She shook her head. “The last I heard, he was making his way toward her.”
My chest tightened. “Damn, she didn’t make it to the rendezvous point?”
“No. The other did.”
I nodded. I’d gotten the mass text message about Chelsea. Our mission was two-thirds complete. It wasn’t enough. It wouldn’t be for Lennox. “Message me, even if we’re out of communication. I’ll get it as soon as possible.”
“Sir, may I examine your wife before we take off. It won’t take long.”
My eyes met Eva’s. “Yes, Doctor.”
My wife. If only.
Deloris handed me a paper as I stood. Together we stepped down the stairs to the tarmac. As the night breeze blew in gusts around us, I read the small piece of paper.
Marco and Laura Ferrari
Stuffing the paper into the pocket of my jacket, I asked, “Those are the best you could do?”
She shrugged. “Two of the most common names, difficult to trace.” She reached into her pocket and handed me an envelope. “Identification for each of you. The doctor already has hers. I’ll stay here and get the next plane lined up and ready.”
I ran the smooth envelope between my fingers. “I rarely depend upon someone else.”
Her lips that had been set in a straight line of concentration shifted to an almost smile. “I’m aware and honored.” She tilted her head toward the plane. “Maybe one day you or your son will share the reason why she means so much to you, but sir, you’re like your son or maybe he’s like you. His fidelity is rarely given, but when it is, it’s fierce. I don’t understand why or how, but you are the same. I’d never witnessed it before. I’m sorry I never knew Lennox’s mother, not really. She was very ill by the time I came around.
“It is my observation that you wouldn’t hesitate to kill in order to save that woman.”
I didn’t respond. She was one hundred percent correct.
“I’d rather work with you than against you.”
“Thank you. I never forget a debt,” I said.
“I’ll message you as soon as I hear from your son.”
“Until we’re together again.”
Deloris nodded as I again ascended the steps. Once I was inside, the copilot closed the door, retracting the stairs.
“Mr. Ferrari, please take a seat. The airport is unusually quiet this evening. We can take off immediately.”
“Thank you.” I turned back to Adelaide. Dr. Rossi was tucking a blanket around her body. Her exam seemed to be complete.
“Once we’re in the air,” the copilot said, “you’re welcome to help yourself to the bar. Your assistant insisted that you have only the flight crew, no attendant.”
“We’re quite capable. Thank you.”
Eva and I waited for the copilot to disappear behind the cockpit door.
“How is she?”
Years of medical training gave people the ability to mask their feelings. I knew the facade well. It had come in handy in many of my endeavors.
“Before we take off,” Dr. Rossi began, “I’d like to make a call and arrange for a few additional things at your home. Unless you’d reconsider a hospital? In a hospital I could—”
“Make the call. Hurry. We’re about to take off.”
Eva nodded and securing herself into one of the seats opposite Adelaide, spoke softly into her phone. She rattled off medications and instructions. I tried to listen, but it was a foreign language. Hearing the name of a six-syllable medication and knowing what it was used for were two different things.
I sat closest to Adelaide. “Amore mio, stay strong. You always have been too strong, too unwilling to let me help you. Now, I will help. It’s not too late. I refuse to allow that.”
My heart ached at memories of Angelina. Perhaps it was what Deloris had said, but I recalled her illness and my helplessness. There was no price I wouldn’t have paid to make her well again. God had other plans. As I held Adelaide’s petite hand, I prayed that this time God’s plans would be different.
The plane began to move as Dr. Rossi turned off her phone.
“Talk to me.”
“I won’t know until I run a few tests.”
“Know what?”
She took a deep breath. “The medication, the Versed, is a benzodiazepine. It’s relatively safe when used as intended but it isn’t meant for repeated use, especially not in a patient who is suffering from alcohol and opioid withdrawal. Repeated use of the drug is a lot for a healthy body to take. If that body is compromised, it’s more difficult.”
“Tell me what you’re worried about.”
“I didn’t say I was worried.”
I brought my lips together and stared.
