I glanced around the room. “Where’s my phone? I need to call him.”
“It was lost in the accident. We’ll get you another one.”
“I can use yours,” I said, holding out my hand. “I don’t care if the media is following him around or not, he can still talk to me on the phone.”
Sighing, he leaned over and kissed me on the head. “My phone’s in the car. I have to head back to New York for a bit. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“How long do I have to stay here?”
He smiled and I could see a hint of tears in his eyes. Something was wrong. “Just for a few more days.”
“Dad, what’s wrong? You’re keeping something from me.”
He shook his head. “It’ll all work out in the end. But right now, I have to go. Connor and his people will take care of you.” Turning on his heel, he hurried to the door and rushed out.
“Dad, wait!”
He didn’t answer. He was gone.
There was a feeling in my gut I couldn’t shake. Trees surrounded the house and there was nothing around from what I could tell. Where the hell was I? Not to mention, there was no phone in the room. I had to call Blake.
Stumbling over to the closet, I opened it up to find an entire wardrobe in my size. Even the bathroom was stocked with the same toiletries I used. Instead of changing clothes, I walked out of the room in my hospital nightgown, and ventured downstairs. The house was enormous and nothing like I’d imagine Connor living in.
“Hadley, what are you doing?”
Gasping, I turned around and grabbed my chest. Connor stood there, dressed in a suit with a gun in his waistband. Why was he carrying a gun in here? “Why aren’t you all sore and feeling like shit like I am? You were in the car with me.”
He chuckled. “I’m not a woman.”
“Ha-ha, very funny,” I retorted, glancing around the house. There were pictures on the wall, expensive pieces of artwork.
“You have clothes in your room if you wanted to change. The stuff in the bathroom is yours too. Your father made sure we had everything you needed.” That answered one of my questions. “Are you hungry?” he asked.
I nodded. “I feel like I haven’t eaten in days.”
“You haven’t. Why don’t you go upstairs to change, and I’ll get you something to eat. Meet me down in the gardens and we’ll picnic outside.” He pointed to a glass door off to the side. I could see the flowers in the garden. They were beautiful.
“Can you bring a phone as well? Dad said mine is gone and there’s not one in the room. I need to make a few calls.”
“He called everyone, Hadley. My job is to keep you stress-free. The last thing you need to do is worry about everyone else.”
Dread settled into the pit of my stomach. I got the feeling they were keeping me away for a reason. Why was I meeting such resistance over a stupid phone call? “I just want to call Blake. That’s it. He’s probably worried sick about me.”
He pointed to the stairs. “After dinner. Now get dressed. You look like you could use a glass of wine.”
I wanted to argue but he walked away, leaving me by myself in the large foyer. I hurried up the stairs back to my room. Why did I have so many pairs of clothes? I changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and slowly made my way to the gardens.
There was a gate off to the side that led to the front of the house. Since Connor wasn’t out there, I decided to explore. The house was huge, much larger than my father’s. A car door slammed out front so I hurried down the sidewalk to see who it was. I would’ve given anything to see Blake. Before I could turn the corner, a man dressed in a dark gray suit with slicked back brown hair and shades stepped in my way.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in the gardens?” he stated matter-of-factly. He was Irish, judging by the accent.
I could feel his penetrating glare through the glasses; it made me uneasy. Crossing my arms over my chest, I stood firm. “Am I not allowed to look around?”
“You are, but I believe it’d be in your best interest to keep an escort.”
“Am I in prison?” I snapped.
“No, and I’d be more than happy to assist you in anywhere you want to go.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Connor spoke up. He grasped my elbow and pulled me into his side. “Let’s go, Hadley.” I went with him willingly and glanced over my shoulder at the other guy who turned and headed back to the front of the house.
“What was that about?” I inquired, not wanting to run into that guy anytime soon.
“I suggest you stay away from him.”
“Why?”
“He’s not as nice as me. Now let’s eat.” Back in the gardens, there was a whole spread on a table—from roasted chicken and potatoes to a strawberry salad. There were even chocolate covered bananas.
“Who cooked the food? I must give my compliments. They fixed some of my favorites.”
He pulled out my chair and I sat down. “Her name is Ingrid. I told her what you liked and she fixed it,” he added, taking the seat across from me.
I ate all my food, along with a couple of extra bananas I really didn’t need. I watched Connor eat and he deliberately avoided my stare. “When are you going to stop feeding me bullshit, Connor?”
His head jerked up. “What are you talking about?”
I guzzled down the glass of wine and chuckled. “You know what I’m talking about. I’m fine and I’m ready to go home. I don’t want to be here, in some backwoods paradise. Shades said it wasn’t a prison, but it sure as hell feels like one.”
Sighing, he poured me another glass of wine. “It’s not a prison, Hadley. Whatever you want, we can give you. There aren’t any bars covering your windows are there?”
I glanced up at the house and snorted. “Probably because there’s a security system.”
By the look on his face, I was right. “You’re more than welcome to move about freely. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. There’s even a library here.” Grabbing my wine, I got to my feet and almost lost my footing, but Connor caught me. “What the hell? You only drank one glass.” He took my glass and set it down on the table.
“I feel . . . strange. My whole body tingles,” I slurred. The feeling was familiar, like how’d I’d felt the night of the accident.
“Fuck me,” he growled, picking me up in his arms. He carried me inside and up the stairs.
“You drugged me,” I hissed angrily. “Why?”
Everything sounded so far away, yet I heard voices all around me. I wanted to scream, to demand to know what was going on. Connor laid me down and the feel of soft satin sheets wrapped around me. My eyes closed and I couldn’t feel my body.
“Why the fuck did you drug her?” Connor growled.
“She was asking too many questions.” The sound of the voice was oddly familiar, but the accent threw me off.
“Of course, she’s going to ask questions. You’ve known Hadley for how long now? She’ll be pissed when she finds out.”
The other guy snorted. “She can blame that on her father. Besides, once we get to Ireland and she see’s everything I can give her, she’ll be all mine.”
I was in a dream. There was no way what I was hearing was real. The fogginess started to close in and I could feel myself slipping away. I struggled to stay lucid enough to hear more.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Connor spat. “That was never part of the deal. She doesn’t belong to you.”
“Nor you, my friend. You’re getting too close to her and I don’t like it. When we get back home, I want you to stay away from her.”
Connor growled low in his chest. “Have you forgotten who you’re talking to? I will do whatever the fuck I want. She’ll hate you after she finds out what you did.”
“Nonsense. Once she finds out her lover is dead, she’ll be ready to leave the country. I’ll be there to fill the void, and anything else that needs filling.” He chuckled.
“But he’s not dead.”