Cain (17 page)

Lily was in the basement of the
building having come in from the back end to meet with Alyssa. She
didn’t say anything to Cait, but she did nod to her. When Alyssa
and Lily walked a few feet away, Cait stayed back. Lily took the
bag of oranges and hugged them to her body as though they were
precious gold.

“
Thank you. I knew you
were not from here. You always had a…an air about you. Not that you
was a snob, just you seemed too good for the streets.” Lily looked
over at Cait. “She’s a nice police person. I ain’t never had no
beef with her.”

Alyssa looked over at Cait. “I suppose.
I don’t really know her. She’s a pain in my ass right now, though.”
Alyssa looked back at Lily, who was holding the oranges to her nose
again. “You need anything? I’m going to have blankets brought down
soon. I’ll make sure you get one.”

“
I want a job. You think…I
want to work somewheres and get myself fixed up. You think…can you
help me with that?”

A job? That was the last thing that
Alyssa thought she’d ask for and decided that she would find her
one, even if she had to create one for her. Yes, a job would be
something…Later, she told herself. She would think about that
later.

“
You come to the Howard
Building on Monday morning. Can you be there at eight o’clock?
Good. I’ll have them ready for you. I have something to do this
week yet and I have to find a friend of mine.”

Lily nodded. “You looking for that
pretty girl you was shopping with? I know where they have
her.”

~CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN~

“
Dr. Waite?” Cain sat up,
startled away by the voice in the dark. It took him several seconds
to remember where he was.

“
Yes. Thomas, I’m sorry, I
must have dozed off. I…what is it?”

“
Your sister is on her way
to the hospital. She is fine, just a few cuts and bruises. But I’m
afraid there’s some…well, sir, there is some bad news. I’m afraid
there has been a shooting. Captain Grant will speak to you about
it, but your father…I’m afraid he’s been shot. He has been rushed
to the hospital as well.”

Cain sat up. All he could think of was
that Quinn was all right and he wanted to talk to Alyssa. He wished
that he could see her and have her with him.

“
I have to get to her.
I…what happened? How did they find her?” Cain asked as he stood and
stretched.

“
I’m afraid I’m not at
liberty to say. Captain Grant has requested that I bring you to the
hospital. She is of the opinion that you will be much safer as a
passenger than as a driver. We can leave when you are
ready.”

They left for the hospital soon after.
It was bright out, almost like mid-day. He hadn’t realized that it
had gotten so late. Looking at his watch, he realized that it was
well past three o’clock. He must have been asleep for a couple
hours. He couldn’t believe it, but he hadn’t been sleeping so well
of late so that could explain it.

Cain had been thinking about Alyssa and
his treatment of her. He had not been a nice guy and he hadn’t
given her a chance at all. Glancing over at Thomas, he wondered
what the man would say if he asked if his “house guest” was Alyssa.
He knew it was. Deep in his heart, he knew this man knew where she
was. Then there was the money.

The envelope that Thomas had given Cain
had had ten checks in it. All made out to Cain and all for the same
amount, two hundred thousand each. It was the two million dollar
reward for the information on Alyssa Howard, the missing heiress
Thomas had told him. However, it was the bonus that amazed him.
This check was for another two million alone. The bonus, Thomas
explained, was because Miss Howard had been found alive.

“
I hadn’t realized she was
missing, or an heiress, much less one that could have been dead.
Why the bonus?”

Thomas had looked uncomfortable and
Cain hadn’t thought he would answer. “I’m not at all sure that my
mistress would appreciate me telling you this story, sir. You
should speak to her. It is a dreadful tale, I’m afraid, and I don’t
know all the details. Suffice it to say that she was correct in
disappearing for a time.”

So Cain had four million dollars in an
envelope in his jacket pocket and was on his way to the hospital to
make sure his sister was all right.

Quinn was in a private room being
examined by Damon. He hadn’t been aware the man knew about what had
been going on, but seeing Cait there made him realize that there
was more going on than he’d known. He glanced over at Thomas on his
way to see his sister and noticed that the man had a look of
concern on his face. He didn’t have time to think about that much
as he saw Quinn in the next moment and took her into his
arms.

