The Virgin Master (47 page)

Jeff glanced back at Jeremy who sat motionless, hunched over, head in his hands.

“Dr. Wilson, are you engaged in any research projects?”

Dr. Wilson’s nostrils flared with outrage; but then he paused. “You know that since I’m on staff at University Hospital that a part of my job description includes research.”

Allen saw where Jeff intended to go. “I’m sure you’re aware that James Enterprises makes large contributions to medical research every year.  I’m sure your no doubt worthy project could be fully funded, in return for your discretion in a matter that makes little difference to anyone else except the James family.”

Dr. Wilson tilted his head as he considered Allen’s offer. He looked at Jeremy, who clung to Evan’s hand, head down waiting for disaster to befall him. Again. He thought about the news stories he had seen on the pair. He frowned as he remembered the nearly fatal beating Jeremy had gotten as the result of saving a woman’s life. That wasn’t right.

He remembered how Evan had come to be in the hospital. Clearly Evan, although outwardly wealthy and powerful, paid a high price for his position. If he was as devoted to Jeremy as Jeremy appeared to be to him, then he did need Jeremy here. He needed any possible advantage he could have. Jeremy broke the law
…
but not for personal gain. He broke the law so he could be with and support his lover. Dr. Wilson could find it in his heart to excuse that.  As he opened his mouth to reply, Evan moaned slightly and shifted.

*****

“Evan?” Jeremy spun back around to see dazed lavender eyes meet his own. Allen and Jeff crowded close around the bed, and Dr. Wilson had to forcibly move them to get to his patient, and the call-button to reach out for assistance.

Jeremy wanted to crawl into the bed and hold Evan close, but he was nearly paralyzed with relief as he saw Evan’s eyes clear and a smile begin on his painfully chapped lips. Then Evan’s eyes widened as he remembered what happened and he struggled to sit up. Jeremy rolled closer and held him gently down, beating Dr. Wilson to it by a fraction of a second.

*****

As Wilson checked Evan’s dressings he watched the interaction between the two men. It was obvious that to Evan only Jeremy existed at this moment. He watched Jeremy soothe his Master.

“Easy. You’re in the hospital. You’re okay.”

“Frank shot me! Where is he?”

Jeremy looked back at Allen and Jeff. “Any word on Frank?”

Allen shook his head. “It’s strange. They found a pool of blood and splatters of flesh on the ground floor of the north stairwell. There was a blood trail out the door that the forensics guys say showed that someone dragged a body. The trail ends at the threshold to the stair well. No one has seen or heard from Frank since the shooting. The security cameras show someone reeling out onto the twenty-second floor landing and flipping over the railing. You can track the body falling and ricocheting off the banisters on the way down. You can even see it sliding toward the door
. But not even a
glimpse of who
it is
. The resolution is poor, but we’re nearly one-hundred per cent sure it’s Frank, based on what the falling man is wearing and the timing. No one else has been reported missing. Mark is still analyzing the data.”

“So, he ran out of the board room and to the north stair well?” Evan asked.

“That’s the theory,” Jeff answered him.

Jeremy busied himself straightening out Evan’s blanket which really needed no straightening. He cast a glance at Evan who nodded at him imperceptibly. The door opened and Evan’s team of care-givers swarmed in, pushing the visitors to one side. Jeremy found himself parked next to Dr. Wilson.

“So, someone murdered the Chairmen of the Board of James?”

Jeremy looked up at him. “Looks that way. Are you going to say anything?”

“No. It’s good for my patient that you’re here.”

“And you need the endowment.”

Dr. Wilson bristled for a minute and then sighed. “I’m doing research on restoring communication skills to children with traumatic head injuries. I’m not going to stand on my pride and turn down money to fund my research.
"

“That sounds like something Evan would have wanted to fund anyway.”

“I need to confer with my colleagues about your
m
aster.”

****
*

His smile as he stepped to Evan’s bedside made Jeremy turn liquid with relief.

Dr. Wilson spoke animatedly to Allen in such low tones that Jeremy couldn’t hear the discussion. He traded glances with Evan who
apparently
couldn’t hear either. The nurses busied themselves with unhooking Evan’s monitors and then removing the catheter, which brought tears to Evan’s eyes even as he grinned at his lover. Suddenly all the medical personnel whisked out of the room as if the tide had gone out and Evan found himself alone with his father and friends. And Jeremy. He crooked a finger at Jeremy.

*****

Allen pulled Jeff aside and told him about Dr. Wilson and Jeff nodded and pulled out his phone to arrange a transfer of funds immediately. Allen glanced over at Evan and Jeremy. Jeremy had slid into Evan’s bed and pulled his
m
aster into his lap. The men were holding one another, eyes closed,  basking in their ability to be together. Allen’s heart surged. He had thought his son would never be happy again and the relief he felt at their obvious love for one another filled him with warmth. Evan opened his eyes and looked at Jeremy in open and obvious adoration. Allen had thought it only an infatuation, but Evan did love Jeremy.

He continued watching as Jeremy smiled openly at Evan who reached up to tuck an errant strand of hair behind Jeremy’s ear. Both men looked as if they wouldn’t mind staying in the hospital bed together for the rest of their lives. Allen grinned.

“So you don’t mind that your son is so obviously in love with his slave?” Dr. Wilson leaned against the door frame.

