THANE SET A bottled water in front of Sydney and cupped her cheek briefly as they waited for word from Nigel’s men. Mathew had left the room about ten minutes ago and Sydney was on edge waiting for him to return. She took a sip of water, realizing just how thirsty she was, and sighed with relief. Maybe the fact her mate knew her so well was becoming more of a positive than a negative.
Thane’s chuckle sounded in her mind and she scowled at him over her shoulder. Nope, back to a negative.
He leaned forward and kissed her gently. “Love you, baby.”
She smiled. “I love you too.”
Give me your hand.
She shifted her chair so they were next to each other and linked her fingers with his. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her palm.
Mathew returned and both Thane and Sydney stood quickly as he faced them. “Okay, we think we’ve found them.”
“Who is it?” Sydney asked.
“Do you recognize him?” Mathew held his phone up.
“That’s Zach,” Sydney said.
“Aye,” Thane confirmed. “Zach Miller. He and Lucy dated for a little while.”
“You know his last name?” Sydney asked, surprised.
“Cary shared his findings after the background check. He wanted me to know before we met him for dinner. But your uncle had some concerns about the name and was looking further into him.”
“And what did you find?” Nigel asked.
“Not much, honestly,” Thane admitted. “Cary will know more.”
Nigel looked at Mathew. “Do you think we’ve given them enough time?”
Mathew shrugged. “He’ll want to know either way.”
“I’ll go and see,” Nigel offered, and left the room.
Sydney leaned against Thane as they waited for Nigel to return.
Mathew checked his phone and pulled open the door. “We’re free to join them.”
Sydney led the group back down the hall and into Uncle Cary’s office. She gave him a wide berth as she made her way to her aunt and hugged her. “Are you okay?”
“No, love, but I will be.”
Sydney sat next to her and took her hand.
Uncle Cary’s phone rang and everyone in the room went still. He put it on speaker. “Hello.”
“So, Sydney’s there,” Zach said.
“Yes, she’s here,” Uncle Cary acknowledged.
“Hi, Sydney. Do you remember me?”
“Zach?” she said, playing dumb. Thane scowled at her.
What? He knows I’m here.
“Yep, it’s me. Well done. I told Lucy you weren’t an idiot.”
Mathew held up a piece of paper he’d just written directions on.
“Is Lucy okay?” she asked.
“For now.”
Another note and Sydney asked, “Can I speak to her?”
“She’s a little tied up right now,” he said, then laughed. “Literally.”
Mathew held up another piece of paper and Sydney frowned.
“Zach?” Sydney asked. “Have you actually tied her up? Is she okay? Can she move?”
Seriously? She’s tied up and Mathew wants me to ask him if she can move?
Just do as he says, Syd. He knows what he’s doing.
“She’s breathing, Sydney,” Zach said. “She’s fine, but she’s not awake.”
“Okay, what did you give her?”
“Question and answer time is over, Sydney,” Zach snapped. “You have eighteen minutes to come here or she’s dead. Your uncle has the address.”
He hung up and Sydney rose to her feet. “Where am I going?”
“No,” Thane said.
“I have to do this, Thane,” Sydney stressed. “It’s not up for debate.”
No, Sydney, it’s not going to happen.
It is, Thane. I can do this. You can be close.
“Shite.”
“Can you take me?” Sydney asked Nigel.
He nodded and they headed out the door with her uncle. Thane followed closely and climbed into the back of the SUV with her. “I don’t like this.”
“I know, honey, but I’m doing it. You know I can handle it.”
What if it’s hot?
I won’t do anything stupid, Thane. If it’s hot, I won’t go in. She grabbed his hand. “I can do this.”
He clenched his jaw but gave her a slight nod.
“Thank you,” she said.
“The building is on the right, Sydney,” Nigel said, and pulled into a parking lot near the dock.
Sydney peered out the window at the shabby brick building and bit her lip. It appeared abandoned.
“You don’t have to do this, Sydney,” Thane said.
“Yes, I do.”
“If you feel threatened at all, get out of there, okay?” her uncle said.
“I will, Uncle Cary.”
Nigel pulled the car to a stop and turned to face her. “The door is closest to the water.”
Sydney took a breath and nodded. “Right.”
“Syd,” Thane whispered.
