Beauty and the Billionaire Bad*ss Page 3

  “It’s six now, Carter, and no one has seen her,” Darren repeated. “I looked everywhere and so did the staff, but I don’t think she ever came back from her walk.” He frowned before tentatively suggesting, “Do you think she flew the coop?”

  Shrugging, Carter stood up from the desk. “It’s possible, but I don’t think so. She probably got lost in the woods just to spite me because I told her not to. Take out a small team and look for her. Keep me updated,” he said as Darren hurried out. “Every hour,” he called after him.

  At seven, Darren called. “No sign of her yet, Carter. Want us to keep looking?”

  “Yes.” Carter was growing concerned himself. She was probably sitting at Terini Manor this very moment, enjoying a hearty chuckle about him with her family. If she wasn’t though, they had to find her. The woods on his property weren’t extremely dangerous, but she was probably scared. And now she was his he had to protect her.

  Keep her safe.

  Keep her close.

  After waiting in the house for what felt like the whole night Carter called Darren. He knew he’d be surprised to hear from him, but Carter was also surprised. Surprised at how worried he was. “If you haven’t had any luck by nine, we’ll call in the police.” How was he supposed to explain the circumstances of this strange arrangement to the authorities? He should probably call Rocco to see if she was home, but didn’t want to show his cards just yet.

  Scarlett

  Scarlett was shivering from the cold and her clothes were soaked. Her head and ankle throbbed, and she was miserable. Her chin was resting on her chest as she tried to stay awake, knowing she must stay conscious in case she had a concussion. It took her a moment to recognize the difference in the sound, and then she realized there was something walking through the undergrowth. “Over here,” she called, praying it was someone to rescue her instead of an animal come to eat her.

  Darren and two other men found her within minutes, and he knelt beside her. “What the hell happened?”

  “I fell off the stones.” Her voice wobbled with embarrassment and stress. “I hit my head and sprained my ankle, or maybe I broke it. Either way, I can’t stand on it, and it hurts just as bad as my head.” She took a deep breath to avoid bursting into tears. “Then it rained, and it hasn’t stopped,” she said with tears in her eyes.

  “Let’s get you back to the house,” Darren suggested as he reached for his cell phone. She watched as he made a call. “We found her, boss. She’s hurt, so you might want to arrange for a doctor to meet us at the house.”

  “I can’t walk. How am I going to get there?”

  Darren lifted her into his arms. “I’ve got you,” he assured her as his two companions walked ahead and behind them, each training their flashlights forward.

  Scarlett relaxed in Darren’s arms, figuring it would be easier for him to carry her if she wasn’t stiff. The trek back to the house was much more difficult than the walk she’d originally taken. She felt like a fool when they hit the trail less than five minutes after starting back for the house. She’d been so close. None of this would have happened if she’d reined in her childish impulses and kept searching for the trail.

  The lights were blazing at the house as Darren carried her up the stairs and inside. Carter was standing with another man who was holding a black bag. “Thank you, Darren. Take her upstairs. Dr. Weiss will be up in just a moment.”

  He nodded to the maid. “Go up with them to help Ms. Terini change into dry clothes.”

  Scarlett was lying under the covers when the doctor walked in. “Tell me what happened.” Dr. Weiss looked at her head injury first. Scarlett told him the story as he examined her ankle too.

  “I’d feel better if you spent the night at the hospital. You have a concussion, and I want to x-ray that ankle. I don’t think it’s broken, but better to be safe than sorry, yes?”

  “I guess,” Scarlett said without enthusiasm.

  “I will arrange it. You rest here, but don’t fall asleep just yet.”

  “I won’t.” She yawned. “Thank you, doctor.”

  Darren came to retrieve her just a few minutes later. “Looks like we’re headed to the hospital. Mind if I carry you again?”

  “I’ve got her,” Carter interrupted. He carried her down to the town car and delicately put her inside. When he set her down she missed the warmth of his touch. The way he held her. He quickly climbed in next to her.

  “I’m sorry you’re hurt,” he offered.

  “Me too. I was so dumb, and I knew it. But I couldn’t help myself.”

  “Sometimes we do things we don’t mean to. No one blames you.”

  His voice was so soft and reassuring, nothing like earlier in the day.

  When they arrived at the hospital Dr. Weiss took care of checking her in. “We’ll start out in the emergency department for your x-ray, and then move you to a room later tonight, Scarlett.”

  She nodded, and was given a gown to change into. She shot a helpless look to Carter as the doctor prepared to make himself scarce. “Is the gown really necessary, Dr. Weiss?” he asked for her. “She’s obviously in pain, and there’s no one here to help her change.” She appreciated him trying to help her. The room was fuzzy and she was so exhausted.

  Dr. Weiss shrugged. “Don’t worry about the gown for now.” Within a few minutes, a woman in green scrubs arrived.

  “I’m Sharon,” she said with a smile. “I’ll be taking you for your x-ray. No, don’t get up—we’ll just take the whole bed, dear.”

  Scarlett glanced at Carter, wondering why he’d come back with her. Then they were in the hallway, and he was out of sight. Sharon pushed her through a series of hallways to an elevator. When they left the elevator, they went through a pair of swinging doors marked X-ray.

  Sharon positioned Scarlett’s foot and snapped some pictures, then returned her to the room. Carter was still waiting, and Scarlett sat in stiff silence, not sure what to say to him.

  “Sorry you got lost,” he said unexpectedly. “I should have offered to show you around, or asked Darren to. I just didn’t know what to do with you. I’m still surprised at how things happened,” he confessed. “I didn’t plan to be bringing you home with me last night, and I haven’t figured out all the details yet.”

  “You already apologized.”

  He didn’t respond. “So this was my father’s idea?” Scarlett asked, trying to hide her hurt at the knowledge.

