From Roses To Thorns - Sequel To "From Nanny To Wife" (11 page)

"Laura's sister," Ryan told Hope.

"She's waiting in the foyer."

"Thank you, William."

"You're welcome, sir."

"Go talk to her," Hope urged him.

"I won't be gone long," Ryan promised.

"Take your time," Hope said. "I'll just watch some TV until you get back."

Ryan left the bedroom and hurried downstairs to the foyer. Once there, he found Michelle standing beneath the chandelier, staring up at it. She appeared deep in thought and he took the opportunity to study her. She was dressed in a black pantsuit and high heels, her black hair was in a bun. There was an air of sadness about her that he knew stemmed from Laura's death. Sympathy welled up within him.

"You have a lovely home, Kendall," Michelle said, shifting her eyes to Ryan.

"Thank you." Ryan clasped his hands behind his back and took a step toward her. "What brings you by?"

Michelle gestured to the box on the table in front of her. "I brought that for Zoe. It's some of Laura's things. There's jewelry, pictures, stuff I thought Zoe should have."

"I will put the jewelry away until she's older," Ryan said.

"That would probably be for the best." Michelle checked her watch. "I should go. The funeral is at two."

Ryan reached out and gave her arm a squeeze. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," Michelle said. "I'm sorry for all the hell Laura put you through. How is your wife?"

"Not well, I'm afraid." Ryan sighed heavily. "She's having a difficult time right now. How did you know about Hope?"

"The police," Michelle said. "I was questioned by a detective Joe Tucker. He told me that Seth kidnapped and tortured your wife and that more than likely Laura was the mastermind behind it. I need to go. I have some things to take care of."

Ryan walked Michelle to the door. "I want you to know that you're always welcome to come and visit with Zoe."

Michelle frowned. "Why are you being so nice to me? My sister made your life a living hell."

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not going to hold a grudge against you for something your sister did. That wouldn't be right. You haven't done anything to me. Besides your testimony in court is what helped me keep Zoe. I never thanked you for that. It took a lot of courage and guts to do what you did. I will never forget it and if there is ever any way that I can help you please let me know."

"My sister sure didn't deserve you," Michelle declared. "Take care of yourself, Ryan."

"You, too." Ryan opened the door and moved aside. "Give my condolences to your family."

"I'll do that." Michelle slipped on her sunglasses and stepped outside.

Ryan closed the door and retraced his steps. He picked up the box of Laura's possessions and headed back upstairs to Hope. On the way to the bedroom he peeked in on Zoe and saw she was standing at her easel, a paintbrush was in her hand and she was busy painting what looked like a flower. Smiling, he strolled down the hallway to the bedroom.

"What's in the box?" Hope asked.

"Some of Laura's things," Ryan said. "Michelle wanted Zoe to have them."

"That was sweet of her," Hope said. "I cherished my Mom's things after I lost her."

Ryan set the box on top the dresser and joined Hope on the bed. "You know, I don't think Zoe will take Laura's death too hard. She hardly ever saw Laura and they certainly weren't close."

"No they weren't," Hope said sadly. "What's Zoe doing?"

"She's in her room," Ryan said. "I just checked on her. She's painting you a picture."

Hope smiled softly. "Is she covered in paint?"

"Not yet," Ryan said. "It's still early. Give her time."

"Maggie's going to be furious with you," Hope said. "She's the one who's going to have to clean up Zoe."

Ryan smirked. "I will take her out back and hose her off."

Chapter 15

A week later found Hope sitting alone in the family room, gazing out the window. Rain was coming down and beating against the windowpane. While she watched it, she thought about her life before the kidnapping and torture. God, she had been so happy. Now she was depressed and frightened. The only thing that got her out of bed every morning was Zoe and Ryan.

"Mind if I sit with you?" William asked from the doorway.

Hope gave the cushion beside her a pat.

William crossed the room and sat down. "How are you doing?"

"Okay, I guess," Hope said.

William reached for Hope's hand and held it between both of his. "It will get easier. I promise you it will."

"You don't know what I'm going through," Hope said angrily. "So don't tell me it will get easier."

William squeezed her hand gently and looked into her eyes. "I know what you're going through. I don't like to talk about this, but for you I will. I wasn't kidnapped, but I was tortured. It's the reason why I stopped being a bodyguard."

Hope gaped at him. "You were t-tortured?"

"That's right." William released her hand. "I was protecting a government official. I can't tell you why I was protecting her, but I will tell you what happened."

"Is it painful to talk about?" Hope asked.

"Not anymore," William answered. "It happened so long ago that it feels like another lifetime. Now give me a minute to think."

"Take your time." Hope picked up the glass of water from the end table next to her and took a drink.

"Since I can't tell you her real name I'll call her Cora," William said. "Cora was placed in a safe house and given two bodyguards, me and another man. We took shifts watching her. Anyway, I showed up at the safe house one night to take his place and found the door open. I knew something was wrong when I saw the open door, so I grabbed my gun and entered the house. The first thing that caught my eye was a bloodstain on the carpet. I started searching the house and found the other bodyguard in the guest room. He was dead, shot in the chest."

"Did he have a family?" Hope asked.

William nodded. "A wife and a son. I found Cora in her room tied to a chair. There were two men wearing ski masks standing over her. Her face was bloody and starting to swell. Only God knows how long they tortured her."

