Empath's Angel - M J Marlow (easy readers .TXT) 📗

“I just joined the staff at the Glenville Hospital, so I volunteered to take you in.” “Why would you do that? It’s not like we know each other,” Emilia said hesitantly. This man evoked images of deep forest glens in her mind with his deep brown hairand forest green eyes. She found herself wondering what it would be like to have his lips… Emilia cleared her mind of the imageand sat down across from him. “The woman said you knew my father…” “Oh yes,” Stephen nodded, smiling pleasantly. “Your fatherand mine have been friends for over thirty years. I’ve known your father all of my life.” He looked at herand his expression was gentle; as if he didn’t want to continue but knew he needed to. “When the kidnappers demanded that my father be the go-between, he agreed immediately. But it wasn’t enough. By the time the authorities arrived, your father…” He bit his lipand wished he didn’t need to tell her what he had only just learned. “I’m sorry, Emilia.” He grew silentand could tell from her expression that she knew what he was going to say. “The men who took your father killed him.” “No,” Emilia shook her head in denial. “To nie jest prawda. It’s not true!” She was adamant. “They were working for some man they called the Professor. He wanted my father alive.” “I can’t tell you what they wanted,” Stephen said sadly, “or why they felt they had to kill him. All I know is that my father was just arriving with the ransom,” Stephen told her, “when he heard the gunshot.” She looked as if she was going to argue with him again, but she let it go. He laid his hand on hersand shared her grief. “There was nothing he could do.” “It doesn’t make any sense,” Emilia frowned. “They were so determined to get him to that man. Why would they change their plans?” “Your father was a very good man, Emilia,” Stephen ignored her questions. “I am going to miss him.” He watched her get to her feetand go to the windows. He came up behind herand felt her stiffen as he laid his hands on her shoulders. He turned her to face himand saw the way the tears made her glorious eyes glow like the gems they borrowed their color from. “We wanted to wait until you recovered your strength, Emilia,” he said to her gently as he cupped her chin in his hand and raised her eyes to his, “but we had to bury him.” “How long have I been here?” Emilia asked him, realizing what he was saying. “It’s been three days since they took your father,” Stephen told her truthfully. She had reacted quite violently to the sedative he had given herand had feared he was going to lose her. At the time, he had the strange thought that her body was purging the sedative from her system,and she had lost control of the process. “This is the first morning you’ve been able to get around on your own.” He looked at her gently. There was something very special about this girl. She made him want to protect her. “I know this is all a shock to you, Emilia, but you need to eat.” He helped her back to the tableand Emilia tried her best to eat. But the thought of her father dying overwhelmed her. She set down the spoonand rose to her feet, only to collapse in a dead faint. When she recovered, she was lying on the bed. Stephen was seated next to her, pressing a wet cloth gently to her face. His expression was one of genuine concern,and this only caused her to break into tears. He pulled her into his armsand stroked her back as she cried. He was not going to play games with her. He would be the strong protector, the gentleand compassionate friend; that was what she needed right now. He shook his head as he reminded himself that she would belong to his father, not him. A week ago, that wouldn’t have mattered to him, but now it did; a great deal more than he would have dreamed possible. If Hawke’s call was not answered quickly, then he would act on his own. He could strike a blow against his fatherand help this pretty child at the same time. The more he thought about it, the more it appealed to him. “Doctor,” Martha’s voice spoke up from the doorway, “your father is on the phone. He would like to speak to you.” “I’ll be right there,” Stephen told her. He looked down into Emilia’s glorious gem tone eyesand felt something strange happen. Being here with her felt – right. “Stay with her, Martha. If she needs it, give Emilia a mild sedative to help her get some sleep.” Emilia watched him go for a momentand then curled up on the bed. It couldn’t be true. Her father couldn’t be dead. She needed someone she knew to tell her the truth. She sat upand looked around for a phone. There wasn’t one in the room. She got upand her ankle wouldn’t support her. She would have to wait a while for her body to be hers again, Emilia realized as she sank back down on the bed. Stephen caught all of this from the doorwayand frowned. The girl was no fool; she needed someone she knew to corroborate his story. He turnedand left the room, heading down the corridor to the massive staircase in the front entry hall. He went to the officeand picked up the receiver that Martha had left on the desk. “Well?” Samuel asked without preamble. “She is not taking the news of her father’s death well,” Stephen told him candidly. “Emilia is not stupid. She is going to want to have someone she knowsand trusts to tell her that her father is dead.” “Then isn’t it a good thing that I had him buried in Glenville next to his Sarah,” Samuel smiled coldly. “The whole town can stand as