Cain (15 page)

“
I believe that is so as
well, miss. You are a very sweet person, I’ve heard, and would like
nothing but the best for your poor mother in her time of need. Your
uncle as well.”

Alyssa snorted. She couldn’t help it.
She was neither sweet nor wanted the best of anything for either of
them.

“
I need an attorney. I
need one that I can get started on taking this…this mess on without
them alerting either the media or my dear mother and uncle. Do you
have anyone in mind?”

Thomas’ grin, this one more like a
shark that has found a tasty meal, said that he had just the
perfect person in mind. She didn’t even want to know, but told him
to have him or her here tonight if at all possible.

“
Him. And I will. Shall I
tell him that he will be a permanent fixture in your arsenal in the
future, miss?” Thomas asked as he stood.

“
Tell him he will have top
billing if things go the way I want.” As Thomas made his way to the
door, she stopped him. “Thomas, I know I haven’t said this yet. But
thank you. I don’t…I don’t know why you’ve done this for me, but I
thank you.”

“
Oh, miss, I did this for
you because I love you. You and your father have been my friends
since the day he asked me to come and work for him. And you? Why,
you are the spitting image of him in both mind and face—though you
are much prettier. But you are very welcome. I shall have Andrew
Miller meet you this evening.”

Alyssa burst out laughing when the door
closed behind him. She thought she might have just hired Thomas’
son.

~CHAPTER FIFTEEN~

Cain was sitting in his office at
nine-thirty on Monday morning when there was a knock on his door.
He wanted to tell whoever it was to go away, but people, especially
the nurses, had been coming by at least twice an hour since he’d
started in the office that morning at five. His head hurt. The door
opened without him saying anything. It was Damon.

“
You look like shit. Have
you found out where Quinn has gone yet?”

“
No. And Jazzie still
isn’t speaking to me. She moved into the cottage and now I don’t
see her either. If I didn’t see her car out in front every night
when I come home, I wouldn’t know she was still there. And then
yesterday, Gracie Anne called me and ripped my head
off.”

Cain had five sisters. All younger than
him and mean as rattlesnakes, he was beginning to realize. Each of
them, with the exception of Sin, had called him once a day to
berate him for not contacting Julie…Alyssa.

But Quinn leaving hurt him more than he
wanted to admit. They were twins and closer than the others. He
supposed that Lilly-pad and Sin were just as close, as they were
identical twins, but he couldn’t ask them either. When he spoke, or
rather when they spoke, he couldn’t get a word in
edgewise.

“
Nicky and I had a falling
out. It was just after we found out that Morgan was pregnant with
his twins. He and I didn’t have a civil word passed between us for
months. Even during the delivery I wasn’t happy with him, either of
them, as a matter of fact. You need to think about why she isn’t
speaking to you and fix it. Family, especially yours, needs each
other.” Damon stood to leave. “By the way, you have a patient in
the lobby. Dapper little man with a briefcase. Something I should
know?”

“
No. I don’t…he says he
has something for me. He called on Saturday when I was in here
setting up the office. His name is Thomas Miller. Do you know
him?”

“
Nope. I’ll have Carol
show him back if you’re ready.” At his nod, Damon left.

When the door opened again, Mr. Miller
was standing there saying something to Carol. They knew each other,
it appeared, and Cain made a mental note to speak to her about Mr.
Miller after this was over.

“
Dr. Waite, thank you for
seeing me. I won’t take up much of your time. There is just a
matter of giving you this check and then I’ll be on my
way.”

“
Check? I don’t…perhaps
you should tell me why you’re giving me a check before I accept
it.” Cain eyed the envelope that Mr. Miller had in his hand with
suspicion. Cain was startled when the older man burst out laughing.
He sat down in one of the chairs and put the envelope on his
desk.

“
She said you wouldn’t
just take it. She told me that I’d be lucky if I was able to get
out with my hair in place. Are you a violent man, Dr. Waite? No,
don’t answer that, I can see that you are not. The check, or checks
in this case, are the reward for finding Miss Howard—two million
plus a bonus for her being alive.”

