She was smiling faintly at Quinn as she took a step back into the house. He lost sight of her.
Again.
But not for long, bitch. I’m not going to lose you again. You think that Quinn and those others can protect you? Now it’s only a matter of time. When you least expect it, I’ll be there. Did you see what I did to Newell? That’s nothing to how I’ll cut you. Pierce wants it to look like an accident, but that’s not going to happen. I’ve waited too long for you. My dear Mama Zela taught me how to make death take a long time, and I’ve missed those nights in the bayou with only the fire and the prey and the Snake God.
He wriggled down the hill to the trees and stood up as soon as he had cover. He’d wait until they got settled, then start reconnoitering the property to see if he could find a way into the house that wouldn’t set off the alarms. If that wasn’t possible, he’d just stake it out until they left the place. Then he’d pounce and—
His phone was vibrating.
If it was Pierce, he wasn’t about to answer. Not until the bitch had been put down in the way he wanted.
It wasn’t Pierce. He looked at the ID in shock. What the hell?
He slowly pushed the access button. “Well, what a surprise. I wasn’t expecting you.”
* * *
“YOU WERE LONGER THAN I thought you’d be,” Eve said as she closed the front door after Joe entered. “What’s wrong?”
Joe shrugged. “Maybe nothing. I just decided to be extra careful. I needed to reassure myself that—” He stopped and glanced at Beth.
“It’s okay,” Eve said. “You’re not going to have to worry about her crumbling away or crawling under the bed to shiver in terror because of Drogan. She met Newell and me in the hall with a Luger.”
“Really?” He tilted his head. “Interesting.”
“Not really,” Beth said. “I knew enough to pull the trigger, but I wasn’t sure I could hit anything.”
“It’s not difficult to hit a target if you’re close enough,” Joe said. “Just keep on shooting, and you’ll have it covered.”
Beth smiled. “I’ll remember that. But I’m glad I didn’t have to shoot at Eve and Billy.” Her smile faded. “What did you want to tell Eve that you were afraid would scare me?”
“Nothing concrete.” He looked at Eve. “But Drogan’s out there. I can feel it.”
“But you didn’t see him?” Beth asked.
“That doesn’t matter,” Eve said absently. “I’d trust Joe’s instincts every time. So what do we do, Joe? I don’t believe it’s likely that Drogan will bring in the police or some help from the hospital.”
“I don’t either. I think he’s a loner. But if he’s a professional, then he’ll have contacts and might decide to call in someone else that he knows he can dominate.” He shrugged. “Which means that we can’t stay here too long. My bet is that he’ll try to find a way to get to her. We’ll have to find another safe house.”
“Newell needs rest,” Eve said. “How much time do we have?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Joe said. “I’ll go out in an hour or so and see if I can track Drogan down.”
“Don’t do that,” Beth said sharply. “I saw what he did to Billy. That’s not going to happen again. I’m not going to be to blame for anyone else’s being hurt because of me. Just find a way for me to leave here.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Joe said. “In the meantime, I’ll do what I think is right.” He met her gaze. “Eve wants you safe. That means you will be safe. Back off.”
Beth’s hands clenched into fists as she stared at him for a moment. Then she turned on her heel and strode down the hall toward the library.
“Not what I expected,” Joe murmured as he watched her disappear. “She won’t be easy to manipulate.”
“I don’t want to manipulate her, dammit,” Eve said through set teeth. “For years she’s been stuffed in that hospital bed like a lifeless doll, with Pierce and his buddies trying to keep her quiet and not bother him and the Averys. She’s been manipulated too much already.”
“Shh.” He brushed his lips across her cheek. “Wrong word. I didn’t mean to stir you up. It seems she’s arousing your sense of protectiveness. She may not need it. I notice that she has a mind of her own.”
