will.”
“That’s not what happened.”
“I’m sure that's what they've convinced you, but come on. Who wouldn’t take a woman with amnesia to hospital?”
Bears, that's who. All at once, Maggie saw how this would turn out if she were not careful. It would be easier to simply walk away now and leave them to live in peace. So she let him pull her out of the shop, her two men followed.
“Listen, I’ll come back when this all straightened out,” she said to them.
“Come on, honey. Once you get your memory back you'll see it all differently.”
She looked at the man who was supposed to be her boyfriend, and could not work out what she found attractive in him.
She went to Aiden and Cyrus and stretched her arms out to hold them both briefly. “I’ll come back, I promise.”
“Don’t go with him,” Cyrus said.
“I have to. To keep you safe.” She pulled away before she lost the will to.
The guy had her car door open, waiting for her to get in. Standing in front of him, she looked at his face, trying her hardest to remember one simple detail about him that would convince her this was the right thing to do. She could not, everything about him seemed wrong; in reality, he made her skin crawl.
“I think I’ve changed my mind,” she said quietly.
He leaned forward, and whispered in her ear, “If you don’t get in this car I will make sure they lock your two freaky friends up and throw away the key.” Her body stiffened, then she felt sick as he kissed her on the cheek and said so Aiden and Cyrus could hear, “Don’t worry sweetheart, I’ll soon have you back where you belong.”
In a state of shock and confusion she got in the car, he shut the door and sauntered around to the other side to get in the drivers seat. He did not rush, he had no need to, after all, she would go along with whatever he wanted to keep her bears safe. The question was how much did this guy now about the “freaks”?
As he started the engine, she looked up at Aiden and Cyrus. Aiden had his hand on Cyrus’s arm, trying to restrain him. All she wanted to do was get out of the car and go to them, but she could not risk their lives for hers. Somehow, she would get herself away from this man, but first she needed to know exactly what, and who, she was dealing with.
Her captor reversed back onto the road, turning the car to head downhill. She sat numbly watching the trees go by before she found her voice.
“Who are you, and what do you want?”
He laughed. “You really don’t remember do you? I can’t believe my luck. Those two hill billies finding you and then bringing you right back to me. I tipped that shop girl a nice chunk of change to let me know if you came by.”
“How did she know I was the one you were looking for?”
“I showed her a photo of you, told her you were the love of my life but we'd had a big argument and you had run off. When you walked in she recognised you, and called. I was up the top of the road, trying to figure out if you were dead by now.” He turned to her and smiled. “Now that would have messed up my plans.”
“Which are?”
“Sell you back to your family.”
“What! You've kidnapped me?”
“Well I had. But technically you now left with me voluntarily; the shop girl will back me up on that one.”
Maggie slumped back in her seat, too shocked to comprehend what he said. Something in the trees caught her eye, brown fur moving fast through the woods. A bear!
They were only travelling slowly because of the icy road, but when the bear ran in front of them the guys reaction was still enough to send them sliding across the road and off the edge. They hit a tree with a sickening thud, and even with her seat belt on she hit her head.
The last thing she saw before she blacked out was the fierce mouth of a bear, closing in on the man next to her.
“Cyrus,” she muttered. “Please, don’t kill him.”
Chapter Seven
Bright lights confused her. There were many voices, all strange, around her. Her head pounded, this was becoming much too familiar.
Familiar, yes, things were coming back to her; she could remember things from before. Meeting Aiden and Cyrus was no longer the only thing she could recall. She remembered the guy in the car. Ted. He had latched onto her at a club, and then taken her away in his car. It was all a bit foggy, but she remembered it. He bought her a drink; it must have been spiked because that is when it all got a bit fuzzy.
“Maggie. Maggie can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can.”
It was not Aiden or Cyrus talking to her, and she tried to decide if she could she trust who ever this was. Or was it Ted's accomplice?
“Maggie. Please.” This voice she recognised, Aiden was with her.
She squeezed the hand that held hers, and then fought to open her eyes.
“She’s coming round.”
“Maggie. Thank goodness.”
“What happened?” she managed to whisper.
“There was a car accident. Don’t try to talk yet.” He sounded worried.
Then she recalled exactly what had happened. Cyrus. Had he killed Ted? Was that the warning Aiden was trying to give her? Yes, he was right, keep your mouth shut until you talk to Aiden privately. Find out what the story was.
“Maggie.” The other voice was talking now. “I’m going to examine you. Is that OK?”
