Collar (Changing Roles Book 3)

by Ellie Masters

  I glanced at the man kneeling beside me. “Where the hell are the EMTs?”

  “I didn’t kill those other girls,” said Josh. A tear leaked from his eye. “I swear it. You have to believe me. He said…he said you deserved it. For leaving me behind.”

  “You let him twist your mind. I never would have left you,” I said, my voice harsh. “Kevin and I stayed. We fought for you. We only left because we were forced out of the country at gunpoint.”

  “You were?” His eyes widened with this news.

  My attention turned back to Kate. Instead of solving the case, she’d become a victim. I shook my head. Then I remembered the tree in the woods and the blood. “Where’s the third girl?”

  Josh shuddered, and his fingers slipped. Blood leaked from under his hand.

  “Don’t fucking move!”

  Josh clamped pressure back down on his side of Kate’s wound. His lips firmed into a thin line.

  “Is she dead?”

  He shook his head.

  “Don’t you fucking lie to me.”

  “I’m telling the truth.”

  His strangled cry reached deep into my heart and ripped it out. As much as I hated him, he was still my brother.

  “Where is she?” We had the chance to save another life tonight.

  Josh rattled off an address, and one of the Special Response Team members relayed the info.

  “She may not be…” He gulped and flicked his gaze toward our father’s body. “Dad worked her pretty hard. He wanted to make sure it stuck.”

  Meaning murder charges against me. After everything I’d done for my brother, I couldn’t see how he’d ever believed our father’s lies.

  He was such a fucking idiot.

  “Stop talking. Everything you say will be used against you.” Shit, was I really going to be the one to read him his rights?

  His brows bunched. “I swear. I didn’t touch any of them, except to…to…”

  Except to rape them. That’s what he meant. Violate them, so he could leave DNA evidence behind that would implicate me.

  “Is that what you did to her? Did you rape Kate too?”

  The stomping of boots announced the arrival of the paramedics carrying bags of supplies. The men glanced at Kate, looking overwhelmed.

  I presumed a slit throat was more than their field skills could handle. I could see it in their eyes, but they were professionals and jumped right in.

  They threw their bags on the ground, and one of them came to assess Kate. He glanced at our hands holding closed the gash at her neck. “Good, keep holding pressure. It doesn’t look arterial.”

  I had no idea how he could tell but trusted his judgment.

  His eyes softened. “Her bleeding has stopped with the pressure.” He put a hand on my shoulder. “It means she’s going to be okay if we can get her to surgery.”

  I latched on to what little hope he offered. “But she can’t breathe,” I said. “We’re choking her.”

  “No.” He removed my jacket and listened to her chest with a stethoscope. “Her chest is moving, and her heart is beating.” He felt for a pulse at her wrist. “Pulse thready and weak,” he called out the information to his partner. He reached over our hands and placed his fingers to Kate’s neck. “Jugular is stronger but slow. She’s going into shock.”

  “Kevin!” I called out again, raising my voice over the noise of the police at work. Where the fuck was he?

  On cue, Kevin ran out of the darkness, his face ghostly white, his expression flat—shocked.

  I shouted his name, the desperation thick in my voice.

  He took one look at me, then turned his eye to Kate. No sooner had I blinked than he was barking orders to the paramedics.

  “I need a set of clamps, retractors, skin forceps, suture ties, and something to clean this with.” He pointed to the paramedic kneeling beside me. “You, start an IV.”

  The lead paramedic looked at him. “And who the hell are you?”

  Kevin pulled on a set of gloves he’d yanked out of the EMT’s pack. “Dr. Kevin Saterly. I’m a surgeon. And I’m going to stop this bleeding. Now get me what I need…” He rattled off more supplies while the paramedics jumped to help.

  Josh and I held pressure while all around us men in black uniforms circled, pointing their guns at Josh.

  The paramedics didn’t have everything Kevin needed, but he improvised with what was available and did his thing with his dexterous fingers, moving with the confidence and speed of an expert surgeon.

