Chapter Seven


When I was a little girl I thought there was only one true love for each person – the perfect match. As an adult I figured it had to be two because I had Stone and then Jason and each one fit and no one since has measured up to what I had with either of them. It made sense because my mother had my father and Duke. Felicia had Frisco and Mac. Brenda had Sonny and Jax. I could go on and on about the proof in my own life. Lately, though, I've been wondering if I'm still wrong and that's because I've met someone. Not a love at first sight, I must have him kind of someone. Actually, it's the exact opposite. He's the most arrogant, pompous, irritating, infuriating jackass I've ever met (outside France), but something about him just gets to me despite what I see on the surface. Maybe it's because I met his father first, but I sense that we have a lot in common. As much as I'll deny it out loud, I think that I could fall in love with Patrick Drake.

Anna Devane sat at the counter in the kitchen, a mug of cold coffee cradled in her hands. The contents of the envelope Sean Donely had brought spread out around her on the grey, granite breakfast bar. She had been on the phone for hours already with her contacts throughout the world. The responses she was getting were far from satisfying. In fact, they were downright suspicious.

"Did you get any sleep last night?"

Noah Drake's raspy morning voice cut through Anna's concentration. She turned her head to see her handsome and unshaven host walking into the kitchen wearing a pair of blue scrub pants and a gray wife beater tee. She wasn't surprised to see the Celtic inspired tattoo on his arm since it had come up in the background check she had run on him when she found out about Robin's involvement with the man's son, but despite the photos she hadn't expected to find it and him so attractive.

"My daughter is out there, Dr. Drake, sleep is not an option right now."

"Noah," Noah corrected for the umpteenth time as he put a fresh mug of coffee down and took the cold one out of Anna's hands. "Does that mean you don't believe your colleague's preposterous claim that Robin ran off on a vacation?"

"I take it you don't?" Anna's clipped English voice held a hint curiosity and approval. She, unlike her host, was dressed for the day already in tan slacks and a dark brown silk button down shirt.

"I may not know Robin as well as you do, but I know Robin. She's honest, bold, brave, thoughtful and compassionate. And a whole heck of a lot of other qualities including stubborn as hell. She wouldn't run off leaving people behind to worry about her."

Anna nodded in agreement and picked up the photo of Robin at the ATM. "Photos are easily faked." Anna's lips pursed.

"Especially by an international spy agency. Omelet?"

"You can cook?" Anna put the photo down and turned around to watch Noah at the stove heating up a skillet. Her lips were curved into a smile.

"These hands are good for something besides surgery and holding a bottle of booze." Noah looked at Anna to see what her reaction would be to his words. He continued when he saw she wasn't surprised. "Did you know from Robin or a background check?"

Anna gave him a half smile. "I like to know who my daughter invests her time in. I wasn't around for much of her life and she fell prey to influences that did not act in her best interest. It wasn't personal."

"I'm not offended." Noah broke eggs into a glass bowl. "Robin isn't my daughter, but I love her like one. For herself and not just because my son is in love with her."

"I don't think your son has quite put it that way himself," Anna said tartly.

"He's not ready to admit it yet." Noah poured the eggs into the heated skillet and turned to face Anna again. "He won't have a choice now and it may make him act…"

"Like a jerk? You know, from what I've heard Patrick is a lot like you were before you settled down."

Noah grinned proudly as he sliced cheese. "There's some truth to that, although the motivations were different." He began to lay the strips on the eggs. "I was rebelling against my father the senator and looking for the right woman, who I found in Patrick's mother. Patrick is just afraid to love because of how badly I handled the loss of his mother. He's afraid he'll crash and burn like I did. He doesn't understand yet that he is a much better man than I ever was or could be."

"It doesn't seem like he's a better man from where I'm standing," Anna said quietly.

Noah shot her a surprised look. "I fell apart after my wife died. I abandoned my son. You know all this."

"And you admit your mistakes. That counts for a lot in my book. It's a lot more than Robin's father has done." Anna and Noah's eyes locked.

"Patrick may not want to love, but he does. And when Robin comes home he will be the man my wife raised him to be and stand up to that. She is coming home, Anna. Whatever has happened, she is coming back to us. To him."

Anna smiled her gratitude and stood up and began to gather plates and silverware, working around Noah who was at the stove. "You know, Noah, we might just end up in-laws."