“I’m okay, honey.” She kissed him quickly and then climbed out of the car.
I don’t like this.
She glanced back at the SUV and frowned. I got it the first three hundred times you said it, Thane. Settle.
She made her way around the building and found the door Nigel referred to. Squaring her shoulders, she turned the knob and pushed open the door. It appeared to be a boat house of some kind with an empty boat slip and not much else. She stepped further inside and the door slammed behind her, making her jump.
Syd?
I’m okay, I’m okay.
Shite.
I really am okay, Thane.
Another door opened across the building and Zach walked out. “Well, hello, dear sister.”
“What?” she breathed out.
“Surprise! We’re related.”
“You’re insane.”
“I’m not crazy!” he screamed.
“Where’s Lucy?” she demanded, trying to bring him back to the present.
“She’s safe.”
“Zach, I need to see her. I don’t know what this is all about, but we’re not talking any further until I see her.”
What’s the temperature, love?
It’s fine, Thane.
“Well, come on, then,” Zach said, and waved his arm.
Syd?
I’m fine, honey.
She followed Zach through the door he’d come out of and once her eyes had adjusted to the dim light, she located Lucy tied to a chair. “Luce!”
Zach grabbed her arm. “Don’t.”
“I have to make sure she’s okay.”
Sydney?
I’m fine, the temperature’s fine... Lucy I’m not sure about. Just zip it for a bit.
“She’s fine,” Zach snapped.
Sydney wrenched her arm from Zach and rushed toward her cousin. Kneeling in front of her, she saw she’d been beaten pretty badly. “Lucy?”
Lucy groaned and raised her head. “Syd?”
“Hey, cuzzie. You doin’ okay?”
Lucy licked her lips. “I’m so thirsty.”
“Zach, Lucy needs some water.”
“If I give her some damn water will you sit down?” he snapped.
Sydney took a deep breath. “Yes, if you untie her, give her some water, and let her go, I will talk to you.”
Bloody hell, Sydney.
Thane... shut it.
“She stays tied.”
“That wasn’t the deal,” Sydney pointed out. “You said you’d let her go if I met with you alone... and I’m alone, so you need to let her go.”
“It’s not even supposed to be her!” he screamed. “If I could have gotten you at Thane’s house, this would all be over now!”
“You were at Thane’s house?” Sydney frowned. “You were the one that night in the storm, smoking.”
This would explain why we can’t get a hit off the DNA, Sydney.
“No, that was the idiot I hired. Damn Europeans and their need for tobacco.”
“Zach, you have to let her go,” Sydney said again.
Zach let out a sigh of resignation. “I’m not lettin’ her go, but she can have some water.”
“But that’s not what—”
“Shut up!” he bellowed. “Just shut up! She’s not going anywhere.”
He raised his hand and Sydney scowled. “You hit me and this is all over, Zach.”
I’m coming in.
No! No, Thane, I’m okay. We’re okay. Just give me some time.
“Bitch,” he snapped.
“Let her go.”
“No!”
Sydney swore and rose to her feet and Zach made his way to a small fridge.
“Pretend you’re still tied,” she whispered to Lucy while Zach has his back turned. Sydney made quick work with the bindings, grateful for her new Cauld Ane strength. Zach handed Sydney water and she helped Lucy drink it. “A little more,” Sydney whispered, and Lucy sipped again. “That’s it. Give it a minute and you can have more.”
“Sit down, Sydney,” Zach demanded.
He blocked the only way out, so Sydney did as he said. “What’s this all about?”
“My sister’s sick.”
“Wait. You’ve beat the hell out of my cousin and you’re threatening me because your sister’s sick?” Sydney shook her head. “What do you want, Zach? Money?”
“I want justice.”
“For what?”
“For my family.”
“I don’t understand,” Sydney said.
“Your mother ruined our life!”
“My mother? What do you mean?” Sydney rose to her feet. “If you can’t explain what’s going on, I’m leaving.”
“If you move, I will kill her.” Out of nowhere, Zach produced a gun and pointed it at Lucy. “Sit down, Sydney.”
Sydney did, but pulled her chair closer to Lucy, shielding her as much as possible. “It will help if you tell me everything,” Sydney placated. “Start at the beginning.”
Sydney.
You said I can heal myself, Thane, but I have to keep him from hurting Lucy.
