Chapter Seventeen

Caspian

I grabbed Jude by the arm. "She's not Rissa!" I growled.

Jude jerked out of my hold. "Look at her! She is Larissa, our Rissa. You know damn well she is."

I shook my head.

"Look at her!" He pointed to the bed.

I walked closer, kneeling beside her. My heart was breaking into a thousand tiny pieces. "She's not our Rissa anymore." I brushed the hair away from her face. She was even more beautiful than she had been five years ago. "Whoever did this, twisted her mind. They broke her, then they turned her against us. We may never get her back."

"You're wrong."

Jude and I both looked at Ezra.

"We will get her back."

"How can you be so sure?" I asked.

"Because right about the time the medication began to relax her, Caspian said something about making it better. In that moment, she changed. I saw something in her eyes that reminded me of the old Rissa. She's in there somewhere. We just have to find her." He paused for a moment. "There's only one problem."

I stood, understanding exactly where he was going. "The man who created this elaborate scheme, then brainwashed her, will be furious he failed. She was supposed to be the weapon that brought us down."

"I don't understand any of this," Jude said. "If we wronged him in some way, why not kill us himself."

"Maybe he can't for one reason or another." I raked my fingers through my hair. "Or maybe he thought if she killed us one by one, it would make us suffer more. He knew we would grieve after we thought she died. And he was right. I'm only guessing about all this. I don't know how the sick bastard's mind works."

"You're right about him being one sick bastard," Ezra muttered. "Who kidnaps an innocent, then destroys her life all for revenge on someone else?"

"And who the hell have we hurt so badly that they would resort to this?" Jude looked at both of us. "We're not saints, but I can't name a man or a woman who would want revenge this badly."

Something suddenly occurred to me. "We might not be looking in the right places. It could be someone who wanted revenge against our father."

He was no saint, either. If someone betrayed him, there were no second chances. We were a little more forgiving than he had been, but right now, if I had the person who did this to Larissa in my sights, I wouldn't hesitate to pull the fucking trigger.

"But Dad is dead," Jude said.

"By then, he would've had Larissa a couple of years and been training her to kill our father. He readjusted his scope and turned his hatred in our direction. Or maybe he wanted to wipe us all off the face of the map."

"That makes more sense. I guess we'd better start digging." Ezra nodded toward Larissa. "What are we going to do about her."

"It must've been something pretty fucking bad for the person to go to this much trouble," Jude said.

"I agree." I also knew she would kill one of us the first chance she got. That's what she was programmed to do.

The nurse knocked on the door and then entered.

"The doctor should be here shortly. He's bringing something that might help until she can be deprogrammed."

I liked the nurse. Betty had been Dr. Gooding's nurse for as long as I could remember. She didn't go by the book but used common sense. Right now, she looked a little unsure of herself.

"What exactly is he bringing with him?"

It would be better if he showed you.

Ezra was shaking his head. "No, I think you better tell us."

She drew in a deep breath. "Now, you must understand this is in everyone's best interest. It will not harm her and it's better than keeping her knocked out. You'll be able to interact with her. The doctor thinks this will be the best solution."

"And that is?" Jude asked.

"A straitjacket."

"No! I won't have it. She's not insane." Jude turned to us, but when we didn't say anything, he continued. "Are you crazy? Maybe you need the straitjacket. She's been abused, tortured. This would just be another kind of abuse even if you mean well."

"Have you forgotten that she tried to kill herself? She would have slit her throat if Ezra hadn't kept her from it. What if she gets out of this room? If she can't kill one of us, she might kill herself."

His shoulders slumped. "Okay, fine. Do what you have to do, but it's only to protect her . We can protect ourselves."

"We'll make sure she's not in pain," Betty said.

"How long does it take for someone to be deprogrammed?" I asked the question we were probably all thinking.

Betty looked toward Larissa, who was sleeping as if she didn't have a care in the world. I had a feeling Betty was trying to choose her words carefully before she spoke.

"It can be done. It may take time, though. I suggest that someone stay with her twenty-four hours a day. Not because she might hurt herself, although that's also possible, but it will reinforce how much you care about her. Just keep telling her that. She's still in there somewhere. You just have to find her and bring her back where she belongs."

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Gina opened the door. "The doctor is here." She stepped back so Dr. Gooding could come into the room. "Is there anything you need, sir?" Gina glanced toward Larissa, then quickly looked away.

"No." When she started to leave, I thought of something. "Have a tray prepared, but hold it for now."

"Yes, sir." She quietly left the room.

Dr. Gooding pushed his glasses a little higher up his nose. "I guess Betty explained everything. Are you okay with this?"

"Whatever it will take to make her better," I told him. "We don't want her to harm herself."

"It will work fine, and hopefully, it won't be for that long. Now, go downstairs and take a break. I need to examine her again, and then we'll leave. Someone needs to stay with her at all times, though. If you would like me to hire a nurse, I can."

