Healing Kiss, page 18
She paused again to look at him. In sleep, Tristan appeared boyish and vulnerable, one hand flung above his dark curls and the other resting over his heart.
She sucked in a breath and held it inside. It hurt to think of leaving…to destroy the fragile bond blossoming between them. Maybe if she confided in him they could find a way to put a stop to Kinetica? They wouldn’t have to part.
She needed some space between them so she could think. With swift movements, she made her way to the door. When she opened it, he stirred again, and she held her breath until he settled into sleep. She studied his face, lingering on his chiseled jawline and the masculine beauty of his shape.
She twisted the doorknob, and without a sound, stepped into the long hallway. She made her way to her bedroom, found her bra and panties where he had tossed them, and slipped them on along with her clothing from earlier in the day. Then she stuffed her pajamas in the suitcase, zipped it, and grabbed her purse. She would go to his office to find a pad of paper and pen and consider her options.
It didn’t take her long to reach his office door and make her way to the spot where she’d first asked Tristan to visit Hannah and he’d agreed. So much had taken place since then, it seemed a lifetime ago.
She spent a minute peeking out the large window, curious what the view from the office looked like in the daytime. A stone patio opened onto a crystal-blue zero entry pool, surrounded by white outdoor furniture and what looked like a bathhouse in matching white. Beyond the bathhouse a long stretch of land led to a wooded area. What a beautiful private oasis. Maybe she and Tristan could swim in the pool together? Maybe he could show her the garden as he’d promised?
She turned toward the desk to look for something to write on. She found a pen in a drawer, her gaze settling on a manila folder. Her heart stopped beating for a moment, and she couldn’t catch her breath. Why was her full name written on the folder? Not Mills, but her real name, Lillian Abigail Milano?
Adrenaline shot through her veins, and for a moment, white spots formed in front of her eyes. Everything moved in slow motion—her heart heaved in her chest, the air froze in her lungs. She couldn’t take her eyes off the bold, black print in Tristan’s familiar handwriting. She recognized it from when he’d written his address on a napkin and given it to her with an invitation to his fundraising party. Was it only a couple of days ago?
How and when had he learned her real name, and why had he written it on a folder hidden in his desk?
Her heart resumed its furious beating as she flipped open the folder and skimmed through its contents. This was a report prepared by Townsend Security, whom Tristan apparently hired to investigate her. Her name jumped out at her from the paper. Her alarm grew with every word she read.
Her hands shook, and she had to lean against the desk to keep from pitching forward. His security firm knew who she was, knew her real name, which meant Tristan also knew, although he’d called her Zoey. Her gaze flew to the date on the report. Yesterday. All the while Tristan had made love to her, he’d known her real identity. He knew, and yet he’d stayed silent. He’d used her.
She forced air into her starved lungs. He knew who she was, he knew her family. He’d known she could heal before she’d confirmed it. He knew of Kinetica’s involvement. It was all there in a typed memo, and yet, he hadn’t told her. Instead, he’d slept with her. He slept with her so she would…the truth crashed around her shoulders like an icy thunderstorm, drenching her in panic.
Her legs buckled, and she sat in the chair, still clutching the folder, her hands and heart and lungs ice cold…so cold.
My God, he’d pretended like he hadn’t known she could heal, when it was spelled out on page one of the report. He’d deliberately made her fall in love with him, then asked her to heal his mom, pretending ignorance. He’d taken advantage of what she freely offered. Could he be working with Kinetica? Was this an elaborate plan to use her to heal his mom and then hand her over to that horrendous organization?
Her stomach pitched, and she placed a hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t vomit. She stood. She had to get out. Now.
She turned to go, but it was too late. Tristan stood in the doorway, watching, a frown on his handsome face.
Chapter Twenty-two
“It’s not what you think,” Tristan said.
He held out his hand for the folder, but Lillian ignored him. She curled her lip and let some of the frigid cold in her veins leak into her voice. “It’s not a detailed report on me given to you by a security firm you’ve apparently hired to investigate me?”
“I had no choice. I asked you numerous times to tell me what or who you were afraid of, and you refused to confide in me.”
She had to hand it to him—he didn’t back down. His voice rang with the confidence of a man used to going after what he wanted without regrets.
“Don’t come near me. You’re working with Kinetica.”
He looked stunned by her accusation, but it could have been an act.
The stunned expression vanished, his lips thinned, and he clenched his jaw until it quivered. Energy shot toward her like a bullet to the heart. Quite suddenly, she was afraid, and it was not of Kinetica.
She took a step backward. She’d never seen Tristan so intensely furious.
“Think about it. If I was working with Kinetica, why would I have my security firm investigate you? I would have already known what you were capable of doing. I would have outed you to whomever was in charge.”
Anger came to her rescue. “You didn’t out me because you wanted me to heal your mom. Now I’ve done that, you plan to turn me in, don’t you? Dumbass that I am, I practically threw myself at you, and you took what I offered. Why not, when it was a bonus, right?”
