Savage Redemption (The Caraksay Brotherhood #10)

Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

T wo weeks later , Caraksay

Adan

I find myself once more under the tender ministrations of Doctor Megan. I vaguely recall that she was in the helicopter that brought me away from Kaminski’s hacienda, administering a generous dose of pain relief and antibiotics. She restored me sufficiently that I was able to give some sort of account of what had happened to me.

I remember almost nothing about being in the cell, though I suppose I was there for a couple of days or so. I do clearly recall meeting with Kaminski and Bartosz and trying to convince them I’d make a better ally than an enemy. I failed miserably. The next thing I remember was being dragged out of the office and slung down into the cells, where the two guards set about trying to beat me to death. I rather suspect they might have succeeded but for Bartosz, who arrived out of nowhere and hauled them off.

I wasn’t attacked again, and I was even attended by a medic, but not one possessing the expertise of Megan. He looked me over, said I’d live… probably, and gave me a slug of morphine. That knocked me out for the best part of the next twenty-four hours and had only just worn off by the time Rosie arrived.

I love Rosie. I adore the very bones of her, but I was not pleased to see her. I had little or no hope that either one of us would survive, and where would that leave our beautiful daughter? With Nathan Darke and his wife, probably, to be brought up by a man who loathed me and would doubtless blame me for him daughter’s death.

For once, I agree with him. She shouldn’t have come after me, but as things have turned out, I’m sort of glad she did. I’m sure Ethan Savage’s timely intervention was a lot more about rescuing her than it was me. Ethan warned me of the consequences of returning to Tenerife, but I went anyway. I doubt he’d have lifted a finger to save me.

The doc scurries in to do my obs. Blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, oxygen levels. She declares herself satisfied. “You’ve been stable for a few days now. Maybe you could leave the clinic…”

“Right. How soon can I be out of here?”

“So much for gratitude,” she remarks, laughing.

“Sorry, Doc, but you know how it is.”

“I do. And I could do with the space. Young Andrej is coming back to the island for a few days before being transferred to a specialist burns unit.”

“How is he? Specialist burns unit, you said?”

“Yes, for skin grafts to his legs. Otherwise, he’s doing well.”

Skin grafts? “I just wish I could have?—”

“No. Stop that. That young man is only alive because of you, and the damage can be fixed. In a maybe six more months, he’ll be sound as a pound.”

“Sound…?” My English is decent enough, but sometimes I lose the thread.

“He’s going to be fine. And you can get out from under my feet today, if you like. I understand your old room is still available and ready for you.”

“Yes.” I’m already scanning the small, clinical room for any possessions I’ll need to pack. There isn’t much. “I’ll get out of your way, then.”

“Do that, but I’ll need to see you back every morning until I say different. There’s still work to do on your hand to restore full mobility.”

Megan did a decent patch-up job but insists I’ll need to see a proper orthopaedic specialist to do the real fine repairs. I may face a series of operations, but none of that matters. I’m alive, and I’m free, and I’ll settle for that.

Megan insists on escorting me back to the castle, and even carries my meagre bag of possessions, despite my protests. “It’s only a few bits,” she replies, quite accurately. A comb, a pack of tissues, a tattered copy of The Economist , and a toothbrush make up my entire stash.

“Where is everyone?” I ask as we pass through the deserted main hall, usually a hub of activity.

“Mrs McRae is about, in the kitchen probably. The older kids are at school, and the tiny tots are most likely upstairs with Faith. Ethan had business on the mainland and took some of the men with him.”

“What about Rosie? And Erin?”

She shrugs. “In their apartment, perhaps. Nathan went with Ethan, checking out a potential acquisition. A fourteenth-century castle in need of restoration, I think. He’s talking of converting it into a hotel and spa retreat.

I take that in, interested on two fronts. Firstly, and closest to my heart, Rosie is here, and Erin. And her father is safely out of the way, so I’ll be paying them a call. Secondly, Ethan is interested in the hospitality business. I store that away for future reference.

“I’ll be getting off then, but you’ll ring me if you need me. Right? The number of the clinic is by the phone.” The doctor clearly has places to be. “And no gadding about. You’re fresh out of hospital and you need to rest.”

