Page 27 of Lone Star Hostage

Hell. Presley hoped Victoria hadn’t taken a turn for the worst because the doc didn’t look as if he was the bearer of good news.

“Presley Nolan and Billie Cooper?” the doctor asked. According to his nametag, he was Isaac Jenkins.

Billie and he nodded.

“Mrs. Wessington would like to see both of you,” the doctor said, and Presley felt some of the tension ease up in his chest. “Personally, I think she should hold off on seeing non-family members because she should be resting. But she insisted.”

Dr. Jenkins turned, instructing them to follow him. They did, threading their way down a hall that fed off the waiting area. Presley refused to even guess why the woman wanted to see him. He just kept walking, and he felt Billie take hold of his hand and give it a gentle squeeze. Presley squeezed right back.

There was a sign for ICU, but thankfully the doctor didn’t lead them in that direction. Instead, he took them to a room directly across from a small nurses’ station. Angel wasn’t here yet, but he no doubt would be once he’d finished his statement.

The doctor opened the door, and Presley immediately caught a glimpse of Victoria. Her face was a riot of bruises and scrapes, and those injuries were the only color in her skin. The rest of her was ashy pale.

Along with the bandage on her hand, there were more on her forehead and both arms. Stitches, too. Some along her hairline and on her chin. The corners of her mouth were cracked and raw, probably from the gag the kidnappers had forced her to wear.

No wonder the doctor hadn’t wanted her to have visitors.

“Presley, Billie,” Victoria greeted. Her voice was a rasp, barely audible, but she sat up and motioned for them to come in.

“Please lie back down,” the doctor insisted, and he hurried to help her do just that. He also covered her with the thin white blanket that she had shoved to the side. “We were ableto reattach Mrs. Wessington’s finger, but she needs rest. Five minutes,” he warned Billie and Presley. “I’ll be right outside the door.”

Presley figured the doctor was actually timing this so he went closer, waiting for Victoria to dole out a thank you. Or question them about whether or not she was safe now.

She didn’t do either of those.

Victoria looked him straight in the eyes. Eyes that he realized were a genetic copy of his own. “I know who you are, Presley,” she muttered, choking back a sob. “You’re my son.”

----- ? ----

Chapter Ten

----- ? ----

Billie reached for Presley’s hand again. No way could touching him help ease the eruption of emotions he had to be feeling right now. But there was little else she could do.

“Do you want me to leave so you can have a private talk with Victoria?” Billie asked. She couldn’t use the term, mother, not with that shock she saw in Presley’s eyes.

“No,” Presley was quick to say, and Victoria echoed the same.

“I wanted to thank both of you for rescuing me,” the woman said. She swallowed hard. “I don’t believe the kidnappers ever intended to release me. I think they were going to kill me.”

Billie believed the same thing, and she had so many questions for Victoria. Such as why had those two thugs wanted her dead? Why had she been kidnapped in the first place? And had she merely been the bait to get to Presley and her?

But all those questions and more would have to wait.

Because those five minutes were ticking away, and Presley no doubt needed to ask his birth mom some things as well.

“I, uh, don’t expect you to forgive me,” Victoria said, her gaze pinned on Presley now. “And I don’t expect you to understand why I did what I did.”

“Enlighten me,” Presley invited.

There was no venom in his voice. In fact, there wasn’t much of anything. He’d obviously managed to rein it all in so he could have this conversation.

Which would no doubt be the first of many.

No way were they going to work out thirty-six years in four and a half minutes.

Victoria nodded. “I’m going to assume you ran a thorough background check on me so you already know my parents were wealthy. Old money with equally old-fashioned expectations for their only daughter. I rebelled in oh so many ways.” She closed her eyes a moment. “And I got pregnant when I was barely sixteen.”

---