“This is what you really think of me?” He towered over her, his navy eyes shards of thick, dark ice. “I am not working with Kinetica. I didn’t tell you because I figured you would freak out like you’re doing now. I wanted you to trust me with the truth yourself, Lillian.”
Panic fueled her fury. She was practically shrieking now. “Don’t call me Lillian. You have no idea who you’re dealing with. If Kinetica knows my identity—if they know I’m here—they’ll kill you to get to me. Hell, they’re probably already out there, watching your house. I have to get out of here.”
She headed toward the door. She’d grab her things and nurse her shattered heart later.
“So, this is it? You’re going to just walk out the door? I didn’t take you for a coward, Lillian. Well, you won’t have to worry about Kinetica for much longer at least. I’ve reported them to the FBI. They’ll handle it from here.”
Ice-cold fear stopped the blood coursing through her veins.
“What have you done?” She turned and looked around the room, although logically, she knew Kinetica couldn’t come through the office walls. “Kinetica’s spies are everywhere, including within the FBI. If they know I’m alive, they’ll come after me, and trust me when I say they’ll find me. You think the government will let someone like me go? Who do you think funded Kinetica? I can’t stay here. I have to leave.”
Tristan stepped in front of her, blocking the doorway. “I’ll go with you.”
She shook her head. “If you really aren’t working with Kinetica, then don’t try and follow me. It will only get you killed.”
“Lillian, don’t shut me out. I want to help you.”
“How? It doesn’t matter how rich you are. Kinetica won’t stop until they find me. Do you really believe you can somehow protect me from an organization with no ethics, hell-bent on creating a super healer? That you’ll persuade the government to let me go after they’ve spent years waiting and watching as other healers were used and discarded? They won’t, you know. I’m far too valuable to their success. They’ll lock me up and force me to cooperate.”
“Kinetica can be bought. You forget, I know the company CEO. He won’t want to lose the money I’ll offer if they leave you alone. And they won’t want the publicity my name will bring. As for the FBI, not everyone is corrupt, Lillian.”
His voiced softened, and he reached a hand to wipe her cheek, which she realized was soaked with tears. “I have friends there.”
She shook her head and backed away from his tenderness. “You have no idea the power this organization wields. They’ve been operating for years and getting away with it with the government’s blessing. If you shut down their operations, they’ll simply find a new location.”
“Lillian, don’t run. Trust me.”
For a mad moment, she thought about leaning on Tristan’s considerable strength and taking advantage of his money and resources. But her insanity was only temporary. Kinetica had captured, used, and ultimately, killed every healer in the program, including her mother. Lillian was one of the few people alive with the unique DNA they needed.
“I’m leaving.” She moved toward the door.
He stepped in front of her, his jaw clenched. “Please don’t. Give me your phone number so I’ll know you’re safe.”
She studied the hard planes of his face, which contrasted with the wary vulnerability in his eyes. This was not a man who would stand in a corner and wait to see what would happen when she was threatened. No, this man would use the number to trace her and probably bring Kinetica to her doorstep.
Something tore inside her, breaking away from her heart and shattering into a million invisible pieces. Tristan wouldn’t stay away, but she would never forgive herself if he or her dad or sister were hurt when Kinetica came for Lillian. She refused to lose another person she loved. It was best for everyone if she went back into hiding.
She tried to step around him, but he shifted to the right, blocking her path to the door. Her eyes dropped to his shirt, partially unbuttoned. He was not going to let her leave without a fight. She’d run out of options…but there was one.
She forced air into her lungs and raised her gaze until her eyes met his. She heard herself speaking like it was someone else—someone cold and uncaring—someone like Angelina. “You don’t understand, Tristan. I should never have slept with you. It was a mistake.”
“You can’t mean that.”
“I do. I don’t love you. I was grateful to you for saving my sister…nothing more. I never had serious intentions toward you. I might someday want children…healthy ones. I could never be with a man who can’t give them to me.”
Her arrow struck home, a world of hurt flaring in his eyes before disappearing behind a hard mask. This time when she moved forward, he stepped aside.
Her stomach twisted, and bile rose in her throat.
Tristan believed her lies.
Tristan clenched his fists, but he didn’t try to follow Lillian as she gathered her suitcase from her bedroom and found the keys to the rental in the dish where he’d left them. He let her walk out the door, although everything inside of him urged him to stop her, to protect her. But she’d made her choice. She didn’t want his help—she didn’t want him. He’d never forced himself on a woman before, and he wasn’t about to start now.
A deep chill settled in his gut. He set the folder on his desk and then deliberately walked to a different room with a window overlooking the driveway to watch her leave. Her words had pierced his heart and frozen his insides. She’d used him just like everyone else. She didn’t love him. She’d believed the worst of him. She’d only slept with him to pay a debt. Nothing more.
She didn’t look back at the house but got into her car and started the engine. His limbs were waking up, the blood returning to his heart, his brain beginning to function. Anger burned a scorching pathway through his veins.
The little white car sped down the drive and out of his line of vision. As quickly as she’d entered his life, Lillian was gone. He’d put himself on the line and lost. It was his fault for ignoring the warning signs and allowing himself to be vulnerable. Once again, he’d been played.
