Chapter One
Twenty-five years later
“You really should eat better, young lady. Your mother would have my ass if she were alive to see some of the dreadful things you consume.”
Abbie hid a smile at her father’s scolding. “I’m thirty-two years old, Henry. I doubt she would go all June Cleaver on me.”
“You shouldn’t call me Henry, you little brat. It makes me sound old and boring.”
“If the toupee fits.” They both laughed a moment before falling into a comfortable silence.
Abbie’s mother had died from cancer twenty-five years earlier, and Henry had never remarried. He hid his loneliness behind a mask of indifference and immersed himself wholly in his work.
Being the lead epidemiologist for Winchester Industries had become Henry’s proverbial crutch, and he spent entirely too much time alone at the lab.
Abbie worried about him constantly and planned evenings such as the one they had tonight to spend quality time together. It didn’t always work. She knew he saw her mother every time he looked into his daughter’s eyes. The exact replica of the only woman he’d ever loved.
The trill of a phone broke the silence and her father excused himself to take the call.
Work, no doubt, Abbie thought, taking a bite of the burger she’d just made to her liking.
He reappeared a moment later with a guilty look in his eyes. “That was the lab, honey. They need me to come back in.”
“What could be so important that it can’t wait until morning?”
He avoided her gaze. “I’m not sure, but I’ll call you later. Don’t wait up. It’s going to be a late night.”
Something in his voice kicked her curiosity up a notch. He never could hide things well, and the whole no eye contact? Yeah, he was definitely keeping something from her.
“I’ll come with you.” She pushed her plate aside and stood.
“Nonsense. Stay and eat your heart attack on a bun. You worked a twelve-hour shift at the hospital today. You don’t need to be running around behind me.”
Abbie had worked at Winchester Industries with her father for several years and often assisted him in the lab before she’d been unceremoniously laid off due to supposed budget cuts.
She knew the higher ups had purposefully kept things from her during her time working in the lab, but whatever Henry hid from her now had to be awfully big for him to outright lie to his only daughter.
And she had no doubt he evaded the truth by the way his left eye twitched. That little trademark had always given him away. “What are you not telling me?”
He pursed his lips. “Okay, you got me. I didn’t want to have to say this, honey, but you are adopted.”
A chuckle bubbled up before she could stop it. She stood on tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the chin. “That explains a whole hell of a lot.”
“You look so much like your mother, Abbigail. She had the same hazel eyes and dark hair. Her butt wasn’t quite as big though.”
Abbie playfully smacked him on the arm before stepping back. “I inherited the infamous booty from you, Henry.”
She knew he didn’t like her to call him Henry any more than she appreciated him referring to her as Abbigail. They were incorrigible teases, but it was their way.
“I really do have to run, sweetie.”
“At least let me pack up your food to take with you or you won’t eat.”
He nodded and began gathering his work paraphernalia while she bagged up his dinner.
Abbie followed him to the car and held the door open as he deposited his things on the passenger seat.
“You are welcome to stay here tonight, Abbie. Jax would love the company.”
“I probably will. If I leave, I’ll feed him before I go.”
He gave her a two-finger salute and slid behind the wheel.
Abbie stepped back as the door closed and the engine roared to life. He backed out of the drive without another glance in her direction.
She waited until his tail lights disappeared around the corner before going back inside to put food out for Jax.
He followed her around with a rubber ball in his mouth, bumping into her legs. The big German shepherd had been with Henry for nearly ten years and had become part of the family.
“You know what’s going on, don’t you, boy?”
His tail wagged in response from the attention.
“Wanna give me a clue? No? I didn’t think so. You are a male after all.” She snagged the ball from his jaws and tossed it across the room, grinning as he bounded after it.
After a quick shower, Abbie brushed her teeth and strolled to her old bedroom in search of something to wear. Henry kept the room exactly as Abbie had left it before she’d gone off to college, right down to the blue pom-poms hanging from the bedpost.
She dressed in a pair of jeans and a black tank top, pulled her long, dark hair back in a ponytail, and made haste cleaning up the mess from their earlier dinner.
Her gaze landed on the bag of food she’d packed him. He’d obviously forgotten it in his haste to get back to the lab.
With a sigh, she plucked up the bag, grabbed her keys and left the house.
* * * *
Abbie pulled into the parking lot of Winchester Industries and switched off the engine.
