When she’d been missing he’d forgotten what contentment with her was like, how her eyes burned fire, her lips plumped the second before she smiled. Then it was there, soft, sweet, electric, that coy almost not there smile and his dick tried to leap to her, swelling to the solid rod whose mission was to insert itself deep within her and never leave.
For six weeks, he hadn’t experienced this simmer in his gut. In a flash, he relived the night she’d spent in his bed. In all the time he had been without her he hadn’t considered sex of any kind, he’d forgotten what it was, forgotten that it existed. His dick had spent six weeks limp and that hadn’t bothered him at all. But right now in this one second six weeks’ worth of blood he’d saved only for her rushed into his groin with painfully torturous results. But he loved it almost as much as he loved her. The realisation of his depth of feeling wasn’t a shock, he’d known it for a while but wouldn’t let himself admit it when she wasn’t in his reach, she was now. Her smile grew a little when the corner of his mouth tipped up. His intention to go to her side was thwarted when Martin came back in with a doctor and nurse who proceeded to herd them all out into the corridor while the doctor completed an examination of Lacie.
Those of them excused loitered outside Lacie’s room and less than a minute later three men came around the end of the corridor and straight for them. The third man walked behind the two in front, and that man was Detective Deacon, which meant whatever was coming was about Lacie.
‘Is everything ok?’ Martin Hart asked the three cops while placing an arm around his wife, and a hand on Sorcha’s back. Sorcha’s grip on Elise’s hand tightened.
‘Yes,’ cop one said.
‘Do you have information for us?’ Elise asked.
‘We’re still investigating,’ cop two said. ‘But, we have some questions. ‘
All three looked directly at Ryder. ‘Questions for me?’ Ryder asked.
‘Yeah,’ cop one said.
‘Wallace has been talking,’ Deacon said. ‘I don’t think you’ll like what he’s saying.’
‘I didn’t need you to tell me that,’ Ryder said.
‘What’s going on?’ Sorcha asked.
‘We’re going to have to ask you to come down to the station,’ cop two said.
‘Wait a minute, you’re arresting him?’ Sorcha asked.
‘We just have some questions at this stage,’ cop one said.
‘You can’t take him anywhere,’ Elise said.
‘Yes, Lacie needs him,’ Ann said.
These women leapt to his defence but they hadn’t learned the truth of Lacie’s torment in these last few weeks.
‘I’ll come down,’ Ryder said.
‘You can’t,’ Sorcha exclaimed. ‘She needs you.’
‘I’ll come back as soon as I’m done,’ Ryder said leaning in to kiss Sorcha’s cheek.
‘There’s no need for anyone to stay.’ Lacie’s voice came from behind the group, and he stepped back from Sorcha as the group turned to see Lacie standing with her doctor and nurse just outside her room.
‘Go back in there,’ Ann said. ‘Lie down.’
‘We tried to keep her lying down,’ the doctor said. ‘But she’s not used her limbs much so if she feels up to it she can walk. The physio will be in to see her in an hour.’
‘So go and lie down until then,’ Elise said.
‘Mr Stone?’
He’d almost forgotten about the police but once again, they commanded the attention of everyone in the hall.
‘What’s going on?’ Lacie asked and Ryder didn’t like the way she braced her hand on the wall in front of the nurse. Lacie was struggling and it was his fault.
‘The police want to ask Ryder questions!’ Sorcha said.
‘About what?’ Lacie asked.
Sorcha separated herself from the group to join Lacie. The women stood close and if it wasn’t for Lacie’s gaunt appearance, he could forget about the trauma of recent weeks and imagine them as friends exchanging gossip.
‘About what happened,’ Sorcha said.
‘Oh,’ Lacie said. ‘Ok then.’
‘No, it’s not ok,’ Sorcha said. ‘He didn’t do anything wrong.’
‘They asked me questions,’ Lacie said. ‘They’re investigating. It’s what they do.’
The doctor adjusted Lacie’s IV bag which hung on a stand just behind her. ‘We need him here,’ Sorcha said.