Maggie nodded and turned her head, forcing her eyes open. A nurse was checking her arms and legs, paying close attention to the cuts and scrapes there. She manipulated her body to check for any breaks, occasionally asking, “Does this hurt?”
Each time Maggie shook her head or murmured “No”.
“OK. I need to take a look at your head now, you’ve had quite a bump. It might sting a bit.”
It did, but she gritted her teeth, wanting it over as soon as possible. She turned to look at Aiden, who caught her eye and gave her a weak smile. Then she closed her eyes, trying to let the thumping in her head go.
Slowly and painfully, she picked through her memories. Her parents, that was why she had been targeted, th
ey were rich. Very rich. Images of her apartment came into her head, all the latest gadgets. Money no object, so different from the lives Aiden and Cyrus lived.
Yet she had been happy with them, much happier than she was in her other life it seemed. Unfulfilled, that is how her parents described her, and she had allowed herself to be open to kidnapping by taking chances. Well, that lesson had been learned.
At last, the nurse had finished, grunting satisfactorily she said, “I don’t think you will need stitches. It looked worse than it was. I’ll get you something for the pain, and then we’ll move you up to a ward.”
“A ward? Can’t I go home?”
“Doctor wants to monitor you for concussion. And your parents won’t get here until late afternoon, so it’s best if we keep you here. I think the police will want to speak to you too.” She indicated a man standing outside the room.
“The police.”
“Yes. I bet you have quite a story to tell.” Then she left, speaking to the officer briefly.
Maggie turned a worried look on Aiden. “What happened? What did you tell the police?”
“What exactly do you remember?” he asked, warily.
“Everything. The last thing I saw was Cyrus. Did he hurt Ted?”
“Ted? Oh, the guy in the car. The police have arrested him and charged him with kidnapping.”
“He’s alive?” she let out a sigh, her body relaxing at last.
“Yes. Cyrus simply frightened him. Luckily, the police have put his bear sighting down to the bang on the head he received when you hit the tree. Sorry about that.” He finished.
“Don’t be. God knows where I’d have ended up if Cyrus hadn't stopped Ted. Where is he?”
“Downstairs. He didn’t want to come up. Less people involved the better.”
“What have you told the police?”
“The truth, of a kind. We said we found you, and took you to the phone as soon as we could.”
“Will they come and look at your house?”
“They might do. But it would be too complicated to try to stick to a different story.”
“What should I tell them? I don’t want to cause you any trouble.” Maggie wanted to feel his arms around her and to know this was all going to be alright.
“You can always tell them you don’t remember. It’s pretty much the truth.”
She smiled. “Yes. I could. But I don’t want to have to lie about you and I don’t want to forget either.”
“That might be the best thing for you to do, Maggie.” He took her hand and pressed it to his lips.
“Don’t say that Aiden. Meeting you and Cyrus is the most real thing that's ever happened to me.”
“Your family are on their way to take you home. It would be best if you go with them and pick up your old life.”
“My old life is rubbish. I want to be with you,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.
“It was a dream, Maggie. A week away from us and you won’t even give us a second thought.”
“That’s not fair, and it’s not true.”
He got up. “Goodbye, Maggie.”
The nurse came back in with the police officer and Aiden slipped out. “Aiden,” she called, but he kept on walking. She tried to get out of the bed but the nurse restrained her.
“Come on, lie quietly. You've had a bit too much excitement for one day.” She handed Maggie some pills, and she swallowed them down, wanting to feel better so she could get up and find her two bears.
She lay back and closed her eyes, answering the police officer's questions as simply as possible, then after a few minutes she said she felt unwell and wanted to rest. He went outside and spoke to the nurse, who came back in with more tablets.
Obediently she swallowed them, not realising they would send her to sleep. Her eyes closed without a fight, and she drifted into a sleep, only to be woken some hours later by a kiss on the forehead. Opening her eyes she expected to see Aiden, instead it was her mom.
“Oh, Maggie. We have been so worried. What the hell happened?”
“Hi Mom,” she answered, still groggy from the pills.
“Hey, honey. We are just glad to see you safe.” Her dad kissed her cheek, smiling at her with a face that had gained significant worry lines.
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. But when we got the ransom call, well it turned us all upside down. You've no idea how hard it is dealing with something like that.”
“Sorry,” she repeated.
“What about you? You must have been terrified.”
“I was, but then I got away, and these two guys found me.”
Her parents exchanged more worried glances. “Two men.”
“Yes. Did you see them? One of them came in with me. He was here earlier.”
“Oh, the officer said something about that. It was kind of him to wait until you slept.”