  “He didn’t get the artery, just nicked the external jugular.” Kevin spoke as he worked. “It looks worse than it is. The bleeding was slow.”

  “Lily?”

  His visage was grim. “She’ll survive.”

  He rattled off a string of instructions to the paramedics and enlisted help from a few of the men standing around who weren’t aiming their guns at Josh. Once Kevin had the bleeding under control, he instructed Josh and me that we could let go. My brother was taken, arms bound behind his back. Kevin stopped them, checking on the tourniquet tied around my brother’s leg.

  “Make sure they know he has a tourniquet.” He drew a T on Josh’s forehead. “They should recognize what that means, but make sure you let them know.”

  Kate would have died if Kevin hadn’t been present. “Thank you,” I said with a shake in my voice.

  “It’s not pretty,” he said, “but it will keep her alive until she can get to surgery.”

  “I’ve got her. Go to Lily.”

  The second group of EMTs jogged in. Kevin waved them over to where Lily lay on the floor. He rushed off after them. Soon after, that team pushed Lily past us. A breathing mask covered her face. Intravenous lines snaked from her arms. Kevin was by her side, worried and traumatized, just like me. I wondered about her baby and prayed.

  And then I was helping the paramedics lift Kate, tossing my blood-soaked jacket to the floor and covering her nakedness with a sheet. The marks on her skin told the story of what she’d endured, marks my twin had placed there.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kate

  I woke in a strange bed with no memory as to how I got there. Antiseptic smells assaulted my nostrils, and overhead fluorescent bulbs bathed me in a harsh light. My stomach ate a hole all the way to my spine, and cotton coated my mouth.

  I attempted to sit but found myself weak and dizzy. Tubing snaked into the bend of my left arm, and there was a mass of bandages compressing the left side of my neck. I couldn’t turn my head, couldn’t move my arm, and could barely haul myself into a sitting position. Tentatively, I reached up with my free hand to feel my injuries. A dull ache throbbed everywhere I pressed.

  I didn’t need to be a detective to decide I was in a hospital.

  But why?

  A tired-sounding voice spoke from beside me. “You’re awake. How are you feeling, love?”

  I tried turning but fell back with exhaustion.

  Electric-blue eyes leaned over my bed and stared down at me.

  Memories assaulted me. Those eyes leering at me. That deep baritone promising a torturous death. So much pain came with the memories. Thunder beat in my chest, and I began hyperventilating as panic flooded my system. I had to get away from him.

  He jerked back, those electric eyes widening with shock. “Kate! It’s me, Jake. Oh my God, I’m not Josh.”

  My screams brought in a flood of people. Men and women dressed in blue-colored scrubs. They came to the side of the bed, pushing him back and away toward the door. An older man with salt-and-pepper hair took my arm and felt for my pulse. Appearing satisfied, he then pressed a cold stethoscope to my chest, making me gasp.

  Shouting from the hall carried into the room.

  “What’s wrong with her?”

  Palpitations hit my heart at hearing that familiar sound. A sudden surge of adrenaline shot through me, telling me to run, only my body was too weak to comply. His bulky form framed the doorway, staring at me and making my heart rate spike.
An alarm on the monitor hanging over my bed went off.

  The need to get away from those eyes overwhelmed me, but there was nowhere to run.

  “She appears to be disoriented, sir. Give us a moment to calm her down.”

  The older man with the salt-and-pepper hair continued listening to my chest, while a woman in blue scrubs measured out something in a syringe. She lifted the tubing attached to my arm.

  “What are you doing?” Panic made my voice squeak.

  “Don’t worry, darling. It’s just something to help you relax.” She injected the clear fluid into the tubing, and a few seconds later the world dissolved in a fog of gray.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jake

  After being kicked out of Kate’s hospital room, I went in search of Kevin. He wasn’t difficult to track down. He’d barely left Lily’s bedside, just like I hadn’t ventured from Kate’s.

