Eden

“Michael!”

That was the first word that came out of my mouth after my eyes flew open.

I looked around wildly, saw I was in a hospital room. Touched my face and felt the plastic oxygen tubes that were in my nose, looked down and saw the IV in my arm.

Scanned the room again and saw that Michael was nowhere to be found.

My chest burned, my head throbbed, but I remembered what had happened, knew that the hotel and my home were gone.

And Michael wasn’t here.

I’d thought I was going to die in that house, had tried so hard to find my way out but hadn’t been able to muster the strength.

But when I’d looked up, seen him through the plumes of smoke coming toward me like an angel sent to rescue me, I had known I would be okay.

Now he was gone.

“You okay?”

I glanced over at the sound of the male voice, saw that it was Sean.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, sounding defensive, confused, something I was entitled to.

“Top of the morning, Eden,” he said, giving me his usual smile, his green eyes not quite as bright as they normally were.

“Where is he?” I asked.

My throat was raw, my voice hoarse, but I didn’t care about that. Didn’t care about anything but Michael.

“He’s been arrested,” Sean said.

“Arrested? For what?” I asked, gaping at him.

“Three counts of murder. Two counts of attempted murder. Two counts of arson,” Sean said.

His voice had no inflection, but I could see the tightness in his face, in the way he held his body.

“Oh my God!” I exclaimed, the pieces falling into place instantly. “They can’t do that! Gerald is behind this. He set it all up to get back at Michael.”

“Yeah, but the cops don’t care. They think they have him, and they aren’t going to let this chance pass,” Sean said.

He looked as angry as I felt. But even more than angry, I felt powerless and to blame. I’d ignored the tension for years, pretended Gerald would get over it, and in doing so, I had put myself in danger, and now Michael was paying the price.

“Don’t look like that, Eden. We’ll fix this,” Sean said firmly.

I didn’t believe it.

“This isn’t about me or Kevin or the guards. It’s not really about Michael at all either, is it?” I asked, my stomach dropping, knots pulling it tight.

“No,” Sean said, his expression pulled down, his face now as emotionless as I’d ever seen it.

“But Patrick’s going to fix it…” I let the question dangle, not wanting to consider the possibility that Patrick couldn’t, knowing it was a possibility all the same.

“We’re on it,” Sean said, an attempt to comfort me, one that didn’t help at all. Then he flashed me a small smile. The expression was one unlike I had seen from him, equally sad and determined. “But you need to rest, get well. Michael will be pissed if I don’t take care of you.”

I nodded, then looked out the window. Sean wanted me to rest, but I couldn’t do that, not without Michael.

* * *

Michael

Surprisingly, I was unfamiliar with the inside of a police interrogation room.

Declan wasn’t, Sean sure as hell wasn’t, and though Patrick had been indicted, neither he nor I had ever been formally arrested.

I looked around the small room, tested the cuffs that joined my wrists.

Guessed this was something I could check off the list.

Everything about this, from the small, suffocating hot room, to the cuffs that had been pulled tighter than they needed to be, was designed to break me, or at least make me uncomfortable.

It wouldn’t work.

I could see the manipulation from a mile away, was resolved not to be taken in by it. Still, I was anxious, antsy, and not because of my surroundings.

When Gerald had put on his little show, I hadn’t had any doubt that the police would believe him. However, the ruse wouldn’t hold, and until then, I’d keep it together.

But as the hours had ticked by, my worry was increasing.

Eden was alive.

She was, and I wouldn’t consider anything else, but I didn’t know her condition.

As they’d pushed me into the police car, I called at Sean to stay with Eden, and I was certain that he would. I needed to see her myself, make sure she was okay.

Tell her how I felt.

I didn’t know that it would matter.

She probably believed the worst of me, something I was sure that asshole Gerald had made sure of. Even if she did believe me, she wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me after the danger I’d put her in.

But I couldn’t control that, couldn’t see her, couldn’t make this all right, not when I was locked in this room.

