Danger in Paradise (13 page)

* * * * *

Patrick steered the twenty year old truck he’d stolen into the Coral Gables Hospital parking lot. He didn’t know what was going on, but that bastard Lucas Romanov had torn out of the parking garage like Armageddon was coming.

At least the hospital parking lot was full. It would be easier to blend in. When they’d pulled under the emergency room entrance, he’d been unable to follow. He called information, then waited twenty minutes before calling the hospital.

“Coral Gables ER,” a brisk sounding woman answered.

“Hi, a friend of mine just came in. I’m stuck in traffic, but wanted to make sure she was okay.”

There was a brief pause. “I can’t give out patient information.”

“No, I understand. I’ll be there in a few minutes, anyway.” Politeness always won out.

The woman sighed. “What’s your friend’s name?”

He gripped the phone tighter. “Hope Jennings. She should have been brought into the ER.”

He heard computer keys clacking. “She’s here…well that’s weird…Sir, she’s here, but she’s not in the ER anymore. I can’t give you any more information.”

That
was
weird. He knew for a fact that when someone was brought in to the ER, they spent twelve hours there minimum. Especially in a hospital this big. “I understand.  Thank you for your time.”

He disconnected, pulled his ball cap a little lower, and walked toward the main entrance. On the way in, a Hispanic man held the glass door open for him. Patrick stepped inside and glanced around, trying to figure out the best plan of attack. He walked toward a map of the hospital but froze when he saw
her
.

Everything around him slowed. His leaden feet refused to move.

She was walking right toward him, her arm linked with an older woman’s. Her exotic face was flushed and tears pooled in her eyes. His heart seized. He had nowhere to go. When they made eye contact, he expected the worst.

Instead, she half-smiled at him as she brushed by and embraced the man who had held the door open for him.

“Papa, it’s her! Doctor Gonzales moved her immediately when we told him what was going on.” She was practically jumping up and down like a child. The older woman didn’t say anything, just clutched a rosary.

The three of them hustled down a hallway so he trailed behind, careful not to get too close. The sterile smell accosted his senses and he remembered why he hated hospitals. They smelled like sick people. And sick people were weak.

He followed the threesome down the hall, but hung back, pretending to text message on his phone. He heard snatches of the conversation, but he might as well have been invisible because they didn’t acknowledge his existence. They were too wrapped up in their conversation.

From what he gathered, the girl in front of him was Maria, she was with her parents, and they were on their way to see someone named Hope.

The fact that they were going to visit someone named Hope was too much to be a coincidence.

He slipped his cell phone back into his pocket and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans before joining them on the elevator. This was it. If he could find out her room number, he’d come back when she was alone.

He lowered his head and hurried past the room they entered, careful not to glance directly inside. If she was in there, he couldn’t risk Hope seeing his face. He had the room number and that would have to be enough for now. When visiting hours were over, he’d come back and take care of her for good.

* * * * *

Luke stared out the window of Hope’s hospital room, waiting for her to wake up. Mac Jennings sat next to the bed, and the Santiagos were on their way. Hope had hit her head as she passed out. The doctor said she didn’t have a concussion, but he couldn’t stop the terror forking through his entire body. It was like jagged lightning.

“What the hell is she wearing?” Mac’s voice cut through the quiet room, as if he’d just now noticed her state of dress.

Luke turned and looked at the older man. Mac stared at him accusingly, his green eyes boring into him, as if he could see straight to his soul. Luke looked at Hope. Maria had refused to let the doctor put her in the see-through white gown. Instead she still wore his button up, long sleeve dress shirt that was two sizes too big for her. It reached her knees, making it longer than the hospital get-up. Unfortunately, it was obvious it was a man’s shirt.

He cleared his throat, but held eye contact. “It’s mine.”

Mac’s eyes narrowed, then he sat back a fraction. “If you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”

It wasn’t a light threat, and Luke had no doubt the other man would make good on his promise. “I could never hurt her.”

Mac opened his mouth to respond, but the door flew open and the Santiago clan rushed in.