“Her breathing is irregular. The sedative can cause respiratory depression. From what I’ve seen, she hasn’t been on oxygen. Lack of oxygen can cause irreversible damage.”
“Damage?”
“To the brain, to the heart. We won’t know for sure until she fully wakes. I know the doctors at the clinic were preventing her from waking—the chart said the order was to help her through her DTs, but I advise that she be eased off of all medications. If it becomes too difficult for her to endure, there are less potent pain suppressants to take off the edge. Without blood tests we don’t know the level of toxicity in her system.”
“But she’ll be all right.” It wasn’t a question.
“Sir, I’ll do all I can.”
We both looked to Adelaide as the plane lifted off the ground.
“I wish we had oxygen on board, but an FAA regulation requires that the crew and aircraft on private flights be certified.”
I looked around. “But what about the masks. Isn’t that oxygen?”
“Yes, an emergency supply. Let’s hope we don’t need to try to access that.”
PANDEMONIUM PREVAILED AS my heart beat faster. The world around me was falling apart, and I was again powerless. I’d said I didn’t want to leave the mansion. I’d protested, but here I was, being ushered, forcibly, toward the front of the house. Though I couldn’t see the guests, their voices were audible over the sharp click of our heels as Suzanna and I stepped upon the marble floor.
“Dear, you’ll need to fix your makeup.”
I joined the others in ignoring Suzanna as panic bubbled in the depths of my stomach, creating a sour concoction. I needed to get away—not go with them. I’d done all I could to stall, slowing my steps, claiming I needed to go up to my room, anything. Each moment I searched for aid, for Patrick, for Jane, or for anyone who could offer me a lifeline. Even Judge Townsend had disappeared. Now as we made our way to the front door, the corridors and foyer were exactly how Alton had ordered them to be—empty.
With each step, memories flashed in front of my eyes of my recent return to Montague Manor. Nine days ago as I walked these same hallways, the walls had been lined with Alton’s soldiers—his show of power. Their absence was the same display. Alton Fitzgerald could make people appear and disappear. Maybe I’d been wrong about my stepfather’s ability to entertain. He wasn’t a singer or dancer. He was a magician.
There wasn’t even a staff member present to open the front door as we approached. They’d all slipped into the secret dimension that only they could access. For a moment I wondered if they could see us and then I realized they couldn’t. Nor could they hear. They were paid too well for that.
Suzanna reached for the large handle and pulled the massive door inward. As we stepped onto the porch, the cool night air blew wisps of my hair about my face. My skin prickled with goose bumps as a chill raced through me.
“I need a coat,” I tried.
“Nonsense. The car is warm,” Alton said as a limousine pulled up the drive.
A sense of déjà vu filled me with the same doom I’d felt at Magnolia Woods.
I tugged my arm free from Alton’s grasp as the autumn leaves danced, creating a trail in the car’s wake. I wanted to push Alton for answers, but weighed my words. Over the last fe
w minutes, his panicked sense of urgency had turned into a quiet resolve. The new demeanor gave me no sense of security.
As much as I despised the thought, I missed Bryce.
The realization of his arrest had yet to register fully. Instead, the knowledge that I was again alone at Alton’s mercy was gnawing at me. Despite Bryce’s bipolar psychotic episodes, he had protected me from my stepfather more than once.
I tried not to think about how I wasn’t protected when he and I were alone, or how he’d treated Chelsea—his whore. Even his title for her made me ill. As we waited I longed for a phone with the blue dot app. It hadn’t been necessary when I’d been the one to wear the necklace, but now, I wanted to know that Chelsea was with Nox. If she and my mother were safe, I could break free.
My fingers trailed the diamond choker around my neck. Panic at the loss of my tracker necklace was suffocating. I reassured myself that it had been the right move. If for any reason Chelsea had been detained along the way, the beacon on the necklace would have led Nox to her.
Shivering, I wrapped my arm around my midsection and turned toward my stepfather as the car approached. “Please tell me about my mother.”
