Once I had myself under control I rolled her to her back with my arm still around her and leaned over her, caging her in. I remember she always said it made her feel safe when I held her like this. Like I was shielding her from the rest of the world.

“You said they took you. Who’re they? Did you know these people and where are they now?”

“I don’t know who they are. I never really saw them.”

That didn’t make any sense. How could that be? “In two years you didn’t see them? How is that possible?” My frustration was getting the better of me again.

I was looking to her for answers but if she had none where was I supposed to go from here? How was I supposed to find my…children?

It was already all I could do to just sit here knowing they were out there somewhere. I’d hoped she could give me a lead at least, but here she was telling me that she didn’t know anything.

“Answer me Zandi, how can you not know anything after all this time?”

“Don’t yell at me Cade.” She brought her hands up to cover her ears and I felt like shit.

“I’m not yelling baby, I’m just trying to understand. No one could find any trace of you. It was as if you just disappeared off the face of the earth. I thought that once we found you we might at least have some answers, have a place to start to look for who did this.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know who took me or where I was or even how long I’ve been gone. I’m not lying to you Cade, I wish I knew more…”

“Two years, you’ve been gone for two years.” That seemed to surprise her and she shook her head.

“It can’t be, I…” she looked like she was trying to remember again, but it seemed to be causing her pain.

She seemed so distressed it was hard not to believe her fantastical story, but how could I? How could I accept after all this time that she knew nothing? Was that even possible?

“How did you escape?” I wanted to give her more time, but I couldn’t. Not with my children at stake. I felt like that hole I’d fallen into when she was gone had deepened.

“We’ll ask the questions McClintock.” I turned at the intrusion to see the cops, Anderson and Borelli entering the room. I’d forgotten all about them.

They entered the room their eyes glued to the bed. I checked to make sure she was completely covered by the inadequate gown and the light sheet that was pulled over her legs.

At least one thing hadn’t changed. I still get territorial whenever there was another man in the vicinity.

Zandi turned her head to look at them and I saw the raw fear. Her nails dug into my hand as they got closer. “Mrs. McClintock, Zandi…”

“It’s Mrs. McClintock.” I glared at the sanctimonious son of a bitch just daring him to fuck with me. “It’s okay baby, they’re policemen don’t be afraid.”

I helped her sit up and kept my arm around her as she got over her fear enough to face them. “Can you leave us alone Mr. McClintock?”

“Not going to happen.” He’s out of his fucking mind if he thinks that’s even a remote possibility.

“It’s okay Cade, maybe it’s best if I see them alone.” She said it more like a question but I still heard the hurt in her voice. I’d hurt her feelings with my anger, damn.

I wish I could wipe the smirk off Anderson’s face just once, but all that would get me is a long night down at the station for assaulting a cop.

“I’m not leaving you!” She settled against me again, her anger at me fading as soon as it appeared and I turned my attention back to Anderson.

I could see he wanted to say something smart, but just in the nick of time he seemed to remember who he was and who I am.

Putting aside his petty grudge against me, he couldn’t easily forget that my family had a great standing in our town with lots of good people behind us. I have no problem using everything at my fingertips to take him down.

He’d come close to losing his job the last time we tangled with each other, but I’d accepted that he was just doing his job even though he seemed to suck at it, and let things be.

His partner gauging the atmosphere and maybe remembering how things had gone off the rails last time decided to step in and calm the situation.

“We’re all on the same side here guys. We all want to know what happened to the lady. Now Mrs. McClintock, your husband told us that he came home to find you in the upstairs bedroom hiding in the dark. Is that correct?”

She nodded her head and looked at me. I squeezed her hand to let her know that it was okay, that she was safe. I realized then that I needed to hide my feelings from her so as not to burden her farther.

She must feel so alone. And I’d promised her when I took her as my wife that I’d always stand by her side no matter what. Granted I never imagined something like this happening to us.

I felt like I was being pulled in two separate directions at once. There was the part of me that wanted to believe her.

