Page 51

51

S omething was really wrong with her.

She knew that because she kept hallucinating. She kept seeing Jack and Ian. Even Jameson.

They would come to her to tell her to be brave. At any moment, they were going to find her.

But no one was coming.

How long had she been here? Three or four nights? She was losing track. Everything was hazy.

It felt like none of this was real. That she’d wake up and find that her ribs weren’t hurting. That her eye wasn’t swollen shut. That her wrists weren’t being rubbed raw.

She’d be back in that house. With her guys. With Uncle Willy.

She hoped someone was looking after him.

What a tosser she’d been to think she could take care of him. She couldn’t even take care of herself.

Jameson was right. It was neglectful not to have a plan in place. What would happen now? Her mum would have to step up and God knew what she’d do.

Reaching up, she tugged at her hair until pain slashed through her scalp. She didn’t know why she was still pulling her hair when she was already in so much pain. But this was a pain she had control over.

Stupid, right?

A whimper escaped her as she heard something. She didn’t want the woman to come back. When she wasn’t here, things were better. She got water. Some food, even though she didn’t eat it.

“Shh,” someone whispered.

The voice was feminine. But it wasn’t her .

“I drugged the guards, but just in case we should be quiet. We don’t want anyone to know I’m here.”

“Who . . . who are you?” she whispered.

“Best you don’t know that. Then when you’re questioned once I get you back, you can say you don’t know. See? KISS.”

“You want me to kiss you?”

A small giggle. “No, silly. It’s an acronym. I like them. Keep It Simple Stupid. See?”

“Yeah, I like silly sayings too. I’m thinking of becoming a T-shirt Queen. I’ll have an empire. Things like: Don’t get kidnapped, it sucks.”

“Hey, I like that. It has a nice ring to it.”

“Thanks. Thought of it all by myself.” She sniffled. “Are you a figment of my imagination?”

The other woman grasped hold of Maggie’s hands and started to do something to the cuffs. “Sometimes, I think I’m a figment of my imagination.”

“That’s deep,” Maggie told her. “Can I use that for my T-shirt empire?”

“Sure, babe. Happy to help.”

Suddenly the cuffs gave way and Maggie let out a cry of relief that was quickly stifled by the woman’s hand over her mouth. She shied back. She couldn’t stand to have someone touch her like that.

But the other woman was strong.

“Shh. Remember. Quiet. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to help you.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because these assholes are planning to hurt you. Maybe even kill you. They wouldn’t have let you see their faces if they were going to let you go.”

As she spoke, the other woman slid her shoulder under Maggie’s arm.

“I had that thought.”

“So, we need to get out of here. Get you back to safety and your men.”

“I don’t have men.” They weren’t looking for her. Why would they? They didn’t want her.

“Really? So the big grumpy one and the terrifying one who have been scaring the shit out of every member of the Purity Party they can get their hands on aren’t doing that because they’re yours? Huh. And then there’s the Doc. Didn’t think he had it in him, but he’s been in there too.”

“What? Seriously? They’re looking for me? Even Jameson?”

“Yeah, babe. Now, I need you to put your arm right around my shoulders so I can grab hold and help you up. Can you stay quiet?”

“Yep.” Now that she realized this woman was really here to help her . . . and that Jack, Ian, and even Jameson were searching for her, it had given her the boost she needed.

So even though it sent waves of agony through her, she let the stranger help her up. They crept through the camp, past sleeping guards. Including the asshole who hurt her.

She must have tensed of something as the other woman spoke up.

“Don’t worry, he’ll pay,” the woman said. “I’m really sorry. We have to walk for a bit.”

“It’s all right. I can do it.”

She’d do anything to get home.

Guilt was frying his insides.

Jameson wasn’t sure what day it was. Or what to do next. He stared at the empty hospital bed.

He’d failed her.

“There was nothing else you could do for him.”

He glanced over at Ryan’s words, seeing the sympathy on the other doctor’s face.

It’d been a whole week had passed since Maggie had disappeared.

The wedding should have been four days ago, but it had been postponed indefinitely. Doctor Evans had disappeared out of the country, likely helped by the Purity Party. But that was all white noise to him.

What mattered was Maggie. Finding her. Making sure she was all right.

How many times had he failed her? He felt . . . defeated.

“Go home, man.”

“I’ve got another hour.”

“And you’re no good to anyone. All you’ve done for the last half hour is stare at an empty hospital bed. He’s gone. You can’t bring him back.”