“Luke.” Jose grabbed his hand, then slapped him on the shoulder. Luke knew it to be his version of a hug. The man wasn’t known for his affection.

Sonja immediately went to Mac and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. She murmured something too low for Luke to hear. Mac nodded and patted her hand. Well, that was interesting. Since when had they become friends? Jose stiffened next to him, watching his wife interact with Mac, but he said nothing.

Maria chatted incessantly to him and Jose, but seemed content that neither responded. He couldn’t take his eyes off Hope for longer than a few seconds, anyway.

“Do you think we should all be in here when she wakes up?” he asked when there was a gap in the conversation.

Everyone turned to stare at him as if he’d suggested Hope was a terrorist.

“What?” Maria demanded.

“You want her to wake up alone?” Sonja gasped.

“No, that’s not what I meant. She had a panic attack and hit her head—”

“I’m awake and I want you all to leave.” Hope’s small voice sliced through the air like a machete.

When Luke looked at her, he realized she was staring right at him. She didn’t glance at anyone else, though he wished she would. Her gaze silently accused him, and there was nothing he could say to defend himself.

She had every right to be angry at him. He just hadn’t counted on it affecting him so much.

“Hope—” Mac started, but she interrupted him, still not taking her gaze off Luke.

“You can stay, Mac. Everyone else out. Especially
you
.” The last part was directed at him. Her words were clipped and she sounded out of breath, as if those few words were a strain.

Instead of arguing, he sighed and did as she asked. He didn’t wait to see if the others would follow, but they did. Once they were all out in the hallway, Maria punched his arm.

“What did you do to her?” Maria glared at him.

“Damn it, nothing…well, nothing except have her DNA tested without telling her.”

“Oh, well I’m not sorry about that.” Maria crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall.

“Has the press gotten wind of this?” Jose asked.

“No, and they’re not going to. We’ll handle this quietly.” After his confirmation that Hope was indeed Anna, he’d put an immediate call in to Kyle.

Luke made a decision that he was officially taking time off from his regular duties. His job was now to protect Hope. Whether she liked it or not.

“What precautions have you taken?” Jose continued.

Luke understood his concern. Jose’s family had been targeted numerous times due to their wealth, which was precisely why Maria and Sonja rarely made public appearances. Especially after Anna’s kidnapping. “Kyle’s taking over all day to day concerns for right now. He’s going to increase security everywhere. Everyone at the house will be informed of what’s going on and they’ll be signing confidentiality agreements. You haven’t been in the news in a while so it’s not as if you’re being watched by reporters or journalists. At least we won’t have to worry on that front.”

Jose nodded.

“Well, what are you going to be doing?” Maria snapped.

He turned to look at his childhood friend, surprised by the sudden surge of anger in her voice. “I’ll be watching Hope 24/7.”

“Her name is Anna,” she continued, her annoyance obvious.

Luke sighed. He knew this had to be a shock to Maria, but he wasn’t worried about
her
. His only concern was Hope.

“Stop it,” Sonja interjected. “Her name is Hope and that’s what we’ll call her. I don’t want to hear any more of this. You sound like a child, Maria.” Sonja rubbed her temple and mumbled something so low Luke couldn’t hear.

Jose put an arm around his wife and pulled her close. He murmured into her ear before kissing her forehead.

Luke started to suggest they get coffee when the door opened up.

Mac walked out, gave him the once over, then looked directly at Sonja. “She wants to see you.”

Without a word Sonja nodded and entered the room.

“What do you say we all go get some coffee?” Mac slapped Luke on the back just a little too hard to be friendly.

He gritted his teeth. “One second.” He dialed one of the men he had waiting downstairs. “I need you now.”

“Who was that?” Jose asked.

Mac casually stood off to the side next to Maria, but Luke didn’t miss the look that told him that he and the other man were going to exchange words.

“I’ve got two of my guys on standby downstairs. I’m not leaving until they’re up here.”

“But why?” Maria asked.

He paused, deciding how much to say. It was obvious Mac knew, and something in his gut told him he’d been straight with Sonja. Apparently not everyone was up to date. “Because someone wants her dead.”

