“Oh, I hope not. Have you tasted Vince’s cooking?” We both chuckled. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to him whether he brings the tea and Raven’s homemade biscotti or not. I’m not up to meeting the other guys yet, as I told Sebastian. Could you please thank them for me for now? Maybe I can meet them tomorrow. I just, you know…”
“No need to explain. I understand, honey. I’ll send Vince up right away. I don’t want to tire you out or Sebastian will have a fit. He’s protective of his patients. I think you could use that tea and biscuits before you fall asleep again. I’ll talk to Miles and Julian, too. I’m sure they’ll understand. You’ve been through a lot. Goodbye for now, my sweet Emma. Vince will be up shortly.”
“Goodbye, Alex, and thanks again.
“I'd do anything for you, Emma.”
I dozed off for a while after I heard Alex leave. Did I mention that he’d asked if he could kiss me goodbye? I said yes. Was that wrong? I was dating Raven or we were having one date anyway. It was an amazing kiss. I could almost picture those full sensuous lips as they pressed against mine in a kiss that didn’t start sweet at all. Alex’s kiss was undoubtedly practiced perfection. No one kissed that good the first time. It started out the same way it ended, bold just like Alex. His tongue immediately licked the seam of my mouth in a move that was anything but timid.
When Alex was finished kissing me, he immediately moved away. There was no caressing as there’d been with Raven. It was as if he’d needed separation from me. I wondered if that kiss had affected him the same way as it had me. It was overwhelmingly sensuous like in those romance movies. He plundered as if trying to discover all my secrets. Alex was very thorough.
Chapter Seventeen
After I caught my breath from Alex’s kiss and abrupt withdrawal, I closed my eyes for a few minutes. I must not be as strong as I thought because I was so tired already, but I guess I had been awake for quite a while.
“Emma, it’s me, Vince. You okay?”
“Sorry, just dozed off. I guess I’m still feeling the effects of the medicine I’ve been taking.”
“It’s fuckin’ good to see you, girl. I’ve missed you. Can I have a hug?”
Before I had a chance to answer, I was pulled off the bed into the strength of Vince’s arms as if I weighed nothing. When had he gotten that strong? He really had been working out at the gym. He twirled me around and then, as if he’d gone too far, he gave me a final squeeze and carefully laid me back on the bed. He arranged my pillows and helped me sit back against them.
“That was some greeting, Vince. I’m glad Sebastian didn’t come in when we were twirling around.”
“I’m not afraid of him. I just didn’t want to hurt or over excite you. Alex said you were tired. I’m just so glad you’re okay, Emma.”
“It’s good to see you, too… well, not see you exactly, you know what I mean.”
“It bites about your, you know, eye condition. Did Sebastian say how long it would last?”
“Not really, I really don’t think he knows. I screwed up this time, big time.”
I heard him finally plop down in the chair next to me after he finished propping me up in the bed. He too held my hand, but in a more firm, possessive grip than any of the others had. His cool, wintery scent filled my nostrils as he leaned closer to talk to me.
“It’s not your fault. I remember how you were after your dad disappeared. You thought all you had left was your mother, but you have us now, all six of us. We’ll always take care of you, Emma.”
“Yeah, I still miss Dad. I don’t think I could bear to lose Mom, too, even though I am grateful to have you guys. You’ve all been wonderful.”
He squeezed my hand a bit too hard and I flinched a bit. Immediately, he softened his hold and began massaging my fingers with his, which was a bit intimate for him. I wasn’t entirely comfortable with this new intimacy from Vince. I eased my hand back a bit from his hold, telling him, “I’m a bit cold,” which wasn’t entirely a lie. Vince had unusually cold hands as always. He immediately got another blanket from the bottom of the bed and placed it over me.
“Is that better, Emma?”
“That’s much better, thanks. Vince, we’ve been besties for a long time. I need to ask you something. I know you’ll be honest with me.”
“Has someone been lying to you?”
“Well, not really, the guys have been great to me.”
