She’s obviously confused. I find it amusing that she was worried about me. Does she have any idea of the utter fear and hopelessness I’ve been feeling since her disappearance? My heart goes out to her. I can feel her body trembling as she clings to me like her life depends on it.
‘There’s no need for you to worry about me.’
‘When your dad came to the house and said you’d been in an accident—’
I cup her face in my hand. ‘There was no accident. You must’ve dreamt it.’
Her brow furrows again. I hate that she’s disorientated. I hope that bitch gets put away for a long time for everything she’s put Jade through.
‘No, I didn’t dream it, I remember your dad coming to the house. It wasn’t long after you left for that meeting. I was heading upstairs to take a bath when he knocked on the door. I wasn’t going to answer, but then he said you’d been in an accident.’
At first I don’t take stock of anything she’s saying—it has to be either a dream or a hallucination caused by the drugs. The more she speaks though, the more concerned I become. Surely my father had nothing to do with her disappearance?
‘I was wary about going with him after the way he treated me the night I met him, but I needed to know you were okay.
‘Once I was in the back of the limousine, he gave me something to drink, to calm me. Understandably, I was upset and worried about you.’ She smiles at me briefly before concern again crosses her beautiful features. ‘I thought you’d been hurt, Brock. Please don’t be angry with me.’
‘I’m not angry at you,’ I say, pulling her back into my arms. My mind is spinning as I try to make sense of what she’s saying. But it can’t be true—my father would never betray me like that.
‘It wasn’t until I drank what he gave me that I realised he must’ve put something in it. Everything went fuzzy. That’s when … that’s when …’ She takes in a few deep breaths. Her voice is shaky as she continues. ‘That’s when the partition in the limousine came down and I saw M sitting in the front seat.’
‘Jesus, Jade.’ I tighten my hold on her.
‘I don’t remember anything after I saw M’s face,’ she whispers.
I’m gonna fucking kill him.
I try to keep my shit together for the next few hours. Everything in me wants to hunt down my father and rip him apart, but my heart wins out. My need for Jade is stronger than the retribution I crave.
My father and I haven’t been close for years, but deep down, I know I was foolish to believe he cared about me. I’m his son. I may not like or respect him, but I love him if for no other reason than he’s the man that gave me life. And as much as I’ve grown to hate the person he has become, I never thought he’d stoop this low. How could he do something so despicable to his own flesh and blood? He knows how much Jade means to me. Does he have such little regard for my feelings? He may not like me being with her, but that’s irrelevant. This is the ultimate betrayal. I’ll never forgive him.
Pushing thoughts of my father out of my mind, I focus on comforting Jade and telling her everything she can’t remember about the incident. She’s understandably distressed when I tell her about Rupert being shot, even when I assure her he’s going to be okay. I promise to take her to see him as soon as she’s allowed out of bed.
The doctor comes to examine her, and my desire to pay my father a visit becomes almost unbearable. Standing back, I watch as the doctor checks her vitals, and it only makes my fury intensify. I’m grateful I got her back in one piece; things could’ve turned out so differently. The blame belongs squarely on my father’s shoulders. Without his deviousness, M never would’ve got her filthy hands on my girl.
The doctor informs Jade that he’ll be keeping her in for another twenty-four hours, purely for observation, which pleases me. As much as I want to take her home where I can care for her myself, she’s in the best place for now. When Jade asks about visiting Rupert, he suggests she wait until tomorrow. She’s still extremely weak, so for the interim he’d prefer she remained on complete bed rest. I know she’s busting to see him, but I agree bed rest is what she needs.
The moment the doctor leaves, I pull the chair over beside the bed. My need to be close to her is overwhelming. My fingers stroke her hair once I’m seated. When she starts asking questions about M, Rupert, and how we came to find her, I’m hesitant to give her more detail, but in true Jade form, she takes it all in her stride and again I’m left awestruck by her strength. She’s been through such a traumatic experience, but seems to be coping better than I am. I only wish I was half the person she is.