‘We don’t,’ Lacie said. ‘You can all go home. I should get out tomorrow.’
‘Home?’ her mother said. ‘We want to be here with you.’
‘I’ve been alone for six weeks. I can cope with another day,’ Lacie said then went back into her room.
No one said a thing, Lacie wasn’t forceful, and she wasn’t the type to snap, but she just had.
‘We have to ask you to come with us,’ cop one said. ‘Mr Stone?’
‘Yeah,’ he said watching the door close behind Lacie.
‘We’ll talk to her,’ Sorcha said.
The nurse stepped forward. ‘It’s not unusual for patients of severe mental or physical trauma to be psychologically disturbed. We’ll have psychologists speak to her later today.’
‘Mr Stone?’
‘Yes,’ he said relenting to the police. ‘Yeah, let’s get out of here.’
Ryder didn’t know what Jamie had been saying. He wanted to stay at Lacie’s side and never leave. But, as he followed the cops down the hall he had to admit a breath of fresh air might do him good. He needed to air out his body, and his mind, and try to figure out what the hell came next.
Lacie had spent the day talking to doctors and nurses, there had been physiotherapists in, and psychologists, and her last guests had been the police. Her family and friends had been in and out all day offering words of comfort and advice, and telling her stories of what she’d missed during her captivity. But now with the police gone and her family in the hospital canteen for dinner she had a moment to herself, but it was short lived, there was a tap on the door then it opened to reveal Ryder.
When she’d seen him this morning she’d still been in a bit of a daze. Details of last night were still fuzzy and she couldn’t really remember how she had been freed but she remembered him – he’d found her.
He looked good, his dark brown hair curled over his ears, and his eyes were as sharp as ever. That night they’d spent together seemed so far away that she couldn’t be sure she hadn’t only dreamt the whole thing. In that tee-shirt that strained over his broad chest, and the well-worn jeans that cupped him in all the right places he seemed like a dream to her. All the way down to those heavy black boots he was the epitome of male testosterone, arrogance seeped from him and displayed in his gait, but there was something in his eyes, something different but she couldn’t put her finger on what.
‘Sorry,’ was the first thing he said. ‘I’ve been at the police station all day.’
‘I know,’ she said. ‘I’m more with it today than I was last night.’
He took her hand from the bed and that sting of energy zipped through her, and him too, because he dropped her hand in that instant of electricity and she smiled at his shock.
‘I figured that would’ve gone away by now,’ she said.
‘Never,’ he said hooking a chair with his ankle and pulling it under himself at her bedside where he took her hand again taking it to his mouth to kiss the back of her fingers. ‘If you need space...’ he said with his eyes trained to hers.
‘Thank you,’ she said.
‘I know that—‘
‘For yesterday I mean,’ she said. ‘You found me, you came through, really I’m—‘
‘You would never have been there if it wasn’t for me.’
‘You can’t blame yourself,’ Lacie said. ‘I spent a lot of time talking to Jamie; I know whose fault it was.’
‘You talked to him?’
‘He would come down and talk to me,’ she said.
‘Why?’
‘I don’t know,’ she sai
d. ‘Sometimes he would ask questions, other times he would just talk.’
‘What kind of questions?’ Ryder asked.
Wriggling deeper into the bed she loosened her fingers from his. ‘I don’t want to talk about this. I just went through it all with the police again.’
‘Sure,’ Ryder said. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘How’s Sorcha?’
‘Didn’t you see her today?’
‘I did but with people. I don’t know who knows about the baby.’
‘You didn’t say anything?’ he asked. ‘Jamie knew.’
‘Bruce told him,’ Lacie said. ‘Sorcha told Bruce on the street that day.’
‘We haven’t found him yet, Bruce Booth.’
‘He’s dead,’ she said. ‘It happened...’ The memory of that night blasted in front of her eyes and that same desperate gasp vaulted from her throat in sync with the tears that flooded her. The clatter of Ryder’s chair hitting the deck snapped her back to the present but it took time for the fog to clear. She shook her head.
