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Kent answered, and Scarlett told him she was being released. “I’ll send the car for you, madam,” was his rather uninterested reply. After hanging up, Scarlett rose from the bed on slightly shaky legs and hobbled her way to the closet where her t-shirt and shorts were neatly folded.
It took some time to get dressed, as she had to sit on the bed for most of the process. Her ankle hurt too much to bear any weight, so she had barely finished dressing when Dr. Weiss returned with her discharge papers and a strange-looking contraption. “This is a brace,” he explained. “You’ll need to keep it on for at least a week, except for showering.”
Scarlett wrinkled her nose when she saw the mass of purple and black bruising on her horribly swollen ankle after the doctor removed the bandages he’d placed on last night. He slid her foot into a shoe-type brace before bringing up the sides around her leg and fastening the Velcro straps to keep them in place. “When can I walk on it?”
“Oh, I imagine you’ll feel up to walking in three or four days. If it hurts when you try, you aren’t ready. I want you to rest it completely for the next three days.”
Scarlett nodded, accepting the papers from Dr. Weiss. He wanted to see her again in his office in a week, and Scarlett assumed Carter or Darren would know where to take her. She was ready to go when Darren arrived thirty minutes later. A nurse wheeled her out to the town car, and Darren lifted her inside. Scarlett told herself that sudden drop in her stomach was not disappointment when she realized Carter was not in the car with her. It was relief, she assured herself. Why would she want to see Carter?
When they returned to the mansion, Darren carried her inside and left her in a small entertainment room. Scarlett flipped on the television, but quickly found it boring and soon switched it off again. She was twiddling her thumbs when Carter came in the room a short time later. “Hi.” She felt shy with him after last night’s talk.
“How are you this morning?”
“Much better, but I’m bored out of my mind. There’s nothing on television, and all my books are upstairs.”
“I’ll get them for you before I go to my meeting.” She was surprised he offered to retrieve them himself. “Once I’m gone, if you need anything, please feel free to ask Darren or one of the other staff members.” His eye kept wandering to her legs, and Scarlett watched him with interest.
What was it about him?
Scarlett spent a boring day just lying around the entertainment room. Later in the afternoon, she had Darren carry her upstairs to her room, and a tray of food was brought up. After eating and taking a pill for the pain, she found the yawns increasing in frequency and turned in for an early night.
Upon awaking the next morning, Scarlett hobbled into the bathroom and drew a tub of hot water. There was a tickle in her chest and her throat was sore, but she was not unduly concerned. She’d expected to catch some type of bug after being in the rain for several hours.
The bath consumed a large portion of her time, but it was still only ten when Darren came across her trying to make it down the stairs. “Why didn’t you ring me?” He gently carried her down the stairs, into the breakfast room.
“I didn’t want to disturb you,” said Scarlett as the maid came in the room to take their requests for breakfast. “Will Carter be joining us?” Scarlett inquired casually.
Darren shrugged. “He usually does.”
Scarlett peered behind her shoulder to make sure he wasn’t behind her. “Why am I here, Darren? What’s going on?”
He shifted uncomfortably. “That’s not my place to say, Scarlett. It’s between your father and the Carter.”
“Don’t you think it concerns me too?” Scarlett frowned. “I’ve been signed over as collateral for six months, and I don’t even understand what’s going on.”
“I can’t tell you anything except you wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t agreed to the deal.”
“Well that isn’t any help, Darren.” Pursing her lips, Scarlett decided to try a different track. “How did you come to work for Carter?”
“He saved my life.” Darren rose to help the maid as she returned with a large tray bearing their breakfast. “My motorcycle crashed, and he dragged me out of the wreckage seconds before it exploded.”
“Oh so he’s a hero?”
“I don’t think he would agree with you there.”
“What’s the big secret?” Scarlett asked impatiently. “I’m just trying to find out a little background on my captor.”
“Your captor?” Carter asked coolly from the doorway. “I thought I was the man who held the lien on you, but I guess captor works.”
Scarlett frowned at him. “How long have you been lurk
ing there?”
“Long enough.” Carter walked farther into the room. “Darren, would you excuse us for a short time?”
Without complaint, Darren gathered up his plate and left the room. A heavy silence descended behind Darren, and Scarlett swallowed. Her throat hurt, and she took a gulp of grape juice to relieve the pain, which had the added advantage of breaking their eye contact.
Carter smiled, with just a hint of coldness in his eyes. “I’d appreciate you not grilling my employees for information about me. They are completely loyal, but it’s possible that someone as devious as you may be able to trip them up. I would hate to have to fire anyone over you.”