“Sure, Doctor. I get it.” I smile brightly.

Her expression suggests she doesn’t believe a word of it, but she grunts and leaves me to my own devices.

I wait just long enough to see her marching across the forecourt on her way back to her domain, then I make my escape. The apartment occupied by Rosie and her family is two floors above me. I struggle with the stairs, it’s been a while since I had to exert myself, but I make it up both flights and head along the corridor to knock on their door. I pause, my hand raised. The sound of music drifts from somewhere inside the apartment. Not usually my thing, but it sounds good. Very good. I listen for a moment or two, then I knock.

“Come in.” The voice calling out isn’t Rosie. Eva, I assume.

I turn the handle and push the door open.

“Ah. Mr San Antonio. I was expecting you. Do come in.” She smiles at me from behind her laptop.

“I was hoping to see Rosie. Is she here?”

Eva nods towards a closed door. “Erin wouldn’t settle. Rosie is trying to get her to sleep. Music sometimes does the trick. She’s especially partial to a bit of Beethoven.”

“Can I?” I gesture towards the door.

“Of course. They’ll both be delighted to see you and looking so well after your ordeal.”

Rosie has been to visit me at the clinic every day, much to her father’s disgust, I gather, but she doesn’t know I’ve been discharged. It all happened very suddenly. I crack the door open and peer inside.

I can see Erin sitting up in her cot. She doesn’t seem to me like a child with the slightest intention of going to sleep anytime soon. The music is louder, now. Violin, unless I’m mistaken, and coming from the corner of the room out of my sight. It’s really rather good, even to my untrained ear.

Erin catches sight of me and lets out a startled squeal. I need to remember; she doesn’t know me very well yet.

“Hush, sweetheart,” I murmur, stepping forward. “It’s all right, I’ve come to see you and Mummy.”

“Mummy.” She repeats the word, clearly knows what that means. She stands up in the cot and starts to climb out.

“Whoa, you’ll hurt yourself.” I dart forward to catch her, and she wraps herself around my arm like a koala. “Hey, sweetheart.” I stroke her nut-brown curls and drink in the wholesome, fresh fragrance of baby girl.

My baby girl.

“You wanting to say hello to your daddy, eh?” I hug her little body to mine. “Well, I’m pleased to see you, too.”

She bestows a toothy grin on me and proceeds to occupy herself exploring the cuff on my borrowed shirt. It’s one of Ethan’s, I think, to replace my own which was bloodstained beyond saving.

“What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in the hospital.” My ‘new daddy reverie’ is disturbed by Rosie’s indignant tone.

I swing around to face her. “I was slung out to make room for young Andrej.”

“But are you well enough? I mean?—”

“I’m fine. Really.” I balance Erin on one arm and beckon with the other. “Come here, you.”

She advances, and for the first time I notice the violin dangling from her left hand, the bow in the right. “Hey, was that you playing?”

She nods. “I’m a bit rusty…”

“Didn’t sound like it to me. You’re good. Really good.”

“Not as good as Eva, but I’m okay. I got out of practice, not playing for a couple of years.”

I can’t hide my lip quirk. “I guess. You could play professionally.”

She shrugs. “I tried that. I was doing a gig in a pub when I was abducted.”

I drop a kiss on her mouth. “I never knew that. Would you tell me the story someday?”

“Someday. Right now, I want to know…”

We’re interrupted by a gentle tap on the door. Eva pops her head round.

“Ah, good, she’s still awake then.” She bustles in. “Faith just phoned. Apparently, it’s someone’s birthday, not sure which one, but there’s cake, juice, and jelly upstairs. Oh, and pass the parcel. Erin’s invited to join the party.”

Rosie steps away from me. “That… that’s great. I’ll just?—”

“I can take her up. I rather fancy a spot of jelly myself. I wonder if they have strawberry…” Eva reaches for the baby.

“But I should change her clothes.”

“She looks lovely as she is, don’t you, princess?” Eva is already halfway to the door. “And anyway, she’ll only get mucky again. We’ll see you in a couple of hours. Bye.” She helps Erin to wave to us from the doorway, then the pair of them are gone.