Jameson nodded numbly. Ryan was right. He wasn’t doing any good. He was a liability in this condition. Walking out of the hospital, he climbed into his SUV.

But he didn’t head to his empty apartment. He couldn’t handle it. Didn’t know what he might do there on his own. As he drove up to the gate where Ian and Jack were, his headlights picked up something on the ground.

Fuck. That wasn’t a something. That was a someone.

Parking, he jumped out and raced over to the person. A woman. With dark hair. Dressed in black.

“Oh God. Oh fuck. Please be alive. Please, be fucking alive.” He turned her over carefully.

Tears filled his eyes, spilling down his cheeks at her moan.

“Oh, sweetheart. What did they do to you?” He couldn’t make out too much. But she looked rough. Beaten up. Dirty. Her clothes torn.

Then her eyes opened and she stared up at him. “J-Jameson. Want . . . want . . .”

“It’s all right, sweetie. I’m going to get you whatever you want for the rest of your life. You tell me, I’ll make it happen. For now, though, we need to get you to the hospital.”

“No!” she cried out as he reached down to pick her up.

“What is it? Are you in pain? Where does it hurt?” Fuck, what was wrong with him? He needed to assess her before moving her.

“I’m . . . I’m fine. H-home.”

“Sweetheart, I’ll get Ian and Jack to meet us there.”

“N-no. Please, Jameson.”

He closed his eyes, breathed in deeply, then let it out slowly. The hospital might not be safe anyway.

“I’ll take you home to them. But,” he added sternly as she let out a small sigh, “you will let me examine you. And if you need to go to the hospital, it will be happening. You will do everything I tell you.”

“So bossy.”

He stiffened. Hell. He was acting like she belonged to him. And he had no right. Not yet.

“Lucky for you, I like bossy.”

“I’m going to lift you now.” He picked her up. He didn’t want to let her go. Even for the short drive to the house. But he had to. He sat her in the passenger seat, carefully putting the belt on her. She let out a small whimper as he stepped away.

“Hey, what is it?”

“Don’t leave me.” Her hand reached out to grab his. He could see her better now and he hated what he saw. One eye was swollen, she could only open it slightly. The skin around her wrists was rubbed raw. She was breathing shallowly and was extremely pale with red spots on her cheeks.

Was she running a fever? He put the back of his hand on her forehead and swore softly.

“When was the last time you ate or drank, precious girl?”

“I’m not precious.”

“Yeah, you are. And you’re about to find out just how precious you are to us. I mean to Ian and Jack.”

“Not you,” she whispered.

Did she sound sad?

“I don’t know you as well.” He lightly brushed the hair from her forehead. “But I think that when I do, then you will become my whole world.”

“I think I’m hallucinating again.”

“Let’s get you to Jack and Ian.” He was actually trembling as he shut the door and moved around to the driver’s side.

He got in and hit the button for the gate, heading up the driveway.

“You didn’t answer me about when you last ate or drank.”

“I don’t know,” she mumbled. “I’m tired.”

“I bet, precious girl. But don’t fall asleep just yet. Stay awake for me.”

He parked the car and then quickly rang Ian.

“What?” He didn’t sound like he’d been asleep.

“Come outside. Now!”

He ended the call and ran around the other side of the car.

Maggie was fumbling with the seatbelt, so he brushed her hands away before undoing it himself and lifting her into his arms again.

She let out a low moan of pain and he froze. “Shit. Are you all right?”

“Yes. Fine.”

The door opened as he was walking up the footpath and Ian stepped out.

Jameson heard his sharp intake of breath.

“Maggie? Fuck! Maggie! Jack!” he roared.

She let out another small cry, turning her head to bury her face in Jameson’s chest.

“Bloody hell, quiet, Ian. You’re upsetting her.” He kept his tone soft.

“I didn’t . . . I would never . . .” Ian stumbled over his words. He nearly stumbled over his feet as he moved toward them. He reached out and touched her head gently. “Little girl, is that really you?”

“I’m not sure,” she whispered in a husky voice. “I think I’m hallucinating. Jameson called me precious.”

“Did he?” Ian asked gently.

“And he talked like he thought . . . like he really thinks I am. But I know he doesn’t like me. He thinks I’m r-ruining everything.”

What the hell was she talking about?

“Sweetheart, why do you think that?” he asked.

