Blindfold: The Complete Series Box Set

by M. S. Parker

  It took longer than ten minutes.

  By the time the clock’s minute hand had swept half around the clock face, Ash was getting edgy and irritable, more, even, than he had been lately. It had been all I could do to keep him from barging in anyway. As the half-hour mark started to tick past, I was about to get up and go ask if they could hurry. Before I could, the door swung open and Marcum appeared, a man in a white doctor’s coat next to her.

  Ash was on his feet in an instant. I was slower, much slower. I had to fight to keep from wincing as every muscle in me screeched in protest. Sitting for a half hour had left me stiff and remembering the events that had gotten me this way.

  “You can see her now,” the doctor began. When Ash reached for my hand, the doctor glanced at me. “It’s best that only immediate family come.”

  “She’s my fiancée,” Ash said without batting an eyelash.

  To my credit, I managed a tight smile even as I squeezed Ash’s hand hard. But not as hard as his hand was squeezing mine. I was going to have bruises there too, but I didn't try to stop him. I could feel something very akin to panic radiating off him.

  “She’s also very close with the patient, Dr. Wyler,” Marcum interjected.

  “Very well.” The doctor didn’t looked pleased, but he stood aside and jerked his head at us before starting toward the ER doors. He stopped us just inside the hallway. “Before I take you to see your sister...”

  Ash's grip on my hand tightened even more. I could see a thousand ugly scenarios playing out in his mind. Before he could give voice to one of them, I asked what I knew he couldn't. “Is Isadora all right, Dr. Wyler?”

  “She will be.” He focused on me after a quick look at Ash. “She’s bruised, shaken, tired. She’s also dehydrated and could use a few meals.” He paused, and then looked at Marcum.

  The agent nodded. “She managed to escape from her kidnappers. They didn’t attempt to restrain her after the first couple of days, and it sounds like she played the complacent victim very well. They grew less watchful. She saw a chance and she took it.”

  “Iz...” Ash blinked. As if coming out of a fugue, he shook his head and rubbed at his eyes. “You’re telling me that you didn't rescue her, that my sister escaped?”

  “Yes.” Admiration showed on her face. “Your sister is an amazingly strong woman.” She paused and I watched something flicker on her face. “But by the time we got to the abandoned loft where they'd been holding her, they were gone.” Her dark eyes were serious. “Your sister could very well still be in danger, Mr. Lang.”

  My belly went cold even as Ash’s shoulders stiffened.

  “We’ll continue to look for who took her, search for answers, but she’ll have to be careful.”

  “She will be.” Ash nodded, his voice flat and hard.

  “Very well.” Marcum looked at the doctor. He nodded.

  And then without another word, they took us into the room where Isadora waited.

  She looked terribly small on the bed. Logically, I knew it was just a trick of the mind. Isadora Lang wasn't a small woman. She stood a good eight inches or so taller than me and had curves I'd never dreamed of. But in that moment, as we hesitated in the doorway, she lay in the bed with her eyes closed and her shoulders hunched. She looked small.

  One of us must have made some sound because her lashes flew open and she tensed in the bed. Before we could stay anything, she jerked up her hand. Ash and I both stared at the butter knife she held in it.

  A butter knife.

  And she gripped it with a fist so tight, her knuckles were nearly white. Then her eyes finally registered who we were and the knife fell from an open fist. She clapped her hands over her mouth and began to sob. Ash went to her immediately, but I stayed where I was, uncertain what to do or say.

  “We’ll leave you alone for a few minutes,” Marcum said quietly.

  I nodded, feeling out of place as I stood there. The door swung quietly shut behind me and I wondered if I should've gone with them.

  Wrapping my arms around my middle, I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, trying to look anywhere but at the brother and sister. I couldn't, however, not hear her crying, or Ash murmuring to her in a low, gentle voice that seemed so out of character for him.

  Slowly, the storm ebbed. When Isadora sniffed, I picked up the box of tissues from the table by the door and took them over to Ash. He smiled in thanks and pulled one out, turning it over to his sister.