“
Cain! Oh, Cain, hold me,
please? I was…he hit me. Father…he was…oh, Cain, just hold me,
please?”

Jazzie was there and a woman that he
didn’t know, but his sisters did. He simply held Quinn as she
cried. Jazzie crawled up into the bed with Quinn and he held them
both. Everyone but the woman slipped out of the room.

Quinn lifted his sister’s chin and
looked at her face. It was bruised and her lip had been split at
the corner. There was a mark on her chin, like the beginnings of a
bruise, but she looked good to him. He held her tighter to him and
closed his eyes. She was back.

“
Cain, I can’t breathe. I
love you too, but I need to breathe and I’m all right. I promise,
I’m all right.”

“
Tough. I’m holding you
and you’ll just have to live…are you really all right, Quinn?
Really? I was…Christ! He took you. He actually took you. How…no, I
don’t care how he got you. I’m just glad you’re here
now.”

“
He had her tied up in the
basement. I saw him and Angel take her. They had her tied to a
beam. I couldn’t get her by myself but then Sa…then the police came
in and saved her,” the woman in the corner said quietly.

Cain felt his sister stiffen in his
arms and drew back to look down at her. “What? What happened that
you’re planning to tell me? I know that look, Quinn Susan Waite.
You can’t hide something from me.”

“
I’m fine, that’s all that
matters, right? The…Damon said I can go home tomorrow. He wants to
make sure that I’m—”

“
Quinn? Tell me, please?
Does this have anything to do with Father being shot? I didn’t get
any details, but I know that he’s the one who took you.” Cain
looked at the woman. “Who were you going to say? You said ‘Sa,’ who
could…Sally. You mean Alyssa Howard, don’t you? Christ! Was she
hurt? Quinn, was Alyssa hurt too?”

“
No. Not hurt too badly.
She…she’s going to be angry with us. Alyssa shielded me from…when
Cait shot those men, she, Alyssa, shielded me with her body. Angel
hit her, but it wasn’t…she saved me. Lily told her where I was and
she saved me.”

Quinn was sobbing now and Jazzie was
too. Lily stood and Cain thought she was coming to the bed when she
slipped out the door. He pulled from his sisters and went after
her.

“
Miss? Wait, please? You
helped save my sister. I don’t…you have to let me repay your
kindness. I don’t know…she’s my sister.” Cain felt the words were
inadequate for what he felt, but the woman seemed to understand
him. She moved back to him and seemed unsure of how to hug him,
because he could see that was what she wanted…no, he realized, she
needed to do. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her to him.
After several seconds, she hugged him back, ferociously.

“
She told us to not say
anything. She said you’d be mad that…Sally ain’t going to give me a
job now, I just know it. Sally…Alyssa she said her real name is—she
said she’d help me find a job, but she is hurt too and nobody cares
what she did. They care.” Lily pointed back to Quinn’s room. “Angel
hit her in the back real hard when he seen that the police where
there. He yelled that it wasn’t fair.”

Cain watched as Cait Grant walked
toward them, Spencer close behind. Lily pulled away when she saw
them coming as well.

“
Cain. Lily, Miss Howard
is going to be upset with you for telling on her. But I’m certainly
glad you did. If she won’t give you a job, Spencer and I will. But
I don’t think that’ll be an issue if Cain here does it right. Will
it, Cain?” Cait winked at him and he grinned.

“
I’m certainly going to do
my best. I think I know where to find her too. If you ladies will
excuse me and Spencer…shit, my sisters. I have to...”

“
You go on, Cain. I’ll
take care of them. I’m sure they will be thrilled you’re going to
fix this too. Alyssa is hurt, by the way. I tried to get her to
come here so that Damon could look at it, but she just climbed into
the monster truck of Drew’s and took off. If it’s any consolation,
I don’t think he’s very happy with her either,” Spencer told him
with a grin.

