"Thank you for seeing me," Mitch began as he ran a hand over his face. "I wasn"t honest with you in New York. There"s...there"s something you need to know."
"Trace?" Skye reached for him when she woke up.
But the bed was empty. The sheets beside her felt cool.
She searched the penthouse.
Trace wasn"t there.
Uneasiness settled within her as she dressed.
Then she slipped from the penthouse and made her way downstairs.
Trace"s gaze cut to John. "We need to use your office." Because he wasn"t taking this guy anywhere near Skye.
John instantly nodded. "Of course! Right this way."
Trace didn"t speak again, not until he and Mitch were in John"s office. The building manager hurried out of the room, then shut the door, making sure to give them privacy.
Trace crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the doctor. "Your timing is s.h.i.t, doc." Especially right after the fire. To be in same city...
"I had to come." Mitch paced around the small confines of the office. "I needed to tell you-ah, dammit, you have to know the truth about her."
"I know plenty about Skye." He didn"t need this guy cluing him in to anything.
"Really?" Mitch spun back around to face him. "Then I suppose you know all about her mother? You know that Skye"s mother was psychotic? Delusional? The car wreck that killed Skye"s parents...her mother caused that wreck. She deliberately killed herself and her husband."
Trace didn"t let his expression change. "How do you know that?" Trace knew, he"d found the truth long ago, but why had this guy dug into Skye"s past?
"I know because I was worried about her." Mitch blew out a hard breath. "Skye...she"s too fragile. Too d.a.m.n breakable."
"That"s why you f.u.c.ked her?" Trace demanded, voice sharp. "Because she"s breakable?"
Mitch flushed. "I thought she needed me. Skye does something to a guy. She makes you think-she made me want to protect her."
Trace had always wanted to keep her safe.
"But...something"s wrong with her."
It took all of his strength not to lunge at the doctor.
"I started to suspect the truth, after a few weeks. The things she would say, what she would do..." Mitch"s hands drove into the pockets of his coat. "I talked to the detective up in New York. Fuller. No one pushed Skye"s car off the road. I think she drove it off herself."
Bulls.h.i.t.
"Skye told me about someone breaking into her apartment back in New York, she told me that she felt like she"d been watched-she told me everything..." Loxley"s words trailed away.
"But you didn"t believe her," Trace finished, disgusted.
"Because it wasn"t happening. I would be with her on the street, when she was so sure someone was behind her. No one was ever there. No one ever broke into her apartment. Nothing happened." A muscle jerked along his jaw. "Her mother was in her early twenties when her schizophrenia first presented itself."
f.u.c.k. "You went into her mother"s medical records."
"Delusions," Mitch muttered. "Paranoia. That"s how it began for her mother-and how it begins for dozens of others. And that"s how it"s beginning for Skye."
No, it wasn"t. "You"re wrong. Someone is after Skye. She was attacked at her studio. She got a concussion-"
"Did anyone see the attack?"
No, his agent had found no one at the scene.
Mitch shook his head. "How do you know she didn"t do it to herself?"
Because I know Skye. You d.a.m.n well don"t. "A fire nearly killed her tonight. Are you seriously standing here, trying to tell me that she might have done that, too? That she torched her own place?"
"Did anyone see her attacker there?"
Trace didn"t answer.
"I thought so." Loxley"s breath heaved out. "You think I want this to happen? To her? I don"t. I care about Skye. But her behavior was becoming increasingly erratic back in New York. When I told her that she needed help...that"s when she fled."
Trace studied the man for a moment in silence, then demanded, "Why didn"t you say something when I questioned you at the hospital?"
"Because I wanted to be wrong! I wanted to be, but my gut told me I wasn"t. I came here, heard about the fire just a little while ago on the news-and I knew that I had to see you. I had to warn you." He whirled away and strode toward the window on the right. "Believe me or don"t, but you"ve been warned. I think-I think Skye can be dangerous. As dangerous as her mother was."
Trace kept his eyes on Loxley"s back. "She didn"t just leave because you tried to get her "help"." He wasn"t buying that line. "When we were in New York..." And this had been bothering him... "You mentioned something about "that night"-how it all changed then." He waited a beat and said, "Do you really think Skye didn"t tell me about what happened?" Lying was easy for him. Especially when he was facing someone like Mitch Loxley.
The doctor"s shoulders stiffened. "No." He sighed out the word. "I figured she had." He turned to face Trace once more. "But doesn"t that just prove my point? She confused the two of us. She called me by your name. She thought I was you. For an instant, Skye didn"t know who I was-or even where she was."
She called me by your name.
"No one is stalking Skye," Mitch continued, his voice strengthening. "She"s a severely troubled woman. Just like her mother. She needs an evaluation, medical treatment-"
"I"m not crazy."
John hadn"t locked the door. s.h.i.t.
Skye must have been eavesdropping outside. She"d just shoved the door open. She stood on the threshold now, chest heaving, cheeks stained red. "I"m not imagining what is happening to me!"
Mitch"s whole body jerked, like a puppet on a tight string. "I-I didn"t mean for you to hear this-"
"Obviously, but I did hear it." She licked her lips and her chin notched up into the air. "Someone is after me, and it"s not some figment of my imagination. What"s happening to me is real."
