Everything Isn't As It Seems

Chapter Fourteen

The first thing Isabel knew was that her migraine was gone, the second was she was lying in an unfamiliar bed wearing night clothes that she had no memory of changing into. The last thing she remembered was falling to sleep in the cab that was taking Max, Beau, and her away from Caywood's residence. Luke had arrived in a timely manner, bringing a whole legion of cops with him. Caywood was still shackled in that little cement room when they found him. Luke had taken her statement, along with Beau' and Max's, but Isabel barely remembered what she had told him. She was half asleep at that point. She sat up, the large blanket fell off her body, revealing the dense material of a thick white nightgown. Isabel grasped the material in her hands, then patted the down beneath her.

"What the..."

"Don't panic." The voice made her jump, her head snapping instinctively toward the sound. She found the owner of the voice seated in an overstuffed wing-backed chair on the other side of the dimly lit room. Beau.

"Where am I?" She grabbed at the nightgown again. "What is this?"

"Calm down. You're at 5829 Gnome Street." Isabel gave him a look that said, 'not what I meant', but Beau continued as if he hadn't noticed. "Ms. Moore insisted on changing your clothes, something about the blood. No worries." He wore that ever amused smirk of his.

"How could that possibly make me less worried?" She stretched her limbs, feeling like she'd come unhinged at the joints. Everything hurt. His expression became thoughtful.

"You were out cold, Max was beginning to worry."

"How long have I been asleep?" Beau made his way to a set of dense curtains and pulled them back to reveal the graying light of morning.

"Nearly all day and all night." Isabel's eyes widened and she threw off the heavy blanket, stumbling onto her feet.

"Elizabeth, Mum. They must be worried. I need to get home. Where are my clothes?" Her eyes searched the room for some trace of them.

"Calm down, Belle. They're downstairs having tea and eggs with Max and Mrs. Moore. I sent word explaining what happened." Seeing her accusing and alarmed expression he added, "With as little detail as possible. Ruth insisted on coming." Isabel sat back on the edge of the bed, kneading her left shoulder with her right hand. Her left shoulder and hip had taken the brunt of the encounter with the cement wall, she could feel the throbbing bruises. Beau expression became amused, covering his concern. "I think she has gotten quite fond of you. She blames me for this of course." Isabel was pretty sure he wasn't only talking about Ms. Moore. She gave a gentle smile.

"How are you feeling?" Beau rolled his eyes.

"You sound like Max."

"Are you avoiding the question?"

"Am I?" Isabel glared slightly, but the smile she couldn't keep off her lips took away from any annoyance she tried to portray.

"Cheeky arse." He grinned. Silence fell over the room and Isabel stretched her arms. She didn't know how to treat what had happened the day before her and Beau. "You were awake before I called you a selfish bastard."

"Only vaguely. I heard you saying it was a stupid idea, then something about me getting Max killed. My arms were freed, but I still couldn't move. Then of course you called me a selfish bastard, I woke up, and..." Beau trailed off.

"You're changing the subject again."

"You changed it first." He retorted.

"Fine. I assume Max told you what happened before we found you?" His expression confirmed the assumption. "I was talking about the whole thing. It was too rash, too unplanned. I didn't think it was going to work, especially since you weren't waking up. But I guess I was wrong." She paused, waiting for him to make some sort of witty or sarcastic remark, but one never came. He was oddly silent. "Say something." Beau simply tilted his head as if to say, What?

At that moment the door opened, Max standing in the doorway looking very doctorly. Isabel never hated the man more than in that moment. She didn't hate him, no, just the fact he had interrupted whatever it was Beau was about to say, because the sardonic expression was back.

"You're awake. That's good. How are you feeling?"

"Well." Maybe it was the tone of her voice, or the sense of tension in the room, but Max finally realized it.

"I've interrupted something. Your mother and sister are downstairs, Ms. Moore left you clothes over there when you're ready." Max gestured to the back of the chair Beau had been sitting in, then took his leave. Isabel was momentarily distracted by another thought. She raised an eyebrow at Beau.

"You didn't tell him about Elizabeth?"

"I didn't think you'd want me to." Isabel smiled lightly with gratitude.

"Thank you." Beau crossed the room until he stood only a few feet from her. Without a word both of their minds had switched back to the moment before Max's interruption. "I need to get dressed." Beau didn't make a move to leave. "Get. Out." She ground through her teeth. She was done playing games.

"You can't kick a man out of his own room." Isabel clenched her jaw and crossed the room to where her dress was, cleaned of blood and dirt.