Letting Go (12 page)

Devlin leaned back against the edge of the greenhouse and studied the rotted, dried out plants. He had never understood what he taken from his wife. He’d always assumed she would come around and enjoy the luxuries that his wealth and position could bring. But his confrontation with Casey had changed that because he knew the truth now and the regret ate at him like acid. He had failed his wife just like everyone in Casey’s life had failed her. Jennifer had been screaming silently for him to save her from the day he met her but he hadn’t seen it. She suffered quietly in the darkness because she didn’t know how to let go of the person everyone expected her to be. He couldn’t save her just like he knew he couldn’t save Casey.

His eyes burned as he thought of how Casey had pleaded with him not to touch her gently. For him it hadn’t even been about desire; he had just needed to make that connection with her so he could try to absorb some of her pain so she wouldn’t have to carry it alone anymore. He’d even been glad when she struck out at him physically but to know that he was only bringing her more pain was devastating. Somewhere along the way she had learned to numb herself from the physical pain that had been inflicted upon her but she couldn’t let go of the emotional scars.

Devlin had no idea how to help her so he would do the one thing she asked and stay away from her. They would go forward as if this night hadn’t happened. He needed to focus on the end goal which was to keep Isabel safe…he couldn’t save her mother and he couldn’t save Casey but he could damn well save that little girl.

***

Casey’s second morning in Devlin’s house began much the same way as her first except there was no Isabel in bed with her, just 180 pounds of passed out dog. At least he seemed to be enjoying this trip. She gave the dog a gentle pat but he didn’t stir. As she left the room she took a moment to stop and listen – there was no way she was going to repeat yesterday morning’s fiasco. She descended the stairs slowly and hung her head over the banister to scan the entryway. When she was greeted with silence, she made her way down the rest of the stairs. Hesitating near Devlin’s study door which was closed, she tried to make out any sounds coming from the room but heard nothing. The house was eerily silent. Relieved to finally be alone, she made her way to the kitchen.

Reaching the entryway to the kitchen, she stopped again and listened. Satisfied that it too was empty, she entered the room. Nothing was out of place – at some point the mess from last night had been cleaned up. It was hard to believe that less than eight hours ago, Devlin Prescott had somehow managed to figure out her humiliating secret. Even Jonas had never confronted her with how she reacted to his touch.

She went to the coffee maker which blessedly had a nearly full pot still warming on the burner. Several seconds passed before she managed to scrounge up a coffee mug but the instant the strong black liquid scorched her throat she closed her eyes in pleasure. The coffee was the perfect cure for the few hours of sleep she had managed after her run in with Devlin. She needed to be on her toes today. There was no way she was going to allow him to walk all over her as he had last night. She’d been tired from the day’s event, that’s all. Hell would freeze over before she allowed Devlin Prescott to catch her off guard like that again.

***

Caroline Dane studied her husband while he sipped at his coffee and read the morning paper. Irritation threaded through her as she recalled his lack of control yesterday. Devlin Prescott had played Elliot well and that fat bitch from the court had seen it all. Luckily, Janine Thompson was easy to bend and a few well-chosen words and strategically timed tears had proven that the return of the daughter they had worried about for so long had been too much to bear. But Elliot had nearly ruined it all with that temper of his. Granted, his passion was what had drawn her to him in the first place but his ability to control himself when it came to his stepdaughters had become more and more of challenge as the girls had found the strength to turn away from them.

Amanda had been the surprise though. Her malleable nature, a direct characteristic inherited from her weak father, had made her an easy, albeit less desirable, target for Elliot’s twisted passions. But when the girl had just up and disappeared after giving birth to their grandchild, Caroline had been stunned. To find her in the home and protection of Devlin Prescott had been infuriating to say the least. But the ungrateful girl had been smarter than she seemed. She’d known that seeking shelter in the arms of one of her drug-addled lovers or among her socially challenged friends would have made her an easy target. Elliot and Caroline had played the mental instability card once and she had known they wouldn’t hesitate to do it again, this time to get their hands on her child. So she had fled to the one place they couldn’t touch her, their own social circle.

Caroline hadn’t known Devlin Prescott well, although not for lack of trying on her part. The man had the ability to move in any circle he wanted but often had to be forced by his business needs to come out of the woodwork to attend a function. The combination of his power, money and good looks had attracted Caroline like a bear to honey. She doubted someone like Devlin was interested in anything more than a no strings attached fling but the thought didn’t bother her. Caroline had always had a way of getting extra perks from her sideline affairs. Elliot hadn’t known of course, but he was no more innocent than she since even she couldn’t always meet his insatiable, twisted needs. Yes, Devlin Prescott would have been an interesting conquest but then Amanda had gone and ruined it all. Caroline and Elliot had kept a low profile in terms of Amanda once they found out where she was. But her untimely death had left the door wide open and Caroline had no intention of losing Isabel to the likes of Prescott. But then, she hadn’t counted on Casey’s arrival either.

Her younger daughter had always been her trial and tribulation. Even her first husband’s discovery that Casey wasn’t his had been the little girl’s fault. Upon discovering Caroline’s indiscretion with Peter Caulfield, then a young, recently widowed Lieutenant at the same fort where her husband held a temporary command post, James Carver had been infuriated and had insisted upon a divorce. She’d managed to talk him out of it and draw out the marriage for another year but then James found out about the other affairs and called a divorce lawyer. Luckily, his sudden death of heart failure three days later had prevented him from filing the papers as well as removing her as the benefactor of his will.