Her father’s car sat in its reserved spot in front of a sign that read H. Sutherland. She exited the car, and glanced up at the camera situated on the corner of the building.
The evening security guard waved from his perch behind a small, less than clean window. Smudges on the glass blurred his smile, but she couldn’t mistake the shiny gold tooth displayed so proudly from its position in the front of his mouth.
The door buzzed once, and a click told her the lock had released. She pulled it open and stepped inside.
“Hi, Willie. How are you this evening?”
Willie had been one of her favorite night watchmen. His uniform always appeared clean, neatly creased, and he smelled nice. The badge he wore shone perfectly to match the bald spot on top of his head. He had a toothy grin for everyone and a heart of gold.
“Doing good, Miss Abbie. I sure have missed your face around here. The place hasn’t been the same since you were laid off.”
“Thank you, Willie. I miss you too.”
Willie cleared his throat. “What brings you here?”
“Henry forgot his dinner.” She held up the brown paper bag for him to see.
“I hate it when that happens. My wife is always harping at me about how forgetful I’m getting. I reckon she’s right. It’s hard getting old. He must be working on something pretty big to bring him down here at this hour. It’s almost nine o’clock.”
Abbie couldn’t agree more. “He’s always been eager to please when it comes to Newman. This lab has become his whole life, it seems.”
Willie nodded and waved her on. “Tell him not to work too hard.”
“Have a good night, Willie. Tell that beautiful wife of yours I’m ready for more of her fried chicken.”
“I sure will.” He beamed.
“See you, Willie.” She winked at him and hurried off down the hall.
The cameras strategically placed along the corners of the ceiling caught her eye.
Abbie knew Winchester Industries pushed the limits and sometimes experimented with drugs not previously approved by the FDA. But whatever her father had rushed to the lab for had nothing to do with illegal testing. He wouldn’t have been asked to come back in for that alone.
Taking the elevator up to the third floor, Abbie waited for the doors to open and stepped out into the hallway.
The door to her father’s lab lay straight ahead. She trailed across the hall and turned the knob.
The predictable sounds of a lab in use met her ears as she eased the door open and entered her father’s domain.
He obviously hadn’t heard the door shut behind her over the consistent beeps and humming of the equipment surrounding him.
Abbie took in the room with a quick glance, noticing a big pair of feet hanging off the end of a bed her father stood next to.
Curiosity took hold as she crept farther inside. The closer she got the more confused she became. It was definitely a man lying on the bed; only, she’d never seen one that size in her lifetime.
A sheet covered his lower body from waist to ankles, leaving his upper half bare. His chest appeared devoid of hair and stood off the bed about two feet. He was massive and had to be at least six foot ten by her estimation.
Warmth enveloped Abbie as her gaze slid to the stranger’s face. Beautiful would be a gross understatement.
He had a smooth, strong jaw that angled up to slightly pointed ears. Pointed ears?
His dark hair lay haphazardly tousled on the pillow. Full lips and a faintly crooked nose made up the rest of his face. She wondered what color his eyes were.
Without conscious thought, Abbie inched forward on shaky legs. Why would they have him here? Is he sick?
Her father must have sensed her approach. He stiffened a second before spinning around. “What are you doing here?”
He seemed more nervous than surprised.
“I brought your dinner. You left in such a hurry, you forgot it.”
“You shouldn’t be here,” he snapped, reaching for the bag she held.
“What’s going on, Henry?” She nodded toward the incapacitated stranger taking up far too much bed.
His face paled slightly. “You have to leave. Now.”
Anxiety surged. “What is that man doing here? This isn’t a hospital, so don’t lie me. I knew something was going on when you got that phone call earlier. What sort of illegal activity do they have you involved in this time?”
“Honey, please. You’re not supposed to be here. You need to go home. Now. I’ll explain it all in the morning.” He glanced toward to door several times as he spoke.
“Not until you tell me what you’re involved in. You promised me you wouldn’t participate in anymore illegal activities, Dad. No matter what Newman threatened you with.”
Henry took a deep breath and pinned her with an impatient stare. “Fine. But then you must go. And it’s not what you think. Newman didn’t threaten me, but he might if he finds you here.”
Abbie raised an eyebrow. “Am I not allowed up here? And Willie let me in. He doesn’t know what kind of illegal dealings go on in this lab. He thinks that I was laid off due to budget cuts.”
Henry averted his gaze. “You’re going to be the death of me.”