“Miss, we need to get you to the hospital.”

  I cringed at the idea, huddling closer to Turner as I temporarily focused on the woman speaking to me.

  “No,” I said in an unfamiliar raspy voice, reminding me what I’d just endured. “No hospitals.”

  “Bails, you should get checked out,” Turner pressed.

  That was the last thing I wanted. I sought out Kalen, but he was gone and it felt like someone had reached into my chest and fisted my heart.

  A familiar prick of my skin nearly caused me to jump out of my skin.

  “Just saline,” the woman said.

  “I don’t want it,” I said in a panic.

  “Miss, please.”

  She focused on Turner who helped them to keep me from jumping off the gurney.

  “No,” I yelled. “I don’t want this.”

  I was being irrational, but my emotional state was fragile at best.

  Suddenly, Matt was there arguing with the EMTs.

  “Bailey, if you were given anything, it’s best to let the saline help flush things out of your system.”

  Rationally, I knew it didn’t exactly work that way, but he was right. I had no idea the toxins the guy had poisoned me with. I hadn’t had anything to eat or drink, and I wasn’t sure how long I’d been kept. I could be at the very least dehydrated.

  I stopped fighting them. Turner was here. Matt was here. Kalen—

  I was safe. So I stopped and relaxed. But that wasn’t the worst part. The police came over wanting my statement.

  “Give us a minute,” Matt demanded.

  There was something about his commanding voice that made everyone listen, including the police.

  He came closer and brushed away the damp hair from my face. “I know this is hard, but I need you to tell me everything.”

  This wasn’t something I relished. I just wanted to get far away. But I’d seen enough cop shows to know it wasn’t that easy. I would likely be repeating this tale numerous times before I could go home. And where was home?

  “I don’t remember much in the beginning. He came from behind and dosed me with something. I blacked out and woke up here.”

  Matt interrupted me, “When you woke up, how did you feel?”

  “A little sick and confused,” I admitted.

  Matt nodded. “Go on.”

  I proceeded to tell him everything as I remembered it, including my trip to the bathroom. I told him how complacent I’d been allowing myself to be bound again. Matt’s face held no judgment.

  I showed him my hand and caught his growing rage.

  Once I finished, Matt rubbed his knuckles across my cheek after he seemed to release a breath. “You are okay. He can’t hurt you anymore.” He stared in my eyes a long time. “I have to go talk to some other people. Turner will stay with you.” He nodded at Turner who was still at my side. “You will have to repeat this to the police. Make sure you tell them exactly what the guy claimed he was going to do before we showed up.”

  The way he emphasized it I knew it was important.

  “We don’t want this guy to get off because he might claim that Kalen put his life in danger. When we both know Kalen was only protecting you and himself.”

  I nodded, getting it. Kalen had been the one to take him down. The sounds I’d heard when Kalen had gotten off me hadn’t sounded good. The last thing I wanted was for Kalen to get in trouble for saving me.

  I buried my face in Turner’s chest and let him hold me while I let loose a second round of tears. It was all such a mess.

  My nightmare seemed to crawl on while we waited. I wasn’t allowed to leave unless I agreed to go to the hospital.

  Matt was the one to convince me to go. He said they would need to take pictures of my wounds along with blood samples to see what I’d been given if it wasn’t already out of my system. I grudgingly agreed.

  After a grueling amount of time going over my story again and again in the presence of the lawyer someone had gotten for me, I was given over to nurses.

  They’d taken pictures of my wounds before wrapping my wrists and taking blood samples. Finally, the police and my doctors agreed to let me go under caution even though I was the victim.

  All the evidence had to be sorted through. It was my word against my captor’s who was also in the hospital.

  According to my own story, I’d been kidnapped out of state without identification and means to obtain my own transportation. Thus, the case had been handed over to the FBI because it was a multistate crime.

  Matt assured me the evidence was in my favor, especially with the marks around my wrists and throat.

  Yet, I wasn’t allowed to leave the state and a hotel had been arranged. I’d yet to see Kalen. I had no idea if he was still in town, as I’d learned I was no longer in Pennsylvania, but Virginia.

  The sky was bright blue when I finally left the hospital. Matt was busy and it was my lawyer who passed me a hotel room key once he parked out front of an upscale one.

  If the place had looked anything like the rat trap I’d come from, I might have not gone in. But I was certain it had been selected by Matt or Kalen. Probably Kalen. I would have to thank him for it.

  Turner was there to help me out of the car and I felt like I sleepwalked to my hotel room. It had to be a strong desire for a shower and sleep that kept me focused on the room number my lawyer had given me.

  “If you need anything, I’m just a few doors down,” Turner said, reluctantly letting me go.

  “Thanks,” I said and let myself in my room.

  It shouldn’t have surprised me in the least that Kalen stood inside with his back to me.

  Nine

  Breaking the silence, I asked, “How is she?”

  For a second, I thought he wasn’t going to speak. “She’s tough.”

  I stopped myself from saying, I know. “Did they—”

  “No,” he said, stopping me short of asking the question I didn’t really want to ask. Still, his answer was a relief.