Cain could only stare at him. Two
million? A reward? Bonus? He sat back in his chair and regarded the
man. “I don’t want her money. If that’s all you came here for then
you—”

“
No, it’s not. Miss Howard
told me that you wouldn’t take it. The money is yours, Dr. Waite. I
either give it to you, or your mother and father. And I know from
my sources that you do not want that to happen. May I tell you
something?”

“
Yes, but it’s not going
to change my mind. I don’t care who you give it to. Alyssa isn’t
buying her way back into my good graces with her money. She could
have gotten my family killed with her stubbornness and as it is
now, a man is dead.”

“
Yes. Mr. Pochak.
Unfortunate, that. But he did harm my mistress. And your family as
well. Were you aware that your parents hired him and that other
man? Ah, I can see that you were not. Yes, Mr. Pochak and his
partner were cell mates of your father’s when he was in prison
recently. He hired them to get Miss Howard at all costs.” Cain
watched as Mr. Miller opened his briefcase and pulled out a file.
“Here is the transcript of the phone conversation after the failed
attempt. It’s is very…how should I say…graphic.” Cain took the
file. “I have made sure that the police have a copy, so you may
have that one. As for the attempt, Miss Howard has been in hiding
for almost a decade from her mother. I cannot divulge the
circumstances surrounding the reasoning just yet, but it was either
flee or become her uncle’s wife.” Mr. Miller stood. Cain did as
well. “I will take my leave, Dr. Waite. If you have any questions,
my number is on the folder, as is my address. I have a house guest
right now, but I’m sure that we could meet without her knowledge.
Good day.”

Before he could get to the door, his
office phone rang and without thinking, he picked it up. The caller
ID said it was Quinn and he wanted, no, he need to speak to
her.

“
Quinn, where are you,
baby? I’m so sorry, please tell me—”

“
Well ain’t that just
sweet as curdled milk, my boy loving his little sister. You make me
wanna puke.”

“
What the fuck do you want
and why do you have Quinn’s cell phone? If you have her so help
me—”

“
Shut the fuck up and
listen. I ain’t gonna tell you this more’n once. You will get that
bitch to give you my money or I’ll kill her. Ain’t got no problem
with that. You tell that bitch that I want my money or Quinn is
dead. I ain’t fucking around no more.”

Cain was barely aware that Thomas sat
back down in the chair again. He didn’t say anything, but Cain
looked up at him and he knew that Thomas had figured out that
something was wrong. He couldn’t think past his father’s voice and
what he was saying.

“
You harm her and I’ll
kill you. I kid you not, I will.”

“
Listen to the big doctor,
gonna take someone’s life. You’ll do well to listen to your daddy,
boy. I don’t want to hurt Quinn, but I will. I need that money.
I’ll call you back in one hour. You tell that bitch I want ten
million or she has another death on her hands. It ain’t gonna be my
fault, but hers, you hear me?” Then the line went dead.

Cain looked over at Thomas; he had no
choice. “My father just kidnapped my sister and is holding her
until I get Alyssa to give him ten million dollars.”

Thomas didn’t bat an eye, but stood up,
pulled out is cell phone, and left the room. Cain couldn’t even
focus on what he was saying his heart hurt so badly. His father,
his own father, had just told him that he was going to kill his own
flesh and blood for money. When Thomas came back into the room,
Cain simply looked at him.

“
Dr. Waite, do you hear
me? Come now, all is not lost. Dr. Waite, you must pay attention.
What is your father’s plan?”

He looked at Thomas and wanted to cry.
He knew that men didn’t cry, but right now, he needed it more than
anything. Then he thought of Alyssa. He wished…no, he couldn’t
begin to think she’d ever forgive him.