“I heard you. You s-said you wanted to f-find someone more s-suitable, that I r-ruined things.”

Fuck. Fuck!

She must have overheard him talking about Elizabeth and thought he was talking about her.

“Precious girl, no. I was talking about my ex. Not you. I never said that about you. I never would”

“W-what?” she asked.

“You misheard me.”

“Oh. Oh no.” Tears slipped down her cheeks.

“Shh. Everything is all right. We can talk later.” He turned to Ian. “I found her like this down at the gate.”

“How did she get there?” Jack asked.

“Guardian angel rescued me, dropped me off there,” she said.

“Who?” Ian asked.

“A woman,” she said. “She had long dark hair. Pretty. Not that old. I can’t . . . I can’t tell you much else.”

“Fuck, give her to me,” Ian said.

He wanted to protest. To keep her for himself. But he squashed that urge.

Handing her over, he walked into the house behind them as Jack ran down the stairs. “What is . . . fuck! Baby girl! Fuck!”

Jack ran straight to them and Jameson tensed, thinking he was going to bang into the two of them. But he stopped at the last second. “Baby. Baby, look at me. That’s it. There you are.”

Jameson had never heard that tone from Jack before. He sounded tender. Almost sweet.

“Give her to me,” Jack demanded.

Ian let out a sound of dissent.

This sort of relationship only worked if they shared readily. If they communicated well. If they trusted in each other.

Jameson hadn’t done those things. But Jack and Ian were a unit.

Finally, Ian sighed and handed her to Jack.

“Just be careful,” Jameson warned. “She’s bruised and sore.”

“We need to take her upstairs,” Ian said. “Clean her and check her over.”

“We need the police,” Jameson reminded them.

“Fuck. Fuck,” Jack muttered. “Does she need to go to the hospital?”

“No hospital,” she said. “I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to stay here with you guys.”

“Then that’s what you’ll do,” Jack told her, walking up the stairs with her in his arms.

Ian glanced over at Jameson. “Does she need to go?”

“I’ll check her over,” he replied. “I warned her that if I thought she needed to go, she was going. But I can do most things here. I’d say she’s rather bruised and dehydrated. I might need to get an IV here. But the police might want a report. And evidence if . . .”

If she was assaulted sexually.

“We need to talk to her,” Ian said.

Jameson nodded, staying behind as he went up the stairs. He knew Ian meant him and Jack when he said ‘we.’

But Ian turned at the top. “Aren’t you coming?”

Right.

He bounded up the stairs after him, pausing at the doorway. It felt wrong to enter her bedroom without her permission, even if he’d already been in a few times before. He wanted things to be different between them now. He wanted more, and for that, he’d need to talk to her. That’s if she was interested.

And the timing wasn’t right.

Quiet sobs broke him out of his thoughts. If nothing else, he was her doctor. And he would look after her. Even if that was all she’d ever want from him.

He followed the noises into the bathroom. Jack was sitting on the closed toilet with Maggie on his lap, facing him. Her face was pressed into his chest and he was rubbing his hand up and down her back.

His face looked . . . tortured.

As though every sound she made was tearing him apart.

“What’s going on? What’s wrong?” Ian asked. He crouched behind her, reaching out to touch her lightly.

“I wanted to get her into the shower, but she got agitated when I went to undress her.”

God. That made him feel ill. What had they done to her? He looked from Jack, who was busy murmuring something to her quietly, to Ian, who was staring at her in devastation.

Fuck. Were neither of them were going to talk to her about it?

Do something.

That’s what he was here for. To support them. Her. His own emotions didn’t come into it.

“Precious girl.”

He ignored Jack’s low warning noise as he shuffled around Ian’s legs so he could stand side-on to Maggie. Then he realized he was looming over her and kneeled instead.

Jack’s eyebrows rose.

Yes, he couldn’t remember a time he’d ever kneeled like this on a bathroom floor either.

But it didn’t matter. Maggie needed him.

“Look at me, Maggie.” He kept his voice low but firm.

“Jameson,” Ian said hesitantly. “This isn’t what she needs right now.”

“We need to know what was done to her in order to come up with the best possible care plan. We need to look after her.”

Both men were thankfully silent and Jameson turned to Maggie. At least she was looking at him.

“I know this is really hard and I’m sorry to have to do this so soon.” It would probably make her hate him more.

He had to make this right

First things first.

“They didn’t rape me.”

