Chapter Five

      Alana knew she should be bracing herself for the meeting with her brother and the two people who’d held her captive. She should also be preparing for a fight in case Margaret and Ted attempted to apprehend her.

      But she had trouble focusing.

      The fever and drugs weren’t to blame this time. Her thoughts were scattered. Only moments earlier she’d seen her son.

      “Joey,” she said under her breath.

      Just that glimpse of him had been enough for her to know this child was hers. Love was instant. Strong. And she would use that love to give her strength. She would get her son back. But first, she had to deal with the three obstacles coming her way.

      Four, she corrected.

      Because Jack might turn out to be the biggest obstacle of all.

      “Alana,” her brother greeted, but there was no warmth in it. Not that she expected it from him. Sean was her only living brother, but over the years, they’d become more business partners than siblings. And because he was older, he had declared himself her boss and keeper.

      “Why don’t we take this into the room?” Jack suggested. He looked back at his deputy. “Stay close just in case.”

      Alana wasn’t leaving with her brother, Margaret or Ted, and she would use physical force if necessary to stop them from taking her.

      With the hulking deputy choosing to wait outside the door, they filed into her hospital room, each casting glances at her. She threw some glances right back at them.

      “Where do I start?” she mumbled. She had a list of questions and accusations. She decided to begin with Ted because she could still feel his hands on her when he tried to grab her in the alley. “Explain what you were trying to do to me last night.”

      Ted’s Adam’s apple bobbed on his thin throat. It was the only thing thin about him. He had bulky shoulders and arms, and his shaved head made him seem even more fearsome. “I was trying to do my job and bring you back to the Sauder facility.”

      “So you admit you were here in Willow Ridge?” Jack asked.

      “Of course. Ms. Davis is a patient, and it’s my job to make sure she stays confined until the judge says differently. We were instructed that she could be a danger to herself and others.”

      That must have been Margaret’s cue to bring out the paper she had tucked beneath her arm. Like Ted, Margaret was no lightweight. She was close to six feet tall and had an athletic build. There’d been times when Margaret had held her down and forced her to take the sedating drugs.

      “And here’s a notice from the judge that your confinement has not been terminated,” Margaret announced. “I had him fax it to the hospital so I could show you.” There was a victorious glimmer in her ice-gray eyes when she looked at Alana. “That means you’re to be returned to Sauder immediately.”