In His Keeping (Slow Burn #2) (15 page)

“Dane and Eliza are with Tori,” he clipped out. “I’m more concerned with what the hell went on today. Why didn’t you fill me in from the start?”

“Ari came to me,” Beau said simply. “She came into the offices, scared to death. Her father had told her if she was ever in trouble to seek out either you or me. I was the one there so it was me. I saw no reason to bother you when I have things well in hand.”

Caleb arched a brow. “I don’t consider being shot at, run off the road and having three destroyed vehicles and you narrowly escaping with your life having things well in hand.”

“I’ve got it handled,” Beau said through gritted teeth.

“What happened, Beau?” Ramie asked softly as she took the seat next to him on the sofa.

He noted she was careful not to touch him and it was just as well, because she’d instantly be blasted with his rage and dark thoughts and that was the last thing he wanted for his sister-in-law. She’d had enough violence and evil in her young life. He’d be damned before ever being the cause of further pain.

Just then the buzz sounded from someone wanting to gain access through the security gate at the entrance to the long winding driveway. Zack strode over to the call box and briefly exchanged words with the doctor, all the while studying the video monitor carefully to make sure the physician was the sole occupant of the vehicle. He buzzed him in and Beau rose, unwilling to have this conversation with his brother until he was assured that Ari was all right.

“Zack can fill you in on what we know,” Beau said. He narrowed his gaze at his older brother, staring intently, not looking away even for an instant. “But Caleb, this one is mine. Zack will work it with me and he’ll handpick his team.”

Caleb’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Dane is the head of security. Shouldn’t the call be his?”

“I sign Dane’s paychecks,” Beau ground out impatiently. “He has a job going on and I’m not going to pull him off for this. Not when Zack and I are perfectly capable of handling this situation.”

Caleb’s frown deepened, and he looked at Zack in question, obvious impatient for a report on just what this case involved.

The door opened and the doctor, an old family friend, walked into the living room, carrying two medical bags. Beau went to greet him, ignoring the others as he led the doctor to Ari’s room.

He knocked softly to alert Ari so she wouldn’t be startled when he entered with a complete stranger. But he shouldn’t have worried. When he quietly pushed the door open, Ari was curled into a protective ball, lying on her uninjured side, and he was struck by the image she portrayed.

Even in sleep, her features were marred by fear and exhaustion, as if her dreams were taking her straight into hell. Her forehead was wrinkled and furrowed as though she were in pain, and he cursed softly when he saw the slow trickle of blood seeping from her nose.

He went to the bed and eased on to the edge, reaching up to smooth her hair from her forehead, gently stroking the lines to ease her strain. She stirred and her eyelids fluttered open, her eyes droopy from fatigue, cloudy with confusion.

“Beau?”

“Yes, honey. It’s me. I’m sorry to wake you but you’re bleeding again and the doctor is here to see you.”

She reached self-consciously to her nose, but before she could wipe it away with her hand, Beau caught her fingers and reached for the washcloth he’d discarded earlier. Carefully, he wiped the blood away and then turned so she could see the doctor standing a few feet away.

Her pulse leapt. He could feel the sudden surge of her heartbeat against the hand he now had against her neck.

“It’s okay,” he said soothingly. “He can be trusted.”

“But I’m all right,” she protested. “I don’t need a doctor.”

Doctor Carey moved forward in his brisk, no-nonsense fashion and set his bags down on the bed in front of Beau.

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that, young lady?” he said kindly.

He glanced sideways at Beau. “Would you like to step out while I examine her?”

Ari’s respiration immediately sped up and she glanced in panic at Beau as if her were her lifeline.

“I’ll stay,” Beau said firmly.

Ari sagged in relief, her eyes closing briefly as she settled more comfortably on the pillows.

“My head hurts,” she admitted. “Much more than my side. The bullet wound just stings a bit but my head is
killing
me.”

Beau looked at the doctor in concern. “She had a serious psychic bleed. She was bleeding profusely from her ears and her nose. I’m concerned she could have incurred a brain hemorrhage or permanent damage.”

