Читать книгу Secret Service Rescue - Elle James - Страница 12

Chapter 3

“I’ll let your family explain all that when they get here.” Daniel dialed the number for Kate Winston’s secretary.

“Debra speaking.” Her voice was clear and cheerful, with no indication she’d been up late the night before. She’d probably been awake since five or five-thirty, preparing Mrs. Winston’s schedule for the day.

“Debra, please inform Mrs. Winston her granddaughter is conscious.”

“I will. Right away. Thank you.”

Daniel had no doubt she would. Debra Winston was the most efficient personal assistant a person could have. He wasn’t sure how Kate could operate without the other woman’s help.

Shelby jabbed at the controls on the bed, making the feet rise, then the head of the bed lower. “I don’t have a grandmother and I don’t need a bodyguard. Damn this thing. How do I get it to sit me up?”

Daniel fought to keep from smiling, took the controls from her hand and adjusted the settings, raising the head of the bed until Shelby sat up. “Thank you,” she said, her tone reluctant. “I could have figured it out myself.”

“I can’t have you falling out of bed. What kind of bodyguard would I be if I let you fall twice?”

“Someone else’s, I would hope. I don’t need a bodyguard.”

“Your grandmother and your uncles think you need one. And I agree. Now, whether or not it’s me is an entirely different concern.”

“I don’t have a grandmother, and I don’t have any uncles. It’s just my grandfather, Patrick, and me. You must have the wrong woman.”

“No, sweetie, he doesn’t.” Patrick entered the room carrying two cups of steaming coffee. He set them on the rolling table and engulfed his granddaughter in a long, heartfelt hug. “Thank God you’re all right. I was so scared. I thought I’d lost you.”

“Believe me, I was pretty scared, too.” She hugged him again and pushed him to arm’s length, tears running down her cheeks. She brushed them aside and studied her grandfather. “You look like you haven’t eaten in days. Have you been taking your vitamins?”

He chuckled. “God, I’ve missed you.”

Her brow wrinkled. “I take that as a no.” The next minute she was smiling, her bright blue eyes dancing, making Daniel’s heartbeat stutter then race. “That’s okay. I’ll have you back on track in no time,” she assured him.

“That’s my girl.” Patrick hugged her again and perched on the edge of the bed.

Shelby rolled her eyes at Daniel. “And who is this man? I have to say, after being bound and kept in the dark for two weeks, to wake up in the arms of a stranger wasn’t reassuring.”

“Oh, baby, what did those animals do to you?” Patrick hugged her again.

“Thankfully not much more than keeping me tied up in the dark and feeding me the nastiest bologna sandwiches and water.”

Daniel’s lips twitched. That would explain why she’d gone over the edge at the nurse’s mention of a sandwich.

Patrick sighed. “At least they didn’t hurt you more than that.” He cast a glance at Daniel. “This is Daniel Henderson, an agent with the Secret Service. He saved your life.”

Daniel almost laughed at the skeptical look she threw his way.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to thank me,” he said, his voice deceptively even, the undertones dripping with sarcasm.

“Thank you for pulling me out of there,” she said and turned toward her grandfather. “But why do I need a Secret Service agent watching over me? And what’s all this about a grandmother and uncles? Does the hospital staff have me in the wrong room?”

“Shelby, about that.” Patrick stared down at where he patted her hands in his. “There’s something I should have told you a long time ago.”

Shelby’s lips tightened and her face blanched, but she held her tongue.

Daniel had the sudden urge to pull her into his arms and shield her from what was coming next. She was so small and pale against the hospital sheets.

Her grandfather continued, delivering the news straight and free of any sugarcoating. “You have a grandmother and three uncles.”

She breathed in and out several times, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Daniel admired her for her calm and ability to take it all in without falling apart. After two weeks of captivity in a dark basement, and waking up in a hospital with the news she had more relatives and a bodyguard, Shelby had earned the right to come apart.

She asked quietly, “Since when, and why haven’t I heard of them before?”