“Really, Alexandria?” His warm breath reeked of whiskey as he looked up from his phone. No doubt his time spent with the VIPs in his office had been filled with the best alcohol in the mansion. “Your husband was just arrested and you’re asking about your mother. She’s probably sleeping peacefully, still detoxing.”
“Probably? You don’t know? And Bryce and I aren’t married. Do you know about my mother for sure?”
Suzanna didn’t speak as she turned her attention to Alton.
He shook his head. “Your mother is being taken care of. But, daughter, you’re mistaken about your marital status. You were married yesterday. Tonight’s party had been to announce your surprise nuptials. I just received confirmation. Ralph Porter will have the paperwork drawn up and Judge Townsend will make it all legal.” His thin lips formed a strained smile. “Congratulations, Mrs. Spencer. Today is your one-day anniversary.”
“I didn’t sign anything and neither did Bryce. He’s in jail. How do you plan on forging that?” I looked down at his phone. “And do you know why? Why he was arrested?”
“Now that’s the question a concerned bride should be asking.”
“Tell me about my momma and why you said her presence was no longer possible, and then I’ll talk about Bryce.”
Patrick had promised that Nox’s men were in place. Did this mean that Alton was unaware that she’d been freed, or was she still at Magnolia Woods?
“You promised she’d be with me when…” I hated to say when Bryce and I married, but it was the end to that sentence. “…we married.” Which we haven’t done.
“No. I said it was up to you.” He reached again for my arm. “And she wasn’t well enough yesterday to attend.”
“Yesterday?” Though I struggled, his grip was iron. “Let go of me. I can walk.”
He yanked me toward him. “Don’t push me, Mrs. Spencer,” he threatened. “I’ll force you in the damn car and by God, if you don’t sign that license, when Adelaide wakes—if she wakes—she’ll be in indigent care.”
“You’re a monster.”
“Come on, daughter. Do you doubt me?”
My skin crawled with his touch while my stomach twisted at the stench of his breath.
Through it all, it was his threats that propelled me forward. “I don’t doubt you. I won’t agree to the wedding until I know my mother is well. I won’t marry Bryce until she can be with me.”
“It’s too late,” he growled. “As I said, the paperwork is complete. You two were married yesterday.”
I sucked in a deep breath, hoping for a way to avoid going to the police station. “I’m not agreeing to anything right now, but…” I motioned toward the sound of the guests. “…even you must see that this is a public relations nightmare.”
The limousine finally came to a stop. Though Suzanna began to descend the steps, I continued to speak, “You and Suzanna should go to Bryce. I should try to explain things.”
Brantley appeared, opening the rear door.
“Nonsense. The world needs to see Bryce’s new wife at his side.” With my arm secure in my stepfather’s grip, he pulled me forward, following after Suzanna.
Once we reached the driveway and Suzanna stepped into the car, I tried again to think of any way to avoid the limousine. Despite my efforts, my slender heels gave little resistance upon the cobblestones.
“I shouldn’t be going. We have guests. Let me explain—”
Alton’s grip loosened as we both turned. In a second—or was it longer? Time moved with no sense of reason—Alton and I both pivoted toward the unusual noise.
Other than Brantley, the staff had been sent to their other dimension. We’d been alone, and now we weren’t.
Determined footsteps echoed upon the driveway, drowning out the evening noises.
Steady breathing.
A domineering presence.
“Let go of her.”
My lungs forgot to breathe. The autumn breeze ceased to blow. The leaves no longer swirled. My heart stilled and the world stopped spinning at the deep, demanding voice.
Only a few feet away stood the most handsome man I’d ever known. The one who owned not only my body but also my soul. I wasn’t married to Bryce Spencer. I never could be. Not as long as Lennox Demetri existed. I was his.
“Charli, come here.”
My entire body electrified. Even before I had visual confirmation, the moment before he appeared, I knew he was here. I knew. In my heart and soul I knew that my Batman had found me, saving me. I’d told him that I wasn’t a damsel in distress. I’d resisted his hands-on approach and I’d done my best on my own.
