We'd barely made it down the street before a New York City police officer pulled in front of us and turned on his flashers, clearing the way. Since I knew Ash hadn't made any calls, I assumed Agent Marcum had called in for an escort and made a mental note to thank her. Ash was already driving well over the speed limit and I knew he wouldn't have stopped for anything short of preventing an accident.
When we got to the emergency room of the hospital, I climbed out and stood on shaky legs. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins, but I knew I was going to crash soon, and hard. Before that, however, I was determined to be here for Ash and Isadora.
He came around the front of the car, hand extended even though he didn't look at me. Sliding my hand into his, I had to trot to keep up with him, but I wasn't about to ask him to slow down. If it had been one of my brothers in there, I'd have been running.
Agent Marcum, Lieutenant Green and a few other familiar faces were waiting just inside the emergency room doors.
“Where is she?” Ash demanded.
“You can’t see her yet.” Marcum stood between him and the rest of the waiting room.
“Step out of my way.”
The words came out flat and I knew he was struggling to keep his temper in check.
“You can’t go back there yet,” Marcum said, her voice gentle but firm. “The doctors are treating her, and she needs a few moments of privacy to finish answering some questions.”
“She needs
me
,” he snapped.
“We’ve already let her know you’re coming.” Marcum didn’t bat an eyelash or back down. “But there are a few things she’d prefer privacy for.” She hesitated, and then added, “Most women do.”
I saw the moment Ash realized exactly what Marcum meant. “She was...was she...?”
He staggered a little and I let go of his hand to wrap my arm around his waist, even though I knew if he went down, he'd take me with him.
“It’s standard procedure, Ash,” I told him, speaking quickly before Marcum had a chance to say anything. I didn’t know what the situation was, but Ash needed a few minutes to process or he was going to snap. “When there's any kind of attack or kidnapping, there are always some questions that have to be asked. Trust me, no matter what happened, Isadora doesn't want you there for that.”
His eyes met mine and I almost flinched at the lost look I saw there. The man who always had to be in control didn't know what to do.
I reached up and brushed his hair back. “Come on. Let's give them a few minutes to finish up and you can get your head together. Isadora is going to need you to be calm and strong for her.”
For a moment, I thought he was going to argue, but then he nodded his head. I breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing Isadora needed was her brother getting into a fight with the cops and the FBI.
He reached out and tucked some hair behind my ear. I'd pulled it back into a messy ponytail when I'd thrown on clothes and now it was falling out everywhere.
His eyes flickered behind me to Agent Marcum. “Ten minutes.”
***
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 did. 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?”