I was already shaking my head. "No, we want to be the ones to take care of her. I think it would be better."

The doctor nodded. "I agree."

We returned downstairs, grabbed a cup of coffee, and went outside to the patio.

"You think he's watching us?" Jude scanned the area.

"Doubtful." Ezra took a seat at the patio table. "I added extra security yesterday. We have cameras and armed guards everywhere now. I hope he is out there and moves in closer. Someone will take him down if he does."

"That was a good idea," I told him. "Every time we leave the estate, we either need to go as a group or take some of our men with us, just in case. Whoever this person is, he isn't playing around. He wants us dead." I wasn't about to let anything happen to my brothers. Whoever the psycho was, we would find him. When we did, we would eliminate the threat.

"Did you really see something earlier in Rissa? Like she might have remembered something?" Jude asked.

Ezra took a drink of his coffee then set the cup back down. "Our Rissa is in there somewhere. All we have to do is bring her out."

"She still won't be the Rissa you knew," I warned. "She's terrified of us right now. It's going to take time."

"And her father?" Jude asked.

"I don't want him to see her this way."

"Agreed," Ezra commented.

"Who's going to take the first watch?"

"I will." I needed to see where we were with Rissa. Maybe I could get her to talk. I wasn't holding out much hope, though. Especially when she came out from under the drug. She was going to be furious that we had her in a straitjacket. It couldn't be helped.

The doctor and Betty came down a short time later.

"What Betty gave her wasn't that strong. Larissa will be coming out from under the sedative before long. I suggest someone be there when she does. We have the jacket on. I wouldn't remove it if I were you. She's not trustworthy at the moment. Until she sees that she's not going to be hurt. Returning to a semblance of her old self won't happen as fast as I'm sure you would want. I'll check in every day to make sure she's doing okay. Call me anytime if you have questions or need anything."

We thanked him, and I saw the doctor out before returning upstairs. I took a tray of food from the kitchen so Gina wouldn't have to carry it up. Rissa had to be hungry.

I didn't bother knocking on her door. I set the tray on a nearby table and then walked in. She was twisting and turning on the bed as she tried to come out of the straitjacket. As soon as she saw me, she quickly backed up against the headboard, pushing on the mattress with her heels. I hated seeing so much fear in her eyes.

"I'm not here to hurt you. I would never hurt you. None of us would."

"Liar."

She said it so low I barely heard her.

"Are you hungry?"

She glared at me.

I stepped back out and grabbed the tray, not giving her enough time to run past me, but she was already at the foot of the bed when I came back inside. I knew that had been her intention. She quickly scooted back up to the head. I set the tray on a table inside and moved it, and a chair, closer to her.

She eyed the tray with trepidation, but when I spooned some of the omelet and offered it to her, she merely turned her head away.

"Are you planning to starve yourself? How are you going to kill one of us if you're starving and too weak? You wouldn't even be able to kill yourself."

When she looked at me, her lips were pursed. I brought the spoon back to her mouth, and after a brief hesitation, she took the bite I offered but quickly moved away again. I could see the pleasure it brought her, even though she tried to hide it. I wondered what they'd fed her over the last five years that would make her enjoy a simple omelet this much.

I didn't say anything more as I kept feeding her. After the third time, she didn't move away from me. Good, I wanted her to eat. She was too thin to have been eating properly. When she had cleaned the whole plate, I offered her a drink of orange juice with a straw. She finished every last drop, then licked her lips.

I moved the table back, but left the chair there and took a seat, then I began to talk. "I remember the first time I saw you. You came with your father, who had just stopped by to discuss a business matter with my father, but something came up, and he stayed longer. I thought you looked like a little fairy from a storybook with your long blonde hair and big violet eyes. I'd never seen eyes quite that color before. You followed me when I went out to the clubhouse, but I didn't mind. I quickly discovered you were curious about everything."

I wondered if this was helping her. She didn't seem to be listening. I continued anyway.

"Ezra and Jude were there, and when you came in, I thought they were going to fall all over themselves doing anything you asked. We were all taken with you. That day, you became part of our group."

I talked for a long time until I saw that she was getting agitated. It took me a moment to realize what her problem might be.

"Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

She scooted off the bed and made her way to the corner. When she started to squat, I hurried toward her, but stopped before I got too close.

"Wait, there's a bathroom you can use." As much as I wanted to hurry to assist, I knew she would only shy away if I rushed forward. Instead, I opened the door to the bathroom, went inside, and raised the lid.

"Do you remember how to use the toilet?"

She scooted past me and paused just inside the bathroom, unsure of herself. She looked around as if expecting someone to jump out and beat her. When no one did, she hurried over to the toilet. As soon as I saw her having trouble with her gown, I moved forward.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to raise your gown so you don't soil it." As soon as I had it up, she sat on the toilet. To give her some privacy, I reached into the cabinet, grabbed a washcloth and wet it in the sink.