“That they tried to take away from her.” She shook her head. “I can imagine how I would have felt in the same circumstances, and I wasn’t like her. She was an athlete, and you could see from that photo how much she loved life.” The anger was growing as she thought about it. “Hell, no, she’s not going to be easy. She’s only been out of that place for a few days, and she’s already questioning, probing, trying to get back a little of what’s been stolen from her.” She suddenly smiled. “Actually, I think she’s going to get back more than a little. She asked if she could go to bed with you, Joe.”
“What?”
“She liked the look of you and thought that it would be better to have her first sex experience with someone she didn’t really care about, in case she wasn’t good at it.”
“Okay,” he said slowly. “Did you tell her that one glance doesn’t guarantee a safe or happy experience?”
“No, I was flattered that she thought my choice of you guaranteed that for her.”
“Oh, so you decided to give me to her for the experiment?”
She smiled. “No way in hell. Let her find her own man.”
“Good.” He kissed her. “And I’m sure she’s not going to have any problem. She’s exceptionally attractive.”
She nodded. “Sleeping Beauty. Only very much awake and alive now.” She started toward the library. “And we’ve got to keep her that way.”
“You said you think Pierce’s orders were to keep her quiet. I don’t believe that was a slip of the tongue.”
“No, don’t you think the same thing? It’s all too pat. A mysterious accident, and she’s whisked thousands of miles away to a hospital where the Averys establish a connection with a rising young doctor who soars even higher under their patronage. She’s kept there for years and virtually buried away from the Averys, the media, and everyone who has ever known her. Then there’s the business with Dr. Gelber. Another layer in the attempt to silence her.” She met Joe’s gaze as they paused at the library door. “I think she saw something or found out something that made her presence in the Averys’ lives very inconvenient.”
“And they chose to send her to that hospital rather than kill her? If what she saw was that dangerous, wouldn’t they have wanted a permanent solution?”
“She was an Avery. Family might have made a difference.” She frowned. “I just don’t know. And I don’t know what changed that made Beth a luxury they couldn’t afford. Why bring in a hired killer after all these years?”
“Then maybe we’d better ask Beth a few questions.” Joe stepped aside to let Eve precede him into the room. “Not that I have much hope.”
* * *
“YOU THINK I SAW SOMETHING I shouldn’t have seen?” Beth asked blankly. “What?”
“If we knew that, then we wouldn’t be asking you,” Eve said dryly. “I know you said you had very little memory of the time before the hospital, but I was hoping if you tried … You did say that things were coming back to you.”
“Not about the accident. I guess it was too traumatic for any memories to survive. Or maybe it was just that it was so quick that there isn’t a memory.”
“Of maybe it was that all of those, logical, fine reasons were suggested by Dr. Gelber,” Newell said as he lifted his coffee cup to his lips. “What about before the accident? You were at a lodge skiing?”
“Yes. My roommate from school, Cara, and I were up in the mountains practicing for the big ski competition.”
“Cara?” Joe repeated. “I didn’t hear any mention of a Cara when I was talking to the people at the lodge about your accident. Only about you, Beth.”
“Then they must have made a mistake. After all, it was a long time ago. Cara was there with
me.” She stopped hesitating, then said firmly, “No, dammit, she was there. I know it. I won’t doubt myself. I’m not that person I was in the hospital. Cara Sandler was there with me.”
“Easy,” Eve said. “We’re not suggesting that you’re having hallucinations because of the drugs. We’re just trying to get to the bottom of this mess. Is that your friend you mentioned to me?”
“No, Cara wasn’t a friend, just my roommate. Sometimes, I didn’t even like her.”
“Was Cara skiing with you that day?”
“No.” She thought for a moment. “She said that her skis needed waxing, and she’d see me at lunch. I didn’t care. I’d rather have skied alone anyway. I’m a better skier than Cara, and I’d have to wait for her.”
“That must be annoying. You must like her more than you said to put up with it,” Joe said.
“She’s okay.” She shrugged. “I liked her when she was first assigned to my room, but she was nosy, and she kept asking me questions. But I had to put up with it because the school wouldn’t let me go anywhere alone. They said it wasn’t safe.”