“I didn’t think it was important before,” her grandfather said. “But when you went missing, I had to get help. The only person I knew who had enough clout and influence was Kate Winston.”

Those bright blue eyes blinked and she laughed out loud. “Kate Winston? Former vice president of the United States?”

Patrick nodded. “She’s your mother’s mother.”

Shelby’s face lost all color, and she pressed a hand to her temple. “How?”

Her grandfather chuckled. “The usual way. It happened one summer when we were teenagers, both young and stupid. Your grandmother was on vacation on the Outer Banks when we met. By the end of that summer, we thought we were in love.” He stared out the window. “Your mother was born nine months later.”

“What happened? I take it you didn’t make an honest woman out of her or I’d have known sooner about her.”

Her grandfather flinched, his jaw hardening. “I wanted to marry Kate, but she wanted nothing to do with me.”

“Why?” Shelby leaned forward and cupped her grandfather’s face. “What’s not to love?”

He covered her hand with his and pressed it against his cheek. “It was complicated.”

“Try me.”

Feeling like an outsider in a personal, family discussion, Daniel moved toward the door. “I’ll just leave you two alone.”

“No,” Patrick said at the same time Shelby said, “Please.”

A knock on the door had all three of them changing focus.

Before anyone could respond, the door slowly opened and a nurse peeked in. “Hi, I’m Lucy. Is Shelby up?” She smiled across the room. “Oh, thank goodness, you’re awake.” Still, she hesitated. “Are you up to receiving a few visitors? There are people out here who want to meet you.”

Shelby shot a glance at Daniel, her eyes wide, her fingers gripping the sheets.

Her grandfather patted her hands. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“No.” She sat up straighter. “I want to meet the woman who wanted nothing to do with you.”

“Uh, okay. I’ll let them know.” Lucy popped back out into the hallway, the door shutting behind her.

“Now, Shelby, be nice,” Patrick warned. “What happened forty years ago is in the past.”

“Yeah, but what kind of woman throws away her own child? And to think, I used to admire Kate Winston.” Shelby crossed her arms over her chest, some color returning to her pale cheeks.

Daniel knew he should leave, but his protective instinct kicked in. Having four Winstons in the same small room at one time was overwhelming, even for a healthy person. Their egos and their combined charisma could be intimidating.

Lucy opened the door and stood to the side, holding the door wide as Kate and her three sons entered.

As Daniel expected, the three towering men filled the room with their broad shoulders.

Kate walked forward, tiny in comparison. She wore a light gray skirt suit and a pale pink blouse, appearing every bit the poised politician. But when her gaze fell on Shelby, her eyes filled. “Oh, my God. I could be looking at myself as a young woman.” Tears slid silently down her cheeks. “All this time, I didn’t know.”

“If I’d had any doubts before, I don’t now. She looks just like you.” One of the men with dark brown hair and eyes the same color as his mother’s and Shelby’s pulled Kate into the crook of his arm. “Shelby, this is your grandmother, Kathleen Winston. Most people call her Kate.” He walked with Kate to the other side of the bed from where Patrick stood holding Shelby’s hand.

Shelby held out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Winston.”

Kate ignored the hand and engulfed Shelby in a hug. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

The stricken look in Shelby’s eyes made Daniel move forward. “Perhaps we should give Ms. O’Hara some room to breathe. This is a lot for her to take in.”

Shelby muttered a soft, “Thank you.” She brushed moisture from her eyes and sniffed.

Kate straightened, tugging at the hem of her suit jacket. “This is Trey,” she said, her voice shaking. “He’s the oldest of my sons—your uncles.” Kate laughed. “I’m sorry, this is all surreal to me.” Her voice caught on a sob.

“You’re telling me.” Shelby held out a hand to the first of the men. “Nice to meet you.”

Another one of the men stepped forward. “Hi, I’m Samuel, but you can call me Sam.”

“Sam.” Shelby took his hand. “You’re all so tall.”

“We take after our father,” he said.

The next man stepped forward and held out his hand. Shelby shook it. “Name’s Thad. I work with the Raleigh Police Department. I’d like to ask you some questions about the men who held you captive.”

