JUMP (The Senses) (9 page)

“We need you,” Waleron said.

He said
we.
Not
I
need you. Screw that. “I returned to help with the issue of Balen . . . and then I will leave again.” This was the only way.

“You are a great warrior, Delara. You can’t keep running.”

“Yeah, watch me. Watch me walk away and I swear I won’t look back. And you know why? Because I’m over you. I’ve healed, Pez. You mean nothing to me and I won’t stay under your control again.” The lies tumbled out, unable to be stopped.
Hate him, Delara. Break his blasted heart.
But no, Waleron didn’t have a heart, did he?

She turned on her heel, her heart hoping that he’d call her back, her common sense knowing that he never would. He wanted her close to him but he refused to love her.

Please call out to me
.
Please stop me. Love me like I know you can.
She kept her head high, her tears back, as she walked into the shadows of the night. His voice never called, his stance never moved a muscle.

And she never looked back.

Damn him,
Danielle fumed as she walked down the sidewalk the next evening. Selfish bastard had chosen to run away instead of explaining what the hell was going on. Well, screw him. She stopped at the red-and-white post indicating a streetcar stop.

She was going to find out what happened if it was the last thing she did. She
’d sat around for two years being haunted by flashes of memories—well, that time had ended. With or without help she was going to discover the truth. Someone had to remember something and give her a lead. The first place she intended to check was the hospital.

It took twenty minutes of sucking
up, two twenty-dollar bills and tear-filled eyes to find out the name of the nurse who had attended her two years ago. It took another fifteen minutes to discover where she was working in the enormous hospital. Luckily, a candy striper knew exactly who Nurse Susan was and what floor she was currently on.

Danielle took the stairs to the fifth floor
, as riding the elevator was out of the question considering her problem with small, enclosed spaces of late. She recognized the woman the moment she saw her walking down the sterile hallway. She had a large nose that curved up at the tip, a splatter of freckles on her cheeks and wide, gentle hazel eyes. Her wide hips swayed back and forth, and a stethoscope that was looped around her neck swung with the motion.

Danielle intercepted her before she walked into
Room 510.

“Oh, it’s you. My sweet dear, how are you?” She touched Danielle’s arm. “How you making out, sweetie?”

Danielle smiled. She remembered the nurse clearly, her kind and compassionate words that offered support and warmth. When she had screamed and thrown tantrums of fury, Nurse Susan remained calm and sympathetic. Susan was the one who had informed her what they thought had happened. Abducted. Tortured.

When the doctor had come in and tried to look at her wounds, she remembered completely freaking out. They had to sedate her
, so he could examine her. But it was Nurse Susan who quietly explained their findings and even remained present when the police came to ask questions.

“I’m
, umm, well, fine thank you. I just wanted to ask you, did anyone come visit me? You know, before I gained consciousness or maybe when I was asleep? Anything strange?”

“Oh
, my poor girl, still no memory? It does happen when something traumatic occurs. It’s a way for the mind to protect itself.”

“I need to know,” Danielle raised her voice a tad too much
, and the two nurses at the nursing station raised their heads and frowned. “Sorry, I just have flashes of what happened. You know, certain sounds that make me cringe, smells that I can’t stand any longer. Well, and there’s this man.” Danielle took out a sketch of Balen and passed it to the nurse. “Do you recall seeing him around at all?”

“No. No
, definitely not, and I think I’d remember such a handsome young man. Oh God, do you think he’s the man who . . . well, who . . .”

Danielle shook her head. “No, I know he didn’t hurt me, but he does know what happened. Can you recall anything strange? Unusual? Anything at all. Even if you think it doesn’t relate.”

“Well . . .” She tapped her pencil to her temple. “The punctures on your neck were odd. I mean the doc didn’t seem to think so, said probably the marks were from a ring your assaulter wore. You did have bruising around your wrists and ankles and your neck especially. I found the marks . . . odd, and the fact that you had lost such a large amount of blood with no significant cuts to say where you’d lost it from.”

Danielle rubbed her wrists, thinking of the lacerations that the doc believed where from manacles.

“My dear, I’m sorry I can’t be of much help.”

Danielle gave a half-smile. “Well, I appreciate your time.” She passed the nurse a card from her gallery. “If you think of anything, can you call me?”

“Of course. Keep your chin up, Danielle. And give my regards to your friend Violet for me. What a doll. So concerned and caring. A friend like her is hard to find.”

Danielle was a blank slate. Violet? She didn’t have any friends by the name of Violet. Had the nurse confused her with someone else? “Violet?”

“Why, yes, I believe that was her name. Yes, she said Violet when she brought you back. I recall the morning quiet clearly. I was just getting off my shift when she came into the emergency calling for help. She had you in her car. I say, child, don’t you remember her? She said she was a friend of yours, and you were conscious. You were talking to her. It was like you knew her.”

“No, I don’t know anyone named Violet,” Danielle said. “And what do you mean
back?
” God, how could she remember being in the hospital, but anything else she came up blank?

“Well
, you left in the middle of the night. I’m uncertain how you managed to slip past those on duty, but one minute you were lying in bed and the next—gone. It was only an hour or so before Violet brought you back. Maybe it was the morphine we had you on, but . . . I thought you’d remembered that.” She crinkled her long, thin brows together. “When you came back, you had a cut on your neck that wasn’t there before. Violet couldn’t say how you came by it, only that you’d called her and she came and got you. She was so concerned, fussing over you like a mother hen. She had you wrapped up in her coat. You were shivering like a leaf.” She hesitated, taking Danielle’s hand and giving a gentle squeeze. “Are you seeing anyone, child? I mean, maybe if you had someone to talk to . . . I could suggest . . .”