“I’m sorry about that.” Rosie offers me an apologetic smile. “But a party…”

“And jelly. A matter of priorities,” I concede.

“I know you wanted to see her, though.”

“She’ll be back, all giddy and high on a sugar rush, no doubt.”

“Probably. We could?—”

“Which room’s yours, Rosie?”

“Mine?” she squeaks.

“Yes. Yours.”

“Through there.” She points to a connecting door.

I hold out my hand. “Show me.”

There’s as much evidence of Erin in Rosie’s bedroom as there is of Rosie herself. A pile of baby clothes on a chest, a cuddly panda on the pillow, and a musical lamp that plays nursery rhymes on the bedside cabinet. I suspect Erin usually shares the double bed with her mummy.

I’m not sure how that’s going to work, going forward. We’ll see. I can be adaptable if I have to.

Rosie darts over to the bed and grabs the bear. “I’ll just?—”

I take the panda from her and place him carefully on a chair, facing away from the bed. “Shall we just leave him there?”

“He’s Erin’s favourite.”

“I’m not surprised. He’s a fine, handsome fellow.” I return to where she’s standing beside the bed and cradle her face between my hands. “Now, we need to make Mummy happy, too.”

“I am happy. Happy you’re here, and happy you’re alive.”

“Me, too, but you and I need to talk. About how you put yourself in danger. You might have been killed if Ethan hadn’t shown up when he did.”

“So would you.”

“I knew what I was doing. I took a risk.”

“Anyway, Baz wouldn’t have let him do it. Julia told me.”

“Kaminski’s the boss, not Bartosz.”

“He listens to Baz. Eventually.”

“I wouldn’t like to put money on that.”

“I couldn’t just sit here, waiting.”

“You could. That’s exactly what you were supposed to do. Remember?”

“I did what was right, because I love you.”

“And I love you, too, but you fucking scared me, amor .”

“I’m sorry, but?—”

“If we knew each other better, I would not be taking your word for that. You’d be over my knee with your pretty bottom bared.”

“What?” Her face is a delightful mixture of outrage and fascination. “You… you can’t just?—”

“As I say, we’re not at that stage yet, but be warned. I intend to take good care of you, and that means making sure you stay safe. Whether you agree or not.”

“I… I…”

I end her stuttering with another kiss, this one deep and lingering. Her fingers are in my hair, her breath catching in her throat.

I slide my arm under her bottom and lift her, then carry her the couple of paces to the bed.

She hangs on to me, her arms around my neck, and I follow her down onto the mattress. We roll together, until I end up on top, pinning her beneath me.

“Did you mean what you said? About… about…”

“Spanking you. Every word of it. If that bothers you, I need to know.”

“It… it does bother me, but I think that’s because of… everything that happened to me before I met you. Violence scares me.”

I nudge her nose with mine. “I would never be violent towards you. A spanking is different. It’s done for love, and sometimes just for fun.”

“ Your fun!”

“No, amor , not just mine.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Let’s leave it for now, but you will understand, I promise. Only when you’re ready, though. And if it’s not for you, I understand, and I’ll respect that.”

She gazes up at me, chewing on her lower lip as she thinks this over. I don’t rush her, it’s a big thing.

“I once…”

I wait, there’s more she wants to say.

“Once, a few years ago, I… I saw my dad, and Eva. They never knew I was there. I sneaked into their room one night and they were… He was…”

Still, I wait. I could easily fill in the gaps, but she needs to wrestle with this in her own time.

“He was spanking her,” she blurts. “She was screaming. And moaning. And begging him not to stop.”

“They were having fun, by the sound of it.”

“Yes, I suppose so. I never understood…”

“You could ask her.”

“Eva? No, I couldn’t. It’s private. Intimate.”

“It’s certainly all those things, but if you have questions, Eva may be able to help.”

“She’ll tell my dad.”

“Perhaps. They’re very close. But maybe not. She loves you, too, and she’ll want to help you get your head around this. It is complicated, and maybe a bit frightening at first. I bet she once had all the same fears and doubts that you do now.”

“Eva? Fears and doubts? Hardly. She’s the most fearless person I know.”

“Maybe your father has something to do with that.” I kiss her again. “Talk to her.”