“They better be.”
“No, it’s not anything anyone has done or said. I just feel that there’s something about my Mom that makes them uncomfortable. It’s like they’re not telling me much of anything. No one will tell me exactly when I’ll be able to see her or which hospital she’s in.”
Dead silence followed my comments for a couple seconds too long. Vince finally spoke so low that I could barely hear him. “Look Emma, you know how I feel about you, but we aren’t supposed to tell you anything yet. Fuck it, Emma. Raven and Sebastian don’t want us to say much to you, only that your mom is okay.”
“That’s not good enough, Vince, and you know it. What aren’t you telling me? Why don’t Raven and Sebastian want me to know about Mom?”
“Look Emma, I love you, but Raven is my boss and one of my best friends. Don’t look at me like that. You know I can’t resist that look. I should go, Emma.”
I squeezed his hand so he couldn’t leave without dislodging from my grasp, which had moved to around his wrist.
I begged, “Please Vince. I can’t see. Damn, I have no one else that I can trust to tell me the truth.”
“Emma, I really have to go. I’m sorry.”
“If you leave now, Vince, don’t come back. I thought you were my friend, my best friend. Is Raven more important to you than me?”
“No, he isn’t, Emma. Stop crying. You know I can’t stand to see you cry. It’s probably not good for your eyes either.”
“I don’t give a damn about my eyes at this point, Vince. What good are they if I don’t have anyone I want to look at? You all say you are my family but you continue to lie about my mom.”
At that point, he reached up and wiped a tissue across my face drying the tears of frustration that slid down my face. Vince’s tone changed as if resigned to the fact that he was being convinced to tell me something he shouldn’t. “No one actually lied to you, Emma. You have to promise not to say anything.” I nodded and he continued, “Don’t get upset, we really do believe your mom is okay.”
I grabbed hold of Vince’s shirt or at least what I thought was his shirt. “You believe she is okay. What the hell does that mean, Vince?”
“Don’t raise your voice, Emma, or I’ll have to leave. I can’t let the others find out I told you. It would be very bad. Listen, let me explain. I didn’t mean to upset you, but there are reasons that I should be doing what Raven has asked.”
“Well, you are doing a good job of keeping the precious Raven’s secret. Vince, just tell me, is she safe or not? Alex and Raven assured me she was okay. Now my best friend tells me that you all believe she’s okay. Don’t you dare lie to me, Vince. If our years of friendship mean anything to you, I need to know the truth right now.” He eased my fingers from his shirt before I ripped it in my desperation to learn all the facts about my mom.
“Baby, I don’t know.”
“What?”
“Please don’t get any more offended, but we aren’t sure about your mom. There were no remains found in the debris and ashes, but no one has seen her.”
“How do you know this?”
“We checked through everything a few nights ago. From the information we have, it is assumed that she must have escaped.”
“You know what they say about assuming anything. Maybe you missed something in the debris. You aren’t the police or anything.”
“You’d be surprised at the resources we have. Believe me, there were no remains in your house or anywhere near it. I swear to you, Emma, I know it’s the truth.”
“If she’d escaped w
ithout injury wouldn’t she come back to find me?”
“I’m sorry, Emma. I don’t know why she hasn’t tried to find you. We’ve been on the lookout for her. She hasn’t returned to the house. Maybe she is just resting after the ordeal of seeing everything she owned destroyed.”
“Hasn’t she tried to call or anything?”
“No one has heard from her. I’m sorry, Emma. I’m sure she knows you’re okay since you were with good friends the night of the fire. She knows we’d protect you. She probably feels you’re safer away from her for now.”
“What do you mean safer away from her? Why would she think that? I still don’t understand why she wouldn’t at least call and let me know she’s okay.”
“She may not know whose house you’re at. More than likely, she doesn’t want the ones that started the fire to find either of you.”
“You mean she knows the fire was arson? How would she know that?”