  The lift of that heavy burden had me close my eyes for the briefest of moments.

  “Did she know who they were?”

  “No,” he answered.

  Matt stepped out into the hall. “I know you have questions.”

  Turner and I shifted as one by the time Matt reached us huddled in a corner.

  “I’m sure Turner told you that Bailey is okay and that she didn’t know the guy.” He paused with a pensive look while rubbing at his chin. “They should release her soon.”

  “Do we have an ID on the guy?”

  Matt looked at Turner as if he suspected I shared his little secret.

  “I overhead the Feds saying he runs a fetish porn site. He has minor charges for assault and battery, possession, and theft. But nothing like this, though he’s suspected of working a human trafficking ring.”

  “Do they think that’s what this is about?” Turner asked. “Human trafficking?”

  The guy looked like he might be sick.

  Matt agreed, “That’s what they think.”

  “It doesn’t ring that way for me,” I offered.

  “Exactly. Why would he bring her all the way here? It would be easier to pass her off right away if that was the goal. This was something else,” Matt said.

  “Or someone else,” I suggested.

  Matt finished my thought. “Someone else who’s still out there.”

  Someone who most likely works for me that could have approved the bogus invoices and created the wires sending my money out to a numbered account that didn’t belong to me. Or has a person working for them on the inside.

  Turner shoved a hand through his hair. “Bailey’s still not safe.”

  Matt somberly said, “No, and that’s not our only other problem.”

  I stood staring out the window into the growing sunlight waiting for Bailey. She’d been released and the lawyer had dropped her off downstairs. I probably shouldn’t be here, but I couldn’t stop myself from going to her room and using the key I had.

  When the lock clicked, I didn’t turn around to face her. There were so many things I wanted to say and do. So many selfish questions I wanted answered.

  At the faint click of the door closing, I stiffly said, “Are you really okay?”

  Her whispered yes barely carried to my ears. Still I didn’t turn around.

  “Kalen.” Her voice carried volume that time laced with pain. The kind that made me face her.

  “Now isn’t the time for that.”

  The sight of her was still breathtaking despite the bruises around her eye and her lovely neck. I wanted to strangle the fecker again as I imagined him inflicting pain.

  She cradled one hand and I almost asked what else had been done to her. But in her eyes, I saw the weariness. She’d probably had to explain it a thousand times, so I let it go for now.

  Tendrils of hair hung loosely around her face. My foot almost moved in her direction. Touching her would be a mistake, one that we couldn’t indulge.

  Her dress looked intact, which only reminded how close we’d come to not getting her in time.

  Anger flared in me, making my words come out in a growl. “You have some decisions to make.”

  Her body froze and I knew she had misinterpreted my anger to be directed at her. I continued, “Once the media gets wind of this, they will swarm this place like minion ants. You don’t need to be near here when that happens. Your lawyer is on his way back to take a deposition.”

  Her eyes grew into pools of white as shock set in. The instinct to protect kicked in. I wanted to hold her in my arms and tell her everything would be fine. That, however, wasn’t a part of the plan.

  “That fucker worked for someone else.”

  I waited for that to sink in. And then I saw it. She began to crumble with the impact of my words. I moved to catch her in mid-air before she hit the floor.

  With her cheek pressed to my chest, she said the words, “This isn’t over. There’s someone else out there looking for me. He said as much.”

  “Who?” I barked.

  She shook her head. “The man who had me. He was turning me over to someone else.”

  “It’s likely they’re aware of his failure… I have an offer.”

  A knock came at the door, interrupting the rest of my statement. Bailey pulled away and I managed not to grab her and never let go.

  She opened the door and Matt walked in with Turner on his heels.

  “Have you told her?” Matt asked.

  Irritated, I held my tongue until I could calm it. “Matt and I think you should go somewhere no one would ever look for you. A place where the media can’t find you.” I glanced between Turner and Bailey. “I’m offering for you to come to Scotland with me.”

  Turner huffed, “Of course you are.”

  Instead of giving voice to my annoyance, I faced Bailey. “It’s the same offer from the other night. Turner is welcome to join us.”

  She glanced at him before giving me the full weight of sorrow in her eyes.

  Gratefully, Matt jumped in. “There are advantages to leaving the country, Bailey. Most likely this won’t make global news.”

  “Will they let me go?” she asked. I hated the desperation in her voice and that whatever part of her that arse had taken she might not ever get back.

  “Your lawyer is a former prosecutor. He thinks that he can take a video deposition that will hold up in court during the grand jury phase if you are out of town. They’ve found a witness that saw him carry your limp body into the hotel room. At this point, they have enough evidence against him even without your testimony,” Matt said convincingly.

  I watched Bailey shrink before me as Matt mentioned her limp body. She withered as if a year were a second. I wanted to hold her, to reassure her.

  Turner was busy glaring at me because of my offer. I wanted to remind him that this wasn’t about him or me.

  “Can I think about this?” she asked.

  “Don’t take too long,” I said and crossed the room to the door. I had to get out before I said or did anything that betrayed my true feelings.

