The Puppeteer

CHAPTER 21



DANI TRIED TO FORCE her eyes open. Her body felt like it was glued to the bed and her limbs like they were growing roots. Her eyes fluttered open, but just as quickly closed against the bright light as she absorbed what her senses were telling her. The feel of the cloth against her skin was rough and the pillow behind her head, thin. The light was artificial and the smell was antiseptic.

Realization of where she was came swiftly and she squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back a wave a grief. She was in the hospital. She had let Frey win.

She forced herself to open her eyes and, when she did, she saw her sister, Sammy, sitting on the bed facing the window. Dani's hand lay in Sammy's lap and she was reaching for something. When her sister leaned back, she picked up Dani's hand and held it. Dani would have laughed if she'd been able. Leave it to Sammy to give her a manicure when she was in the hospital. Of course, Dani wasn't fooled; her sister was just trying to occupy herself. She recognized the jerkiness of Sammy's movements, it mirrored her own when she was feeling stress or anxiety.

Dani shifted her gaze to her left and saw Ty. He looked awful in a great way. He hadn't shaved, his eyes looked red and his clothes rumpled. He looked like a man who'd been sitting by her side for a very long time. He was staring at her hand that lay between his, tracing her fingers with his fingertips.

Summoning her energy, Dani flexed her fingers and tried to curl them around Ty's. The movement must have caught him by surprise. He stilled and stared hard, as if trying to decide if what he'd seen was real. When she did it again, his head jerked up and he looked right at her.

“God, Dani,” he said in a strangled voice as he leapt to his feet, gripping her hand.

Sammy spun at his movement and tears sprang to her eyes.

“Sam?” Ty spoke.

“I've got it,” she answered still clinging to Dani's hand with one hand as she hit the call button for the nurse with the other.

“Ella,” Ty whispered, tracing the contours of her face with his fingers. And, as if unable to stay away any longer, he bent down and buried his face against her cheek.

Dani turned toward him, offering him the only comfort she was capable of at the moment.

“God, you scared us,” he rasped, before pulling back and staring at her face.

“Dani?” Sammy said. Even in her weakened state, Dani could hear the tension in her sister's voice.

“I'm okay. I'm just,” she paused trying to find the right word. “Tired?” she said, knowing it was such an inadequate description of the bone weariness she felt.

“I'm sure you are,” came a voice at the foot of the bed. A doctor had entered the room and was watching her closely. “I need to talk to Dani, if you don't mind,” he added with a look at both Ty and Sammy. Both of whom looked like they minded a lot, but left anyway, after another quick look at Dani to reassure themselves she was truly awake.

“How are you?” he asked when they'd left the room. “Really?” he added, picking up her wrist and feeling for her pulse.

“Really, I feel okay. Stiff, but mostly really tired. I didn't get shot did I?” she asked, confused about what had happened. “And where am I?”

“You're in New York. A helicopter brought you in about thirty-six hours ago. No, you weren't shot.” He stopped talking but continued with his physical exam of her.

“What happened?” she asked when he'd removed the stethoscope from his ears. He gave her a puzzling look and then perched on the edge of her bed.

“You suffered a massive heart attack,” he said.

“Excuse me?”

“A heart attack,” he repeated, which annoyed her. She'd heard what he'd said the first time.

“I'm not old enough for that. And I get regular physicals. I just don't see that happening. What really happened?”

He looked at her again, opened his mouth, shut it, and then shook his head. “I don't know the particulars, but I suspect your boss does. And maybe Detective Fuller too.”

Dani narrowed her eyes at the doctor and then gave up. If he knew something, which she wasn't sure he did, he wasn't going to tell her.

“So, what's the prognosis?” she asked, closing her eyes.

He sighed. “If this were a normal heart attack, I'd say you should be up and moving around within the next few hours to prevent any further clotting.”

“But?” Dani prompted.

“But you didn't have a normal heart attack. There is no clogging of your arteries, no plaque beyond what we would expect in someone of your age and in the shape you're in. Your attack seems to have been brought on by some sort of massive stress. Like something interfered with the beating of your heart. I don't even like calling it a heart attack, but that's about as close as we can get to putting a name to what happened.”