“Yes, we’re sure it was arson. She’s probably figured it out, too. I’ve been in touch with Tori. She’s been calling me every day to check on you. Your mom hasn’t called any of the others or their parents according to her. I think your mother knows it was arson and is hiding to protect you. She probably thinks that it’s better if whoever started the fire thinks she’s dead and that you’re gone.”
I didn’t believe him either. It made no sense. Who would want to kill us? It was too much to bear. It was an excuse Vince had fabricated to protect me or a story to appease Raven. My mom had disappeared just like my dad. I had to get out of there. I had to find her before she was gone forever, too.
Tears ran down my cheeks as I realized I had no one left except the guys. The guys who’d lied to me from day one. I could never trust them, no matter how I felt about them. Maybe Vince would help me escape. No, his voice had sounded strange and there had been that pause when I first asked about Mom.
“Vince, I have to get out of here. Will you help me? I have to find my mom.”
“Emma, it’s been two weeks, and a little longer for you to get completely better won’t matter. I promise you, we have more people looking for her than you can imagine. You can’t leave right now, honey. Someone tried to kill your mother and you. Your house exploded shortly after Alex got you out of there. Be reasonable. You aren’t well enough to leave, anyway. You can’t even see right now. Where would you even go?”
“I want away from Raven, Alex and all of you. You’ve all pretended to care, but have lied to me.”
“Honey, no one is trying to hurt you. We just wanted to wait until you were better to tell you about your mother. We all care about you, Emma. Don’t you know that? I think a couple of us are even in love with you, Emma. You know I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you, don’t you?”
“Vince, I don’t want to be here. Please let me go to your house. Your parents could help me find my mom. I know they would.” I was getting quite agitated, almost hysterical and unbeknownst to me, my voice had raised an octave or two. Before Vince had a chance to utter a sound, the door burst open.
There was the sound of a scuffle and several loud voices.
I tried to get out of the bed. I didn’t make it before strong arms held me against them before gently pushing me back into the bed as I yelled, “Don’t hurt him! Vince, Vince, are you okay? He finally told me the partial truth, which is more than I can say for the rest of you. You’ve done nothing but lie to me about my mother and who knows what else.”
“It’s going to be okay, Emma. I need you to calm down before you hurt yourself, honey.” I had begun writhing around in the bed, determined in my despair to get away from the den of liars. I knew it was Sebastian by the touch of his hands on my wrists as he struggled to calm my thrashing. His touch was a little more firm than usual as he gripped both my wrists. I cried out in frustration. I knew that without Vince’s help it would be impossible to get out of the damn house. Hell, I couldn’t even get out of the room by myself. I hadn’t even made it off the bed before Sebastian was subduing me.
I heard the sounds of struggling and knew someone had tried to remove Vince from the room or worse. Finally, there was silence followed by a brief apology from Raven. “I’m sorry, Emma, but Vincent is needed downstairs. We need to discuss some things. Your brother, Julian, is outside the door, Vince. I'd appreciate it if you'd accompany him downstairs. I’ll join you shortly.”
“Yeah, don’t let the door hit you in the ass. I’ll have a few things to discuss with you, too, Vince. You’ve upset my patient,” Sebastian stated rather empathically, with a definite hard edge to his normally kindly tone.
“Bye, Emma. I’ll see you later.” I could hear the anger and hesitation in his voice, but knew he was leaving by the sound of his footfalls and the immediate loss of the wintery fragrance of Vince.
As soon as the door slammed shut, Raven came to my bedside and began speaking. “I’m so sorry Vince saw fit to speak to you about something that should’ve been explained by me when the time was right.”
I had stopped struggling. It was no use since Sebastian had restrained me so effectively by holding me against his hard body while sitting next to me in the bed. I leaned back against the headboard, exhausted from my thrashing about and frustration.
“When would the time be right, Raven, or did you plan to keep me in the dark forever? That is funny coming from me. I'm a stupid, blind girl that caused her own sightlessness. Did you think I couldn’t handle the truth that my remaining parent has disappeared? I assure you, I’m stronger than I look. You haven’t hurt Vince, have you? It really wasn’t his fault. I was finally able to cajole him into telling me. It wasn’t easy. I was a bitch to him but I had to know the truth, Raven.”