Noah folded the omelet and flipped it with the flick of his wrist. He then split the omelet and put each half on the plates Anna held up. "That means we'll be spending a lot of time together in the future." He smiled slyly at her. "I, for one, don't mind a bit."


"What I don't understand is why someone who claims to love Robin and who you trust." Noah paused when Anna scrunched her face up.

"Sort of." Anna waved her hand. "The WSB and I have a checkered history."

"Someone you kind of trust would lie about Robin's whereabouts. It's almost like he's keeping you off track for some reason. Assuming this is all fake."

Anna and Noah were each sitting on one end of the couch facing each other. Anna's legs were curled up while Noah was sitting with his bare feet on the coffee table and his jean-clad knees bent up.

"Yes, keeping us off track, but why? And why can't I find her deadbeat father?"

"Do you think that's connected?" Noah took a sip from his glass of water and then leaned forward to put it back on the cherry wood coffee table.

Anna's eyes drifted down to his Steve Miller Band T-shirt and her lips quirked into a smile. "He claims he's not with the WSB anymore, but…"

"You don't believe him," Noah finished for her.

"You worked with him during the epidemic. Who did you think he really working for?"

"I thought that he was still bad at managing people and was very worried for his daughter. As to who he worked for…" Noah stopped and pursed his lips. "Now that I think of it, he was using a hospital phone to call whoever it was he was reporting to."

"And there might be phone records." Anna picked up her cell phone and pressed a button. "Aidan. Can you get phone records of calls in and out of General Hospital for the period during the epidemic? Robert was calling someone, let's find out whom." She listened while he told her something. "Good idea. See you soon." She hung up the phone and dropped it on the couch.

"Did he find anything?"

"Not yet. He's double-checking Sean's information. He's on his way up." Anna jumped up and began pacing. "We're missing something. I hate this sitting around here. I need to be out there looking for my daughter."

"Hey. Hey." Noah stood up and put his hand on Anna's arm, stopping her agitated pacing. "Look at me. Robin is fine. She will remain fine and she will come home to us. If I can do nothing else I'll keep repeating that until she's in your arms."

Anna bit her lips, swallowed and looked at Noah's hand on her silk-clad arm. He released his hold and slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans. She took a deep breath. "Thank you." She was still looking into Noah's confident, dark eyes when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Noah walked over to the door, looked through the peephole and then opened the door to admit Aidan.

Aidan sensed tension in the air right away. He looked from Dr. Drake to his aunt and back again. Finding nothing illuminating he walked over to Anna and handed her the file he had been compiling.

"I called that friend of yours and had him run his own check on Robin's credit and debit cards. He came up with the same information as your buddy Sean."

"That's a good thing, right?" Noah walked forward and looked over Anna's shoulder at the file Aidan had handed her.

"It's a good thing if the information is valid and Robin is really on a spur of the moment vacation," Anna drawled and dropped the file onto the coffee table. "This kind of information is easily faked, especially by the WSB or someone else who might have Robin."

"What now?" Noah asked.

"Nothing beats in-person identification. We didn't find anyone in New Hampshire who recognized Robin, but it makes sense if she didn't hang around. I'll go and retrace her trail."

Noah put his hand to his lips, thinking, as Anna and Aidan discussed logistics. "Could Patrick go with you?" he said when they reached a lull in the conversation.

Anna and Aidan looked at each other questioningly. "He could be of help," Aidan said. Then he thought for a moment. "It'll be good to have another pair of eyes and someone so invested in finding Robin. I'll make sure he's safe."

"Good, he needs to be doing something to help Robin. I'll take care of his load at the hospital," Noah said. "What are you going to do, Anna? Anything I can help with?"

"I'm going to keep trying to get in touch with Brenda. It's strange that we haven't heard back from her yet. I'll continue to tap my contacts to try and find Robert and I'll keep working on Sean Donely and see if he knows more than he's telling." Anna looked at the handsome doctor. "Keep your ears open at the hospital. Maybe Robin said something to someone about something."

Noah nodded. "It's confidential information so Mac won't be able to but I can get a list of what and who she's been working on for the past…month?"

"Make it since before the epidemic and don't get caught. Robin will never forgive us if we get your medical license revoked," Anna said.

"I wouldn't have a medical license or a life without Robin. I don't have anything to lose. I'll call Patrick and see where he is." Noah picked up the phone and dialed his son's number.