  “It was his suggestion. I didn’t plan to agree, but somehow we both ended up here.”

  “Yes we did.” She wanted to add, hurt, because somehow she knew that was where this was going, for both of them.

  Dr. Weiss rejoined them, putting the x-ray films up on a lighted board. “No break. It’s just a very bad sprain, and you’re going to have to be off your feet for a few days.”

  “Does that mean I don’t have to stay?” Scarlett asked with relief. She hated hospitals more than anything.

  “I’m afraid you do. I want to monitor that concussion. If it worsens, I’ll need to have you here for a C.T. scan. If you’re fine by tomorrow morning, I’ll release you.”

  A nurse wrapped Scarlett’s ankle before she was once more transferred to a wheelchair and taken up to a room. After being settled in the bed, a nurse came in to give her a shot for the pain. Carter had hovered nearby during her exam and treatment, she was surprised to find she was comforted by his presence. He turned to leave with the nurse when she stopped him.

  “Would you stay with me until I fall asleep?”

  “Uh, sure,” he agreed.

  Scarlett smiled shyly. “It probably sounds dumb, but I just don’t want to be alone in here, you know? My mother died at Cedar-Sinai, and I’ve hated hospitals ever since.”

  “What happened to her?”

  “Cancer.” Scarlett didn’t give any more details, except to say, “We visited her every day, and my fear of hospitals sort of became a phobia. I really hate them.”

  “I understand. I rem
ember going to see my father at the hospital right before he died. I was nineteen at the time, but it was still frightening.”

  “How did he die?”

  “A car accident,” Carter said, his tone betraying no hint of emotion. “He held on long enough for my family to say goodbye, and I’m grateful I got the chance.”

  “Were you close?”

  Carter nodded once, sharply. “Very close. He was a wonderful father, and I only hope I’m half as good if I ever have children.”

  “You want children?” Scarlett asked, mouth agape, she didn’t know how their conversation had taken this turn.

  “You seem surprised.”

  “No offense, but you don’t seem like the family man type. I can definitely see you as a captain of industry, leading your company into the future, but I can’t see you bouncing a baby.”

  “What do you know of babies?”

  “Plenty. I used to babysit when I was younger. I wasn’t going to let my dad pay for everything.”

  “That’s admirable.”

  Scarlett watched a glint of light play on Carter’s eyes. He was interested, she could tell she intrigued him. Why else would he stay?

  5

  Scarlett

  Dr. Weiss arrived in Scarlett’s hospital room early the next morning. She blinked open sleep-heavy eyes, barely managing to focus on the clock hanging beside the television bolted on the wall. It read seven-forty, and she yawned, more of a reflex to the early hour than an actual tiredness. Her head was still heavy, and her thoughts fuzzy, but she wasn’t sleepy.

  “How are you feeling, Ms. Terini?” Dr. Weiss shone a bright light into her eyes.

  Wincing away from the light, Scarlett said grumpily, “I’ve felt better.”

  “How’s the head?” He mercifully removed the light from her eyes and gently turned her head to examine the bump.

  “Better,” Scarlett answered in a rush, not wanting to stay another minute. Even returning to Braxton’s home was better than staying in the hospital. “It feels kind of...” She searched for the word. “Um, full? Like there’s water sloshing around in my brain or something.”

  “That’s to be expected—just a result of the concussion. I don’t see any cause for alarm, Ms. Terini. I’ll get started on those discharge papers while you have a light breakfast, then give Mr. Braxton a call.”

  Scarlett’s stomach lurched with panic as she realized she didn’t know Carter’s number, and she had no other way to reach him. Was she going to be stuck in the hospital until he arrived? What if he decided to leave her there? Why hadn’t he stayed?

  Taking a deep breath, Scarlett plastered on a fake smile and said, “I seem to have forgotten his number, Dr. Weiss. Would you be able to get it for me?”

  The doctor agreed and left Scarlett to attend to his paperwork. Twenty minutes later, a nurse brought her a tray of bland hospital food and a slip of paper. “Here’s that number,” she said while drawing the bedside table forward for Scarlett.

  “Thank you.” Scarlett grimaced at the poached egg glaring balefully up at her, then turned her attention to the runny oatmeal and barely toasted toast. The nurse left, and Scarlett ate as much of the food as she could tolerate. Then, feeling nervous, she took the phone off the side of the railing and dialed Carter’s number from the slip of paper.

  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.”

  “Devious?” Scarlett hissed in outrage. “I’m not devious, but I am in the dark. I was just trying to get a little background on you.”

  “My life and my past are none of your concern. You’ll mind your own business in this house, Ms. Terini. Perhaps it won’t hurt you to learn to respect others while you’re with us. Maybe I can send you back to that worthless rat-bastard a better person.”

  Scarlett blinked at the tears that suddenly filled her eyes. No one had ever spoken to her in such a hateful way before. “Why are you speaking to me like this? Where did you get the impression that I’m devious and have no respect for others?”

  “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Carter said cryptically. “I know you and your type, and I’ve never liked it. You’re a spoiled rich girl who’s always gotten her way, and you don’t know how to treat people who you feel are beneath you.”

  Shaking her head in confusion, Scarlett whispered, “That’s not true. I’m nice to everyone, except you,” she said with sudden spunk.

  “Yes, I’ll bet you’re real nice.” He snorted. “Tell me, have you ever given any of your old clothes away to the maids, or the servants’ children? I’ll bet you also make sure they get at least half a day off on Christmas, and one day off a week,” he said with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

  Scarlett shifted uncomfortably. She did pass along her clothes to Marcia and the other staff, and she always tried to make sure they alternated who worked Christmas. He was making her good deeds sound selfish and unimportant. “What’s wrong with that?” Her chin inclined a notch.