Beautiful Stranger. Kerry Connor

I said, there must have been some kind of oversight. You can rest assured this will be investigated—”

      “What’s her diagnosis?”

      The sudden change in topic seemed to have caught Aaron off guard again. “I’m not—”

      “You’re telling me that she attacked someone, that she did this to herself, that she had someone else do it, and that she’s devious enough to plot to make herself look sympathetic once she escaped. What exactly is she suffering from that would lead you to believe she’s capable of this behavior?” Aaron’s silence lasted a beat too long. “Do you know anything about this patient, or are you just throwing a bunch of theories around to cover the asses of you and your colleagues?”

      Aaron took on a deeply affronted tone. “I’m not personally familiar with her case, but I know Dr. Emmons himself is in charge of her care and he is deeply concerned for her well-being.”

      Emmons. That much lined up with her story. “Or deeply concerned with the truth of her treatment at Thornwood not being revealed? Maybe even the reason she’s there in the first place?”

      “This is ridiculous. I don’t know what she’s told you—”

      “Enough that I’m not about to let her go back there.”

      “Josh, the woman needs to be in a psychiatric facility!”

      “And you say this as an expert on her condition?”

      “I may not know the specifics, but I know she’s mentally ill.”

      “And yet, at the moment she sounds a great deal more rational and coherent than you do.”

      Aaron’s voice turned cold enough to freeze the phone lines between them. “The decision is not yours to make. A team from Thornwood is already on its way to retrieve her. Make no mistake about it, if you prevent them from doing so in any way, we will contact the authorities and report you for unlawfully removing her from our care. Given your current situation, do you really need that kind of trouble?”

      It was just another sign that Aaron had never really known him. If he had, he would know Josh had never responded well to being threatened. He had no trouble matching the frostiness in Aaron’s tone. “Tell me something, Harris. Is that why you called me about the job? Because you thought my situation was so grim I’d be desperate enough to sell out the way you seem to have done?”

      The telling silence that echoed across the line was answer enough.

      “I figured as much.” He hung up the phone without another word.

      “You said you wouldn’t call.”

      Josh turned to find Claire standing in the doorway behind him, her hair damp from the shower. Betrayal rang in her voice.

      “I didn’t. He called me.”

      He read the uncertainty on her face, as though she wasn’t quite sure whether or not to believe him. She was wearing his sweats, virtually swimming in them. He could still see that every line of her body was tense. She looked as wary as a deer that sensed imminent danger, ready to bolt at any moment.

      He forced himself to relax his expression into something more reassuring and offered her a smile. “Do you want something to eat?”

      “What did he say?”

      There was no point in lying. She’d learn the truth soon enough. “They figured out you must have left with me. They’re already on their way.”

      As he anticipated, she immediately turned toward the doorway.

      He moved to intercept her. “Where are you going to go? You don’t have any money or identification, do you?”

      “It doesn’t matter. I’m just not going back there.”

      “I didn’t say I would let them take you.”

      “And how exactly are you going to stop them? You don’t have any authority over me.”

      “According to you, neither do they. Legally, at least.”

      “That hasn’t stopped them so far.”

      “We can go to the police right now and explain how you’re being hurt there. Once they see your injuries, they won’t make you go back.”

      “You don’t know that. Besides, Milton has plenty of police connections. I know for a fact he plays golf with the police commissioner.”

      Josh frowned, trying to follow her train of thought. “Who’s Milton?”

      Impatience flashed across her face. “Milton Vaughn is the current CEO of PAD. My father left him in control after he died.”

      “And you think he’s responsible for having you institutionalized?”

      “According to my father’s will, Milton is only to remain in charge until I inherit the controlling shares of the company. He’s the only one with a motive to pay someone to have me committed, and he could have told the police anything when Emmons told him I escaped.”

      “Maybe he hasn’t had a chance. Maybe Emmons hasn’t told him yet.”

      “I can’t take that chance. Even if they don’t send me back to Thornwood, they could ship me off to another mental hospital, and I’m not about to risk that. I know you don’t believe me, and you’re only helping me because of this—” she lifted her arms to demonstrate what she meant “—but I don’t belong in a rubber room somewhere, and the only way I’m going to find out how I ended up in one in the first place is to stay out of any others.”

      “It might not be the worst thing to talk to another psychiatrist,” he said carefully. “If you truly aren’t mentally ill, another doctor should be able to recognize that.”

      “Do you really think it’s that easy to escape the taint of mental illness once someone’s put that label on you?” She shook her head. “Besides, that isn’t my only reason. I know you don’t believe me, but I can’t afford to have this get out, especially to the press. If someone conspired to have me institutionalized, the media would have a field day with the story. The embarrassment it could cause to the company could be irreparable. I may not be in charge at the moment, but I intend to be in the near future. Even if I didn’t, I have a responsibility to the employees and shareholders to keep this whole ridiculous episode from hurting the company.”

      This wasn’t the terrified woman who’d faced off with him in the garage, nor the embarrassed one who’d looked away when he examined her bruises. She’d switched into another gear entirely. Josh couldn’t help looking at her differently and reassessing his opinion of her. Her spine was straight, her shoulders squared, her head held high. Her tone of voice was soft, but firm, with the command of someone used to being in charge. Her claim that she was soon to be the head of an international corporation suddenly was entirely believable. What was hard to believe was that the woman currently standing before him would ever let herself be victimized. Then again, it was easy to imagine this woman doing exactly what she felt she had to do under any circumstances.

      Before he could respond, the soft squeal of a braking vehicle sounded from the street out front.

      Her bravado faltered slightly, and she paled. “They’re here.”

      “Hold on,” he said when it looked like she was on the verge of taking off the way they’d come in. “We don’t know that.” He quickly crossed to the front window and peeked out through the blinds.

      A white van had pulled up in front of his house. It was unmarked, but he knew immediately where it was from. He didn’t miss the fact that it completely blocked his driveway. Cutting off any possible escape.

      He shook his head. Claire’s conspiracy theories were starting to get to him. He was getting as paranoid as she was.

      As he watched, a car pulled up behind the van. A man slowly climbed out of the driver’s seat. The three