Dani blinked. The stress part she could understand but what brought it on? Was it meeting Frey for the first time since her parents had been killed? Was it what he'd told her? Or was it something else?

“So, what does that mean?”

“That means we keep you hooked up to that EKG,” he said with a nod toward the machine. “When you feel up for it, we'll get you up and see what happens. That's all I can say for now. Once we see how you react to being on your feet, we can do another assessment and make a plan from there.”

“What if I'm ready to get up now?” she asked.

The doctor raised an eyebrow at her.

“Okay,” Dani said. “I admit, I'm not. It's an effort to breathe. But when will I know?”

“Let's continue to rest for at least a few more hours. You can try stretching your arms, flexing your legs and, if that goes well and you feel up for it, we'll try to get you out of bed sometime tonight.”

It wasn't what Dani wanted to hear, but then again, she didn't feel like getting up, so maybe the doctor wasn't too off base. She nodded in acquiescence.

“Let us know if you need anything,” his features softened when he spoke his final words.

Dani gave him a smile and he turned to leave.

“Oh,” he said turning back, holding the door handle in his hand. “You've had a lot of people hanging out to visit. So far, your sister and Detective Fuller have run everyone away. I'd let them keep running that interference until you feel up to more.”

As if on cue, Sammy and Ty all but fell into the room when the doctor opened the door.

Dani bit her cheeks to keep from laughing, it wouldn't do to laugh at the two people who meant the most to her in the whole world. The two people who looked like they had sat by her side since the moment of her arrival. For Ty, it had probably been even longer than that, assuming he'd come on the helicopter with her.

The door hadn't even closed when Sammy and Ty made it to her side. They looked at her, so relieved they were unable to speak. And then they both started speaking at once.

Which made Dani laugh. It wasn't a strong laugh, or a belly laugh—her chest felt too heavy for that—but it was real. And it made her think everything would work out fine. She didn't know how, but she knew it would.

“How are you?” her sister asked when Ty graciously stopped talking.

“I'm tired. Really tired,” she answered. They deserved her honesty. “And sore. But other than that, I'm feeling okay. Glad to be here,” she added with small smile.

“You have no idea,” Ty muttered and squeezed her hand.

“Can I get you anything?” Sammy asked.

“Maybe some water?” Instead of Sammy getting it, Ty stood and poured her a cup from the yellow plastic pitcher that stood on the bedside table. After placing a straw in it, he held it to her lips.

Dani looked at the straw and then summoned more energy than she thought she had to raise her hand. Once she'd pulled it off the bed, she found moving it wasn't so hard. Still, she didn't think she could hold the cup on her own so, rather than take it from Ty, she wrapped her fingers around his and took a sip.

When she finished, he placed the cup on the table and perched on the bed next to her, taking her hand between his and setting it in his lap.

“Do you want to rest?” he asked. Dani thought about this for a long minute. The idea of closing her eyes and slipping back into sleep sounded heavenly. It would be so easy. But her sister's anxious expression and Ty's furrowed brow, along with her own curiosity, weighed heavier on her. She shook her head.

“Tell me, what happened?” she asked Ty. She watched as Ty and Sammy exchanged a look and waited. “I let him get away, didn't I?” The moment she spoke, she knew it was true. She'd had the chance to disable him and the boat but she hadn't done either. No, she had wanted answers and because she let her own needs interfere with the mission, she had let the man who'd killed her parents get away.

“It was a weapon,” Ty said, answering her first question. “It's at the weapons lab. You can be sure Drew is driving the forensics. But it's about the size of a chestnut and it caused a shock wave to travel through your body and interrupt your heartbeat.”

Dani frowned. “It must have been short range, because I wasn't the only one in the cave. I heard you. I assume Drew was nearby. And Frey—he was there, too.”

Ty's eyes slid toward the window and Dani could see he was weighing what he should tell her. “Ty,” she said in warning. In response, he and Sammy exchanged yet another look.