However, as disbelief turned to shock on my stepfather’s expression, I wanted to take back everything I’d said.
In that second I welcomed Nox’s presence, his demands, and his rescue.
Before I could move, Alton spoke, “Alexandria, get in the car.”
I didn’t hesitate as I turned and stepped toward Nox. He was there, right in front of me. But before I got my footing, Alton tightened his hold upon my arm.
The next few seconds happened in a strange space-time continuum. I watched as Nox moved. His body became fluid, effortlessly flowing to my side. Simultaneously, Alton let go of me and fell backward against the car, stumbling.
It took a moment to realize what had happened. Nox hit him. Punched him.
“Oh my God,” I whispered as my hand covered my mouth. “Oh my God.”
As Alton reeled and steadied himself, Brantley’s movements caught my attention. Faster than I’d ever seen him move, he reached inside his jacket. In his hand now, reflecting the lights from the mansion, was a gun.
Gasping for breath, I screamed, lunging toward Nox, “No!”
If it had been a movie, it would have all occurred in slow motion. My scream would have been elongated beyond what is humanly possible. The bullet would have been in the camera’s focus as it flew through the air while at the same time the world was a blur.
This wasn’t a movie. My scream was quick and so was another voice—a new demand.
“Put down the gun, asshole, or die. The choice is yours.”
Thankfully, the bullet never left the chamber. Brantley’s eyes moved from Nox and me to somewhere behind us.
While Alton steadied himself and rubbed his chin, Nox pulled me close, tucking me safely into his side. If only he had his cape. Then I could wrap myself inside of it and disappear. Instead, I turned to see whose growling voice we’d heard.
“You?” Alton said, glaring toward Isaac. “From Magnolia Woods!”
It took me a second to realize he meant the alias Isaac had assumed—the concerned son of a patient.
“Put the fucking gun down,” Isaac repeated, his gun pointed in Alton and Brantley’s direction.
“Son, you will regret this
,” Alton said to Nox. “I’ll have you arrested for assault and kidnapping.”
“I’m not your son,” Nox said. “Be glad you’re not unconscious. I did you a favor.”
Moving his glare to me, Alton asked, “Alexandria, what are your two questions?”
I didn’t answer, but looked up at Nox. “My mom?”
“Trust me.” It was all he said, his angry stare never leaving Alton.
My heart nearly seized up at the ultimatum. Trust him. I had and I hadn’t. Patrick had said there was a plan. I swallowed my uncertainty and held tighter to the man asking me to do what I’d done more times that I could remember.
“Chelsea?” I asked.
“Yes,” Isaac answered.
In their responses, neither man had revealed the meanings. In this new high-stakes game, neither had shown their cards. But in my heart, I knew that Nox and Isaac, and probably Clayton and Deloris too, had done as they’d promised. Despite the hell of the last ten days, the family that I had in Nox had done more for me and those I love than my real family ever would.
The tension that had kept me standing and moving one foot in front of the other drained from my bones, leaving me as limp as the fallen leaves. My knight, my Batman, steadied me as Isaac came to our side.
“One more time,” Isaac demanded. “Put the gun down.”
“You’ll never get away with this,” Alton warned. “You won’t make it off this property. If you take her, that’s kidnapping.”
I shook my head. “No, you kidnapped me. He’s saving me.”
“You should tell this criminal what happened yesterday, Mrs. Spencer.”
Nox didn’t turn, but tucked against his side, I felt his body stiffen against mine.
I reached for the diamond ring on my left hand and threw it to the ground at Alton’s feet. “My name is Miss Collins. Take the damn ring. The farce is over.”
“Apparently you don’t care about your mother.”
Though Brantley had lowered the barrel, the gun was still in his hand.
Nox stepped closer to Alton. “We’re leaving. Try to stop us and next time you’ll be on the ground.”
Through the open door to the limousine, Suzanna’s terrified stare penetrated the night. “Alton, Ralph just texted. He’s there, but Bryce needs us.”