  “You’re okay now.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

  She blew her nose. Then, slowly, haltingly, she shook her head. “No,” she whispered. “No, I’m not. It’s not over Ash.”

  He frowned, his forehead wrinkling. “It is. You’re safe. You’re home.”

  “I’m not safe!” Her voice had a shrill edge and her eyes glinted with something that looked a lot like the near-panic I'd seen on Ash's face earlier. “It’s not over. This wasn't about me. It was about our parents. The guy who took me. He knew our parents!”

  Chapter 8

  Toni

  “I want to go home, Ash, please.” Isadora gazed at her brother with wide, desperate eyes.

  From where I stood on the other side of the bed, I had a front row seat of the effect her words and tone had on him. She clutched at his hand and I knew Ash would move heaven and earth to make it happen.

  “I’ll get you out of here,” he promised. He brushed a gentle hand over the one that gripped his arm and she loosened her fingers, allowing him to twine their fingers together. “If Dr. Wyler won’t listen, I’ll haul the lawyers in. They’ll make him listen.”

  “You won’t need lawyers.” I managed a soft smile as he glanced over at me. “As long as she's stable enough to leave, they probably won't fight too much about letting her go home. Trying to keep an adult of sound mind held in a hospital takes some hoop jumping.”

  The door swung open and the poor doctor never stood a chance. Ash pounced like a feral dog on a stray rabbit. One long stride took him to the foot of the bed. Another to the door. The doctor’s eyebrows shot up.

  “Discharge my sister.” It wasn't a request.

  “Mr. Lang–” Dr. Wyler began.

  “Discharge her,” Ash repeated. “She doesn’t want to be here. She’s been through hell. She can’t sleep here. People keep coming in and out. Being here is stressing her out. I’m sure we can both agree that she’ll rest better if she’s under less stress. She’ll do better at home.”

  I had to give the doctor credit. He took Ash’s tirade like he handled irate, testosterone-charged alpha-prone family members every day of his life. Maybe he did, but I was willing to bet that Ash was still one of a kind. He smiled professionally at Ash and then nodded at Isadora. “Mr. Lang, you can rest assured that I have nothing but your sister's well-being on my mind. My patients are my primary concern, make no doubt.”

  He moved to stand at the foot of the bed. Isadora glanced at him and then away. Her face was red and I knew that, no matter how much she wanted to go home, she was embarrassed by Ash's outburst.

  “How are you feeling, Isadora?”

  Ash’s eyebrows drew down low over his eyes, his expression stormy. Before he could say anything, I cut in front of him. “Ease up, Ash.” I caught his arm and kept my voice low. “You want to take her home? Let’s see if the doc thinks she stable enough first. You and he want the same thing, right? For her to be healthy.”

  He opened his mouth, then closed it with an audible snap. He nodded, but none of the tension in him eased. It wouldn't until she was home, I knew.

  Behind me, Isadora finally spoke. Her voice was softer, more hesitant. She didn't sound like herself and it made my heart twist.

  “I’m tired, Doctor...?”

  “Dr. Wyler. We met before, but you’ve had a rough time. Aside from being tired?”

  I moved to stand at Ash’s side so I could see her. His hand closed around mine. The gesture startled me, but I didn't pull away. I needed it as much as he d
id. We both watched as Isadora twisted her fingers in the blanket.

  “Scared. I’m just...scared, Dr. Wyler. I can’t sleep here. I’m afraid every sound is...” Her voice trailed off.

  “One of the men who took you.” He nodded as he finished the thought. He consulted the iPad he held, going over her chart. He glanced over at me, hesitant, and then he looked back at Isadora. “May I discuss your personal health information with your guests or would you rather they step out?”

  “No!” She practically shouted it. She shot Ash and me a desperate look. “They...look, my brother, well, it goes without saying he’s family. Toni's my friend. They can stay.”

  He nodded. “Other than being dehydrated and some minor bruises and abrasions, you’re in excellent health physically. The main thing that concerns me is your psychological well-being.”

  I could feel Ash tensing next to me. I squeezed his hand in warning. Isadora was busy staring at her lap again.