I’m coming in.
No, you’re not. Just give me a minute.
“Your mother wouldn’t acknowledge the fact that she stole our money,” Zach said. “It was ours, Sydney.”
“I can’t imagine why she’d steal money from you, Zach. We had our inheritance from my father.”
“Which was half ours!” he screamed.
“What?”
“Your father is our father!”
“What are you talking about?” Sydney snapped. “You aren’t that much younger than me, Zach. I would have known if my mother was pregnant.”
“Maybe you are as stupid as your cousin,” Zach said with a sneer.
“Screw you, Zach. You’re not making any sense.”
“The story goes that your father met my mother at a trade show in New York. She was young, naive, and had only been in the States for ten years. Her parents were Chinese and spoke no English, so she had to translate the world for them. She was twenty and working as a maid at the hotel where he stayed that week, and he seduced her. That was twenty-four years ago.”
“No, there’s no way. My parents had been married for five years by the time they had me. They loved each other. He would have never cheated.”
“Well, that’s where you’re wrong, big sis. He did cheat. When Mom discovered she was pregnant with me, he moved her out to San Jose. He bought her a house, one in a shitty neighborhood, because she wasn’t his wife, and he wasn’t going to bring his affair into Menlo Park.”
“My mom wouldn’t have stayed with him if he cheated. Your mom must be mistaken.” Or a liar, Sydney thought to herself. Pain came and went quickly as Thane obviously helped ease her discomfort.
You’re an empath, Sydney. You’ll be able to tell if he’s telling the truth.
Sydney listened a little differently as Zach spoke again.
“He was with us every other weekend and two weeks every summer, until he was too sick to keep up the charade. He’d come for our birthdays, but when he couldn’t we had to celebrate alone. Then when he was in hospice, we had to sneak in to see him in the hospital. Do you know how many times we almost bumped into you?” He settled his hands on his head. “God, it was humiliating.”
Sydney blinked back tears. “You’re wrong.”
“He promised us he’d take care of us. Promised we’d be okay.” Tears welled up in his eyes. “But he lied! And your bitch of a mother refused to listen to us. Beth’s dying and we don’t have the money for her meds. Dad’s life insurance was barely enough for the first six months of treatment.”
“What do you mean my mother wouldn’t listen?” Sydney asked, but the truth of what he was saying flooded in. The memories of her mother’s cryptic phone calls at random times... the ones she always brushed off... settled in her soul. Her father was gone every other weekend and he always took two week-long trips during the summer, every year. Sometimes more on occasion, but always the same weeks each time.
“Dad promised he’d leave us money, but when it came down to it, your mother stopped it. We never got the big payout he’d promised, just the small one that my mother had paid the premiums under her name. Your mom knew, Sydney. I don’t know how long she knew, but she sure as hell knew at the end, and made sure we got nothing. Dad had a contingency if that were to happen; I’d just never expected it would need to be used.”
“What kind of contingency?”
“A little life insurance policy that would pay my mother should yours have an unfortunate accident.”
“What?” she squeaked.
“One million dollars is going to be paid out as soon as the cops release your mother’s body, but they’re takin’ a long damn time to do it, and Beth needs help now.”
“How could you possibly have counted on—” She stopped herself with a gasp. “You! You hired the guy to kill my mom!”
He shrugged. “Did I? No one will ever prove anything.”
“But if you’re struggling financially, where did you get fifty thousand dollars?”
“Hypothetically, should I ever think to do something so reprehensible,” he said, “I might consider borrowing from the money Mom got when she refinanced the house to pay for Beth’s treatment. But that’s hypothetically.”
With a hiss, Sydney stood and headed for him. “You bastard!” she screamed. “Lucy, get down!”
Sydney heard a thump and Lucy’s groan as she reached her arms out, Zach’s body slammed against the wall and he let out a hiss of pain. She didn’t realize she’d done all of that with her mind as she advanced on him again. She had little time to focus on what was happening, her murderous intent failing, as strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her away. Zach was summarily divested of his gun and shoved onto his stomach. He was cable tied and made to lie where he was until they were ready to move him. EMTs took care of Lucy as Thane dragged Sydney from the building.
* * *
“What are you doing?” she screamed. “Let me go!”
He held her tighter. “You can’t kill him, love.”
“Why the hell not? He killed my mom.”