“How long was I out for?”
“The nurse gave you some pills; I think she said you slept for a few hours. They moved you up to the ward, and then we had you switched to a private room.”
Maggie looked around, struggling to keep up with all the things that had happened around her while she had slept.
“But if you moved me, how will Aiden and Cyrus know where to find me?”
“They'll find you if they need to. But really, I think it would be better if you severed all contact with them. If they prove not to be accomplices of the man their holding downstairs then I’ll mail them a nice big check to say thank you.”
“No! Don’t. They don’t need your money.” Maggie knew they would find a reward insulting, and she did not want to upset them. She still planned to return to them as soon as she could.
***
Maggie sat looking out into the garden. She felt caged here, her parents kept a constant eye on her since the kidnapping, and it was becoming more and more unbearable. Worse, when they were not with her they had employed a bodyguard to watch her every movement.
That was who was on duty now. Mitch. Big, broad and silent. Her parents had left him in charge while they went to the trial of Ted, the guy that kidnapped her. They had decided to keep Maggie away; she would only be attending on the days she needed to give her evidence.
The thing that was killing her was knowing that Aiden and Cyrus were there. At some point, they would be called to give their own evidence. There had been no contact between them, the prosecutor had done all the interviews and put the case together without her having much input.
Ridiculous really, but there it was. Apparently, her memory loss through most of her ordeal made her a fairly unreliable witness.
It all depended on witnesses at the club he had picked her up from, and the shop assistant who had called him when she went to use the phone. It turned out the phone number was her friend, Scarlet's. As soon as she got the message she had called Maggie’s parents, and they had alerted the police.
“Can I get you anything?”
Maggie turned. Right on time Mrs Fraser was checking up on her. “No thanks. Have you heard from my mom or dad yet?” she asked, although she knew it was too early.
“No, not yet Maggie. Why don’t I get you a nice cool drink? It’s so hot today.”
“Thank you, that would be nice,” she answered.
Her thoughts returned to the cold mountain days she had spent with her bears. She could almost sense the feel of their fur, and the touch of their skin against hers.
She sighed. They had ruined her when it came to men. No one could ever make her feel the way they had. Maggie knew she had to find a way to get back to them; this old life of hers was killing her spirit day by day.
“Here we go, dear.” Mrs Fraser placed the ice cold drink by the side of her. “Don’t worry, it will all be over before you know it and then you can go back to your old life.”
Maggie picked the glass up and took a sip. “That’s lovely, thank you. But tell me, Mrs Fraser, what if I don't want to go back to my old life?
“Then you have to find a way of making your new life work. I’ve known you for enough years to know you are capable of getting yourself out of any scrape. Your parents are just worried. You have to show them you can look after yourself. Or at least that those two men of yours can look after you.”
“Excuse me, Mrs Fraser!”
“Your mother was telling me how...intense they are. Big and strong. They would make good protectors of any woman. If she knew how to sell the deal to her parents.” Mrs Fraser winked at her, and then glanced up at Mitch who stood totally impassive. “You'll work it out.”
***
Maggie stood on the roadside, convinced she was in the right place. Her heart pounded, she was scared. However, there was no way back, she had to go forward, or regret it for the rest of her life. Because up there somewhere were her bears, and she had to find them.
“Here, we go,” she said out loud and then took her first steps into her new life.
“Take care. Let me know if you need anything. And let me know when you find them.”
She turned back towards the road. “Thanks Mom.” She went back and hugged her mom. “I’m so glad you understand.”
“I don’t know if I’d go that far. But it is your life, and if they treat you like you say they would you'll be safe. And happy. I just wish you would let us meet them first.”
“Soon, Mom. Soon. Let me spend some time with them alone. They don’t expect to see me, and to turn up with my family too will be a bit strange. They are very private.”
“With something to hide?”
“Mom. Don’t start.”
“I know you are keeping something from us. But in all honesty, I am simply glad to see you happy again. Ever since that horrible man took you, you’ve been out of sorts. He took something from you. I only hope Aiden and Cyrus can give you it back.”
“They will, Mom.”
“Can’t I walk with you to the house?” Her voice was strained with worry.
“No. I want to do it on my own.” She went forward, and hugged her mom. I will call you soon.”
Then she broke away from her mother and her past life and set off up the steep hill, hoping she would not end up proving her mom right. She had to find the way to the house, her mom was probably going to sit here and wait until she had, even if she had promised she would not.
Curves for Her Bears (BBW Shifter Erotic Romance) Page 6