“No. It’s the best thing for him. Jeremy is feral and can’t be freed, or Evan would have freed him and signed a long term relationship contract with him by now. I hate the whole system
. E
specially the part discouraging
m
asters from caring about their slaves. I don’t understand the perceived necessity for it and it certainly can’t be enforced. It ends u
p
being used in petty squabbles and in not so petty controversies.”

“I just remembered seeing them on the news. It didn’t track until now. I gather Jeremy actually needs the wheelchair?”

“Yes. He’s suffered some fairly serious injuries because of some internal corporate conflicts. He has come fairly close to dying on two separate occasions, injured by people trying to get at Evan. He has never blamed Evan for any of it.”

“That’s remarkable. Forget the money. I’m not going to interfere with this kind of love.”

“No. We really do fund medical research. It might as well be yours. The donation is in process. Succeed.”

“I’m certainly going to do my best. It looks as if Evan might be able to go home in another week. Let Jeremy know he needs to be more careful.”

“I’m sure he’s bitterly aware of that,” Allen muttered. He turned and offered his hand to Dr. Wilson who accepted it and shook it warmly; and then turned and left.

*****

Evan wished everybody would stop talking and let him sleep. Sleep. He moved restlessly and everything hurt. He heard himself moan and then he heard Jeremy’s voice calling his name softly. Hmmm, Jeremy. He wanted to see Jeremy. He turned his head toward the sound and tried to open his eyes. Suddenly he realized that he wasn’t at home. He heard his Dad and Jeff in the background. Why was he in a bed with his Dad and Jeff standing right there?
Oh.

Memory flood
ed
back and Evan’s eyes popped open to see Jeremy’s concerned features near his own. He smiled softly and tried to reach out to him. His chest hurt and his neck and back screamed at him. He caught his breath in a hitching gasp as he remembered Frank pulling the gun and shooting him.

He sat up and Jeremy caught him in his arms and gently lowered him back to the bed. He clung to Jeremy’s warmth and struggled to speak. His mouth
tasted of
sawdust and his clumsy tongue wouldn’t do what he wanted it to do. Jeremy got him a cup of water and then a veritable swarm of medical people descended on him before he could even tell Jeremy he loved him. Tubes were pulled out and sensors torn off and then, to his everlasting embarrassment, his gown was flipped up and his catheter removed quickly and painfully
…
the sting lingering and worsening for a
while
even after the efficient nurse left.

He tried to understand what the doctors were telling him, but he had too many questions about things outside this room. All he heard was, “near full recovery” and “residual pain” and “lots of rest.” He knew Jeremy would find out and would tell him what he missed.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Ilya
patted the top of the Styrofoam cooler strapped into the seat beside him as the
Pleshenko
family private jet taxied down the runway. Fortunately, Frank had landed on his back, so his face could still be recognized. The back of his head had pulped on impact, so
Ilya
had treated it with some liquid cement, after all the blood drained. The dry ice should prevent any further decomposition until he met representatives of the Chinese and Columbian drug cartels in Hamburg. Boris knew to kill himself, so at least
Ilya
didn’t have any more mess to clean up.

He didn’t know if the Boss would want the James family dead or not
. A
s far as
Ilya
knew, until Boris got in the Slave Regulation Detention pen, James had no clue what was happening.
Ilya
still couldn’t understand how that all went south. He hadn’t been able to talk to Boris in a secure setting to get the whole story. He suspected that involving Frank in the attempt on the slave somehow created the problem. He contemplated his situation with satisfaction. He had performed well and might step into Boris’ shoes as Yuri’s chief enforcer. Boris had been doing some undetected skimming for years and
Ilya
knew the account numbers and exactly how all this had been accomplished. If things went well for him, in ten years he could retire to the African Gold Coast a very wealthy man. He patted the cooler again. Frank had been lucky for
Ilya
. He had even died on his own.

******

Evan was allowed to go home three days later; where Marta and Jeremy spoiled him shamelessly. Evan both wanted Jeremy close to him and wanted him far away. He felt no sexual desire at all, but at the same time he wanted to be held and comforted. He had no idea how Jeremy felt about resuming any sort of intimacy and every time he tried to ask; he couldn’t bring himself to destroy the peace he saw right now in Jeremy’s eyes. Jeremy seemed to take pleasure in simply taking care of Evan.

As weeks passed with Evan still showing no interest, Jeremy began to withdraw from him physically. Evan thought that might be for the best and gently rebuffed Jeremy when he did make an
effort to get close. Evan’s improvement came very slowly and it took several months before he felt certain he could actually get dressed and sit behind his desk and work. He had been working at home, clad in sweats, lying on the sofa and using his big screen as a computer monitor. But he knew that face time with his targets and staff would give him more influence and credibility. He didn’t know if his body would cooperate with his plans but he needed to try.

Marta fussed around Evan’s bedside as Jeremy helped him sit up.  Evan tried to conceal the
tearing
pain as his abdominals flexed, but he knew Jeremy wasn’t fooled. Today, he was going to the o
ffice. In a wheelchair, but stil
l
…
he was going to the office for at least half a day. It had only been a week since getting into the bathroom and back had exhausted him. By mutual agreement, Jeremy never did anything for him until Evan tried and couldn’t do it himself. He knew he was recovering, but the slow pace devastated him.