“I promise you, Emma, that I’m not your enemy nor am I Vince’s enemy. He’s fine, I assure you. We’re all here to help you. It was never my intention to lie to you. It’s our belief that you needed a chance to heal more completely before we discussed your mother and the situation regarding you. Our orders are to protect you from anything that could delay your recovery.”
“I’m grateful for all you’ve done for me, Raven. I’m thankful for all your care, too, Sebastian, but you had no right to keep my mother’s disappearance from me. I have to find her. Don’t you understand, she’s my only family? What if she’s hurt and can’t get back to me?”
Raven tried to hold my hand now that the good doctor had finally released his hold on me. At first, I pulled away from him. I was still hurt and confused, even if my body welcomed their familiar touches. I just didn’t trust any of them anymore. I wondered why Vince had backed down from Raven, too. I knew how strong Vince was. I thought he’d at least stick around and make sure I was all right, but he left me alone with Raven.
“Please, lass, let Raven explain. Don’t you know we’d never hurt you? We’ve never left you alone and have tended to you since the fire. Doesn’t that prove how much we care?” When I made no comment, Sebastian said in a voice that sounded somewhat uneasy and disappointed. I hated to hear that tone in his voice, but I wasn’t falling for any more lies. Sebastian continued when I said nothing, “Raven, I’m going downstairs. Perhaps she’ll listen to you if there’s no one else in the room. She’s known you for a long while.”
Sebastian quickly got off the bed. He brushed his lips across my forehead and whispered, “Sorry, Emma. I’ll be back later. You should listen to Raven. He only wants to help you.” He left and closed the door, leaving me alone with Raven.
Raven wasted no time snatching my hand from my lap. His fingers held mine fast as I tried to remove myself from his grasp. I just wasn’t sure if I wanted him touching me right then. It was too distracting. I remembered all too well the effect Raven had on my common sense and concentration. It seemed they all had that effect on me lately.
All I could think of was the memory of Raven’s gorgeous, silky, midnight hair and those mystical lavender eyes that could melt my insides. Yep, I had to avoid his touch at all cost if I wanted to focus on something b
esides him. My mother was missing. That had to be my only priority.
“Please, Emma, you have to understand, I only withheld certain things from you because I knew you’d be upset. I didn’t want you to trouble yourself with things you can’t change. Besides, we will take care of your mother, I promise. Please calm down, Emma. I’ll tell you as much as I can. We’re in this together now, okay? I meant what I said, we’re family now. Our family sticks together whether you believe it or not.”
“Raven, where’s my mother?”
“We don’t know, but there were no human remains found in the fire. Therefore, we know that she either escaped or wasn’t there when the blaze started.” Well, at least his story was the same as Vince’s, I thought.
“Mom never goes away much, especially when she knows I’m due home. She likes to be home so I don’t have to come into an empty house.”
“Then she must have escaped unharmed.”
“Why are you so certain that she wasn’t hurt?”
“There was no sign of any struggle, blood or anything that would indicate she was injured. Her car was missing, too.”
“If she did escape, then why doesn’t she come back to make sure I’m okay? You seem awful certain that she wasn’t in the fire. Did you talk with the local authorities? You know they could have missed something.”
“We checked ourselves. I believe she hasn’t come back because she knows that your friends will take care of you. I’m sure she’ll come back as soon as she’s able to safely do so.”
“What does all that mean, Raven?”
“Emma, would you like some of your tea that Vince brought up? I have to share some things with you that may be upsetting.”
“I don’t need any damn tea. Just tell me, please, Raven.”
“Have it your way, but if you change your mind I’ll gladly hand you the cup. Before I tell you anything, I must have your word that none of this leaves this room. Will you keep our secrets?”
Dark Hearts Page 21