“
Drew? I don’t think I
know who that is.”

“
Thomas Miller’s grandson,
Andrew Miller. I think she had just hired him this morning as her
lawyer. Not so sure if he still is. She was cussing him out the
whole time he stuffed her into the truck. That boy was pissed. He
told her that he’d been sent to protect her and his granddad was
going to strip his hide off him.”

Everything suddenly fell into place.
Thomas had been leaving the room to update Alyssa and get
information from her. The money, there wasn’t a bank, but Alyssa.
She was going to provide the…

“
Where’s Thomas now? I’m
betting he’s with her. Spencer, I thank you for telling the girls.
If you all will excuse me, I have a woman to win over.”

Cain left the hospital. He wasn’t sure
where Thomas lived, but a short stop by the office and he not only
had his address, but a phone number as well. He debated whether or
not to call first then in the end, thought he’d better. If she was
hurt, Thomas may have taken her somewhere else to be treated. Cain
was going to have a bit of a talk with his little
heiress.

“
Yes, Dr. Waite, she’s
here.”

Cain grinned at the tone. He would
guess from it that Alyssa was pissing him off as well. “I’m on my
way. It’s probably best if you don’t mention that. She is going to
be pissed enough as it is.”

The silence was almost funny. “I don’t
believe that would be possible at the moment, sir. She has a
stubborn streak in her that I’ve…she is her father’s daughter, I
will say that for her. I do hope you will be able to make some
headway into seeing to her for us. The household is in an uproar
and Drew isn’t helping.”

Cain would bet he wasn’t. He hadn’t met
the young man, but he already liked him. This was proving to be
more fun than he’d hoped for.

“
I’m on my way. I should
be there in about ten minutes. I have my bag with me.” Cain sobered
quickly when he remembered what Lily had said. “Is she…are her
injuries bad, Thomas?”

“
No, sir, they are not. I
do believe that she is hurting badly, but as for them being
life-threatening, they do not seem to be. I cannot say for sure
there won’t be others before you arrive, but for now, she is up and
about. I will hold my grandson back from further hurt until you get
here. I’ve never…I had no idea two people could be so loud,
sir.”

Cain burst out laughing. He couldn’t
wait to get there. Hanging up his phone, he felt the smile slide
momentarily off his face. His father had caused this and Cain had
just realized that he’d not checked on him or his surgery. Cain
wasn’t even sure that he wanted to know right now, but picked up
his phone again and called.

“
I’m sorry, Dr. Cain,
we’ve been trying to reach you. Your father didn’t make it through
the surgery. His wounds were great and he’d lost a great deal of
blood as well. I did the best that I could under the
circumstances.”

“
I understand. Is my
mother there? Has she been notified?”

“
Yes, Mrs. Waite is here.
She has been sedated. She is taking if very hard. Are you coming
in?”

The hopeful tone in the surgeon’s
voice, a Dr. Messer, would have been comical if Cain didn’t know
just how he felt. Cain’s mother could take any situation and make
it difficult, but losing her husband would be a blow to her. Roscoe
was his mother’s life. Well, above any feelings she had for her
children, Roscoe came first and foremost in her life.

“
I’m on my way to check on
another patient that was injured when my father was. My mother is
fine sedated. I will be in later to see her. Thank you, Dr. Messer.
I know you did all you could.”

After a few minutes more, they ended
the call. Cain was just pulling onto Thomas’ street when his phone
rang again. It looked to be a hospital number. Thinking it was one
of his sisters, he answered.

“
Captain Grant just came
in to tell me that Father is dead,” Jazzie told him. “I’m not sure
how I feel about that. He hurt Quinn, and Alyssa when he took
Quinn. I feel bad for Mother, but him…I don’t think I care. Does
that make me a horrible person?”

“
No. God, no. He never did
anything for us to make us care one way or another, baby. And as
for him being dead, I can’t think past the part where he kept
telling me that he planned to kill Quinn for money. No, honey, you
don’t need to feel remorse for not caring if he’s dead or
not.”