Chapter Twenty-Two

Jude

"You used to love the flower garden."

I glanced at Rissa, who barely noticed the full, aromatic blooms. For just a moment, I thought we had her back when she told us Bernard worked for the man who took her, but almost immediately, she crawled back into that place where we couldn't reach her.

I would never give up. "Do you remember the morning I came out, and you were on your hands and knees digging in the dirt with the gardener? When I asked what in the world you were doing, you laughed and said you were planting beautiful pink roses." I sauntered to the rose bush and pointed to a plaque stuck in the ground. It said, Larissa's Pink Roses, and had the date she planted it.

She frowned as if she was trying to bring back the memory, but then her fingers came up, and she rubbed her temples as though her head had begun to hurt.

"It's okay. You don't have to try to remember everything all at once."

She looked confused.

When I heard someone approaching, I quickly stepped in front of Rissa. I didn't relax until I realized it was Ezra. He came toward us. From the look on his face, I knew he had an update on Gina, and it wasn't good. "What?"

He glanced toward Rissa, hesitating.

"She needs to know, too."

Ezra finally nodded. "Caspian seems to think she'll recover. She was beaten up pretty badly, though. She has a couple of black eyes, two fractured ribs, and a broken arm." His expression turned grim. "He beat her with a whip."

We both saw the shudder ripple over Rissa and how she hugged her middle, but she didn't say anything. When I touched her arm, she flinched. I immediately pulled my hand back. Once more, my heart broke into tiny pieces. When would she trust us again?

"Is Caspian on his way home?"

Ezra turned his gaze to me. "He decided it was time to talk to someone and update him on what was happening."

I immediately knew who Ezra was talking about – Jonathan, Rissa's father. I quickly glanced at Rissa, then back at Ezra. "You don't think it's too soon?"

"Who knows? Maybe it'll help."

Mindy came out to the patio. "The cook has lunch ready. Would you like to eat on the patio or in the dining room?"

"The dining room. It's starting to get a little warm outside," I told her, then looked at Ezra. "Does the staff know Gina's condition?"

"Yes. They were told not to leave the estate without an escort until we catch this man."

As we made our way inside, I couldn't help wondering how Rissa's father was going to take knowing his daughter didn't die in the car accident, but instead was held captive by a crazed lunatic. Caspian would prepare him for the changes, but it still wouldn't be easy for him, especially when he knew some of what happened to her.

It would still be best if she stayed with us. We would be able to protect her here. I wasn't sure if it was too soon or not. Damn, it was going to be hard on him.

Laughter used to bubble out of Rissa. She was like a breath of fresh air, always dancing around and singing. Although it was usually off-key, that never stopped her. Ezra called her a free spirit. All three of us had fallen madly and hopelessly in love with her. Now, we just had to find the key that would unlock her memories and bring her back to us. I didn't know whether that would be possible or not.

I had to admit she seemed more comfortable around us. That gave me hope. The man who had taken her had buried the old Rissa so deep inside her that it would take a miracle to bring her back to her old self. But dammit, I wanted that miracle.

We ate our lunch, and then Rissa went up to her room. We were giving her a little more freedom every day. We still watched her closely and never let her go outside alone. She knew there were guards who would bring her back if she attempted to get away, but it was still too risky.

We also had alarms on every door that would alert us if she opened one of them. We weren't sure if she'd try to make her way back to that monster or not. He'd trained her well.

We went to the den and grabbed a beer before making ourselves comfortable in one of the chairs.

"How do you think Jonathan is taking finding out that his daughter is alive?"

Ezra took a long drink of his beer. "I have no idea. Probably like we did. Furious, angry as hell. Guilty he'd taken the accident at face value. He'll want to see her as soon as possible."

"I wonder how she'll react."

Ezra rubbed his forehead. "It's hard to say. Hopefully, she'll remember him. That's the best-case scenario."

"And the worst case?"

Ezra's forehead bunched. "That the monster stole those memories as well, and she won't remember her father, or worse, that he's a monster."

"Fuck, that'll tear him apart," I shook my head. "It would be like losing her all over again."

"Not quite. Because we will get her back."

I wasn't so sure anymore. I still had my doubts. We weren't progressing fast enough for me. "Do you believe we'll get her back?"

"I have to." Ezra drained the rest of his beer. "Let's keep digging through Dad's files."

"There are hundreds and hundreds of them, and we haven't found anything yet," I complained.

"It's the only way to find the man who took her. We think his name starts with an A when Rissa slipped up and almost said it. We also know he has someone named Bernard who works for him."

"I know. I feel as if my hands are tied behind my back, though. He's out there, he's taunting us, and there's not a fucking thing I can do."

"I know what you mean, little brother. I know what you mean."