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to take you back to,—‘Ryder started.
‘No, it’s not your fault.’
‘You didn’t deserve any of it, and I know it will take you time to work through it. But I want to help you Baby. If you can forgive me—‘
‘It’s not your fault. None of it is your fault, and I don’t want you to carry that guilt around with you.’
‘I’m sensing a but,’ he said with a visible shudder.
‘I’m going home Ryder,’ she said.
‘Home to where?’
‘I’m going back with my parents tomorrow.’
‘Tomorrow? Isn’t that too soon? What about your medical care?’
‘It’s free where I come from,’ she said.
‘If it’s money you’re worried about—‘
‘It’s not money,’ she said. ‘Sorcha is coming with us. She’ll stay for a few weeks. The doctors say I’ll be fine, and if I need help we have hospitals in the UK.’
‘How long are you staying?’
‘Indefinitely,’ she said. His professional training kicked in and the openness of his expression hardened without a single muscle moving. ‘I’m not coming back Ryder, there’s nothing for me here.’
‘You’ve stayed here since college. Your life is here, it has been for a long time.’
‘It’s a change of pace,’ she said. ‘It’s what I need. I don’t have a home here. I’m not working but I can work from anywhere.’
‘So, that’s it? You’re running away?’
‘The psychologist thought it was a good idea.’ Having him angry or annoyed was better than the silence that followed. ‘I’ll send Sorcha back,’ she said into the quiet. ‘I’ll be ok at home; this will pass, for all of us. I’ll keep in touch with the police, and I’ll testify when the time comes. But, it’s time for me to go home. I don’t belong here.’
‘You belong here,’ he said with complete conviction. ‘But I want you to do what you need to. I want you to feel safe. I want you to be happy. If going home is what you need to do then do it.’
‘Thank you, you’ve been wonderful through all of this.’
‘We still have your things in storage, if you want anything sent over—‘
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘Sorcha’s arranging me some clothes, and my parents are taking care of the plane tickets. Elise will be over to visit in a month, or so.’
‘I could visit,’ he said. ‘If you want me to visit?’
Slipping her hand from his she lifted it to his cheek. ‘You really are very sweet Ryder; you’ve been so good through all of this. I wouldn’t have made it without you.’
‘You were in no imminent danger when I came in last night.’
‘He told me,’ she said. ‘After that first night he told me who he was and why I was there. I knew you would figure it out, because I knew you would come. All I had to do was stay alive long enough for you to find me, and you did.’
She caressed his face and his hand slid over her forearm. ‘I’m thinking about your mouth,’ he said watching her lips.
The memory of their previous flirtations made her smile; the breadth of it was foreign to her face, which hadn’t used those muscles in a while. ‘Are you now?’
‘Yeah,’ he said. Pushing up from his chair he glided onto the bed at her side.
Despite knowing it was wrong her heartbeat kicked up. During her low moments in captivity she believed she’d never be this close to a person again, yet here she was.
‘I missed you Baby,’ he said. ‘I missed you so damn much.’
‘I missed you too.’
She knew when he leaned close what his intention was but she didn’t move away. He got so close she could taste his breath but when the door opened he backed off immediately, and she wanted to curse at her own weakness.
‘Am I interrupting?’ Sorcha asked.
‘No,’ Lacie said.
‘Did you tell him?’ Sorcha asked.
‘I did,’ Lacie said. ‘I told him that you were coming to visit for a while, I hope that’s ok?’
‘Yeah, whatever,’ Sorcha said dumping the bags she’d been carrying onto the end of Lacie’s bed. ‘I got lots.’
‘So I see,’ Lacie said reaching for the bags.
‘I’ve still got that stuff Sonny bought for you at mine if you want it?’ Ryder asked.
‘At yours,’ Sorcha said. ‘You’ve not been back there, why should she go there?’
‘I can have it brought over,’ Ryder said. ‘No one has to go there.’
