His audacity to call me out had a smirk tugging at the corners of my mouth. “Perhaps I wasn’t as skillful as I assumed at hiding my intentions?”
Privy to most of my business, the man merely smiled. “Perchance, you’re afraid that innocent girl,” he tipped his chin at the bedroom door, “is about to steal your ability without you even realizing it.”
His boldness had my brow jumping up. My shoulders relaxed for the first time since I walked in the front door, and a low laugh slipped past my lips. “Maybe you have a point, old chap.”
“Butlers always do. They just let their bosses think they know better.” He chuckled before his professionalism slid back into place. “Now, can I fetch you a cup of tea, sir? You look like you could do with something a lot stronger, though. A cognac, perhaps?”
My smile slight, I dragged both hands through my hair and cracked the tight tendons in my neck. “Sounds about right, John, but let’s talk a bit.”
“Very well, sir.”
I spent the next five minutes telling him how I’d met the girl at the party, the run-in with Andrew, and tonight’s incident. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Andrew does the disappearing act too. Pity I don’t have any proof yet.”
“Done,” Juliette said quietly from the doorway. When I looked at her, she lifted troubled eyes to me, pulling in a deep breath. “Whoever this girl is, she’s in a terrible state. From what I can see, they gave her specific multivitamins to keep her strength, yet little food. It’s almost like they kept her alive for some reason.”
Silence passed between us as I reentered the room with John behind me.
Juliette sighed before dropping her gaze to the sleeping girl. “Her body is covered in marks, some faded to old scars. Xavier,” she drew in a ragged breath as if trying to stem the tears glistening in her eyes, “she’s got fresh welts on her back. Cuts so deep, I’m surprised she hadn’t passed out before the head wound. I’m a doctor, I’ve trained to handle trauma, this though...” she trailed off, inhaling hard but unable to stall the silent tears that rolled down her cheeks. “You must see for yourself the magnitude of that pervert’s sickness.”
Her reaction turned my breathing into short pants. I bit my tongue to avoid cursing offensive words that would shame my genteel upbringing.
“I’ve applied some balm, wrapped them, and administered antibiotics to quell any infection. We’ll need to change them daily so they can heal quickly.” She shook her head, admiration adorning her face. “Her pain threshold for her weight is unreal. She should’ve been crawling or dead tired when you met her, not running through a forest.”
“Is it possible for a young girl to withstand pain without so much as a whimper?”
She chewed her bottom lip, her expression thoughtful. “Only if a patient has suffered heightened trauma, enough to gag their reflexes, so to speak. Leading to a potential mental block. It’s safe to say she’s been on an adrenaline high that’s kept her going.” Her eyes drifted back to the girl.
Mine followed. “Can you tell how old she is?” Judging by her reactions, I was sure her trauma was unimaginable.
Juliette looked at me, her compassion unbridled, matching mine. “God gave this child strength the devil tried to steal. He failed.” She gave me a watery smile. “Honestly, I’m not sure. By looks alone, I’d say around seventeen, eighteen, even sixteen. She could be older, though, and just malnourished. Who is she, Xavier?” I heard the heaviness in her tone.
Slowly, I shook my head, my gaze falling on the girl. “I don’t know, Juliette. I first saw her at the Blackhall party. She looked scared, flustered, out of place. My guess. She was brought there as someone’s entertainment.” Juliette understood the meaning behind my words. “Something spooked her into a panic attack, and she fled the room. I had Wilkes follow her, but apart from a sizeable home in an affluent suburb where a woman dropped her off, I saw nothing to hint at any depravity she might’ve experienced. Until tonight.” I quickly related how I’d found her on the mountaintop.
Juliette neared me and gave my arm a gentle squeeze. “I’ve hooked her up to an IV to help with the missing nourishment her body needs to heal. In my medical opinion, though, she needs a thorough check-up. One I can’t perform here. Whether she’s going to allow us to conduct one is another story. I don’t think she’ll trust anyone enough to let us touch her.”
“Do you blame her?” I gritted, angry with the bastard that did this to her.
“No. I’ve sedated her, but just be prepared for another panic attack when she wakes up. This is all new to her. A girl this old, asking for simple things like the rain, vanilla ice cream, the ocean, or has never eaten a chocolate bar, tells me she was confined for a long time. My gut tells me she was born in captivity.” We shared another look, our silent conversation filled with angered curiosity.
“Human trafficking?”
She chewed her bottom lip, her brow puckered in contemplation. “I don’t think so. These wounds say otherwise.” She pointed to the girl’s arm.
I pulled a hand through my hair, frustration clenching my jaw. “I’ll get her to the hospital for a thorough check, just not now. We have no idea who’s looking for her. The Blackhall event was all highly affluent guests, big spenders. Her presence there tells me some well-connected people might look for her. I’m not taking any chances.”
“I understand. Do you want me to stay the night?”
Rubbing a forefinger along my bottom lip, I debated the request. “I think you should, just in case I can’t calm her.”
Juliette smiled. “She’s going to respond only to you when she wakes. You’re familiar in a place where everything will be strange.”
“Hopefully,” I didn’t hide the sadness in my voice. “I think I’m being tested by the powers that be, payback for my sins—”
“Don’t talk nonsense, Xavier,” Juliette scolded. “If anything, I think she was sent to you because even though you fulfilled the needs of the Brotherhood, you never mistreated the girls. You made sure they weren’t harmed and their families handsomely rewarded.”
“Yet, it was still selfishness that drove the desire, right?” I arched a brow, daring her to argue.
And she did. “C'est des conneries,and you know it!” she scolded, calling my statement rubbish.