“It hit me, too,” he said as he exhaled. “Not as much as it hit you, but I could feel it. It felt like what you would imagine it would feel like. I felt my heartbeat become erratic, breathing became hard, and I had to slow down for a minute to get my bearings. Drew was far enough behind me that he only felt a moment of dizziness. And as for Frey, the only thing we can figure is that he'd ducked behind the sides of the metal boat.

“By the time I made it to you, all I could see was the wake of Frey's boat and your body lying on the beach. I'm sure I don't need to tell you what my priorities were at that time.”

Dani closed her eyes and absorbed the information, telling herself over and over again it would be okay, that Ty was there. He was fine. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

“You're okay?' she said, mostly to make herself feel better. He nodded, raised her hand to his lips, and gave her a gentle kiss.

“What about Cotter?” she asked, remembering with a start that she had come across him in the cave, unconscious and barely breathing.

“He's fine,” Ty answered, reaching out to stroke her hair. “He's down the hall. He was already regaining consciousness when we got to him in the cave. He's even been in here to check on you.”

“And everyone else?”

“Everyone is fine.” Ty said. “We got Getz and his men. We confiscated a lot of drugs and a lot of arms. Sonny and the Eagle's Wing group are all being held as well. I don't know the specifics because I've been a little preoccupied,” he gave her a half smile before continuing. “But, I know Drew is chomping at the bit to see you and he'll have more information.”

“But I let him get away, didn't I?” she repeated.

Ty pressed his lips together.

“I don't know, Dani,” he said. “Like I said, Drew will know more. I wish I had more to tell you, but I don't. I've been more concerned about you than Frey, but Drew will be here soon.”

“Jason and Karen and Andrew are all waiting, too,” Sammy jumped in. “I've had to kick them out more than once,” she added, her grip still tight on Dani's hand.

Dani looked at her sister. Looked at the face that mirrored her own yet seemed so different. There was always a kindness, a softness that Dani knew she didn't possess. Sammy's face was always welcome and open, ready with a quick smile, whereas Dani knew her own eyes communicated a distance, a warning to others to stay away. But still, she admitted to herself, while she couldn't have changed the events of all those years ago, she could have handled it differently. She could have talked to her sister or to Karen. She could have asked for help rather than turn it away every time it was offered.

Looking into her sister's face, Dani knew Sammy had been told about Frey. She could see it in her eyes. But she also knew neither Drew nor Ty would tell Sammy the whole story. And it was time that she and Sammy talked about it.

Dani switched her gaze to Ty and, as if reading her mind, he shook his head. “Dani, you're tired. You should rest.”

She didn't disagree but she needed to talk with her sister even more. “I need to, Ty,” was all she said. He studied her face for a long moment, then swore to himself and stood.

“Promise you won't push yourself,” he said, stroking her cheek.

She gave him a small, private smile and nodded.

“I'll be outside,” he said as he brushed his lips against hers and then again against her cheek, where he paused for a second. “Go easy on yourself,” he added as he was leaving.

“Dani?” Sammy prompted, concern etched on her face. Dani took a deep breath and answered.

* * *



Twenty minutes. That was how much time Ty decided he'd give Sam and Dani. He didn't doubt they needed more—Dani had years of memories to talk about—but it was all he was going to give them. Dani needed to rest. He'd never seen anyone who was so full of life, so ready to take on the world, look so pale. He couldn't keep his anxiety in check when he remembered finding her in that cave less than two days ago. Just thinking about it, and the intervening hours, caused his heart rate to kick up and he had to remind himself to take deep, calming breaths.

The breathing did get his pulse under control, but still, the niggling sense of panic he felt when he stepped away from Dani wouldn't leave. He knew he was acting like a mother hen but, as much as Dani needed to rest and be taken care of, he needed to know she would be okay. So he hovered by the door, not near enough to hear what the two women inside were saying, but close enough to hear the timber of Dani's voice.