Jack’s body jolted as though a shot of electricity had gone through it. Jameson placed his hand on her back to steady her, then drew it away, not wanting to make things worse.

“That’s good, precious girl,” he replied, trying to keep his voice even. “Did they touch you in any way?”

“Well, obviously they had to touch me to beat the shit out of me,” she replied.

“I’m going to fucking eviscerate them. Tear their limbs from their bodies piece-by-piece,” Jack said through gritted teeth.

Maggie patted his chest. “That’s so kind.”

Jameson shared a look with Ian. That was kind? Obviously, she was still slightly out of it.

“There was a woman,” she said. “I saw her one other time in the bathroom at the hospital. By the cafeteria. When I was there getting tests. I heard one of the people at the place where they were holding me call her Nureel.”

Shit. She’d never mentioned that.

“And a man. Nureel called him Rufus. He was the one who beat me. She was in charge, though. She came to me at the photo shoot after . . . after . . .”

“After what, baby girl?” Jack asked.

“I overheard the three of you. I know I shouldn’t have been listening in.” She let out a small sob. “I would never lie or try to manipulate you. I wasn’t trying to ruin anything.”

Oh, God.

“Hush, Little girl,” Ian said firmly. “No one thinks that. You misheard Jameson.”

“I was talking about my ex, precious girl. Not you.”

“So you don’t think I’m u-unsuitable?”

“Fuck, no!” Jameson said “Maggie, you are everything. I don’t deserve you. That’s if you even want me.”

“You want me?” she asked.

“Yes, sweetheart. Why wouldn’t I want you? You’re amazing. My ex did a number on me. After we broke up, I came here to Escana to escape. But I’ve realized lately that I was letting what happened with her affect my life now. That it was keeping me from what I really wanted. To be with you. To be part of this small family.”

“A family?”

“If you’ll have me.”

“If I’ll have you?” she repeated.

Shit. He shouldn’t be having this conversation now. “We’ll talk when you’re feeling better.”

She wiped at her nose, which was adorable.

“Ian, have you got any tissues and wipes?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Ian moved to the cabinet and drew everything out.

Jameson took the tissue and held it to her nose. “Blow.”

Her eyes widened and she tried to rear back but Jack was holding her too tight.

“Uh-uh. Blow.” Jameson firmed his voice. He had no right to talk to her like that, but what she needed was care.

Ian took that moment to text someone. Likely Caleb.

She blew and he wiped her nose. “That’s a good girl.”

A small noise escaped her. One of pleasure? He grabbed the wipes and cleaned her face and hands.

She sighed happily.

“Feel better?” he asked.

“Yes. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, precious girl. This man, Rufus, . . . did he do anything else to you?”

She tensed. “I told you I wasn’t raped.”

“Did he touch you in other ways?” Jack rasped. He was practically vibrating with anger and fear.

“No. It seemed like he didn’t really want to hit me. She made him. Then they took photos.” A sob escaped her.

“Caleb and the cops will be here in fifteen minutes,” Ian said, running his fingers through his hair. “Do you think you can wait that long until you shower, Little girl?”

She nodded with a wince.

“Such a brave girl,” Ian told her.

“So amazing,” Jack added.

“I’m sorry I can’t stay here,” she said, her good eye closing. “I wanted to when Uncle Willy said we could move here. Wanted it so much. To be with the two of you. But I couldn’t . . .”

“Hush, baby,” Jack told her. “If you can’t be here, then we’ll go to where you are.”

“You would?” she asked, surprised.

“Of course we would,” Ian said firmly. “You are ours, Little girl.”

“If we have to kidnap you, we will.” Jack grimaced as soon as he said the words and Maggie tensed.

“He doesn’t mean it like that,” Jameson said quickly, worried she would start to panic. “Did your uncle tell you about the old traditions here? About a Marjarsom?”

“How men would take a bride and keep her for twenty-one days so they could convince her to marry them?” she asked.

“That’s right. That’s all Jack meant,” Jameson told her.

“We would never do anything you don’t want,” Ian told her. “Not ever, Little girl.”

“I’m sorry, baby,” Jack told her. “I just can’t have you away from me. Not ever again. And I’m going to use anything I can to tie you to me.”

“You don’t have to,” she said. “I want to be tied to you as well. All of you.”

Hope filled him. But he knew he still had a long way to go to get her to really want to be with him. To show her how much she meant to him.

But he would do it. He had to.