Page 48 of Midnight’s Captive (Stroke of Midnight #2)

Ash paced the hacker room while Taryn was gone. She’d left several hours ago after receiving information about Hope’s whereabouts and he hadn’t heard from her since. He’d tried to go with her, but she refused. No, it wasn’t Taryn who refused. It was the Jack. He was learning the two sides to her. There was the softer side that worried about the women she rescued and then there was the ruthless side that got the job done—for a price. And the price in this case was Ash staying here.

Impatience warred with fear and the fear was winning. Was Taryn safe? Was Hope?

Dani had stopped by briefly to ask if he needed something and he’d snarled at her. She’d given him a look that she must have learned from Taryn and told him to stay down here.

Where else would he go? Right now, this room was the safest place for him if he wanted to stay off the Tremaine radar. Was this the future he had to look forward to if he stayed with Taryn? Waking up with her in his arms had felt so right, but this... This would break him.

“Fuck!” He shoved his fingers into his hair.

“Ash?”

He whirled around at the sound of Taryn’s voice. “Is she safe? Did you get her?”

“Yes, we got her. They’re settling her into one of the rooms upstairs.”

“Thank you!” He surged forward and threw his arms around her. She stiffened briefly, then returned the hug. “Thank you,” he said again into her hair. “Is she okay?”

Taryn nodded against his chest. “My EMT says she’s fine.”

He pulled back just slightly. “You have an EMT?” When she nodded again, he asked, “Did you rescue her too?”

Pink touched her cheeks. “I helped her start a new life.”

“You are fucking amazing, you know that, right?”

“Hardly,” she said.

He squeezed her again. “Can I see her?”

“Of course.” Taryn stepped out of his embrace but grabbed his hand. He smiled as she led him up the stairs.

The room she showed him fit somewhere between Hope’s stark white hospital room at Tremaine and the seedy location where Caspar had held her. The walls were light blue and the overhead light gave the room a bright glow. It was comfortable, homey with a light citrus scent that said it had been cleaned recently. “We have a doctor who visits regularly. She’ll be here tomorrow to check on Hope.”

Taryn handed him an old-fashioned key. “Here, so you can visit whenever you want. Just... be careful, okay? I’ve explained to the women who stay here that you’ll be visiting, but they’re still healing and I don’t want to spook them.”

Wrapping his fingers around the key, he recognized the enormous trust she was placing in him. “Thank you.”

“I’ll leave you to your visit.” She slipped out of the room, leaving him alone with his sister.

He took a deep breath and watched the monitors. The beeps and lines and numbers all looked right. He wasn’t a doctor, not by a long stretch, but over time, he’d come to recognize what the monitors said about Hope’s health. They never changed, which was both good and bad. He still hated that she was stuck in limbo like this.

They’d obviously cleared out whatever furniture had once been in this room in order to bring in Hope’s bed and equipment, but a chair had been left by her bedside. He appreciated that touch.

He sank into it and reached for Hope’s hand. Her medical bracelet was gone, probably removed by Caspar. She wasn’t very good as a hostage if she could be tracked. At least Ash didn’t have to worry about her being tracked here. He hoped.

“I think you’ll be safe here, Hope,” he said, while stroking her fingers. “I’m sorry Caspar was able to take you. I never wanted you anywhere near that man, even when we were working for him. I should have kept you out of this life.” He laughed. Like Hope would have allowed that. She’d wanted to do whatever her brother was doing and had a will of steel. She’d have found a way with or without him.

“I don’t know what will happen next. I never really believed that we’d ever be free of the Tremaine Corporation. And I don’t know if we are. And Caspar will probably come after us again. Not to mention Portia.” He dropped his head to the bed. “I’ll keep you safe, though. I promise.”

He just had no idea how to keep that promise.