I was sure they were watching me, waiting for an opening. I wouldn’t give it to them.

There had been a time when I was so certain of my own self-control, but that time had passed. I would hold it together, and then I would see Eden.

Nothing else mattered.

I reminded myself of that as the seconds ticked by, the tight walls of the room robbing me of any sense of time. I didn’t know how much later it was when the door opened.

A detective walked in, glaring at me through the open door.

“You have a visitor,” he said.

I didn’t respond, but I was curious.

When Gerald walked through the door, I clenched my cuffed hands, fought to keep the scowl off my face as that curiosity shifted to venomous rage.

He looked triumphant, at least when I was watching him. When the detective looked at him, he shrank back into his reserved, formal shell, looking battered and broken.

If I hadn’t known any better, I would have seen the image of an older professional man who was cowering in fear of a monster.

Patrick should have listened when I told him to fire this jerk-off. When I got out of this, I’d make sure he never lived it down.

If I got out of it.

Gerald looked at me, his eyes watery, his hands clenched tight at his chest. Then, after a dramatic pause that made me want to puke and roll my eyes, he looked at the detective, nodded.

“Yes, it’s him,” he said breathlessly.

“What are you doing here?” I said, keeping my voice as calm, even, as I possibly could.

“He’s making an official identification,” the detective interjected, a triumphant note in his voice.

“Isn’t there protocol for that?” I asked blandly, knowing he was trying to get under my skin. I wouldn’t let him.

“I ask the questions, asshole, not you,” the detective said.

I ignored him and turned my gaze back to Gerald. I hoped my face didn’t betray what I was thinking. I had plans for Gerald. He’d spend the rest of his short life in excruciating pain, and he’d only live long enough to regret what he’d done to Eden.

Gerald knew that. I could see that from the little flash of fear in his eyes.

It went away quickly, but it was there.

I wondered if Gerald had thought this through. I might not ever get out of this room, but even if that happened, it wouldn’t change anything for him.

“I’m just so…” Gerald broke my gaze and then looked at the detective, who patted his shoulder sympathetically.

“I know this is rough, Gerald, but once you do this, he won’t be able to hurt you or Eden or anyone else ever again,” the detective said.

The detective was very wrong about that, but I kept myself expressionless as Gerald blanched at the mention of Eden. At least momentarily, some of my rage banked, relief leaving me flushed.

Eden had made it, something Gerald hadn’t counted on. I wanted to rub his face in that, tell him in excruciating detail what I was going to do to him, but I kept my mouth closed.

I could see the wheels turning in Gerald’s head, narrowed my eyes when his shoulders slumped.

“What?” the detective asked.

“Eden… She’s such a lovely girl. So confused,” Gerald said. He spoke like a sympathetic, sorrowful friend, and something in his words put me on alert.

The detective looked at him, interested now, so interested, he seemed to forget about my presence.

“What do you mean by that, Mr. Collins?”

“I’m afraid that Eden is under his influence. They had a relationship of a…sexual nature. I’m afraid it’s influenced her,” Gerald said regretfully.

That fucker had tried to kill her and now he was selling her out. I hadn’t thought it possible, but my hatred for Gerald increased.

“I wasn’t aware of that,” the detective replied, looking at me with even more scorn.

“I wasn’t either until recently. Maybe my discovery was what pushed him over the edge and made him do all those terrible things.”

I held my tongue, but from the way Gerald shrank back, I knew my expression gave more than a clue to my thoughts. With great effort, I wiped all expression from my face, kept my eyes on Gerald. I wouldn’t give them any ammunition.

Gerald shook his head, looking regretful. “It’s a shame. All those years of friendship led me to believe I knew Eden. I guess keeping company with someone like him can change you.”

When Gerald looked at me again, his eyes again flashed with triumph. He thought he’d won, and from this seat, I was in no position to argue.

The detective opened the door and led Gerald out. I tested the cuffs again, again found them unyielding, and realized I was more powerless than I’d ever been before. It had never mattered more than it did now.