26-

The rest of the day dragged on. For the first time since she'd gotten the job at the hospital Darcy was happy when they decided to cut her free early – at seven instead of eight. It had just been a slow day and there wasn't much going on to keep her busy. She had called Pete to cancel dinner. He'd been understanding but distracted. That worked in her favor because Darcy honestly did not look forward to explaining why.

Of course she was stuck at the hospital until eight anyway, since that's when Mark had said he'd be back. She was wishing she'd thought to bring a book so she could study for an hour when Pete poked his head into the nurse's lounge.

"Busy?"

"Nope. I'm off." Darcy smiled. Pete looked exhausted. His day had been busier than hers, obviously, which wasn't unheard of in pediatrics.

"Lucky. I'm stuck here until next Wednesday. Wanna grab a coffee with me?"

"Sure." Darcy shrugged and got up from the couch. She had an hour to kill. Although she didn't drink coffee – the taste had never really grown on her. Pete pointed her to a table in the nearly deserted cafeteria and went to get them both something to drink. It only took a minute before he returned with a steaming cup of coffee for himself and a soda for her. "You stuck here all night?" She asked, taking a sip.

"Nah. I have the pager." He smiled ruefully. "Of course it's just easier to sleep in one of the lounges. We've got eight post-surgery kids on the ward tonight. Tonsils. Every one of them."

"Yikes." Darcy grinned and drank more of her soda. She hadn't realized how thirsty she had been until she started drinking. "We had a slow day."

"Good. You need a few of those every now and then." He smiled when she drained her cup. "Sorry about dinner tonight though. I was really looking forward to it."

"I know. I'm sorry." Darcy smiled apologetically.

"Plans change." He shrugged and drank more of his coffee. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good." Her smile was more genuine. But she couldn't hold onto it. Because now that he'd asked, her stomach did feel a little queasy. She was also starting to feel light-headed.

"Good. You look a little pale."

"It's the lighting in here." Darcy tried to joke but a wave of dizziness washed over her. "Oh. Ok…maybe I am a little off."

"Working yourself to death. I warned you." Pete finished his coffee and looked at her in concern. "Do you have a way home?"

"I…" It was on the tip of her tongue to say no but then she remembered Mark. "Yeah. But not until eight."

"Well. I'll give you a lift. You don't need to stay here if you aren't feeling well. And I'm sure Mark will find you if you aren't here waiting on him."

Darcy nodded and wished she hadn't. It made the room spin. She managed to walk out to the hall by herself but didn't protest when Pete took her arm and let her lean on him.

She felt hot and cold at the same time. The hall seemed to sway every time she took a step. It wasn't until they got outside and he guided her toward the parking garage that it struck Darcy, what Pete had said.

"How did you know his name?"

"Hmm?" Pete was intent on leading her without her falling down.

"You said Mark would find me. How did you…" Her legs buckled. Pete caught her easily and held her steady. They reached the parking garage and Pete steered her toward his vehicle. Darcy merely looked at it for a moment before looking up into Pete's eyes. He was smiling down at her.

"I know because I saw him leaving earlier. And then you called. Believe it or not, Darcy, I am very good at putting two and two together."

He was still leading her toward his vehicle. His truck. Under the lights of the parking garage it was a deep blue. Darcy tried to focus and remembered Glen saying something about a blue truck but her head was swimming too much to concentrate.

"Wait…"

"You know what's funny? It's a lot easier this time." They had reached his truck. He opened the passenger door and lifted Darcy inside, then belted her in before he slammed the door and jogged around to the driver's side. Darcy tried to open her door but she could hardly move. Pete's door slammed shut, making Darcy jump. "He took something from me. I'm going to take something from him. I had to wait to be sure you were the right one this time. Didn't want to make the mistake I made when I ran your friend off the road." Pete smiled again and it sent a chill through Darcy. "I was just angry at the time. If I'd been paying attention I would have seen it wasn't you. It was way too easy." He started the truck and dropped it into gear. "This way I can be sure. You know – I almost wasn't. I almost decided that he'd done the smart thing and moved on. Guess it pays to be patient." He was smiling again as he paused for traffic before pulling onto the road, and reached over to run his fingers over Darcy's cheek. She would have pulled away but she was shaking too hard; she was nauseous as well. "Of course I never thought he was all that smart." He drove onto the highway and gained speed.

"But…I don't…"

"Of course you don't." Pete reached over and gave her leg a rub. "Don't worry. You'll probably sleep for a little while and you'll feel better when you wake up."

"What did you give me?"

"A little of this. A little of that. Mixed it in your drink. That trusting nature of yours made it way too easy." He glanced at her again. "We're going to have a little fun when you're better. It would be easier when you're out, but what the hell? I'm up for the challenge. And you might enjoy it."

"Why are you doing this?" Darcy asked. She could barely keep her eyes open. She was fighting it but losing the battle.

"I thought I made that obvious." Pete said. He still had his hand on her leg. He continued to stroke her thigh. If Darcy hadn't already been nauseous it would have made her sick. "See, I was just a broke-ass kid trying to work my way through community college. Didn't have the money to go to one of the good schools you know. I got accepted to medical school – my grades were good enough, but not great. I couldn't get a scholarship. I figured what the hell, I'll just keep on working while I'm in school how hard could it be? I barely finished my first year. I could work to pay for school but I didn't have time to study, and I almost flunked out. I was trying to figure out what to do when I met Jezzie. She was all excited, thinking I was gonna be a doctor. We made plans. Lots of plans." He sighed. "And then I got her pregnant. You'd have thought it was the end of the world!" Pete laughed without humor. "And do you know what she did? She couldn't stand waiting for me to start making money. She came up with this bright idea to pin the baby on one of her exes. He had money. She said he'd pay her to go away."