While the inheritance had been mediocre, it had been enough to finance a new look which earned her a new husband with deeper pockets. James’ death had been hard on both girls but his newfound disgust for the daughter that wasn’t his had been confusing for Casey. She hadn’t known who her father really was so she had never understood why the only father she had ever known had suddenly started to despise her. Caroline had been sure to remind Casey of that fact every chance she got. But it had been inevitable that the stubborn streak of pride that Casey inherited from her real father would take root. While Elliot’s ever-growing violent nature had come in handy to keep the rebellious teen in check, Caroline had always known she would ultimately lose control of her daughter. But Casey was back now in the form of Devlin’s supposed secret weapon. He had no idea what he was in for. Besides, she and Elliot had some secret weapons of their own. Caroline let out a soft laugh as she took a sip of her coffee. Her husband glanced up from his paper but said nothing.

***

Casey would have been content to hide away in her room for the rest of her stay but Monday morning found her once again in the presence of the man she was trying so hard to avoid. Mason had scheduled an early morning appointment with a doctor to have the scars on her back examined and photographed. Humiliated by the whole ordeal, the only relief she was granted was when Devlin and Mason remained in the waiting room. Having them bear witness again to the evidence of her inability to fight back against her parents would have been too much to take. Within fifteen minutes, the experience was over and she left the room.

As she made her way to the waiting room, she saw Mason and Devlin involved in a deep discussion with which Devlin was less than pleased. When he saw her, he asked, “You okay?”

She nodded. “What’s going on?”

Mason opened the door and led them from the doctor’s office. He looked at Casey as he explained. “I talked with the Medical Examiner’s office this morning. I was trying to obtain a copy of Amanda’s autopsy results.”

“Right – to prove that her back looked like mine.”

“Yes, well, unfortunately the Medical Examiner can’t seem to locate the report,” Mason said.

“Can’t locate my ass,” muttered Devlin as he flung open the door leading out of the building.

“What does that mean?” Casey asked.

“Well, without evidence to back up your claim about how you came by the marks on your back, it means it’ll be your word against theirs,” Mason explained as they followed Devlin outside.

“Damn it Mason, you know they got to that ME. The man’s on staff at the same hospital as Dane for God’s sake!” Devlin shouted.

Mason was beginning to lose his cool. “You find proof of that Devlin and I’ll be more than happy to introduce it in court.”

Devlin snapped his gaze away from them and brought himself under control before glancing back at Mason. Mason accepted the unspoken apology and returned his attention to Casey.

“I’m filing the injunction this afternoon - we should know more by week’s end.”

Casey nodded in understanding. Devlin shook Mason’s hand and then led Casey to the car.

***

Unnerved by the events of the last few days, Casey remained secluded in her room. When she didn’t come down for lunch or dinner that Monday, a tray of food was sent up and the pattern continued as each day passed. She spent the days reading and left the room only after everyone had gone to bed in order to get more books from Devlin’s collection. He made no attempt to talk to her and he must have told the children not to disturb her because she didn’t hear a peep out of them. Isabel had also stopped sneaking into her bed in the middle of the night and Sampson had abandoned her, presumably to sleep in Isabel’s room. She was surprised by the loneliness she felt. Alone she could handle but loneliness was new and it was unsettling.

Late one evening as she was about to go on her second excursion to seek out another book, she ran straight into Devlin when she opened the door to her room. An ache started in her chest as she studied him. He looked tired and seemed hesitant to be around her. She knew it was unreasonable since he was only doing what she asked but part of her was angry at his defection.

“I just wanted to let you know that your parents aren’t contesting the request to suspend their visitation.”

Her irritation with him was momentarily forgotten as she opened the door wider. “They’ve agreed to stay away from Isabel until the custody hearing is over?” she asked, clearly shocked.

“It appears so.”

“It doesn’t make sense,” she said as her mind was already at work trying to figure out this unexpected turn of events.

“They’re probably just trying to get in the judge’s good graces by saving him the time of having to deal with another hearing.” Devlin noticed the book in her hand. “Were you headed down to get another book?”

Casey glanced at the book and then shook her head. She closed the door in his face without so much as even a thank you.

***

By the end of the week, Casey started to feel the guilt of ignoring the children. They were probably confused by her sudden desertion and it wasn’t right to take her anger with Devlin out on them. She didn’t want to dwell on what it meant that she missed them as much as she did. Her decision made, she went in search of them but found only Isabel in her room. The bandage from the side of the little girl’s head had been removed and the wound was healing quickly although it would leave a small scar as Dr. Bob had warned. When Isabel looked up from the doll she was playing with and saw Casey in the doorway, she stilled. Neither of them said anything for a long moment.

“Can I play?” Casey finally asked. Clearly wary, Isabel nodded carefully. Casey went into the room and sat across from the little girl. Her eyes came to rest on the doll in the little girl’s hands. It had been Amanda’s favorite doll. “That’s a pretty dolly.” Isabel perked up at the compliment.

“She’s Mommy’s.” Isabel handed the doll to her. Casey knew they were on dangerous ground but she took the doll anyway and studied it. As old as the doll was, it was still relatively clean. Her hair was neatly braided in the design that Amanda had come up with herself and then taught to her.

“What’s your dolly’s name?”
Emily.

“Emily.”

“That’s a real pretty name.”

“Mommy went to take care of the angels,” said Isabel matter of factly.

“I bet you miss your mommy, huh?” She handed the doll back to Isabel who nodded slowly even though the concept of death still seemed to be beyond her.

“Mommy used to make the special braid,” said the little girl as she trailed her fingers gently over the doll’s braided hair.

“Do you want me to try your mommy’s special braid on your hair?” Isabel nodded again, a small smile tugging at her lips. Isabel turned herself around and scooted back against Casey.