Hope swallowed hard. "Poor Cora."

"I managed to shoot one of them in the head. The other one shot me before I could turn my gun on him. So there we were, Cora and I. We were in a bad situation with no way out. The man who shot me took my gun from me. I didn't want to give it up, but I was in no shape to fight him. He kept his gun trained on me while he questioned Cora and me. I can't tell you what he wanted to know."

"Why can't you tell me what he wanted to know?" Hope asked, frowning. "Why can't I know the reason why you had to protect Cora and what her real name was?"

William ran a hand across his face and sighed. "Before the government would let me resign from my job, I had to sign papers stating that I wasn't allowed to share any information about the people I protected with anyone." He smiled at Hope. "I know you would never tell anyone, but a man is only as good as his word. Where was I?"

"The sick bastard was questioning you and Cora," Hope reminded him.

"Thank you," William said. "Cora refused to tell him what he wanted to know. If she gave away what she knew people's lives would be in danger. She was willing to die so others could live. He shot her in the temple."

"What happened next?" Hope asked afraid to hear his response.

"He wanted me to answer his questions," William said. "Like Cora, I refused to give him the information he wanted. He took a hammer out of a backpack and broke my leg."

His words made Hope flinch and touch the cast on her leg.

"When I still wouldn't cooperate he broke my other leg," William said. "I ended up with broken legs, cracked ribs, a gunshot wound and cigarette burns. No matter what he did to me, I was not going to break. Cora's death was not going to be in vain. He finally gave up and left me lying there in a pool of blood. I don't know why he didn't kill me. I guess he thought I would bleed to death before someone found me. I tried to drag myself to the phone using my upper body and passed out before I could reach it. When I woke up, I was in the hospital. Later I learned that the neighbor had called the police claiming she saw a masked man climbing out the window with a bag. I imagine the police were shocked as hell. They thought they were showing up to investigate a burglary and instead found me and a double homicide."

"Did they ever find the man who tortured you?" Hope asked bright eyed.

"Yes," William said. "They found the bastard."

"I wish someone would find Seth Andrews," Hope muttered.

"The police will find him," William stated. "Everything will be all right, Hope. You have to believe that."

Hope lowered her head and gazed at her hands. "I want to, but everything feels like its falling apart."

"I know it's difficult to have faith when you've just been through hell," William said.

"How did you put it all behind you and move on?" Hope asked, raising her head.

"I surrounded myself with family," William said. "Their love and support gave me the strength to keep fighting…to face another day. Don't stop fighting, Hope. Don't ever give up, because if you do the ones who did this to you won. Don't let them win. Now the first step to getting your life back is to get off this damn couch and out of the house."

"What would I do?" Hope said. "Where would I go?"

"You'll figure it out," William said, standing.

"Thank you," Hope said softly. "Thank you for everything."

William smiled. "You're welcome."

Ryan was searching through the file cabinet for a folder when the phone rang. He leaned across the desk and snatched up the receiver. "Hello?"

"I have some excellent news regarding Seth Andrews," Harvey said. "Can you talk?"

"Yes." Ryan shifted the receiver to his other ear. "What have you got for me?"

"The investigator you hired found Andrews last night. The son of a bitch is staying in a run down motel outside of town."

Ryan gripped the receiver hard enough to turn his knuckles white. "Very good. Tell me, Harvey. How fast can you round up a few men? I'm talking about the kind of man that will do anything for the right price."

"What makes you think I know that kind of man?" Harvey inquired.

Ryan snorted. "Have you forgotten who you're talking to, Finch? I know-" Just then, there was a knock at the door. "I have to go. Don't do anything until I get back to you."

"Got it," Harvey said.

Ryan hung up the phone. "Come in," he called out.

The door opened and Pam stuck her head into the office. "Sorry to bother you, sir, but there's someone here to see you."

"Do they have an appointment?" Ryan asked shortly.

Pam smirked. "I didn't know your wife needed one."

Ryan's heart skipped a beat. "Hope's here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Bring her in here," Ryan demanded.

Pam opened the door wider and moved aside.

Slowly Hope walked into the room. "Hello, love."

Ryan rose from his chair and moved around the desk. "Pam, no interruptions."

"Yes, sir." Pam left, closing the door behind her.

"Sweetheart, you left the house. " Ryan kissed her on the lips. "I'm so proud of you."

Hope blushed. "Thank you."

"Let's get you off that leg." Ryan led Hope over to the couch in the corner and helped her get settled. He took her crutches and propped them against the wall. "Who drove you here?"

"Alex," Hope said. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No." Ryan pulled a chair closer to the couch and sat down. "What made you decide to come and see me?"

"William talked to me." Hope said. "Ryan, when he was a bodyguard he was tortured. He told me about it and it helped me realize that if he can overcome what happened to him then so can I."

Ryan gazed at Hope with love shining in his eyes. "I know you can, sweetheart. You're a strong woman. I have faith in you. I'm glad William was able to help you."

Hope glanced over Ryan's shoulder to the window behind his desk. "I still have a long way to go. I'll feel safer when the police find Seth Andrews and put him in prison where he belongs."

"Prison is too good for Andrews," Ryan said coldly. "He deserves to suffer the way he made you suffer."

Hope shook her head. "No one deserves to go through what I went through."