When she finished, I grabbed some toilet paper, wiped her clean, and washed her with the cloth. I did it quickly. Bodily functions in front of anyone didn't seem to bother her. I tried not to show my anger at how she must've been treated for it not to embarrass her. She'd always been so damned shy. A quick bullet was too good for the person who did this to her. I would see him suffer as she had suffered.

She didn't go back to the bed but chose a place on the floor. I figured she would turn away, but she only stared at me, seemingly curious.

"If you're going to rape and kill me, do it now, please," she spoke after a moment.

Dammit! This was what she thought about us now. All I could do was hold my temper in and speak calmly. "I'm sorry you were mistreated. We would have rescued you if we had known you were still alive."

She didn't look as if she believed me.

"You left the clubhouse that night. When you didn't arrive home, your father called us. He was worried. We left the clubhouse and went in search of you. Your car had gone off the road and run into a tree. It was on fire. Even with it burning, I tried to save you." I shook my head. "There was nothing left of the woman we all loved except ashes and bone. At least, that was what we had been led to believe. We now know it wasn't you. We didn't know that then. He kidnapped you, and then he began to brainwash you."

She released a deep sigh and turned her head toward the wall. "Lies, all lies," she said.

I continued talking about the past, hoping it would sink into her brain. Nothing seemed to be getting to her. I wasn't about to give up, though.

When I came to my feet and walked closer, she flinched.

I went back to the chair. "I told you, none of us will ever hurt you. We only want to help you."

She glared at me.

It was too soon. I was moving too fast. I began to talk softly. After a while, she lay on the floor, curled in a ball, and fell asleep. Her respirations were even and deep. When there was a light tapping on the door, I got up and opened it.

Jude came in looking at Larissa, then me, and frowning.

I motioned for him to step back out. "She seemed to prefer the floor," I said, then gave him a quick update on what had gone on while I was with her, my thoughts about what she might have been fed, and how she wasn't embarrassed to go to the bathroom in front of me.

I could see his anger building, but he kept it under control. Our little brother might come across as a player without a care in the world, but underneath it all, he could be a fierce warrior when protecting those he loved.

Before I left to go downstairs, I reminded him the straitjacket had to stay in place until we were sure she wouldn't hurt herself. He agreed, but I knew he didn't like it.

Drained, I went straight to the den and poured myself a drink. A few minutes later, Ezra joined me, also going to the bar.

"How did it go?" he asked.

He sounded casual, but I knew he was as worried as Jude and I were. "I don't think she's used to sleeping in a bed or even using a bathroom anymore. She went to a corner of the room. I had to show her where the bathroom was and then help her. She wasn't at all embarrassed." I took my drink to the chair and sat down with a heavy sigh. "Honestly, I don't know what to think about this. It's as if they treated her like a dog and not one they liked very much."

Ezra's lips clamped together, then he downed the drink he'd just made and fixed another. "If they mistreated her, why isn't she grateful we saved her?"

"If you tell someone they're fat all their life, then after a while, they'll start to believe it, even if that person is slender. That's what he did to Larissa. He told her that we were evil, then when you add torture, possibly mind-altering drugs, and near starvation, you can eventually make someone believe anything."

"I still don't understand why she would try to kill us." Ezra moved to a chair and dropped down onto it. "I'm not sure we'll ever get her back. Maybe I only wished I saw something in her eyes."

"Remember that dog Jude had?"

"Frisco?"

"Yeah, it was a mangy cur. You could tell it had been beaten and starved most of its life. It had sores around its neck where there'd been a heavy collar and chain, but somehow, he'd gotten loose. Jude left the dog food and water every day, and after a few days, he'd stay outside and just whisper to it."

"What has that to do with Rissa?"

"The point is, the dog finally trusted Jude enough that it let Jude take care of him. We have to do the same with Rissa. We must gain enough of her trust that she'll see the truth behind whoever did this to her."

"Then I'll rip whoever did this from limb to limb. I want them to fucking suffer." He raised his glass, frowning when he saw it was empty. He set the glass on the table beside him. "I take it Jude's with her now?"

"Yes."

"Will he be okay?"

"I ordered him not to remove the straitjacket no matter what. I don't think he'll go against my orders."

"No, I don't think he will, either. Did she at least eat?"

"That was strange as well. It was like she hadn't had good food in a long time."

"She is thin."

"I know. But she ate all of the breakfast I took up. That's at least a move in the right direction."

"Then what happened?"

"I just talked to her."

He raised an eyebrow. "What the hell did you talk about?"

"The first time we met when she followed me to the clubhouse." I chuckled. "You and Jude fell all over yourselves getting things for her. I think we were all a little infatuated with her."

"She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen," Ezra admitted. "I think I fell in love with her that day."

"I think we all did. That's why it nearly killed us when we thought she'd died."

"What are our chances of getting her back?"

"Only time will tell."

I knew we had to get her back. Maybe not exactly how she used to be, but somewhere close to the old Rissa. None of us could stand losing her again.