  Kate had emergency surgery two weeks ago. She and Lily had been placed in intensive care. For a week, I didn’t know if Kate would make it, but she’d showed steady progress. Lily still battled for her life. Her wounds had turned out to be more severe. The beating she’d endured had resulted in internal trauma. Kevin said something about her spleen, but so far she hadn’t lost their baby.

  It had been touch and go for both our girls, but they were getting better day by day.

  Lily had yet to regain consciousness, but Kevin remained hopeful, saying her body needed time to heal.

  He glanced up, a medical journal gripped in his hand, the edges worn and frayed. “How’s Kate doing? Is she awake yet?”

  Kate had been moved out of intensive care two days ago. Kevin stayed with Lily. I missed having him close by to decipher the medical techno-speak the doctors threw at me. I had a lot of questions about Kate’s recovery, but having her moved to a lower intensity of care filled me with hope.

  I ran my fingers through my hair. “She just woke. She looked me in the eye and screamed.”

  He stroked Lily’s hand. It would take time, we’d been told. We had to wait for their bodies to heal. Kevin and I had been waiting far too long. All I wanted was to hold Kate in my arms, feel her against my skin, and tell her everything was going to be all right.

  I couldn’t help feeling responsible for what my father had done. We didn’t know the extent of the post-traumatic stress Lily would endure after the rape. Honestly, I’d expected Kate to weather the events better. I’d assumed her past would have fortified her. I’d been prepared to help Lily, but Kate’s reaction turned everything upside down.

  My gut had turned into a cold lump when she thought I was Josh.

  I needed to support Kate through this and help Kevin with Lily. We’d be dealing with the aftermath for years to come. I liked the sound of that—years with Kate stretching out before me. I didn’t care if we continued as dominant and submissive. All I really needed was to have her by my side, however she chose to be there.

  After a prolonged silence, Kevin finally spoke. “It’s not your fault.” He always had a knack for knowing what I was thinking.

  “Shit, Kevin…” My father had raped his fiancée and encouraged three other men to do the same; he’d ruptured Lily’s spleen and caused unknown psychological trauma.

  Kevin shook his head. “Neither of us is at fault.” Releasing Lily’s hand, he stood. He laid his book on a side table. “Come, let’s take a walk.”

  “You sure you want to leave Lily?”

  “No, but she’s not waking anytime soon, and I think I need a break.”

  We walked to the cafeteria and grabbed a bite to eat.

  “Tell me what happened with Kate.”

  I explained her reaction and the panic flashing in her eyes. Her scream had pierced my heart and emptied my soul.

  “Sounds like she was disoriented. I’m honestly not surprised. She lost a fair amount of blood. She might have some memory problems. She’ll come around.”

  “You said it hadn’t been that bad.” I clearly remembered his words of support in that vacant warehouse while he stitched her throat.

  His lips quirked up. “I told you what you needed to hear.”

  “You lied?”

  “I needed you focused and not losing your shit.”

  “You stitched her up like it was nothing.”

  He’d been so fucking calm, his fingers moving with purpose. Kate’s blood had flowed over my fingers and cooled. I’d been terrified. Kevin had been a fucking robot. He saved Kate’s life. Josh and I had merely been holding off the inevitable.

  “I did what needed to be done to keep her alive. In my experience, survivors of trauma often have difficulties with remembering. Their memories will typically focus on events prior to the trauma.”

  “And her last memory was of Josh.” Fuck, that hit me in the gut. “How concerned do I need to be?”

  “Disorientation is common. Her brain is trying to stitch together what happened. Time will tell how severe it is. The trauma intensified everything she experienced. She’s probably transferring those emotions onto you.” He placed a hand on my shoulder, trying to reassure me. “It may not make sense, but it’s good she remembers anything at all. She needs time and understanding from you.”

  And that’s exactly what I would give. Whatever it took, I’d be there for her, even if I had to stay away.

  “Don’t worry. She’s strong, but trauma like this is bound to activate intense reactions. And you have the face of the man who tortured her.”

  “That’s fucked-up.”