Ari choked out an instant protest, looking frantically at Beau as if she couldn’t believe he would betray her confidence.

Beau instantly put a reassuring hand to her cheek. “It’s nothing he hasn’t seen before. He can be trusted, Ari. I wouldn’t put you at risk if I weren’t certain of his trustworthiness and his complete and absolute discretion in this matter.”

The doctor frowned. “That does sound serious indeed and is evidence of great strain on your brain. I’d like to do a scan just to make sure there is no bleed or that it’s continuing to bleed. Left unattended, it could be life threatening. But first let me see your bullet wound and then we’ll decide what’s to be done about your head.”

The doctor’s brisk, efficient manner seemed to calm Ari’s distress and she didn’t protest when Beau carefully lifted her torn shirt to reveal the two-inch cut in her side. The doctor frowned and prodded gently, examining the depth of the injury.

“This really needs stitching. I can do it here, but as I said, I’d feel better if you brought her into the clinic so I can do a CT scan of her head. That way we can know exactly what we’re dealing with. It won’t take long. You’ll be a priority case and I’ll make sure there are no medical records to indicate you were ever a patient in my clinic.”

Ari’s gaze shot to Beau as if seeking his guidance. He nodded, agreeing with the doctor.

“You should be checked out,” Beau said firmly. “If you’re going to be of any help to your parents, we need you at one hundred percent and that’s not negotiable. So either you give in gracefully and agree to go or I’ll haul you in myself.”

A small smile hovered on her lips. “Has anyone ever told you how demanding you can be?”

His smile was as small as hers, but he offered it to her in an effort to give her at least a small measure of reassurance because he sensed she was hanging on by a mere thread. “I’ve been told that a time or two, yes.”

“Okay then, since you’re leaving me no choice. Can I at least change into something that isn’t bloody and torn? I look like a mess and I don’t want to call even more attention to myself than necessary.”

“I have some of Tori’s clothing still here,” Beau said. “I’ll get you something to wear and then we’re leaving immediately. I’m not going to stand down until I know you’re all right. You come first, Ari. Then we’ll go after the bastards who have your parents.”

FOURTEEN

DESPITE
Beau’s threat for her to go willingly or be hauled out, he still insisted on carrying her out of the bedroom and no amount of protesting did her any good. He simply scooped her up and strode out, ignoring her assurances that she could certainly manage to walk.

As soon as he walked into the living room and Ari saw more people gathered, heat crawled up her cheeks. She was embarrassed that Beau was carrying her like she was an invalid, but he’d been adamant, stating that he didn’t want her to incur any additional stress until they knew for certain the extent of her injuries.

She lowered her gaze, unable to bear the scrutiny from a gruff man who resembled Beau. She assumed that he must be Caleb, the other man her father had told her to seek out. In that instant, under his piercing and probing gaze, she was relieved that Beau had been the one in the office and not Caleb. Beau was an imposing figure to be sure, and at first she’d definitely been intimidated by him and extremely nervous. She’d almost changed her mind and fled his office. But despite his outward gruffness, he’d been nothing but exquisitely tender with her.

Caleb on the other hand? He looked hard and unyielding as his gaze raked over Ari in almost an accusing manner as if he didn’t appreciate her intrusion into his family.

There was a young woman sitting next to Caleb on the sofa, and Ari once again made the assumption that she must be Ramie St. Claire. Or rather Ramie
Devereaux
, since she was now married to Caleb. The intimacy between the two was too obvious for the woman to be a business colleague. His fingers were laced with hers and he had her hand drawn over onto his lap, his thumb absently tracing a line along the outside of her index finger.

Ramie had been on and off the news over the years and Ari had followed the reports, often delving further into the stories than just one random article or news sound bite, because she was fascinated by what she considered a kindred spirit. Which was silly given she didn’t even know the woman. But in a world where psychic powers supposedly didn’t exist, it had given Ari a measure of comfort to know she
wasn’t
a freak—or at least the
only
freak of nature. That there were others out there who shared her bizarre gift. Even if their gifts manifested themselves in different ways.