‘Why have you not been home?’ Lacie asked him.
‘Because we don’t know who over there we can trust,’ Sorcha said. ‘Apparently he hires sociopaths.’
‘No one else was involved,’ Lacie said. ‘It was Eric and it was Jamie. None of your other men were involved.’
‘You can’t know that,’ Sorcha said. ‘None of us can.’
‘It doesn’t matter now,’ Ryder said.
‘Why not?’ Lacie asked.
‘I’m in the process of having the compound dismantled,’ he said.
‘What?’ Lacie and Sorcha said at the same time.
‘They’re taking it apart.’
‘Why? That’s your home,’ Sorcha said.
‘Not anymore,’ Ryder said. ‘Time for a change; keeps things simple.’
‘You don’t trust them,’ Lacie said then took his hand again. ‘You don’t trust me.’
‘You?’ he asked. ‘Of course I trust you.’
‘None of them were involved,’ she said.
‘Baby, you can’t possibly be sure about what went on behind the scenes.’
‘Ryder—‘
‘We got a flight at noon,’ Ann Hart said upon entering. ‘Is that ok Sorcha dear?’
‘Yes,’ Sorcha said embracing Ann. ‘We’ll have to check in at ten. Will you be discharged before then?’
‘It’ll take about an hour to get to the airport,’ Martin Hart said.
‘I’ll talk to the doctor and make sure I’m discharged in time,’ Lacie said.
‘Make sure you eat something,’ Ryder said leaving her bed.
‘We’ll get breakfast on the plane,’ Sorcha said.
‘Not pancakes,’ Ryder said. ‘She likes American pancakes.’
‘I do,’ Lacie smiled. ‘And American bacon...’
‘Oh,’ Sorcha said sweeping across the room to swing Lacie into her arms. ‘Nothing will be the same without you! What will I ever do without you!’
‘You won’t have time to miss me, you have your man to keep you entertained now,’ Lacie said.
Sorcha pulled back to frown at Lacie. ‘You know about that?’
‘Yes,’ Lacie said. ‘I think it’s wonderful. You deserve to be very happy.’
‘Oh Lace,’ Sorcha wailed again pulling Lacie back into a hug.
Lacie smiled at Ryder over Sorcha’s shoulder and watched her parents smile at her. Everyone was happy she was back and sh
e liked seeing their faces but something was missing, and when she glanced at Ryder she worried that she knew what it was.
Lacie had visited home for a couple of months at the start of the year; she visited every year sometimes for one week, sometimes for eight. Being home was nice, the place was modest but familiar, she’d grown up here, she’d gone to school in this area, and it was supposed to be home.
Sorcha had launched herself into local life and had embraced the “quaintness” of British life – though nothing could have prepared her for as she referred to it, “the perpetual coldness”. Lacie had got over her dehydration, and she was eating again but only what her mother put in front of her though she still struggled to eat more than a few bites. As and when she needed to she’d visited doctors and had kept in touch with the US police, things were getting better. Except she didn’t sleep, the dark took her back to the cellar. The black was the blindfold. Her life had been lived in unending darkness; the cocoon was a shroud, the sarcophagus she’d been tethered within. Her life at the mercy of another, but now she’d been liberated she was lost.
Her home country was foreign and she had to re-learn the customs of the place she’d grown up in.
‘Hello!’ Sorcha sang coming into Lacie’s childhood bedroom that hadn’t been decorated since she’d left home.
‘You’re happy this morning,’ Lacie said putting away the last of the clothes she and Sorcha had bought yesterday.
They’d been shopping every day in the week she’d been home, and her wardrobe was larger than it had been before the break-in.
‘I just got off the phone,’ Sorcha said.
‘Looks like love,’ Lacie said sitting on the bed at the same time as Sorcha did.
‘I wouldn’t go that far,’ Sorcha said. ‘Extremely intense circumstances, you know. I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him. He’s screwing his brains out over there as we speak.’
‘You just got off the phone.’
Mistake Me Not Page 24