  Kate would never see Josh again. He was locked up, awaiting trial along with the men who had raped Lily. My father would never stand trial. While I would have rather seen him stand before a jury of his peers and be sentenced for his crimes, it was better he’d died that night. None of us needed to face him in a courtroom. I still felt nothing but relief thinking about his death. In my mind, BlackJack died in that typhoon. I’d never been good enough, always second in his eyes when compared to Josh. Every trophy I won, beating Josh to first place, had been an affront to my father. And after what happened in Thailand, my father’s dislike for me had turned to hatred. I didn’t mourn his loss because I’d lost my father years before his death, real or faked.

  My thoughts regarding Josh were another matter entirely.

  According to the statement Josh and the other men had given, my father had struck the killing blows on Elizabeth Westmoreland and Hannah Whitlow. We’d finally discovered the first girl’s identity. And the address Josh had given that night in the warehouse had led the cops to the third girl. She’d been found, barely clinging to life but breathing and alive. Her name was Erin Murdock, Kevin’s submissive before he found Lily.

  Josh had raped her as well, leaving behind more forensic evidence to implicate me. Now that evidence would be used in Josh’s trial, along with the evidence pulled from Elizabeth and Hannah.

  Kevin was able to persuade the police to pay for specialized testing of DNA capable of differentiating between identical twins. It was a test only available through a German firm for rare cases involving twins and crimes such as this. I’d been cleared and Josh implicated in all three rapes.

  Accessory to murder was as close as the DA could get for the deaths of Elizabeth and Hannah. Josh would be tried for his crimes and likely would be going to jail for the serial rapes. He’d be gone for a long time.

  I’d like to say he deserved every bit of his sentence, but my heart ached for my twin. I wanted to go to him and demand to know why he’d done this, but on the advice of Bryce, I’d kept my distance.

  Kevin pulled me from my thoughts with his calming words. “Kate’s stronger than you think. You surprised her. That’s all. Give her some time to sort things out.”

  “I should be in there, taking care of her, not shoved out in the cold like this.”

  “Maybe now is not the time to be forcing this issue.”

  I acknowledged what he said with a nod, but his reassurance did nothing to lessen my anxiety or broken h
eart.

  * * *

  For the next two weeks, Kate’s disorientation persisted, and her memory proved spotty. Every time I walked into her room, my presence triggered a panic attack. She struggled to control her reaction, but the fear always broke through.

  Finally, she told the nursing staff to ask me to stop coming altogether.

  I tried to resist. God, did I resist.

  Pete sat with her, playing cards and holding her hand. He even held her when she cried, or after I walked in and triggered a panic attack.

  I hated that she chose him but was grateful she had such a strong friend in him. If I couldn’t be there to support her, I would choose Pete. He kept me updated, and my respect for the man grew.

  Pete’s eyes were gentle but insistent. “Give her time,” he would say, the same words Kevin kept repeating, words I didn’t want to hear but had to accept.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Kate

  I’d been in the hospital for a little over a month. My doctors told me it had been a miracle I survived—my throat had been slit and stitched back together again in the field. I owed Jake my life. He found me, and Kevin made sure I survived.

  They’d pumped me full of antibiotics, letting the drugs surge through my system and kill any bacteria that might have gotten into my blood. Now I had a clean bill of health and an ugly-ass scar.

  Pete drove me home the day the doctors finally freed me. I knew Jake had wanted to be there, but I couldn’t face him without seeing his brother. Shit, they shared the same face.

  It was wrong to keep him away, but I couldn’t help my reaction. The few times Jake had popped his head into my room, I’d hyperventilated and the alarms had gone off on my monitors. The resignation on his face speared my heart each and every time.

  The weakness in my body had mostly disappeared. Hospital food sucked, but I forced it down. I hated anything to do with being weak, and I especially couldn’t afford it now. I had some difficulty with my memory. My recollection of the events that night replayed constantly in my head, but I struggled to form new memories. Which didn’t help with Jake. Each time he came into my room, it was like reliving that night all over again. Finally, I’d had to ask the staff to keep him away.