Page 37 of Heart in Waiting
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Reese remained rootedto the spot, not making a move so Nolan wouldn’t hurt Halie. She studied her surroundings, hoping for something that would assist them out of their situation. She doubted Paige would be much help. She had curled up into a ball and continued to cry relentlessly. It would be up to Reese to do something to save them all. Maybe the best bet was to lure Nolan away from those two and offer herself up as bait.
“Nolan,” Reese started, “Why did you come here specifically?” Did he want to spend time with his daughter, or did he somehow know Reese was her doctor. “Did you find out Halie might die? You could help her. She needs a bone marrow transplant—there’s a possibility you’re a match.”
Generally, a parent wasn’t a match. A sibling would have a better chance, but maybe Nolan wouldn’t know that. It was possible another family member could help Halie too. These were all things she’d planned on discussing with Paige. It was why she’d wanted to know who the little girl’s father was. It was important that anyone in the family get tested to see if they could help Halie. Somehow, she doubted Nolan would be the first in line though.
“I just told you I’d be willing to let her die to get to you. Why would you think I’d care if the sniveling brat found a donor for her disease? It’s probably better this way. She’ll die eventually, and I won’t have to worry about her disrupting my life in any way.”
He really was a first-rate ass. “So, you’re here specifically for me.” She shook her head in disgust. “You really have a one-track mind, don’t you?” Reese glanced at Paige and a realization hit her. “She’s your type, isn’t she? Blonde, beautiful, and insecure.” She understood in that moment why she, then Reese, had been so appealing to him. “But Paige had something else too didn’t she—Dane. You hate your little brother that much, don’t you? You went after her because she was his friend and important to him.”
“Dane is a bastard.”
“Yes,” Reese agreed. “Your father never married his mother. But that doesn’t define who he is does it. Dane is honorable where you’re the rotten seed. Did it make you feel better to abuse and kill those women?”
Paige was just another one of his victims. Nolan had perhaps done her the most harm emotionally. No wonder she was a sniveling mess. She had to wonder how far Nolan had taken it. Did Paige sleep with him willingly? The way Paige was acting, Reese didn’t think so. No wonder she never talked about Halie’s father. When she’d first met Paige, she’d assumed so many horrible things about her. She should never have judged her so harshly. Paige had deserved better from her, and so had Halie.
“They all meant nothing to me.” Nolan stilled on the bed and stopped caressing Paige like she was a pet of his. “You and your sister—now, you two were special. At some point I might return my attention to Claire. You’ll do. I have to teach you a lesson.”
He had to do what? “Oh?” She lifted a brow. “Was I a bad girl?” Sometimes she couldn’t help the things that came out of her mouth. That was probably not a good thing to say to a man hell-bent on killing her.
Nolan came to his feet and clenched his hands into fists. “Don’t mock me. I saw you with my bastard brother. Please tell me you haven’t let him touch you. If so...”
It would almost certainly be a horrible idea to mention how good Dane was with his hands, tongue—hell, every part of him put the word decadent to shame. The shower had been mind blowing, but in bed, he’d erased all men from existence. No one compared to him. Nolan wouldn’t want to hear that though. The sadistic bastard wanted to be the center of attention, and he had a boner for usurping his brother. What had Dane ever done to him?
“Dane is a good man. He’d die to protect me from you and anyone else that might be” Reese lifted her chin high in defiance. “It’s his job, and he does it well.”
“Does he really?” Nolan lifted a brow. “Then where is he now? Seems like he’s failed in his one duty.”
None of them had foreseen this. Nolan had bypassed all the security. Everyone in the hospital was supposed to be on the lookout for him. Carter had set up all the security measures before she’d come back to work. Reese looked at Paige again. Had he used her somehow? She was no longer a patient at the hospital. If he’d gone to her place and threatened her... “Why don’t you and I leave this room? I am the one you want. Leave Paige and Halie here. They don’t mean anything to you.”
Reese had to find a way to make him leave. If she did, then maybe Paige could find Dane. Even if Reese didn’t make it, at least Paige and her daughter would be safe. The one regret she had was that she’d never told Dane how she felt about him. If she were given the chance, she’d spill out everything and not leave any words unsaid.
“You may be right,” he replied. “But I’m not ready to leave just yet. We’ve only begun to talk. Paige here has been so helpful.”
Paige shuddered at Nolan’s words. Reese was afraid of what he’d done to the poor woman. “Really?” At least with him talking he wasn’t hurting anyone. “And what did you have to do to her to ensure her cooperation?”
“What do you think?” He gestured toward Halie. “She cared more for the brat than herself. If not for my darling Paige, I’d have been caught days ago. She’s kept me safe at her place the entire time.”
“Don’t hurt her,” Paige begged. “You promised you wouldn’t ever again.”
He’d caused that little girl’s bruises. Reese’s instincts had apparently been spot on. She’d just attributed the violence to the wrong person. Paige was the reason why they hadn’t been able to find Nolan either. She’d been trying her best to protect her daughter and gave the bastard the perfect little hideout. Who would have thought to look for him at Paige’s? Was that the reason she’d left the day of the accident. Had she tried to escape Nolan to end up in the emergency room? That was some rotten luck.
Reese was running out of time. She could almost feel the tension in the air. Nolan was waiting for something, but she didn’t have any idea what. He insisted he wanted her, but what if this didn’t have anything to do with her at all. “You’re playing me, aren’t you?”
Nolan laughed. “I always knew you were smarter than you let on.” He waved toward a chair. “You might as well get comfortable. Dane should be getting my message soon, and then the real fun will begin.”
Fuck. How could she have been so stupid? Her ego was giant-sized, and he’d used it against her. He wanted revenge against his brother. That was his end game. How long had he been planning this? She prayed Dane stayed away. She’d rather he was safe then to walk into whatever Nolan had in store for him.
“On second thought...” Nolan walked over to her and clasped her wrist. “Maybe we will find someplace else to wait.” He placed his free hand over her mouth and dragged her out of the room. “This time you won’t have the opportunity to fight back.”
She didn’t know where he was taking her. He could hide them anywhere in the hospital, and it would take a while for them to find her. It was a large place with many nooks and crannies. Something sharp poked into her side. Did he have a knife? He could kill her, and no one would know until it was too late. She’d crumble to the ground and bleed out. There would be no sound, no warning, only her life fading before her.
He pushed open a door and shoved her inside. It wasn’t until the sound of the door clicking shut echoed around her that she realized where they were—her office. Dane was supposed to meet her here for lunch. Somehow Nolan knew that too... At least Halie and Paige were safe. Maybe someone would see something strange on the security footage and call for help before anything bad happened, but somehow, she doubted it. Nolan had planned this a little too well, and he meant to have it out with his brother before everything was over.
***
DANE COULDN’T WAITto see Reese. The past twenty-four hours had been the best. Each moment with her was even better than the last. She might even love him as much as he loved her. Perhaps he was being optimistic, but it was the first time he’d ever had hope she might come to care for him in any capacity. There was one obstacle standing in their way—Nolan. Once his brother was caught, they could plan for a future. He fully believed they had the possibility of one now.