It was there that the Carmichael family found him. Ty spotted Drew first and shoved aside his instinct to tell the man to go away. He liked Drew, knew Drew was here as Dani's family, not her boss, but he also knew Dani would press Drew for information about Frey. Next came Jason, Andrew Sr., and Karen. They were a formidable family. All of the men clocking in at over six feet and Karen just a sliver shorter. All were attractive and had the look of the elite about them. Not arrogant or forced, but poised, confident, and self-assured of their place in this world.

Ty greeted the family as they approached, but he stopped Drew from opening the door to Dani's room. In response, Drew raised an eyebrow in question.

“Sammy called a few minutes ago, I thought she was awake?” Karen asked, concerned.

“She is. The doctor was in. She seems to be okay, seems to have pulled through okay, though she's tired. So tired she can hardly move.”

“Then we'll be quick,” Drew responded, moving toward the door again.

“She's talking to Sam,” Ty spoke, holding Drew's gaze. After a few seconds, Drew got the message and swore as he let his hand fall from the door.

“Drew?” Karen prompted.

Drew shook his head and took a deep breath. “She's talking to Sammy about the day Nicholas Frey killed their parents.”

Karen frowned and glanced at her husband who looked just as concerned. “I thought she didn't remember any of that day? Did it come back to her?”

Drew shoved his hands in his pockets and studied the floor before answering. “She remembers. She's always remembered,” he said.

Ty watched the elder Carmichaels absorb this bit of information and, when the truth of the matter hit them, he heard Karen suck in a quick breath and Andrew mumble something.

“But why didn't she ever say anything? Why didn't she come and talk to me? To anyone?” Karen's voice sounded both hurt and concerned. And when Drew didn't answer, Ty saw her eyes narrow on her elder son as she realized the truth. “She did tell someone. She told you.”

Drew nodded. “When she was fifteen. Two years later, she told me.”

“And you didn't tell anyone, son,” Andrew responded.

“I thought it was for the best at the time. She'd been so sick for so long. I thought if I kept her secret, as long as she was getting better that was the important thing,” Drew defended himself, though it was clear to Ty that, even now, the man doubted the wisdom of the decision.

Dani had been a young girl, hurting, sick, and trying to come to grips with the brutal murder of her parents when she'd spoken to him. She wasn't the woman she was now. She wasn't strong and capable. Had he hurt her more by not trying to convince her to talk to someone, anyone else about what she had seen? He had worked on getting her physically better and mentally stronger, but what about emotionally? How much had he helped her build that wall around herself?

Ty wasn't the only one who witnessed the internal struggle playing across Drew's anguished features. Karen sighed as she stepped forward and hugged her son. “We all did the best we could. We all did what she would let us. Maybe we all could have done a little more, but maybe not. If she's in there talking with Sammy now, it's a start.”

“How long have they been in there?” Jason asked. Ty couldn't help but notice that not only was Jason concerned about Dani, it was obvious he was now worried about his wife as well. About what she was hearing behind that closed door.

Ty glanced at his watch. “About fifteen minutes,” he answered. The five of them shared an uneasy silence for a few more minutes before Sam opened the door. Her eyes were red but she also wore a tentative smile.

Ty felt a moment of envy when her eyes sought and found her husband.

“You okay?” he asked, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her. Sam nodded against his chest, sniffed, and then pulled back.

“She's tired,” she started. “But I know she wants to see everyone, if only to make you all feel better.” Sam's grin was broader this time. “I think it will be too much if everyone goes in so Karen and Andrew, why don't you go in first. I'll stay out here with Jason and Drew.” Then turning to Ty she added, “I don't think I need to say this but she asked that you go back in first. And stay. With her,” she tacked on. Ty wasn't going anywhere and he wasn't going to let Dani exhaust herself to make everyone else feel better.

“Give me a few minutes?” he asked as he reached for the door. He saw the family open their mouths to protest but Sam cut them off.

“Of course. I'll send Karen and Andrew in a few minutes.” The smile she gave him was affectionate and knowing and he didn't have to wonder if she knew how he felt about her sister.

“Ty?” Dani's voice was weak in the dim light of the room.