witness when you see to the man’s estate.” There was a long moment of silence. “Is there a problem, son?” “Isn’t it a little early to subject the girl to such an exercise, Father?” Stephen asked him bluntly. “She has only just learned that her father is dead…” “I am certain that you can convince her that it is for the best,” Samuel broke in. “You have a gift for persuasion that only one other person has ever exceeded.And that is only because I’ve had thirty more years of practice.” He took a swig of his own drinkand smiled. “Petersand Murphy will not be with you, so I trust you to keep your hands to yourself.” “I will treat her with the utmost careand concern,” Stephen said solemnly, surprised that he meant every word. “She is a very beautiful,and innocent young woman, Father.” “Just don’t ruin my plans, son,” Samuel’s voice was cold. “I will not have you jeopardizing everything because you can’t keep your hands to yourself.” “I give you my solemn vow, Father,” Stephen said as he crossed his heart, “that I will do my best to treat Miss Emilia Sobieski like the lady she is.” Stephen could almost imagine his father’s dark look. They spent the next few moments going over the plan. He would help Emilia see to the sale of her father’s businessand the storage of his belongings. Among them was hidden years of critical researchand formulae on a set of microdots, Samuel told him; they needed to be found,and returned to him immediately. The girl certainly had no knowledge of it, Samuel knew. Dominik had been almost pathological in his attempts to keep his daughter from knowing what he was doing. So this was the only way he could be certain it got into his hands. Stephen would play the concerned friendand see to everything while Emilia mourned her lost parent. It was a good plan, Samuel thought to himself as he hung up, so why did he suddenly feel like he was about to lose everything by executing it? * Mama Cross was waiting outside of the garage with her duplicate keys when Stephenand Emilia arrived in the doctor’s Jaguar. It had been two weeks since Emilia’s father had disappearedand the girl had been taken into this man’s care. He had allowed Emilia’s friends access to her from the first, so there was no reason to fault him. But Mama Cross couldn’t help thinking there was something this man was not saying. She watched him help Emilia out of the car with a gentleness that anyone watching would find no fault in, but it was too sincere. This man had only known the child for two weeks,and he was fawning over her like she was the most precious person in his life.And Emilia was eating it up. If something weren’t done, the poor innocent would fall into this man’s weband never escape. Mama Cross nodded at the introduction as she pulled Emilia into her armsand embraced her warmly. “You are welcome to stay with us, child,” she offered as Emilia went into the garage. She held the man back,and looked up at Stephen with a frown. “Emilia is like one of my own children, Doctor Winslow. I think you’re pushing her way too fast.” “I don’t disagree, Mrs. Cross,” Stephen nodded his understanding. “Emilia insisted that she was ready for this.” She could feel his sincerityand Mama Cross amended her appraisal of him. Something more going on behind that handsome face than was apparent at first glance. He was hiding – something –and that bothered her. Mama Cross had the uncomfortable feeling that his secret was going to bring danger to her beloved little friend. He waited for her to go into the garage ahead of him. Emily was standing in the middle of the garage office, frozen. She was shaking as they joined her. The moment the woman touched her shoulder, Emilia burst into tears. Mama Cross looked over Emilia’s head at Stephen. “It was too soon to bring her here, Doctor Winslow,” she said coldly. “She shouldn’t be here…” “I want to do this, Mama,” Emilia said softly as she looked at the woman. “Father would have wanted me to…” She chokedand found herself in Stephen’s arms.And it felt so – right – to be there in his arms all of the sudden. It took a great deal of effort to remember that she was here for a reason. She pulled away from him with a look of regret,and was surprised to see it mirrored in his eyes. “Ja jestem dobrze. I’m all right, Stephen.” She turned back to Mama Cross. “We’ll need boxesand a notebook for each room.” “Packing can wait until the will is read,” Stephen told her, smiling down at her gently. “Your father might have left certain items to his friends here.” He saw her nod. “The reading is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m. We’ll go see the banker nowand then get some lunch.” “Surely Emilia would prefer to rest…” “It’s all right, Mama,” Emilia broke in. “I’ve had enough rest. I’d rather get things seen to.” She kissed the woman on the cheek. “I’ll stop in later.” “You see that you do, child,” Mama Cross nodded, though she was looking directly at Stephen. “Just don’t push yourself too hard.” Emilia noddedand got back in the car. She saw the frown on Stephen’s faceand wondered what was upsetting him. He hadn’t been at all happy to see Mama Cross waiting for them. It was like he didn’t want anyone else involved in this task. Why would he want that, Emilia asked herself as she gave him directions to the bankand settled back in her seat? He was treating her like she was his property. Something about the attitude suddenly worried herand angered her. “These people are my friends, Stephen,” she