Shelby’s face paled and she snatched her hand away.

“Thad,” his mother touched his arm. “Can’t it wait just a few minutes?”

Thad frowned. “We need to catch the men who did this. Shelby’s the only witness we have.” One look at his mother’s face and he nodded. “Okay, just a few minutes.”

Sam shook his head. “You look so much like Mother.”

Her face pale, her eyes wide, Shelby chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m sorry. It’s going to take some time getting used to all this.”

The door opened again and the doctor entered. “Good grief, are we having a family reunion?”

“We’re going.” Trey nodded to his brothers. “Let’s give our niece some room.”

“I have questions,” Thad insisted.

“They can wait until we get to the estate,” Kate said softly.

The doctor stepped past the people standing around and shone a light into Shelby’s eyes, then pressed his stethoscope against her chest.

“What estate?” Shelby leaned around the doctor. “I’m going home as soon as I get the okay from the doctor.”

The doctor straightened and tucked the stethoscope in his pocket. “That will be as soon as we can get your discharge papers.”

“She’s okay?” Kate asked.

The doctor nodded and stared down at Shelby. “Drink plenty of liquids and take it easy for a few days.”

“I can go?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.” Shelby tossed the sheet aside and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Come on, Granddad, let’s go home.”

Patrick O’Hara shook his head.

Daniel braced himself for the coming storm.

“Honey, we’re not going home yet. Not until the police find the ones responsible for kidnapping and almost murdering you.”

“If we’re not going home, then where are we going?” Her eyes narrowed and her arms crossed.

“You’ll stay with us at the Winston Estate,” Kate said, her tone brooking no argument. “You’ll have round-the-clock security. Daniel Henderson will be your bodyguard.”

Daniel almost laughed at the shock on Shelby’s face. He wasn’t sure what she found most disturbing—staying at the Winston Estate or having him as a bodyguard.

He leaned close and whispered in her ear. “If it’s any consolation, it’s not my idea of a good time, either.”

* * *

Shelby stood on shaky legs, wearing slim-cut, cream-colored trousers, a short-sleeved cashmere sweater, sandals and undergarments thoughtfully provided by her supposed grandmother. The clothing she’d been wearing for the past two weeks had probably been condemned and thrown away as unfit for the granddaughter of the former vice president.

Though her knees wobbled and the pain meds she’d been given hadn’t quite worn off and left her feeling a little fuzzy headed, Shelby refused to show even the slightest weakness to the Winstons or the odious man who’d been assigned as her bodyguard. That he was no happier about the arrangement than she was did little to appease her. Strangely, it made her more angry and disgruntled about the entire arrangement.

“I have assignments to complete. I can’t do them without going to the library in Beth City,” she muttered.

Daniel Henderson stood beside her, his face impassive, wearing mirrored sunglasses that completely hid any expression in his eyes, frustrating Shelby even more.

“You can’t leave the estate until we find your kidnappers.”

“Like hell,” she stated. “I’m not giving up one prison for another.”

“Trust me, the Winston Estate is far from a prison.”

“It’s a prison if I’m not allowed to leave.”

“Perhaps allowed is too strong a word. But it would certainly be ill-advised.”

She snorted. “No difference.” They stood in the lobby at the hospital’s entrance, waiting for her grandfather to complete the paperwork to release her. Kate and her personal secretary waited close by.

Did he have to stand so close? Shelby shifted away from Daniel. He shifted with her. His bulk was doing funny things to her insides. She’d tried to blame it on the breakfast she’d been served by the hospital staff, but it had been pretty darned good after the bologna sandwiches and bagels she’d been given for the past two weeks. She’d eaten every last bite and wanted to lick the plate, but just managed to refrain with Daniel, Kate and her grandfather looking on.

The food had given her the strength to make it this far, and a lighter dose of pain medication didn’t make her head fuzzy. She almost felt normal. Almost as if her world hadn’t been upended and thrown her off-kilter.

A grandmother and three uncles. And all this time she’d thought it was just her and her grandfather against the world.