Pete turned off the highway. Darcy had no idea where they were now. Full dark had fallen and she didn't recognize any landmarks. "Jezzie thought she was being smart. But I knew what she was doing. She wanted his money because her daddy wouldn't support her anymore. She wanted to win him back. She dropped something…I think it was Oxy, her neighbor was always pissing and moaning about how she worried her pills would get stolen…into his drink. She didn't know that I knew all this you see – but I heard her talking. She was going to dope him up, seduce him, and convince him to marry her. Or at least take care of her. I couldn't let that happen. I loved her."

"You caused the wreck." Darcy said softly. She yawned. Pete looked at her and smiled.

"A minor miscalculation. I didn't know that Jezzie was going to be with him. She was supposed to work until close. I knew he was at the bar. And I knew the road he always took to go home. Jezzie was a mistake."

"You killed her. You killed her and the baby."

"No. Mark killed her." Pete's smile faded and he frowned darkly. "It was his fault. If he'd just gone away and let us be…"

"He didn't start this."

"He did. I was sick and tired of hearing about it. Mark had money. Mark had plans. Mark would do anything Jezzie wanted if she asked nice enough." Pete's fist hit the steering wheel. "She wasn't supposed to be with him that night!" He got his emotions under control once more. "It wasn't until after the trial that Jezzie's father approached me. He knew. He figured it out. And he covered it up!" Pete laughed. "He hated Mark. Hated him more than I did! And do you know why?"

"No…" Darcy whispered.

"It's the best part. Hilarious really. He hated him because Mark's father managed to steal his mother out from under Michael's nose when they were kids!" Pete laughed and squeezed her leg. "Michael told me that he'd pay for my schooling if I'd be willing to 'finish what I started'. I couldn't turn it down. Mark's money pretty much paid for my training. I find that even funnier than Michael's pitiful revenge fantasy. All it required was for me to be patient. And then Mark got out of jail and disappeared. Of course it didn't take much to track him down. Michael hired a private investigator. It took all of an hour to transfer to this university. And then I started nosing into things on my own." He slowed and turned the truck down a rough gravel drive. Darcy winced as she was bounced in the seat, feeling her stomach flutter sickly.

Pete still had a hand on her thigh. He rubbed it again. "And what do I find? That Mark already has a replacement. He moved fast. You don't even remember seeing me at the diner! Easy enough to hide in the background and watch. Any idiot could see he was into you. And you actually bought into it." He gave her leg a pat. "Of course that worked for me. Michael sent me the bike…just to rattle him. I wish I could have seen his face." Pete laughed again. "And you had the same pattern. Every day the same time, the same road. You were late that morning. I never stopped to think that it broke your pattern." Pete shook his head and brought the truck to a halt.

They were in an open area. There was a small house at the end of the drive that looked like it had seen better days. "Found this place by accident. Nobody comes out there. There hasn't been anybody living here in about 10 years. And no neighbors. Perfect for what I need to do." It was as if he were talking to himself.

Darcy heard her teeth chattering. Pete looked at her, all concern. "Poor Darcy. Don't worry. I'll warm you up. You'll feel better after you get a little sleep. I promise." He slid out of the truck and came around to her door, pulling it open. Darcy couldn't protest. She found she could no longer even speak. It seemed like too much effort. Pete picked her up and carried her toward the sagging front porch of the house. "You didn't make it easy to get close to you. I'll give you that. But I was in no rush. If Mark was truly gone, then who knows? Maybe the two of us would have ended up together." He ducked his head and rubbed his cheek against hers. "But I had to bide my time. Because if there's one thing I've learned it's that guys like him have a way of coming back. And sure enough…" Pete sighed and kissed her on the temple. "But that's all right. I'll deal with him. And we can have ourselves a little fun in the meantime. I think you might enjoy it."

Darcy tried to protest but the drugs he'd slipped into her drink were winning out. She blinked slowly and tried to struggle as he went through the front door. She was out before he was able to lay her down on the bed in the corner of the main room. Pete watched her sleeping for a moment, smile on his face. But it did not reach his eyes. He reached under the bed and pulled out a box. The smile became more genuine as he brought out the two pairs of handcuffs he had bought just for this occasion, should the need arise. He fully expected Darcy to fight him. Being as gentle as possible, he snapped the cuffs around her wrists, then raised her arms to snap both loose cuffs together behind one of the stout oak slats that comprised the headboard. He'd tested it himself – it would hold. He had the means to keep her sedated if she became too much of a problem.

Now he only had to wait. Give Mark a few days to wonder and worry. And then maybe he'd let Darcy make a phone call. Pete smiled again and trailed a finger down her cheek, her neck, then down her body. It was all he would allow himself for the time being. He had all the time in the world to discover what made this one so damned fascinating. He merely had to be patient. Still smiling he tucked a thick blanket over Darcy's sleeping form and sat down on the edge of the bed to wait.