“
He’s going to kill his
daughter if he doesn’t get ten million dollars from me. I don’t
have it, Thomas. I used all I had to…that’s all I have.” Cain
pointed to the envelope on the desk. “I’m sorry. You should go. I
have to…I have things to do.”

~~~

Alyssa hung up the phone and stared at
the notes she had scribbled from Thomas. Quinn. Her own…Alyssa
didn’t want to think about what Cain must be going through and what
he must be thinking. She stood and went to the bedroom.

Pulling on some socks and her dark
tennis shoes, she thought about what she would need, where she
would need to go. Discarding several shirts, she went to the
kitchen to find the cook.

“
I need some really worn
clothes, Mike. And huge. Do you have anything here I can borrow?
And I’ll need a car, truck if there is one. Wait! I don’t drive.
I…fuck.” He just grinned at her when she blushed. “Sorry,” she said
to him.

“
Miss, I have someone who
can drive you, as well as a truck. My son, he will be more than
happy to take you where you need to go. As for the huge shirt,
first I believe anything that I own would be huge on you. But I
will have Billy bring you that as well. Anything else?”

Alyssa liked this man more and more.
“No. Yes! I will need to go to a store. I don’t have…you know who I
am, don’t you?” She had been living here for several days now and
no one had used her name. She didn’t know who Thomas trusted, but
she was out of time. Cain needed her.

“
Yes, miss. We all do. But
you’re safe here. What can I help you with?”

“
I don’t have any
money.”

Twenty minutes later, she was in Billy
Oak’s truck. She wondered if it would make it to the end of the
drive much less to the store then back to the Howard Building. But
Billy had told her that it was what was under the hood that counted
and that he had a hemi or something there. She didn’t say anything
to that or when he stroked his truck. Wondering what other things
she might have missed in ten years, she climbed into his truck
armed with Mike’s credit card and all the cash he had, nearly three
hundred dollars.

“
First thing we need to do
is go to the store and purchase a few things. Then we need—” Her
cell phone vibrated in her pocket making her squeal. It was
Thomas.

“
Miss, I’ve contacted Drew
and he is going to meet you at the Howard Building. He will help
you in any way that you need. Please be safe, miss. I do not wish
to lose you again.”

“
I will. We’re going to
Wal-Mart now. Billy and I are going to get some things to help me
find Quinn.” She looked over at Billy then lowered her voice. “Is
Cain all right? Does he…you didn’t tell him, did you?”

“
No, miss, I did not.
Although I believe this to be a mistake, I will honor your wishes
on this. If you need anything and neither man with you can help,
call me and I will make it happen.”

Alyssa was still grinning when she hung
up. She’d heard Thomas say those words to her dad on many
occasions. And Thomas usually did too.

The trip to Wal-Mart took nearly an
hour. The clerks were very helpful, almost too helpful, in
assisting them with loading the cases of water and fruit in the
back of Billy’s truck. She had heard from Thomas once during that
time and again when they were stopping in the alley that ran along
her building.

“
Mr. Waite senior is
demanding ten million in cash for the release of his daughter. He
said that he will murder her and it will be your fault that he is
not to blame. What would you like me to do here? Dr. Waite is not
to contact the police, which he has said he won’t.”

Alyssa closed her eyes. She wanted more
than ever to be with him, to hold him, but knew that he more than
likely blamed her for this as well. She felt the tears well in her
eyes again and turned away to see a man striding toward them in
dark jeans and T-shirt.

“
Hum, Thomas, if this man
coming toward me is your son, he’s younger than I
thought.”

Alyssa heard him chuckle. “That would
be because Drew is my grandson. His father is a lawyer as well.
Would you rather have the elder Andrew? I assure you, miss, Drew is
hungry and ready to take on all that you need.”

“
No. Just surprised,
that’s all. I’m sure we’ll work well…Thomas? I don’t know how to
thank you for all this. You’ve been so—”

“
Come now, miss, we have a
young lady to rescue. Let us keep focused, shall we? Drew has been
made aware of what is happening. He is there to help you in any way
you see fit. Now, let us get Miss Waite home, shall we?”