Mitch eased toward her. His voice was low and soothing as he said, "I know you think it is..."
"Yeah, I do! Because it"s real!" She shoved her hair back. Pointed at him. "You want to talk about that night? Fine. Let"s talk. I called you by Trace"s name because I was thinking of him. I wanted him, okay? I always think of him. Every lover-it"s him. That"s wrong and confused, and, maybe even a little crazy, but I know what I"m doing. I wanted him that night, so I called for him." She shook her head. "I didn"t do it because I"m having a breakdown! I did it because I wanted him."
Mitch"s face had turned stone. "No one can find any evidence of your stalker. Not the cops in New York. What about the ones here? I"m betting they can"t, either. Even Weston Securities has turned up nothing because he"s not real. Just like your mother, you"re-"
"Don"t talk about my mother." Her voice trembled with pain.
That was it for Trace. He leapt forward. Grabbed Mitch"s arm and jerked the guy toward the door.
"Wait!" Mitch squealed. "What are you doing? Stop-"
"Get your a.s.s on a plane, and get out of Chicago. If you aren"t gone by noon, I"ll know. Then I"ll come after you." Trace glared into the doctor"s eyes. "You don"t want that, got me?"
Mitch swallowed. "I-I just want her to get help." He cast a worried glance toward Skye. She"d backed away from the door. "I care about you. I want to help you."
"How? By getting me committed?" Red still stained her cheeks and her eyes glinted with fury. "The stalking is real. He is real."
"No." Mitch sounded sad and certain. "He"s not."
Trace took immense pleasure in throwing the doc"s a.s.s out of the building.
"Uh, sir..." John began as he watched Mitch storm off down the street.
"He doesn"t get past the door," Trace ordered. "Not ever again, got it?"
John quickly nodded. "Indeed. I"ve...got it."
"Good." He strode back to the office-and found that Skye hadn"t moved. Her gaze was on the window. "Skye..."
She glanced over at him. "Go talk to Reese. He can tell you that someone else was in that studio. I"m not crazy."
"I never said you were."
Her smile held an edge of sadness. "But do you wonder?"
He took her hands in his. "No, I don"t."
She flinched. "I thought you were better at lying." Then Skye pulled away from him. "I thought you were much better..."
"I only saw Skye..." Reese shifted restlessly in the hospital bed, a bandage taped around the left-side of his head. "I felt like someone whacked me with a baseball bat, but I didn"t see anyone but her."
Dammit. Trace had been hoping for more. "You didn"t hear anyone?"
"If I had, the a.s.shole wouldn"t have gotten the drop on me." Reese exhaled slowly. "Skye went in the studio first. I think she forgot her bag. I can remember her going in..." His fingers clenched around the white sheets. "Then not a d.a.m.n thing until I woke up in this place."
Trace put his hand on Reese"s shoulder. "It"s okay. You just rest."
"You got me out, didn"t you? I heard the doctors talking..."
Trace nodded. "I wasn"t going to leave you to the fire."
Reese gave him a tired smile. "Does that make three times...or four...that you"ve saved my life?"
"Doesn"t matter. I stopped counting long ago." He squeezed Reese"s shoulder and slipped away from the bed. "Get some rest, man."
"Wait..."
Trace glanced back at him.
"I do think...I remember one more thing." His eyes became slits as he seemed to struggle with the memory. "Your girl, telling me she was sorry...again and again. I swear, I can hear her saying that." He squeezed his eyes shut. "But that doesn"t make any d.a.m.n sense. Probably just the drugs they gave me."
"Probably," Trace murmured. "I"ll check back on you soon."
Trace shut the door behind him.
Skye caught sight of him, and she hurried toward him. "Was Reese awake? Did you talk to him?"
He"d gone in alone because he"d wanted to gauge Reese"s responses for himself. He"d also thought Reese might speak a little more freely if they were alone.
I remember one more thing. Your girl, telling me she was sorry...again and again.
"Did he remember anyone else being there?"
Trace shook his head.
Her face fell.
He had to ask her. "Baby, during the fire, did you tell Reese that you were sorry?"
Her fingers twisted her purse strap. "Yes."
f.u.c.k. "Why?"
Her gaze flashed up to meet his. Anger lit her green eyes. "Because I wasn"t strong enough to get him out of the fire! Because I was using every bit of my strength, and I couldn"t get him out of there!" Her voice rose, catching the attention of two nearby nurses. "Because no matter what I did, I couldn"t get him out of the door, and I was sure that we were both going to die in those flames."
He stepped toward her.
She jerked back. "But that"s not what you thought, is it?" All of the heat left her voice. "I"m not crazy and you-" Sadness tightened her face. "You don"t trust me."
"Yes, I f.u.c.king do."
But she"d already rushed toward the elevator. Swearing he ran after her. He threw out his hand, grabbing the doors before they could close. "I do, baby," he said again.
"This time, I"m the one who doesn"t believe you." Her gaze held his. "How does that feel?"
Like s.h.i.t.
"I"m going to the studio. I have to-I have to talk with the arson investigator."