  The girl I loved had chosen another. I didn’t look back because I couldn’t. If I saw any amount of pleading in her eyes, I might have tossed her over my shoulder to take what was mine. It’s too late for that. She’d chosen Turner over me, and I didn’t think I could ever forgive her for that.

  Ten

  The staccato beats of my heart were no rival for the turbulence of my emotions as I watched Kalen walk out the door, barely looking at me. Matt followed him. When I found Turner’s brown eyes, my heart wasn’t put at ease as it had been in the past.

  I licked my suddenly dry lips before biting the lower one, unable to come up with something to say. Thank goodness he easily read me and folded me in his embrace.

  In his warmth, I let out the torrent of emotions I hadn’t been able to with Kalen in the room.

  It took a long time for me to surface from the feelings that had drowned me.

  After accepting his gentle strokes of my hair and murmured words filled with love, I finally stepped out of the circle of his arms. “I’m sorry I got your shirt wet.” I sniffled and turned to find the bathroom to blow my nose.

  “Bails,” he called out to me, but I kept walking.

  The sounds I made blowing into the tissue were certainly not pretty. However, I caught Turner standing with his forearm against the molding on the door, waiting for me.

  A noiseless crumple of tissue dropped into the trash did nothing to break the silence as he waited for me. What could I say? There was so much, yet not enough that could explain the chaos in my heart.

  “I’m here whenever you’re ready.”

  I nodded and waited until he stepped back, giving me space to move into the main room. I dropped to sit on the bed, unable to stand with the weight of everything on my shoulders.

  Would he be angry if I told him I wanted to go with Kalen? Could I stand to be on a plane with the man my emotions were twisted over, knowing he hated me?

  Slumped, I sat with my hands folded in my lap and studied the pattern of the carpet.

  “Should I go?” he asked quietly. He wasn’t referring to Kalen’s offer.

  My head drifted up to meet his weary eyes. In them, I saw the pain I was inflicting by shutting him out. I shook my head.

  A quiet smile barely curved his lips. He sat next to me, only to wrap an arm around my shoulder and lean us both back on the bed. I curled into a ball and he curved around me.

  It wasn’t until the light that streamed through the picture window began to dim that I stirred. Turner wasn’t there, but I heard the shower running. I shifted my legs over the side of the bed and raked a hand through my loose, tangled hair before I stood.

  The sight in the mirror was far from pretty. My eyes were still puffy and bloodshot. One of them was purple from the blow. Locks of hair jutted this way and that in a sleep mass. I pulled the band from around my wrist and twisted my hair to tie it back from my face.

  When the shower stopped, I turned toward the door and caught sight of an envelope that had been shoved underneath from the hall.

  Slowly, I picked it up. The hard square I felt piqued my curiosity to open it. Inside were a black credit card and a note.

  Bailey,

  You will need clothes whether you stay or go with me. Matt doesn’t think it would be safe at this time for you to use your cards to make purchases. Use this to buy whatever you need. There is a mall next door.

  Kalen

  “What’s that?”

  Startled, I brought the letter to my chest and gasped. Turner stood with nothing but a white towel slung about his hips. It was hard not to remember what lay beneath. I pivoted in the opposite direction, feeling the burn in my cheeks.

  “A note from Kalen,” I replied.

  There was silence before I heard Turner move into the room.

  “What does he want?”

  The jealousy in his tone was like a knife.

  “He and Matt think I shouldn’t use my credit cards to buy anything. Not that I had any on me. He’s given me access to a credit card to buy clothes next door at the mall.”

  The bed creaked as he sat. I moved to face him and leaned against the desk with my hands folded behind me as I tried not to cry.

  A week ago, Kalen would have bought the clothes for me. Though he was still taking care of me, it now felt impersonal.

  Turner mistook my silence and glanced away from me. “Sorry. I didn’t want to leave you alone. I used your bathroom.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “It’s not okay,” he grumbled. “I don’t have a credit card you can use. Never needed one. But he does. He’s paying for all of this and offering you a trip to Scotland to keep you safe.”

  His hands dropped from where they’d spread to encompass the room.

  “I know,” I said patiently.

  “I don’t have a plane, or the money he has to offer you,” he continued.

  “And you think that’s what I want?”

  There was desperation in his eyes as if he already read my thoughts. And maybe he had.

  “I don’t know what you want,” he confessed.

  My mouth opened and then closed. I wanted to deny what he said, but he was right.

  Deflecting, I said, “I want to get away from here. I don’t want to become a media sensation.”

  “So go with him,” he said, his face impassive.

  “Turner,” I began.

  He held up a hand. “You should go. I can’t.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t have my passport on me.”

  I remembered his planned trip to volunteer in Africa with a charitable group that helped small villages rebuild and felt bad about wanting him to go.

  “I don’t have mine either. I’m sure they’ll get it,” I said.

  I’d left mine in New York. The only reason I had one at all was because Scott had told me I’d need one for our honeymoon. It hadn’t dawned on me to bring it because I hadn’t planned to leave the country.

  “I bet he could because he can do everything,” he answered bitterly.