She peeked at Ramie from underneath her lashes, not wanting to be caught overtly staring. She had to bite her lip in order not to beg the other woman to help locate her parents. Ramie had a one hundred percent success record in locating kidnap victims, though two of the kidnappers had eluded authorities, well until last year, when one of them had finally been brought down by the combined forced of the Houston Police and Devereaux Security.

She unconsciously shivered, fear skating up her spine at the
idea
of someone having to track her parents’
killer
. She shut her eyes and huddled closer to Beau, seeking his strength and comfort because she couldn’t—wouldn’t—allow herself to think her parents could be lost to her forever. She held firmly to Beau’s assurances—his vow—to find her parents and return them safely. It was all she had in a world where everything else was uncertain. She had to believe in something or she’d simply go crazy torturing herself with the what-ifs and the gruesome possibilities she conjured up every time she thought of her parents out there. Captive. Subjected to God only knew what.

In her worst nightmares, she imagined her mother alone. Separated from her husband, terrified and not knowing if he lived or died.

Beau’s grasp on her tightened, his head lowering to the top of her head as if sensing the terrifying direction of her thoughts and he was shielding her in some small—but welcome—manner.

“I’d appreciate it if you and Ramie remained until we return,” Beau said to his brother. “There’s a lot we need to talk about, but first I have to ensure that Ari is okay and that she doesn’t have a brain bleed.”

Ramie’s eyes widened and she glanced first at her husband and then at Beau, silent question in her expression.

“Psychic bleed. A bad one,” Beau said shortly. “Much worse than what you and Caleb have suffered in the past.”

Ari’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. Did Caleb also possess psychic abilities? Was it something the Devereaux family shared and was that why her father had seemed to know so much about them?

Ramie’s features immediately creased in concern but she remained silent, still studying Ari, who was firmly nestled in Beau’s arms. She seemed to be much more interested in the fact that Beau was carrying Ari, which made Ari even more self-conscious. Her fingers curled into Beau’s chest in a silent plea for them to go.

Beau simply turned and headed for the foyer. The doctor strode ahead of him to open the door and when Beau got to the opening, he paused briefly and turned his head to look over his shoulder, presenting his profile to Ari, his firm jaw and strong cheekbone. His teeth seemed clenched, whether in determination or worry. Perhaps a combination of the two.

“Start digging, Zack. We need all the info we can get like yesterday. I’ll be back as soon as possible unless Ari requires hospitalization.”

“On it,” Zack said.

Ari made a strangled sound of protest even as Beau walked swiftly to the waiting vehicle.

“I don’t need a hospital,” she insisted as he settled her into the backseat. “What I need is to find my parents.
That
should be our priority.”

He put a finger to her lips, effectively stanching any further protest.

“
You
come first,” he stated, his tone brooking no argument. “Without you, we have no bargaining power, no leverage and you can kiss your parents goodbye. Because if you die then the people who abducted your parents no longer have any reason to keep them alive. You need to understand that. I know it’s hard to hear but you have to face facts. You
matter
, Ari, and it’s only going to piss me off if you say you don’t. I am not willing to trade your life for your parents. Period. And I’m damn sure not going to let you do something rash, irrational or hasty. You came to me for help so we do things my way. Got it?”

Rage and helplessness bubbled up, singeing her nerve endings and ratcheting up her pulse. Her breaths were rapid and labored as she sought to control the overwhelming fury caused by his abrasive words and his thoughts regarding the two most important people in Ari’s
life
.

“Goddamn it,” Beau swore. “You’re bleeding again. Ari, you have to get your thoughts under control and calm down. You can be pissed at me all you want, but I’m going to keep you alive and healthy, and I’m also going to get your parents back. You need to stop fighting me and
believe
in what I’ve promised you.”

She swiped at her nose with the back of her hand, smearing blood on her cheek in the process. Her head pounded, the pain intensifying from an already unbearable level. She closed her eyes and put her palms to her temples, pressing inward.

Beau swore again, violently, but when he wiped at the blood on her face, his touch was infinitely gentle, a direct contradiction to his black mood and fury.