“What did she look like? Did she give a last name, her phone number,
anything?”

“No, just Violet. She had red hair and
a petite frame. Pale face wearing all that black. Such a beautiful girl to be wearing all black.”

She was at a dead end. A name. The police had nothing after questioning her
, considering she recalled nothing and they were at a loss. All they had was her abductor’s DNA taken from beneath her fingernails. But without him in their system, they had zilch.

Danielle turned to go when Susan said, “Violet did mention another name in passing. Annie or Ansley. No, it was more unusual. I think it was . . .”

“Anstice,” Danielle offered, her breath lodged in her throat. She didn’t wait for a reply as she ran from the hospital.

She went home, grabbed her car and headed straight to Anstice’s place. She handled her Mini like the car had been built to be driven, and the engine purred with glee at being able to strut its stuff. She made it in record time without another speeding ticket to add to her collection.

“Who’s Violet?” Danielle said as soon as Anstice opened the door. She pushed past her and
took a quick scan of the foyer, noticing they were alone. Dealing with Keir’s overbearing protectiveness of Anstice was not what she needed to have this conversation.

When she turned around, Anstice had her hand on the wall
, supporting her weight, and her face was cadaver pale.

“You know her? You know her?” Danielle swore under her breath. She had hoped in the back of her mind that the nurse had been mistaken. “Who is she?”

“Danielle . . . Danielle, I . . .”

“Hun, what is it? I . . .” Keir stood at the top of the stairs. Ah crap, so not who she needed to see. “Danielle, nice to see you again.” He gave a quick perusal of his wife and then descended the stairs. He walked to Anstice and wrapped his arm around her waist like a protective shield. “What’s this about, Danielle?”

“Don’t give me that bull. You know damn well what I’m talking about. Violet. Who is Violet?”

Anstice looked to her husband with pleading eyes, her fingers curled in his shirt. He remained stoic, unblinking as he met Danielle head
-on.

“Let it go, Danielle,” Keir said
, his voice harsh and deliberate.

“Like hell. This Violet knows Anstice. She was at the hospital.” She ignored Keir’s severe glare and looked at her friend
, who was having difficulty meeting her eyes. “Anstice?”

“I
. . . I . . . oh, God, Danielle please don’t ask me.”

Danielle jerked, every muscle in her body tightening. Her mouth fell open with utter astonishment. She gripped the banister, fingernails, penetrating the wood. “I can’t believe you’re going to stand there and pretend you don’t know anything. So much for best of friends,
eh. I guess now that you have your little family here, you don’t need a friend like me all fucked up. Well, screw you. I’ll find out for myself. I don’t need you.”

Keir’s face turned deadly, brows lowering, eyes darkening. Anstice put her hand on his cheek and stepped from his arms. “Danielle, please. You can’t go searching for answers that even the police can’t find. It’s dangerous. Come and sit down—”

“Who’s Violet?” Danielle stood her ground.

When Anstice and Keir remained silent
, she shoved past them.

Keir grabbed her arm. “Anstice loves you, Danielle. You’re hurting her.”

Danielle raised her fist and went to punch him in the nose, but he blocked her with his palm. “Fuck you, Keir. I’m the one hurting, and it appears like my friend can help, but she’s chosen to let me wallow in hell. Well, friends don’t do that to one another.”

A
nstice shouted her name as she went out the front door, and a small part of her thought maybe she’d been too harsh. But damn it, they were keeping secrets from her. They knew who Violet was and yet they refused to tell her. What was going on? Who were they protecting?

She sure as hell was going to find out
, and it looked as if she was doing it alone.

She drove her car down the road and parked beneath a large pine tree on the next side street
, and then put on her hat, gloves and scarf and ventured back to Keir’s.

If they contacted this Violet, it would be tonight. No way was she going to let this opportunity slip from her grasp like everything else. They knew more about her abduction than they were letting on
, and she was going to find out what, even if she had to sit out in the freezing cold all bloody night.

****

“We have to tell her,” Anstice said. “I can’t do this any longer. She’s my best friend and I’m lying to her.” She ran her hand through her shoulder-length flaming red hair while pacing the span of the living room, Grim at her heels. Her Newfoundland was big, black and had a heart of gold. He also had trouble keeping up with her and finally decided to lie down and watch. “Someone told her about Violet. How did that happen?”

“Violet is of no concern. She
’s with the coven in the country, and Danielle will not be able to locate her. Trinity is very particular about discretion.”

“I don’t like it. I want to tell her everything.”

Keir grabbed her hand, bringing her to a halt. He sighed. “We cannot. She is human, my love. Our laws state—”

She yanked out of his grasp. “Screw the laws. She’s my friend. She deserves answers.”

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” Keir said. “She was never supposed to remember a goddamn thing.” He walked over to the bar and poured himself a Crown Royal. “Waleron will have to erase her memories again.”

“I want to tell her.” Anstice stood facing him
, hands on her hips, eyes glaring into her husband’s. She would fight for this. Losing Danielle as her friend was out of the question. If they approached the situation carefully, they could tell her about the Senses and then about the abduction. Danielle would never break her word; she’d keep their secret.

“My love, it is not our way,” Keir said.

She rolled her eyes at him for reading her thoughts. They had become so in tune to one another that hiding thoughts was nearly impossible. “If you tell Danielle anything, you will be brought to the council to face judgment for breaking our laws. That is unacceptable.”

“And I won’t allow Danielle to be continually tormented by us.”