Ilara: Chapter 16
Taking those two days and spending time away from the hospital had helped more than I could’ve imagined. I was still tired and didn’t want to eat, but I didn’t feel as tense. Maybe it was all the sex we’d been having. That was always guaranteed to make me nap afterward.
I convinced Bear he should go to The Dark Angel today. He’d been neglecting his work to stay with me and Hope. She was doing better. He’d finally given in after he made me promise ten times to call if there was even the tiniest change in her. She was on day ten of her twenty-eight-day cycle of targeted meds. If everything went as planned, she’d get to go home for Christmas.
I was bummed she’d miss Hayden’s birthday party tomorrow. Neither of them would remember, but the first one was always special. I’d promised Devyn I’d stop by for a little bit. Then the following day was Thanksgiving. The club said they had something planned for that. I had no idea what it was.
Hope was napping when there was a knock at her door. I looked up and was startled. There stood Tarin. I recognized her from the night at the clubhouse. She gave me a tentative smile. “Hello, can I come in?”
I was at a loss for words, so I just nodded. She stepped into the room and came over to the bed. “Do you remember me? I’m Tarin.” She held out her hand. I gave it a quick shake.
She sighed. “Listen, I know this must be weird for you. It is for me, but I thought we should officially meet. I talked to Bear. He said you and he had made up and you knew the truth. I just wanted to apologize for the trouble I caused. That was never my intent. All I wanted to do was meet my real dad and let him know he had a kid. I don’t expect anything out of him, Ilara. I know he’s got a life with you and Hope. I’m glad he found you.”
She glanced down at Hope. Her face softened. “She’s so precious. I can see why he fell for her and you. He said that he never imagined he’d have his own family, then he met you. You had this little girl he could raise as his own. Then I came along and he realized he had a child that was his own blood. He was stunned.”
Nothing in what she said was offensive. She was smiling and actually nice, but her comment began to nag at me. His own blood. She stayed and chatted for a few more minutes. I worked to remain pleasant and to thank her for stopping by when she went to leave. At the door, she smiled back at me. “It was nice to meet you, Ilara. I hope we’ll get to talk again and for longer. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Tarin. It was nice to meet you too,” I said automatically.
When she was gone, I sat there thinking over the conversation. I thought of what all had happened since I met Bear. The instant attraction, the insistence we come to the compound and stay with him. He claimed me as his old lady and Hope as his daughter. The more I thought about it, the more I began to feel sick.
He was being so damn attentive to me and Hope. Was it because he wanted us or was it because he was feeling guilty? He’d always wanted a family. He was told he couldn’t have any kids. He found a mother with a toddler and claimed her. But now, he didn’t need to accept some kid that was no relation to him. He had a daughter. The results came back yesterday. Tarin was without a doubt his daughter. Would he favor her over Hope as time passed? Would he get to the point he regretted jumping into this so fast? Hope was sick. She wasn’t going to be fully well for maybe years. I’d heard him telling the doctor he’d pay for her treatment. I’d argued, but he wouldn’t listen. I knew the treatment would be expensive. Was he really okay with this for a child that wasn’t his?
I got up and hurried out the door. I needed some air. I saw Joker standing down at the other end of the hall. He was talking to a cute nurse. Bear insisted at least one of them stay here at the hospital. He wasn’t convinced that Todd wasn’t somewhere in the area. I thought he was wrong. If Todd was here, why hadn’t he revealed himself or done something to let me know he was here? That was the way he operated. He liked to instill fear. I caught one of the other nurses. “I need to go outside. Will you check on my daughter while I’m gone? I won’t be long.”
“Of course, Ms. Graham. Take your time. She’ll be fine,” she assured me. I liked her. Her name was Jo. She’d been Hope’s nurse several times. I hurried to the elevator. I was feeling like I couldn’t breathe inside the building. When I reached the lobby, I practically ran outside to the small courtyard they had. There were benches, trees, flowers, and stuff there. It was meant to be a little retreat. I sat down on one of those benches and worked to calm myself down.