“I'm here,” he replied stepping forward and taking her hand. He sat next to her on the bed and they looked at each other.

“How do you feel?” he asked. Dani took a deep breath and let it out. He wasn't asking about her physical health and they both knew it.

“After so many years of not talking about what I saw that day, it was hard to tell you. But it was harder to tell her. Not only does she now know what happened to mom and dad, she has to live knowing I kept a secret from her all these years.” Ty squeezed her hand in support and she looked back at him.

“We're close. I know we're supposed to be close because we're twins and all, but we're even closer than most, I think. My parents' deaths might have had something to do with that, but I think we were like that even before they died. I just always remember telling her everything, of being there for each other. Once I got over being sick, once I decided to rejoin the land of the living, Sammy and I rebuilt our relationship. She knows everything about me, but still, I held that part of me back. I didn't trust her enough to tell her.” The sadness in Dani's voice was palpable. Wanting to make it better and needing to be beside her, Ty shifted her and slid onto the bed. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he held her with her head tucked against his chest.

“I think you did what you thought was best. You didn't want her to hurt like you did,” he said.

“I know. But she did. She did hurt. I thought she wouldn't be able to handle what I would say so I decided I was protecting her by not telling her. But all along I was protecting myself from not having to confront both what happened that day and my own feelings. And in the meantime, she's spent years wondering what happened.”

“But you told her now,” Ty said, stroking her hand that lay flat on his chest. “It's a start.”

Dani sighed and moved closer to him. “Yes, it's a start. She wants us to ‘see someone’ together.” Ty felt Dani smile at this statement. “She said it's time to stop living in an ‘emotionally barren world.’ Her words, not mine.”

Ty chuckled at this. Dani and Sam were more alike than not. If the situation was reversed, Ty had no doubt Dani would be not-so-gently prodding her sister to do the same. Given the details of what Dani was dealing with, Sam's insistence might seems callous, but Dani had been living with everything locked up long enough, the time for babying her was long over.

“How do you feel about that?” he asked. Dani thought about this for a long moment, tracing unseen patterns with her finger across his t-shirt.

“If she'd said something like that a month ago, I would have laughed at her. But now,” she paused, looking for the right words. “But now, I know she's right because, up until about month ago, I was living in an emotionally barren world. Meeting you has changed me, I'm not sure why, but I do know how. It's made me realize how much I've cut myself off from other people.”

“You don't know why?” Ty teased, knowing this conversation wasn't easy for Dani and not wanting to press her. “It's not my stunning good looks?”

Dani laughed and raised herself up to look him in the eye. “Well, you are easy on the eyes, Fuller,” she said with a smile. “But in all honesty, I've been with other good looking men, smart men, capable men and, before that frown becomes permanent,” she grinned at his scowl, “not a single one made me want to look at my life and see what I'd been missing. Not a single one made me acutely aware of my emotional deficiencies, and not a single one ever inspired me to change them. You do. So, I guess I can see her point,” she continued, reflecting on Sam's comments. “My life was emotionally barren. Now I think I might be getting there. Or at least letting myself contemplate getting there. With you.”

Ty studied the woman who held his eyes. She was the same strong, capable woman he had met a few weeks ago in the bar. The same woman he'd taken home. The same woman he had spent that one amazing night with. But her eyes were now different. They were open and exposed and showing him her vulnerability. Her vulnerability and her desire to start trying to live a different life. Not altogether different, but different enough to allow him—to allow herself to want him—as a part of it.

“Ella,” was all he could say as he framed her face and brushed his lips against hers in a gentle promise.

“I see you're not quite as immobile as I was led to believe.” Drew's dry voice startled the couple apart.

Rather than rolling back onto her back, Dani tucked herself on her side next to Ty and grinned. Drew was eyeing Ty, no doubt debating whether or not to suggest Ty leave so Dani could rest.

“How could I possibly be immobile with this hunk of manliness lying next to me,” she shot back, making Ty laugh out loud and Drew roll his eyes.

“I take it you're here for the long haul?” Drew asked Ty.