“What kind of questions?” Eve asked.
“All kinds,” she said vaguely. “About the places I’d visited, what I knew about Rick’s mother, lots of questions about Rick.”
“Rick Avery?” Eve paused. “Your father?”
Beth nodded. “Only he didn’t seem like a father. Other girls’ fathers were all boring. Rick was my best friend.”
“Did your best friend ever visit you at the hospital?”
“No, I don’t think he did.” Then she shook her head. “I’d remember if he’d been there. Even if my head was messed up from the drugs, I’d remember Rick.”
Because she loved him, Eve thought, as she saw Beth’s glowing expression. That love couldn’t have been more evident. What kind of man was this Rick Avery, who could charm Sandra and now his daughter, Beth, into forgiving whatever sins he committed?
“Stop looking at me like that.” Beth’s chin lifted defiantly. “I know what you’re thinking. But if Rick didn’t come to see me, he must have had a good reason. Maybe Pierce told him it would be bad for me. I could understand that. Rick would never want to hurt me.”
“I’m not going to argue with you. I don’t know Rick Avery,” Eve said. “And it’s natural for a daughter to defend her father. I’m just trying to put the pieces together. Rick Avery may be a very big piece.” She paused. “You were raised by a Robert and Laura Avery until you went to school in Geneva. Did you always think that they were your parents?”
“No, they had the same name but they told me that I was to call them Aunt Laura and Uncle Robert since they’d only been hired to take care of me until I was old enough to go to school.” She grimaced. “They said we should all be grateful to Nelda Avery for being so generous.”
“Were they good to you?”
“They weren’t bad to me. They did their duty. It was clear to me even as a little child that I mustn’t expect any more than that.” Beth shook her head. “And I always knew Rick was my father. He’d come to see me and bring me presents and take me to amusement parks. When I was old enough to understand, he told me that I was his little girl, but it had to be a special secret between us so that no one would say bad things about me.”
“Or about him?”
“He loved me. He protected me. All the other kids at school had parents, but I didn’t care. Every now and then, Rick would come, and it would be wonderful.”
“Was Rick at the lodge that weekend?”
She frowned. “No, I told you I went there with Cara.” She lifted her cup to her lips. “But that’s all I remember.”
“Except that she was always asking you questions.”
“Not that day.” She thought about it. “It’s strange that it seems like yesterday. But I guess it was to me. All the other days were like shadows…”
“Cara didn’t ask you questions that morning,” Joe prompted.
“No, she seemed abstracted. She wasn’t like me. She liked to have a lot of people around all the time. Maybe she was bored.”
“It’s possible.”
“Why are you asking me all these questions about Cara?”
“Because she’s the person who wasn’t there,” Joe said. “Or no one remembers she was there. Intriguing.”
“Are you going to call the lodge back?” Eve asked.
He nodded. “And see if I can find Cara Sandler and get a statement. What do you know about her background, Beth?”
“Not much. She was from Vancouver, Canada. Her mother was dead, and her father was an important politician. She never talked about either one.”
“You didn’t like Cara, but did you spend time with other people from school?” Eve asked.
“Of course I did.” She lifted her chin. “I was smart, head of my class. And I was very good at sports. I won all kinds of awards in swimming and skiing. Everyone likes a winner.”
“No, I mean someone you liked and who liked you because you just hit it off. Not because you were a star.”
“Perhaps. I don’t remember.” She moistened her lips. “I guess you noticed that I’m a little— It wasn’t that I didn’t want to have friends. It was just safer to keep to myself.”
Safe because she had been jerked away from her foster parents when she was scarcely more than a toddler and been sent to one foreign school after another. It was no wonder that she had been afraid to form attachments. “Yes, I can see that.” Eve smiled faintly. “I have a tendency in that direction, too.”