His phone buzzed and he checked the number. Brian. The old feelings of betrayal rose up like a ghost to haunt, urging him to let Lillian leave without a fight and to spend his time nursing his wounded heart. But he found he couldn’t bury his protective feelings toward her entirely—not without first making sure she was safe.
Lillian turned on the second road to the right and headed south toward the airport, all the while looking in the rearview mirror to see if Tristan—or anyone else—was tailing her. She didn’t know if the pain in her chest was caused by lack of food or disappointment that Tristan’s fancy car wasn’t behind her.
The sky broadcast a storm, seeming to echo her current mood, but at least it wasn’t raining…yet. Her cell phone buzzed—her dad. She answered.
“Zoey, thank God you haven’t left yet. Can you come to the hospital? Hannah isn’t doing well.” Her dad sounded distraught, but he’d remembered to use her alias.”
“What is it? Is Hannah okay?”
“I don’t know. The doctors aren’t saying. But she’s running a high fever again. It doesn’t look good.”
“Oh my God, Dad. Okay. Hang tight. I’m on my way.”
She made an illegal U-turn and prayed a cop wasn’t watching. Thankfully, no sirens or flashing lights went off. She would do what she had to do to save Hannah. She just hoped she could get in and out of the building safely.
By the time she reached the hospital parking lot, Lillian was determined not to leave her sister’s side until she was cured. This time, she would not give up so easily. This time, she would heal Hannah once and for all.
She opened the car door and looked around, and when she didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, made her way to the entrance.
The automatic doors opened, and she slipped inside, keeping her head down and avoiding the gazes of the other visitors and medical personnel she passed along the way. No one paid any attention to her, which helped to slow her breathing and calm her erratic heartbeat.
When she got to the elevators, as luck would have it, the doors were open, seeming to wait for her arrival. She ducked inside and hit the button for her sister’s floor. In a moment, she was knocking on the door of her sister’s room and heading inside.
“You’re here, thank God,” her dad said, getting up from where he’d been sitting by Hannah’s bedside. He gestured toward her sister. “She’s been like this for the past hour.”
Hannah’s face was as pale as the white sheets, and her eyes were closed, her breathing labored. A nurse whom Lillian didn’t recognize hovered over her bed, checking the IV drip.
“What are you doing?” she asked the nurse.
“The doctor wants to give her a sedative.”
“Please, before you do, can her dad and I have a moment with her?”
The nurse nodded. “Sure, honey, but be quick. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
The moment the nurse left the room, Lillian turned to her dad. “I’m going to heal her.” She reached for Hannah’s hands.
“Be careful,” her dad said.
“Lillian?” her sister whispered.
“Shhh, I’m here now. It’s going to be okay. Try to relax.”
Hannah didn’t respond, so Lillian pulled in air and let her breath out slow and easy. Almost immediately, a dark shape encased in an orange glow formed behind her closed eyelids. The orange light swelled and shifted with each of Lillian’s indrawn breaths, retracting when she emptied her lungs.
Deep breath in. Breathe out.
Each time she exhaled orange light, it absorbed a tiny spot of the vast darkness surrounding Hannah.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Her legs grew sluggish, and her heartbeat fluttered.
A thud, like a hammer striking a pillow, sounded behind her. What was it? Why was she so cold?
“Brian, I’m on my way out the door. What is it?”
Tristan shrugged on his jacket and grabbed his car keys. He’d made up his mind to follow Lillian and make sure she got on her flight, and then he’d come home and pour himself a tall glass of something strong. With any luck, he’d pass out by midnight and no longer feel her departure so intensely…or anything else for that matter.
“We’ve been watching the hospital like you asked, keeping a close eye on the buildings. A few minutes ago, one of my guys spotted two men lingering at a restricted entrance.”
Beads of sweat formed on Tristan’s brow, and his heartbeat broke into a gallop. He headed to his car, walking fast. “They’re going after Hannah?”
“We don’t know that. They didn’t go inside and left after a few minutes. It could be nothing. But you asked us to report anything out of the ordinary.”
He took a moment to calm himself. “That’s right. Good work, Brian. Keep a close watch and alert the hospital’s security. Call me if they return. Lillian headed to the airport a few minutes ago, and I’m following her to make sure she gets on her flight safely.”
“Hold on…something’s up.”
There was a long pause, and he could hear Brian talking to someone in the background. Tristan used the time to get into the vehicle and start the car, stepping on the accelerator and pulling out with a squeal of tires. If he floored it, he might be able to catch Lillian.
“Change of plans. Don’t go to the airport. Lillian was just spotted pulling into the Clinic parking lot.”
“The hospital?” Tristan frowned. “Something must be wrong with her sister. I’m on my way over now.” Tristan headed north instead of south.
“She’s going inside. Do you want us to stop her?”
Tristan thought a moment. If Hannah was ill again, Lillian might need to cure her. She’d never forgive him if he prevented her from trying. “No, but tail her and make sure no one else follows. Wait for me inside. I’m about ten minutes away.”