Ty stroked Dani's back through the blankets and looked at her. “I don't know, am I here for the long haul?” he asked with a smile playing on his lips. In response, Dani snuggled even closer.

“Definitely here for the long haul,” she answered. Ty raised his gaze to Drew, who was watching Dani like he'd never seen her before.

“You heard her. And we all know what Dani's like when she wants something,” Ty grinned at the look of confusion in Drew's expression. Not confusion about him and Dani, but about how he should react. He could see it in Drew's face, the need to protect her like an older brother, the role he'd had for so long, warring with the realization that maybe the best way to help her was to encourage her to open up with someone else.

Drew made a noncommittal grunt and sat down. “Sammy decided I should come in first. I think she figured you wouldn't have as much time to assault me with work questions with my mom and dad waiting to talk to you.”

“So, talk quick,” Dani prompted, though her body was feeling the strain of fatigue. Drew must have seen it too because he hesitated before starting.

“I'm sure Ty gave you the basics of the weapon Frey used. It's still at the lab and the lab techs are having a field day with it. You know Cotter is fine. Getz and the Eagle's Wing folks are all locked up. I'm heading up there tonight to do some follow up.”

“Any update on Sonny?” Dani asked, her eyes closed but still following the conversation.

Drew shook his head, and then added, “No,” when he realized she couldn't see him. “He wasn't talking when I left this morning. I'm going to see him again tonight. We'll see.”

“Tell him about my parents, Drew.” When Drew didn't answer, she continued. “I told him already. When he was in the boathouse. I told him Frey had killed my parents. He must have seen the truth in my face because he's the one who showed me where Frey had gone.”

“He what?” both men demanded at the same time. Drew sitting up and Ty drawing back to get a better look at her.

“He told me,” she said over a yawn. “Well, he showed me, with his eyes anyway,” she corrected, and then told them how Sonny had pointed her toward the cliff where Frey and Cotter had taken off.

“Interesting,” Drew said, relaxing back into the chair.

“Sounds like he was beginning to crack,” Ty added, lost in thought, exploring the possibilities in his mind.

“Tell him everything, Drew. I think if you tell him everything, and I do mean everything, he'll come around. Tell him about my parents, about what Frey said to me in the cave, about his father and the work he did for us. Don't leave a thing out. He's a smart kid, he'll know if you're only giving him partial information and he's been played enough that he'll back off if he senses it.”

“I don't know what Frey said to you in the cave,” Drew said, hesitant to even raise the point when Dani had just regained consciousness.

“Drew,” Ty warned. Dani sighed and patted his chest.

“It's okay. I'm tired but as long as I don't move much, I think I can tell you everything.”

“Dani,” Ty switched gears in protest.

“Just give me a minute,” she said closing her eyes and taking a minute to rest before telling them everything Frey had told her. When she finished, she opened her eyes and looked at the two men. She looked pale and exhausted and Ty felt a wave of irritation that Drew had let her talk herself into that state.

“That's enough,” Ty cut Drew off as he was about to say something. Ty didn't know what he was going to say but, whatever it was, it could wait. He saw a muscle twitch in Drew's jaw, but Ty couldn't have cared less about how pissed off Drew might get.

Drew gave a curt nod and stood. Walking over to the other side of the bed, he bent and kissed Dani's cheek. Dani grabbed his hand as he straightened away. “I know I let him get away.” The raw emotion in her voice tore at Ty. Drew looked at her, a moment of confusion crossing his expression, and then he frowned and shook his head.

“No, Dani. There was nothing you could have done short of shooting him on sight. Judging by where the weapon fell, we think it just tumbled out of his hands. He had it ready and the moment you made any move toward him, he was ready to set the weapon off. I don't recommend talking to people like Frey,” he commented with a wry smile, “but in this case it was the right thing to do. He was going to do what he was going to do. This way, we at least have some additional information about him.”

Ty watched Dani study Drew, looking for any falsehoods. She gave him a soft smile. “Thank you.”

“Get better Danielle Gabriella,” he ordered. “I'll send my parents in,” he added as he stepped out.