“Do you?” Beth’s expression was suddenly eager. “I wouldn’t think that you’d—you seem to be so—” Her expression changed, became closed. “But what do I know? I don’t know you at all, do I?”
Eve’s brows rose. “And you don’t appear to be too upset about that.”
“I didn’t say that I didn’t want to know you,” Beth said quickly. “Or maybe I did, but I—” She turned to Newell. “Do you want another cup of coffee, Billy?”
He shook his head. “I still have a bit.” His brows rose. “And I don’t appreciate your using me as a distraction when you get yourself into verbal jams.”
“I wasn’t doing that.” She sighed. “Or maybe I was. I’m sorry, Billy.”
“You’re forgiven. I just wanted you to recognize that you have to face things head-on and not try to hide behind me.” He added softly, “I know it’s hard, but you’ve gone through tougher experiences. Remember when you were getting off the drugs and had to keep anyone from knowing that your body was being torn apart? I was very proud of you, Beth.”
She glanced away from him. “And you should have been. I felt as if I were dying.” She hesitated, then turned to Eve and met her gaze. “He’s right. I was trying to hide from telling the truth. I can’t do that again. Life is too short, and too much of it has already been taken away from me. I won’t waste one word, one sentence, trying to protect or lie to myself or anyone else.”
“Heaven help us,” Eve said. “That could get all of us into bad trouble. I remember a Jim Carrey comedy that stressed the dangers of complete truth.”
“Too bad. I’m not good at doing things halfway. You saw that when I started stuttering and running to Billy.” She drew a deep breath. “Because I didn’t want to admit that I … might want to know what kind of person you are and if there’s really any bond between sisters.” She added in a rush, “I’ve told you I’m very curious. I know those kinds of stories about family closeness are probably bogus. After all, people are just people. But I’ve never had a family, so I’d just like to make sure that’s true.”
Eve was touched. Those words had been poignantly vulnerable, and it must have been difficult for Beth to open herself by speaking them. “Yes, people are just people. Sometimes outsiders become closer than blood relatives. I have an adopted daughter, Jane, who is my true daughter and best friend in everything but blood.” She held up her cup in a half toast. “But I’m curious, too. It wouldn’t hurt to ex
plore our relationship a little.”
Beth gave a sigh of relief. “Then that’s settled.” She turned to Joe. “So what’s next? When can you get me out of here?”
“Not tonight. I’m going to do a little scouting. Then I’m going to go over some more of the records Pierce was keeping on you. I’ll wait until tomorrow morning to call the lodge again.”
“Tomorrow afternoon, then.” She jumped to her feet. “Billy, you need to get some sleep. There’s a maid’s room at the end of the hall near the kitchen that has a bed and attached bathroom.” She was pulling him to his feet and throwing his arm around her shoulders. “That way you won’t have to climb the stairs. Eve, you and Joe can have the bedroom at the top of the stairs. I changed the sheets and got it ready to sleep in when I first got here. But then I found out I couldn’t bear to curl up in a bed, so I came down and slept on the couch.” She was half leading, half carrying Newell toward the door. “I guess it’s because I practically lived in a bed at Seahaven. I wonder if I’ll ever be able to sleep in a bed again.”
“Beth, you don’t need to help me,” Newell said. “For God’s sake, I can walk.”
“You didn’t need to help me, either,” Beth said. “You could have turned your back and left me in that place. Instead, you got me away from Pierce and got yourself chopped up doing it. Now shut up and let me get you to that room. Lean on me. I’m strong, Billy.”
“Yes, you are.” He smiled down at her. “I knew it the moment I saw you. It was just waiting to come out.”
“I’ll help.” Joe came and took his other arm. “It will be quicker.”
“I didn’t notice your being this solicitous after you got me away from the hospital,” Newell said dryly. “I was on my own.”
“That’s what you wanted,” Joe said. “And I wasn’t sure how much of a victim you were.” He looked over his shoulder at Eve. “Take my computer up to the bedroom, will you?”