“I know, baby, but we need to find out more information... turn him over to the authorities.”
“He gave us everything we need,” she countered. “If we turn him over to the authorities, I can’t make him pay.”
“Syd.” Thane cupped her face. Her eyes flooded with green, even the white, and Thane knew he needed to get her to calm down. “I need you to take a deep breath.”
“Fuck you, Thane.”
He closed his eyes and concentrated on breaking down her defenses. She struggled against him, but he held tight. “Shhh.”
“Thane!”
“No, sweetheart, you need to settle.”
It took several minutes for her to stop fighting him, but he continued to hold her tight. He’d let down his guard before and she’d taken advantage of it, so he wasn’t doing it again.
I hate you.
He grinned. “As soon as you calm down, love, I’ll let you go.”
“I’m calm.”
“You’re no’ calm.”
“I’m so calm, I’m Zen calm.”
Thane chuckled. “Oh, my love, you’re so far from Zen calm it’s not even funny.”
“You’re so far from Zen calm it’s not even funny,” she mimicked with a sing-song voice.
He dropped his forehead to hers again, listening to her heart. “Almost there, love.”
It took a little while, but finally she fell against him with a sigh and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“There she is.”
“That little fucker killed my mom,” she ground out.
“I know.”
“My dad cheated on her.” Her voice hitched on a sob. “She was the best person in the world, and he cheated on her.”
“I know, baby.”
“How could he do that?”
He took a deep breath and kissed her temple. “I don’t know.”
“I need to check on Lucy.”
“She’s on her way to the hospital. We can go in a minute.” He rubbed her back. “I want to make sure you’re okay first.”
“I’m fine, Thane.” She leaned back to look him in the eye. “Other than the issue of my overwhelming homicidal desires, I’m frickin’ great.”
Thane smiled. “All right, love, we’ll go.”
“Can we pass the bastard on the way?”
“He’s gone, Sydney.”
“What?” she snapped.
“They took him away.”
She let out a frustrated squeak. “You did that on purpose!”
“Comforted you long enough for him to be taken to Scotland Yard? Aye, lass, I did.”
“Jerk.” Sydney pushed him away and made a run for the car.
Thane watched her go... waiting. She stopped midstride, bent at the waist, and settled her hands on her knees. He felt her frustration, but because she didn’t like him interfering, he let her have her emotions... for approximately ten point two seconds. Then he moved.
Don’t, Thane.
He stopped, but not until he was within a foot of her. Sweetheart—
No, Thane. I need a minute.
He felt powerless.
You need to get over it.
He shook his head. Now who’s in whose head?
Sydney righted herself and faced him, crossing her arms. “Is this ever going to stop?”
“Your emotions being on ten?”
She nodded.
“It should.” He sighed. “But this is all new for me as well, sweetheart, so I don’t know how long it will take.” Thane held his hand out to her. “You just need to trust me and let me help you calm down.”
“I’m not good at playing the submissive wife, Thane.”
“This isn’t about submission, Sydney. It’s about trusting me to know I have your best interests at heart and I’m protecting you. If I left you to your own devices while you were in that state, you would have killed him, and then where would we be? Hmm? You’d be in jail for murder and I’d be left without you.”
She bit her lip and lowered her head, closing the distance between them and taking his hand. “It’s always all about you, isn’t it, mister movie star?”
Thane chuckled. “Damn straight.”
Sydney closed her eyes and leaned against him. “I’m sorry.”
“Baby, it’s okay. This is all a learning process.”
“I know.” She smiled up at him. “But I’m sorry anyway. Even if I don’t always show it, I appreciate you looking out for me.”
He leaned down and kissed her. “I love you,” he said against her lips.
“I love you too.” She frowned. “Did I shove Zach into the wall?”
“Aye, lass.”
“Without touching him?”
“Aye.”
“How did I do that?”
“It appears you have the gift of telekinesis, so when you wanted him to move, you moved him.”
“Wow.” She let out a deep breath. “Do you have it?”
“Not yet. My strongest gift is suggestion, like when I put you to sleep. But it’s something that will more than likely happen, just as you will more than likely acquire my gifts soon.”
“Can we practice later?”
He smiled. “Of course we can. For now, let’s go check on Lucy.”
Sydney nodded and they walked to the car.