Maria gasped.

Mac just narrowed his eyes, as if he thought Luke had something to do with it. Sighing, Luke looked at Hope’s door longingly. If she’d just talk to him, they could smooth things out. They had to.

* * * * *

Hope adjusted her sheet as Mac left. She hated that she still wore Luke’s shirt, but it was better than the hospital gown. Too bad it smelled like him. A constant reminder of how stupid she’d been to fall for his lies. She hadn’t been hired because of her work. That much was obvious. Even if he hadn’t been the one to hire her, he should have mentioned something about the fact that she looked
exactly
like some missing girl. Not to mention he’d stolen her DNA. The door opened seconds later and Sonja Santiago walked in.

Hope’s breath hitched. She’d intentionally avoided eye contact with the woman when everyone had been in the room. Meeting her mother was something she’d never been prepared for. She’d assumed her real mother dumped her. She hadn’t known the woman was still alive and…wanted her.

Sonja took a few tentative steps forward so Hope smiled and motioned with her hand. “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to kick you out earlier. It’s just…”

“I understand.” She took a seat next to the bed and grasped Hope’s hand.

Her first instinct was to yank her hand away, but she didn’t. A second later, Sonja dropped her hand, though. Strangely, she missed the warmth. Looking into pale eyes so similar to her own was strange and more than a little overwhelming. She had to remind herself to breathe. She swallowed so audibly she was sure Sonja heard. A few random thoughts ran through her head, but she had no idea where to start.

Thankfully, Sonja saved her. “I guess you probably have a billion questions.”

Hope nodded and her throat remained impossibly tight. Tears threatened to overwhelm her, but she refused to let them fall. Not yet. There was so much she wanted to hear and say and if she started bawling, she’d never get everything out.

“I brought some old photos and newspaper clippings. I thought maybe the pictures might help. Mac says you don’t remember much before you were seven.” She pulled a large manila envelope from her purse and spread everything out on the bed.

Hope picked up the first picture she saw. It was of Sonja and Jose Santiago and two little girls in matching dresses. They all stood in front of the house she’d photographed. Her heart stuttered. It was almost surreal to be staring at this picture knowing she stared at herself, but not really remembering anything. “This is in Cuba?” She didn’t know why she asked the question. She’d just been there.

Sonja nodded and wiped away a couple tears. “You remember?’

“Not really. When I was there with Luke, I had a flashback, but nothing concrete.” Memories had always been fuzzy in her head, but as she glanced at the photos, she realized some of her dreams made sense. She picked up one of the newspaper articles, then looked at Sonja. “What happened?” Maybe if she understood that, she’d finally fit in somewhere. Her whole life she hadn’t known who she was or where she came from. What her heritage was, even.

“We still don’t know, exactly. We were at that house,” She pointed to the earlier photo she’d picked up, “and you just disappeared one night. We kept expecting a ransom that never came. Weeks turned into months and months turned into years. We hired so many investigators but—” Her voice broke off on a sob so Hope picked up her hand.

Hope had never been big on affection, but the action was instinctive.

Thankfully Sonja—her mother—continued. “I still don’t understand how you ended up in the United States foster system.”

Hope knew Mac had told Sonja about her past—he’d told her minutes ago—and what little memories she had of ending up in the foster system, but Hope hadn’t contemplated that he’d told Sonja about the rape. Something about the other woman’s tone told her that Mac had done just that. All the air left her lungs, making it impossible to speak. Could he have done that?

“He told me that you were placed in the system when you were seven, but he didn’t have any details before that…he also told me how he found you….” The other woman glanced away for a fraction of a second and Hope realized Mac had indeed told her everything.

“He told you what happened to me?” Hope desperately wished Mac had left that part out. She knew the rape wasn’t her fault. Nothing that had happened that night had been her fault. Still, it should have been her decision to tell this woman. If she’d ever decided to. She hated having the choice taken away from her but she still couldn’t muster up much anger for Mac. He’d just had his world turned upside down too.

She nodded. “Yes, but no one else knows.”