Several minutes later, I knew I was being ridiculous. Bear wouldn’t feel or think like that. What the hell was wrong with me, thinking that bullshit? I took a deep breath and stood up. I was ready to go back inside. I turned to head back down the path and gasped. I backpedaled to stand behind the bench. Standing there smiling at me was Todd Hamilton. He looked the same as the last time I saw him, only a little grayer.
He looked me up and down, which made my skin crawl and the bile to rise up the back of my throat. “Hello, Ilara. Long time no see. I’ve been looking for you. You’ve been a very bad girl. It seems you took something from me,” he said in this almost singsong voice. I shivered and looked around. Where was everybody? The garden was empty except for us.
I didn’t say anything to him. I inched to the left. Maybe if I could get a little further distance between us, I could run. He shifted. Damn it! “Going somewhere? Did you really think I wouldn’t find you? You’re mine, Ilara. You’ve been mine since the day I saw you. I don’t know why you persist in acting like you’re not. It’s time you come home.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you! I’m not yours, Todd. I never was and I never will be. It’s not an act. I don’t want you. I hate you. Leave me alone. I have no damn idea what it is you think I took from you. You were the one who took from me,” I yelled at him. My anger was pushing my fear away. If I had a gun right now, I’d shoot him in the fucking face and wipe that smile off it.
The smile fell off his face. His eyes changed, and I saw the monster underneath peeking out. “You took my daughter from me! Did you think I wouldn’t find out? You left and took my baby. I’m not going to let you leave this time. The two of you are coming with me. She wouldn’t be sick if you hadn’t been dragging her all over the place. I’m going to have to punish you for that,” he hissed. I didn’t wait to hear anymore. I let out a blood-curdling scream and sprinted away from him.
As I ran, I could hear him behind me. I didn’t look back to see if he was gaining on me or not. He was swearing and yelling threats. I was almost to the entrance of the courtyard, where it came out in front of the hospital, when he grabbed me by the hair. I cried out in pain. He jerked me back into his arms and put his hand over my mouth. “Shut the fuck up! You’re coming with me. I’ll come back for our daughter.”
I fought to get loose. I was kicking, scratching, and trying to bite him. He swore and then punched me in the face. My vision went a little hazy for a second or two, then I heard voices yelling. Two men were running toward us. Todd tried to drag me with him, but I lifted my legs and let my entire body weight pull on the arm he had around me. He wasn’t strong enough to hold me up. He had to decide—stay and get caught or run. He ran. One of the guys chased him while the other one came over to me.
“Are you alright, miss? Are you hurt?” he asked me anxiously, as he helped me up off the ground. I was crying and shaking, so all I could do was shake my head no. I needed Bear. I felt for my phone in my pocket. I took it out and hit the speed dial. He answered on the second ring.
“What’s wrong, Beloved?”
“D-Donovan, I need you. He was here. Todd was here,” I sobbed.
“What? Are you alright? Where’s Joker?” he shouted.
“I-I went outside. He didn’t know it. Todd caught me in the courtyard. Please, come,” I cried. I was shaking so much I couldn’t hold the phone. The guy who’d helped me took it and put it to his ear.
“Hey, my name is Rich. Some guy just grabbed your woman. She’s pretty messed up, man. Can you come to the hospital? My buddy is chasing the guy.”
I couldn’t hear what Bear was saying. At the moment, I didn’t care. I needed to get to Hope. What if he doubled back and took her? I grabbed the guy’s arm. “My baby, she’s in the hospital. He might take her. Please, I need to get back to her. She’s on the fourth floor.”
His eyes grew wide. “Hey, listen, I’m taking her inside. She’s thinking this guy might take your daughter. I’ll stay until you get here,” he told Bear then he hung up and handed me my phone. He supported my arm as we went to the front door. As we opened it, his friend came back. He was shaking his head.
“He got away, the bastard. Are you alright?”