  “You’ll need to talk to somebody. Soon. If you don’t, this fear...” He reached out and she flinched. He withdrew his hand. “You strike me as a woman who hates being afraid. Some people are shy, already withdrawn. Somehow, I don’t think you were. If you don’t learn how to deal with what’s been done to you, it will be much harder for you to overcome this.”

  “I’ll find someone to talk to.” She managed a weak smile.

  When he rose, he looked from her to Ash. “She should be fine to go home. I’ll make arrangements, but she’ll need IV fluids for at least another twelve hours. She should restrict her diet to a soft one for twenty-four hours, and then return to a normal one as tolerated. They didn’t bother to give her much more than water a few times a day. Too much food too fast and it will do more harm than good.”

  “I can hire a nurse,” Ash said immediately.

  “I can do it,” I interjected. All eyes turned to me, but I kept my eyes on Dr. Wyler. “And I can help with the psychological part of it too, if Isadora will let me. I'm just a couple of classes short of my Ph.D. And I've had enough medical classes that I can handle the basics she'll need.”

  He gave me a considering look and then nodded. He gestured for me to follow him out into the hall. “Let’s go over a few things.”

  ***

  “Are you comfortable?”

  Isadora sat tucked up in a fat chair in the library, blankets piled around her. There was a pitcher of tea within arm’s reach as well as several books, snacks, anything she could possibly need. Doug and the rest of the staff had been hovering from pretty much the moment we stepped inside.

  I was grateful.

  My bedside manner when it came to physical issues wasn't the best. I wouldn’t have thought about tucking her into a chair or grabbing a lot of blankets. For that matter, I wouldn’t have thought about taking her into a big, warm room right in the middle of the house, either. I would have helped her to her bedroom and then offered to listen if she needed to talk. That's what I was training to do. But it was clear that was what Isadora needed.

  She gave Doug a grateful smile as he topped off her glass. “I’m fine. Best I’ve felt in...” Her voice trailed off. After a moment, she murmured, “A while. It’s been a while.”

  Ash looked like he wanted to hit something. I leaned over and whispered, “Easy, baby. She doesn’t need to see you get worked up.” The endearment slipped out, but he didn't acknowledge it.

  His jaw clenched, but he managed a terse nod.

  When Isadora glanced over at us, I moved toward her and propped a hip on the sturdy arm chair. “They’ve got you set up in style here. I don’t think I’m even needed.”

  “Yes, you are.” She looked squeamishly at the IV in her left arm. A visiting nurse would be by the check on it and change out the bag in the morning, but until then, it was up to me to watch it.

  “Just don’t look at it.” To emphasize my advice, I reached over and caught the sleeve of her robe, tugging it down. “Out of sight, out of mind.”

  Ash came up on her other side. “Do you want to rest?”

  “No.” Isadora licked her lips and looked over at the staff hovering around. “Actually, I want to talk to you. Alone. Can you...?”

  Without waiting for Ash to say it, Doug hustled everybody out. I was on my feet, heading toward the door when she said my name. “You don’t have to go, Toni.”

  I paused and looked back at her. “I don’t think you need me in here for...whatever.”

  “I want you in here.” She managed a weak smile and some of the old Isadora was in it. “You seem to be keeping Ash under control, although how you’re managing it, I don’t know.”

  “I don’t know about that.” I slid her a narrow look as I moved back into the room. The doors shut behind me. There was another fat, comfy chair angled not too far from Isadora and I sat there, hovering on the edge with my elbows on my knees.

  “My kidnapping was never about the ransom.” She made a face and clarified, “Well, it was about money, but they chose me for a reason. Because of our parents, Ash.”

  “You told me that at the hospital.” He came over to her. A few feet away, he caught a heavy table and dragged it closer, sitting on it. Now he was close enough to touch her if he needed to, but he wasn’t crowding her.

  “I know. I just...” She darted a look at the door and then back at Ash and me. “I didn’t tell the FBI everything, Ash. I don’t trust them. I can’t. Not after what I heard.”

  The terror trembled in her voice and her eyes widened. Her pulse fluttered visibly in her throat.

  “What did you hear?” I leaned forward, drawing her attention toward me, away from the thundering look of rage on Ash’s face. She needed to see encouragement, not anger.