“Not even your husband?” She still couldn’t think of him as being anything but a stranger. Certainly not as her father. Not yet. Maybe ever.

“No, not even your father—my husband. That’s up to you, if you ever want to.”

Well, that was interesting. Did Sonja keep secrets from her husband? From her tone, it was obvious she was telling the truth. Hope couldn’t help but feel a small bond that Sonja was respecting her privacy.

 
“So why don’t you understand how I ended up in foster care?”

“We didn’t become American citizens until a few years after you were gone. Jose’s ancestral home is in Cuba, but our real home is in Jamaica. That’s where you spent your earliest years. Only recently did we move here. You’d never been to the States. It just doesn’t make sense that you ended up here.”

Vague memories of a dark-haired woman played in her mind. “I was found when I was seven. The woman I’d lived with died, but they couldn’t find any identification, so I got put into foster care. I don’t remember much about her, though, except that she told me my mother didn’t want me.”

Sonja gasped, and her delicate hand flew to her throat. Her pale eyes flashed a shade darker. “Never. Never in a million years would I have given you up. I can’t believe…I can’t believe you had to live with that lie.”

The truth was apparent in Sonja’s words and on her strained face. Despite what Mac had told Hope barely ten minutes ago, she hadn’t known for sure if she’d ever been wanted. Couldn’t have known if she’d truly been thrown away by her parents. She’d been sold by her foster father when she was fifteen to pay off his gambling debts. That was how she’d ended up on that yacht all those years ago. No one had ever wanted her until Mac.

Hope didn’t trust herself to speak without crying all over Sonja.

Sonja must have understood because she continued, expertly changing the subject. “So you’ve been living in Florida all these years?”

Hope nodded and glanced away. The past decade she’d been trying to outrun her past. Dredging it up seemed had pointless and painful. Especially since it had nothing to do with this family. Her family, now. How was she ever going to get used to that?

Neither spoke until Sonja broke the silence. “I don’t know if Mac told you, but he admitted how he saved you. I hope you know his secret is safe with us. We would never, ever put him in danger. Even if you decide you want nothing to do with our family, you must know that the sacrifices he made will always be kept safe.”

Hope let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Thank you.”

“Also…” Sonja spread her hands out in a helpless manner. “We’re not going to rush things or try to force anything on you. We want you to spend some time with us, but on your own schedule.”

Hope stared at the woman, then looked down at her hands. If she stared at her mother too long, she felt those damn tears well up again. She had a mother, a father, and a sister. A twin sister, at that. She couldn’t believe it. Any moment she expected to wake up and realize it was all a dream.

At this point she wasn’t sure if it was a good dream or a nightmare. Her life was quiet and simple.

She liked it that way.

“Do you have any questions for us?” Sonja’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

Hope asked the first thing that popped into her head. “Why did you hire me?”

Sonja didn’t pause in her answer. “I saw your picture on a website.”

So that’s how that bastard had found her. Hope’s agent had started promoting her site worldwide. Maybe it had only been a matter of time before she’d been found. She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to sort everything out.

“I hope that’s okay. I didn’t want to just—”

Guilt assaulted her at Sonja’s wide eyes. “No, of course it’s fine. I was thinking how small the world really is.”

Sonja took her hand again and rubbed tiny circles on her palm, as if she were afraid Hope would run away at any moment. “It’s just so hard to believe you’re real,” she murmured.

“I know.” This time Hope allowed herself to stare at the woman who had given birth to her. She drank in the delicate lines of her face and pale blue eyes. Even without the DNA test, Hope would have known this was her mother. Her whole life she thought she’d been unwanted.

A sob broke free, and for the first time in years, she let herself cry with abandon. She didn’t hold anything back. She wanted to, but it was impossible. Her body demanded a release she’d never given it. Without a word, Sonja slipped into the bed with her and cradled her head against her chest. Hope cried and cried until she had nothing left. Pain and agony seeped out of her as her mother gently rubbed her back and murmured soothing words Hope could barely hear above her own wrenching cries.

Eventually,
blessedly
, she fell asleep on the chest of a woman who, hours ago, Hope hadn’t known existed.