Thomas managed to get them both out of the water, lifting Inez out first and then following. He crawled to her side and peered down at her face in the moonlight, frowning at her poor color. Swallowing back the fear tickling its way up his throat, he promptly set to work. Thomas tilted her head back and lifted her chin, then bent to listen for breathing. When he didn't hear anything, he pinched her nose closed, breathed into her mouth twice, and then placed the heel of his hand on her breastbone, placed his other hand on the first and pressed straight down fast and hard thirty times in a row before stopping to breathe into her mouth again, watching her chest rise as he blew in, then fall as he stopped.
"Come on, Inez," Thomas muttered as he switched back to compressions. "Don't you die on me. Come on!"
He bent to breathe into her mouth, jerking away when she suddenly began to cough. Turning her swiftly on her side, Thomas made sure her head was tilted back so her throat wasn't blocked and then simply rubbed her back as she continued to cough and began to spit up the water she'd swallowed.
When Inez finally fell back with a moan, Thomas reached down to brush away the damp hair plastered to her face and breathed out with relief.
Noting that her color was much better now, he took a moment to run his hands over her neck. Thomas was sure the other immortal hadn't got the chance to do an injury to her, but he checked anyway, relieved when her neck seemed fine.
Sitting back on his heels, he glanced up and down the path, but there was no one around. The immortal was long gone, and while he could see a couple of people walking across the bridge at the end of the path, they were far enough away they didn't even seem to notice he and Inez. Certainly no one appeared to have noticed them in the water and rushed to help.
Another moan from Inez drew his gaze back and Thomas leaned over her again. "Love?" he said quietly. "Are you awake?"
Inez's eyes fluttered open. They were full of confusion and pain until she recognized him and then relief filled her expression and she whispered, "Thomas."
"Yes, love. I'm here. You're safe now."
Her fingers clutched weakly at his hand, her eyes solemn as she gasped, "Thought would die before could tell you-"
Thomas felt his heart tighten as she broke off into a deep, painful sounding coughing fit. Slipping his arm behind her back, he lifted her into a half-sitting position, and then rubbed her back, trying to help her through it.
"Have to tell you," she gasped once it was over.
"Don't talk, love. Just rest," he insisted worriedly.
She shook her head with frustration and tried anyway. "I want you to know, I lo-"
Thomas rubbed her back again as she went into another coughing fit. He was sure she was trying to tell him she loved him, and while he wanted to hear those words more than anything in the world, he didn't want them at the expense of her health.
"You can tell me after," he assured her, scooping her into his arms once this fit ended. "When you're feeling better."
When she merely moaned and sagged weakly against his chest, Thomas held her a little closer and turned toward the stairs. He stumbled over something on the path and glanced down. Spotting her purse, Thomas stooped and rested Inez's legs on his knees as he picked it up. Fortunately, it was a zippered purse and hadn't burst open on impact. Slinging it over his shoulder, he slid his arm under her legs again and straightened to walk to the stairs.
Inez remained still and silent in his arms as he mounted the stairs. Thomas kept glancing down at her, his attention torn between the steps and his concern for her.
"Hang in there, Inez. I'll take you to a hospital. You'll be okay," he murmured.
Inez's reaction to the words was almost violent. Jerking in his arms, she raised panicked eyes to him.
"No.... No hospital," she protested, her voice hoarse and weak.
Thomas frowned at her upset, but said, "It's for the best, love. You nearly drowned."
"He'll find me," Inez cried, and the fear in her voice made his heart hurt. It also told him that the immortal hadn't bothered to wipe his taking control of her from her memories, but then, why would he bother? Thomas was sure the man had intended for her to die. He'd stake his life that he'd been about to snap her neck when he'd intervened.
Perhaps the hospital wasn't such a good idea, Thomas acknowledged. He didn't want her out of his sight for a minute from now on and couldn't guarantee they wouldn't try to separate them at the hospital or try to keep her overnight. The immortal might very well get his hands on her again and Thomas wasn't allowing that.
"No hospital," he assured her soothingly as she moved restlessly in his arms. "I'll take you back to the townhouse now."
A little sigh of relief slipped from her lips and Inez closed her eyes and went still in his arms, but her expression was still tight with fear. Thomas felt a slow rage begin to burn in him as he peered down at her.
No woman should have to live in fear, and he'd be damned if his was going to, Thomas thought grimly as he started up the stairs. The moment he had Inez back to the townhouse he was going to turn her. The immortal would still be able to read her until she was taught to put up-and keep up-guards, but she would be harder to read and control...and definitely harder to kill. At least she'd have a fighting chance.
The streets were relatively quiet. Thomas only past a few people on his way back to the townhouse and had little trouble wiping the memory of their passing from their minds. The last thing he needed was someone calling the police and telling them they saw a man carrying an unconscious woman through town center. Still, he was so relieved to reach the townhouse that he didn't notice that the lights he'd turned off on the way out were on again as he struggled to unlock the door and get Inez inside.
Thomas had just kicked the door closed and turned to carry Inez upstairs to the bedroom when that realization struck him. He stopped, one foot on the bottom step as adrenaline began to rush through him, then jerked his eyes to the top of the landing as the sound of a door opening upstairs reached his ears.
When no one appeared at the top of the stairs and he heard movement in one of the rooms, Thomas whirled and hurried silently across the hall and into the living room. He set Inez out of the way on the couch, then turned back and crept toward the door, slowing only long enough to snatch a lamp off a table and jerk the cord out of the wall, before continuing out into the hall.
Chapter Fourteen
"You can't turn Inez without her permission."
Thomas scowled as Etienne repeated that refrain and wished he'd never mentioned his plans, but simply gone ahead and done it. Actually, he wished he'd koshed his cousin over the head rather than stop himself at the last minute when he'd realized who had just walked out of the bedroom.
After leaving Inez in the living room, Thomas had crept upstairs, the lamp at the ready to batter some immortal butt. He'd been on the landing, just approaching the only closed door-the one with the double bed-when it had suddenly opened and Etienne had walked out.
Thomas had lowered the lamp with relief and then the two men had hugged in greeting and Rachel had come out of the bedroom as Etienne explained that he'd met his deadline and she'd managed to get some time off work and they'd come to help in the search.
The crotchety old man next door had let them into the townhouse when they arrived. He hadn't been pleased to be rousted from his bed in the middle of the night, but Etienne had slipped into his thoughts and erased the whole event from his mind before sending him back to sleep. When he woke up in the morning, the man would think he'd slept peacefully through the night.