The man who’d loved her, slept beside her every night made plans with her. He wanted badly to believe her. She’d never given me reason not to in the past.

And then there was the rational side of me that couldn’t wrap my mind around what she was asking me to believe. How could she not know anything?

“Can you tell us where you were for the past two years?” Anderson took over the questioning again and there was no mistaking the difference between the two men. If he even thinks about treating her the way he did me, it’d be the end of him.

“I don’t know where I was. All I remember is a cabin in the woods.” She started to shake and I kissed her temple. That always used to calm her down in the past.

I saw the look that passed between the two men and my anger grew. I realized in that moment that I had a tough decision to make. I had to decide once and for all if I was going to accept her story or let her hang in the wind for these fucks to pick over.

I thought of the woman I knew, the way we’d loved each other, the way I’d always trusted her. She’d never given me reason to doubt her, which was saying a lot for someone like me.

That battle raged on inside me until I felt I would go crazy. I wanted so badly to accept her word. But after two years of waiting, suffering. Of not knowing where she was or who she was with, I was finding it hard to accept her version of events.

They asked her pretty much the same questions I had with the same results until it was clear that they didn’t believe her. The more obvious their disbelief became the more agitated she got.

For some reason seeing their disbelief only made me want to protect her even more and I also realized in that moment as she clung to me for support that I was all she had in the world.

It had always been that way. One of the things I’d worked so hard to change for her. My poor little orphan, all alone in the world with no one to look out for her. I’d promised to be the one to stand between her and the rest of the world.

I made up my mind then and there that no matter how frustrated I became, I had to be there for her. I had to let her know that I believed her, that I accepted her word as truth; and I did.

It was as easy and as simple as that. I’m all she has, the husband who’d promised to love and protect. Now that she needed me more than ever, how can I betray that now?

I felt almost ashamed of myself as I kissed her temple and hugged her closer. Hoping that she knew from that small gesture that I was on her side.

“Okay so tell us, how did you escape this place that you don’t know where it was? Could you lead us back there? Did you walk, run, how did you get home?”

I glared at Anderson to let him know I didn’t appreciate the tone of his voice and the asshole had the good sense to back off a little.

“They were arguing, I heard arguing and then someone slammed a door. They’d forgotten to lock the box. For the first time since they took me when I pushed, the lid moved and I just pushed it all the way open. I was so scared.”

She broke off and looked at me with the saddest look in her eyes. Her words tore a new hole in my gut and that need to pound my fist into something came back full force.

“A box? They held you in a box for two years.” He said it sarcastically and I gave him a look that said bring it down a notch. “Yes.”

“Look, Mrs. McClintock, this is all very strange. Someone you don’t know took you and kept you in a box for two years and they just happened to forget to lock that box yesterday. Or whenever it was that you escaped?”

“It was…I don’t know how long ago it was. Cade didn’t get home when it got dark the first time and I can’t really tell what day it is anymore.”

“Okay let’s go back.” She was holding the side of her head like it was hurting her and I guess that’s why Anderson changed tack.

“The day you left, excuse me, the day you were taken. Do you remember that?” She took her time answering as the tension in the room grew.

“Yes. I was making dinner, a special dinner.” She looked at me again. “I was going to tell you about the baby. I’d been to the doctor and confirmed. I’d suspected for some time but I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure.”

I kissed her forehead and fought back the tears that threatened. Each time I thought of my children my heart felt like it would explode.

“Okay so you went to the doctor that day?” He was taking notes, asking what doctor and where his office was. She answered him so I guess she wasn’t suffering from any form of amnesia except for what happened after she was taken.

“And what happened after you left the doctor? Did you see anyone following you, did anything strike you as strange that day? Any strange phone calls?”

“No nothing like that. At least not that I can remember.” I could see they were getting frustrated and for some reason their attitudes helped me to see how I’d been behaving, and what that must look and feel like to her.

If what she was saying was true, then she must feel so alone, and scared. I reinforced my promise to myself to give her my support; to show her that I believed her.