Page 58 of Rescuing Josiah
About to activate his tracker right here and now, without any more discussion on the matter, since Chelsea’s only objection had been trying to get a visual on Desiree Tilly, before he could press his finger to where the small tracker had been placed under his skin, there was a knock at the door.
“Mr. Fleet, Mrs. Fleet, I've been told to come and collect you for your meeting,” a somewhat timid voice called out.
“After we get back,” Chelsea whispered. “This shouldn’t take too long, and then we can set them off. Prey isn’t going to move in until dark anyway, and we’re not at risk until tomorrow morning.”
Instinct had him wanting to argue.
Protective instincts.
The kind that went crazy at the thought of keeping Chelsea in danger any longer than he had to, but she was right. Prey would wait until the early hours of the morning when things would be the quietest before raiding the estate.
Glaring at her because that tightness in his chest kicked up another few notches, she merely smiled and stood on tiptoes to give his short hair an affectionate ruffle.
“Don’t borrow trouble, Josiah. We’re safe for now. We have until tomorrow morning at least. A couple more hours and this will all be over,” she murmured, a note of wistfulness seeping into her voice.
There was no need to ask to know why.
As much as she wanted this ring shut down, she was sad that it meant their fake relationship and marriage would be over.
Only it wasn't all that fake, not with the intensity of the emotions burning inside him.
“Mr. Fleet? Mrs. Fleet?” the voice from the other side of the door called out.
“It’s going to be okay,” Chelsea whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Sorry, we’re coming,” she called out louder as she tugged him along with her toward the door. “Sorry,” she repeated once she unlocked and opened it. “Didn't mean to keep you waiting, we were just … enjoying each other’s company.”
The young woman, who was the same one who had guided them to their room yesterday morning, blushed a deep red as her gaze darted between them and then dropped to the floor. But before it had dropped, Josiah caught the disapproval in it, pretty much confirming his suspicions that the woman wasn't there by choice. If she knew what was going on there, and thought they were being cavalier about the many innocents suffering beneath this roof, then she hadn't taken this job willingly.
“This way please,” the woman mumbled, and they both followed her through the halls and down to the stairs. “Dr. Gant said to meet him in the patient’s room. Turn right at the top of the stairs, head straight down, take a left, and it’s room 304.”
With a polite nod, the young woman disappeared, and hand in hand he and Chelsea ascended the stairs. They followed the directions they had been given, and the mansion started to look less like a luxury spa hotel and more like a hospital. Most of thedoors were closed, but there were a couple of nurses and a doctor wandering about.
When they reached room 304, he knocked once and then opened the door.
It took every ounce of control he possessed not to immediately tear into the doctor.
Even then, it was probably more Chelsea’s hand tightening around his that kept him still.
In the room’s only bed lay a woman around Chelsea’s age. She had long brown locks that fanned out in a tangled mess on the white pillow. A white sheet covered the woman’s body, but he could see the leather straps protruding down the bottom, binding her ankles to the bed’s metal frame. Likewise, her wrists were bound, both of which he and Chelsea had been expecting to see.
The ball gag in the woman’s mouth, they had not.
Both the woman’s gaze and Dr. Gant’s snapped to them as they entered the room, the woman’s shooting daggers as she eyed them defiantly. Good. She was still furious about what was being done to her, which meant she stood a good chance of recovering once she went back home.
“Mr. and Mrs. Fleet, meet your donor,” Dr. Gant said as he indicated the woman, who turned those angry eyes on him. “Unfortunately, she has a bit of a problem keeping her teeth to herself. She’s bitten three nurses already, and managed to chew through our first attempt at restraining her. So far, the ball gag seems to be doing its job.”
Dr. Gant’s cavalier attitude came dangerously close to snapping his control. That the woman also had a feeding tube threaded down through her nose, and he could only imagine how horrible that must feel with the restriction of the ball gag making it difficult enough for her to breathe, pushed him further.
Chelsea’s nails dug into his skin, giving away the horror she was feeling even as she stood still as a statue beside him, and that was it.
Killing the doctor would only make things worse, but he wasn't going to stand for this. “Take it out,” he snarled.
The doctor merely laughed. “Mr. Fleet, you knew what we do, that’s why you reached out to us. You prioritized saving the life of your wife over the lives of these people.” Waving a dismissive hand at the woman in the bed. “Too late to back out now.”
Oh, it was too late all right.
Too late for the doctor to do anything to change his fate. As soon as Prey got there, Josiah was going to rip the man apart with his bare hands.
May 17th