  “They...” Her voice cracked. “Toni, our parents died in a car accident. It was years ago, but I heard them talking about it. The kidnappers. And I don’t think it was an accident. I think they planned it. I think they killed them. And this guy...the one in charge, he was going to kill me too. That was why I escaped, why I ran.”

  Chapter 9

  Ash

  “You didn’t see anything that I can give to the cops? The FBI?”

  Isadora flinched at my tone, and I knew I had to stop, take a deep breath. Her lower lip trembled and I wanted to pick her up and rock her the way I had when she'd been a child, when she'd cried after our parents had died, when the nightmares had woken her. But she wasn’t a child anymore,

  “I’m sorry,” I said, pulling my chair closer to hers. I went to take her hand, then stopped. It was the one the IV was feeding into. She held out the other one and I took it, twining our fingers together. “I’m just worried. We have to find answers, or we're never going to be safe.”

  “I know.” She yawned and knuckled at her eyes. “I want them, too.” She caught her lower lip between her teeth, her gaze sliding to the door, to Toni, and then back to me. She appeared to be thinking hard. “The one guy, he...”

  My heart lurched, jumped up into my throat. “What?” I forced myself to keep my voice down.

  “I don’t know, not exactly. He was always vague and he never really spoke much around me. But once, somebody asked him a question about why this was taking so long. He laughed and said a few days, a week, that wasn’t long. He’d been waiting for years, and he’d keep on waiting if it got him what he wanted. Then he mentioned the wreck and...”

  “It was an accident,” I said, my voice wooden. “Dad lost control of the car.”

  “Maybe.” Isadora smiled weakly. “Or maybe not. I mean, it was up in no-man’s land, right? The car was destroyed. We couldn’t have an open viewing. It’s not like there was a lot of evidence. Maybe...” She sucked in a breath and then blurted out, “I’ve been thinking about this. A lot. I had to think, focus on something when I was there, or I’d go crazy. But maybe it wasn’t a wreck. Maybe it was staged to look like one by somebody. Somebody so good that the cops didn’t think to look deeper. If all the evidence was destroyed by the car exploding...”
>
  “There’s almost always evidence,” Toni said from behind me.

  I shot her a look, eyes narrowed.

  She simply stared back for a long moment. Then she looked at Isadora. “The perfect crime is a crock, sweetheart. There's no perfect crime. There's always something, no matter how small, how insignificant. If this was in the middle of nowhere, it’s possible the police department–”

  “Sheriff’s,” I corrected. “A sheriff’s department handled all of it.”

  “Okay. Then maybe the sheriff’s department went on appearances. They aren’t supposed to, but if your parents didn’t seem to have any reason for somebody to kill them and nothing looked out of place, it seemed like an open and shut case.”

  “Our parents were rich.” I laughed bitterly. “Wouldn't that have been reason enough?”

  “Loaded or not, they’d only look at the people they saw as possibly benefiting.” She chewed on her lower lip for a second. I could see the mental war waging. Finally, she said, “People like a partner. Or an...heir.”

  That caught me off-guard. It also shut me down flat, because I had absolutely no response for it.

  A soft, sleepy sigh had me glancing at Isadora instead of trying to figure out what to say to Toni's comment. Her lashes were drifting down over her eyes.

  A moment later, she jerked her head up, blinked and refocused. “Toni, if being loaded wasn’t enough, what else...” She yawned again.

  “Okay. That’s enough.” Toni stood. “Isadora, you need to get some sleep.”

  “But...” She looked over at me.

  “Ash, come here a moment.” Toni crossed her arms over her chest and stared at me. I stared back, mostly because that pose did amazing things for her breasts, but after a second, I rose.

  She turned away and headed out into the hall. I looked back at Isadora to tell her I’d be right outside, but her head had already slumped. Her breathing was slow and even, her expression more relaxed than I'd seen since she'd first gotten back.

  “That girl is exhausted,” Toni said the second I looked at her.

  “Are you reading my mind now?” I asked mildly. Leaning my shoulder against the door jam, I let my gaze slide back down to her chest.