Patrick signed one last form and turned toward the exit, his gaze zeroing in on Kate. She stood looking cool, calm and confident in her gray suit, her hair short and stylish with just a hint of frost at the temples. No dyes and highlights for her. And she didn’t need them. She was beautiful, even in her late fifties, the lines by her eyes adding character.

Shelby didn’t want to like the woman, didn’t want to believe a word she said. Not when she’d abandoned her own daughter and then claimed she hadn’t known she was alive. How does a mother not know her baby was alive?

Patrick’s face gave him away. He might have said he was over Kate a long time ago, but the way he looked at her at that moment said the opposite.

“Oh, dear.” Her heart aching for her grandfather, Shelby pressed a hand to her chest.

“What?”

“This isn’t right.”

“What isn’t right?” Daniel asked.

She tried to think of something to say that would make it better. “We don’t belong with the Winstons. My grandfather and I should just go home. We can manage on our own.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Daniel captured her arm. “You were almost killed. Those men who kidnapped you are experienced thugs. What training do you have to defend yourself against them?”

Her back stiffened. “I took a self-defense class one semester during my undergraduate degree.”

Daniel snorted. “And how’d that work for you?”

Shelby opened her mouth to give him a sharp retort, but she didn’t have one. The reality of the past two weeks sitting in the dark wasn’t something she wanted to happen ever again. “I’ll be more aware.”

“When you’re outnumbered, outweighed and outgunned, being aware may not be enough.”

“It will have to be.” She smiled at her grandfather as he closed the distance between them.

“Ready?” he asked.

“I am. But I think we should go home.”

Her grandfather’s brows drew together. “Shelby, honey, after what happened, I don’t think it’s safe. I can’t provide the kind of protection Kate can.”

Staying at the Winston Estate would be as hard on him as it was on her. They didn’t belong with these people. The Winstons traveled in an entirely different circle from the folks at the O’Hara Bar and Grill on the Outer Banks where she and her grandfather lived and worked.

The worried look on her grandfather’s face made her reconsider for the moment. She stepped outside the hospital where two long black limousines stood waiting at the curb.

“Tell me we’re not going in those,” she said.

Daniel’s mouth twitched into a grin, although his eyes were invisible behind his mirrored sunglasses. “Then I won’t tell you.”

Thad walked up behind them. “If we could move it along, the cars have been waiting for thirty minutes in a no-parking zone. The hospital security staff would like us to get going.”

Her father hooked her arm and led her toward the limo. The chauffeur opened the back door for her.

The closer she got to the dark interior, the faster her heart raced. “No.” She braced her hands on the roof of the car and refused to step inside.

“Is there something wrong?” Kate asked.

“I can’t get in. It’s too...”

“Too what, dear?” Kate laid a hand on her arm.

“Too dark,” Shelby whispered.

Kate’s hand gently smoothed over her arm. “It’s okay. You don’t have to ride in the limousine.” She turned to the driver. “Take it back to the estate. Miss O’Hara will ride with Trey in his vehicle.”

The driver nodded, rounded the front of the vehicle and got in.

Kate’s brows rose as she directed a glance at her oldest son. “You don’t mind bringing the O’Haras and Mr. Henderson, do you?”

“Not at all, Mother.” Trey turned away from the hospital. “If you’ll follow me to the parking lot—”

The limousine engine revved and died. The driver cranked it again and the same thing happened.

“What do you suppose is wrong with the limousine?” Debra frowned, making a note on her smartphone. “I have it serviced regularly.”

“Not good.” Daniel gripped Kate and Shelby’s arm. “Get down!”

Trey spun Debra around, shoved her behind the open door of the Jeep and shielded her with his body.

Before Shelby could react, Daniel pushed her to the concrete. Kate dropped to her stomach beside her and Daniel threw himself on top of both of them.

Shelby struggled to get up. “What the hell—”

An explosion rocked the ground beneath her, blasting her eardrums. She fought to breathe beneath the weight of Daniel lying across her as metal shards fell on her legs and arms.