Shades Of Submission: Fifty By Fifty Part 26

"What did the boat do?" Jonah demanded. He pulled back, restraining himself. Badgering Tabitha wasn't going to help.

Tabitha wadded her tissue in her hand. "I didn't see at first. But when I reached Marcus, I looked to see if they were coming and I didn't see the boat at all. Later, people on the beach told the local authorities that the boat pulled up to the pier, two men jumped in, and they took off."

Jonah drummed his fingers on his thigh. "Who were the men?"

"I don't know. There were people milling around. I a.s.sumed they were waiting for a turn, but maybe not."

A tremor pa.s.sed through Jonas as he asked, "What happened when you got to Marcus?"

Tabitha's face crumpled. Through tears, she managed to choke out, "He was hanging in the harness from a tree. There was blood on his head and his leg was bleeding. I couldn't get him down. When the lifeguard arrived, he used a knife to cut him loose. They strapped him on a board. Transport was waiting at the hotel to take us to the hospital."

Jonah closed his eyes a moment before continuing. "The police questioned you?"

Tabitha composed herself. "Yes, at the hospital. The doctors worked on stabilizing Marcus. I talked to the police and then I called you."

The doors at the other end of the waiting room opened and a man in surgical scrubs walked in.

Tabitha turned. "Doctor?"

The man untied his surgical mask. "I'm coming to give you an update. He made it through the surgery well. We placed the pins and did tissue repair. They're closing up now."

Tabitha jumped to her feet. "When can I see him?"

"He'll be in recovery for some time. We're bringing him out very slowly because of the head injury. I wouldn't expect him to regain consciousness before morning. He'll probably be moved to the critical care unit in three hours or so. You can stay with him there."

Tabitha slumped as the doctor turned and exited back through the doors.

Jonah took Tabitha's arm. "When did you last eat?"

"I ... I don't remember," Tabitha stammered.

"Let's go get something to eat and come back. Then we'll see Marcus. The hospital has your number, right?"

Tabitha pulled her arm free of his grasp. "No. No. I'm not leaving the hospital."

Anna stepped in. "Why don't I go get food and bring it back to you here? You can both stay."

Jonah kissed Anna on the forehead. "Thank you. That's a better idea."

Anna clutched the front of his s.h.i.+rt. "I'm so sorry, Jonah."

Jonah wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry. He's going to be okay. I know it."

Chapter 9.

Jonah and Anna were both in the lab when Damon walked in. "I have news about the line."

Jonah was instantly alert. "What?"

Damon's grim expression didn't indicate good news. "The consensus is that it was cut. The line was almost new, and the break is clean except for one edge. It might have been cut part way. The forces on the line during parasailing would have been enough to overstress the line."

Jonah's mouth tightened. "So, someone on the boat cut it?"

"Maybe. I'm not ruling out anything. It could have been cut before the boat left the pier, and in that case, it might have been anyone. It would be nice to know if the operators checked the line before going out, however, they're nowhere to be found."

"Doesn't that seem suspicious?" Jonah inquired.

Damon shook his head. "The local authorities simply think they're scared because of the accident."

Jonah continued to press for information. "And the guys on the pier?"

"Part of the parasailing operation ... so they say," Damon countered, his suspicion evident.

Jonah frowned as he asked, "What do you think?"

Damon's frustration leaked through. "I think they have an answer that satisfies them. They're continuing to search for the people involved. It was a serious accident after all. Incidents like this hurt tourism. However, it wasn't the first parasailing accident, and it won't be the last. They don't see anything unusual."

Impatience creased Jonah's forehead. "Did you tell them about the line?"

Damon's lips flattened before he spoke. "Yes. They didn't find it compelling. I'm sending someone to dig deeper."

Surprise flashed on Jonah's face. "When?"

"He's already on a plane," Damon replied.

Jonah gave a crisp nod of approval. "Okay, good. What is the status of the thefts?"

"I've been working with the police regarding a possible suspect. There was a crew brought in to do work on the lab renovations. The security tag of one of the employees on that crew was swiped approximately thirty minutes before someone entered Foster's lab."

"Was he questioned?" Jonah asked, his patience clearly growing short.

"No," Damon admitted. "The police tried to locate him, but he's disappeared. He was a new hire for the subcontractor."

"Should they be able to get in at night?" Jonah's voice contained a hint of challenge.

"No, they shouldn't. They have to check in downstairs before they come up, and they're only allowed up during designated hours. My theory is this guy didn't leave at the end of the day, so he didn't pa.s.s through ground level security again."

Jonah's eyebrows pulled together. "Where was he?"

Damon shrugged. "I don't know yet, but I'm going to find out."

"And the cameras, isn't anyone watching them?" Jonah's tone moved from questioning to interrogating.

"The lab cameras? No, but that is going to change. Given that a person has to pa.s.s through ground floor security, the locked doors on the floor and the locks on the lab to gain access, it wasn't deemed necessary for them to be constantly supervised. The cameras in the elevator banks are monitored. When the guy swiped a working security card, it wasn't a notable event."

Jonah slapped his hand on the counter. "Dammit, this isn't sounding helpful."

Damon sighed. "I know. I've got feelers out, trying to find out if anyone is offering the information."

Anna listened silently as the two men talked. "Have you explored the possibility of a compet.i.tor?"

Damon switched his focus to Anna. "Yes. It's possible it was a targeted theft for hire."

"What do we know for sure?" Anna asked evenly.

Damon wore a pained expression. "d.a.m.ned little, unfortunately."

Jonah drew a steady breath. "Damon, you'll keep us informed?" Jonah's question contained a subtle dismissal.

Damon didn't miss the hint. "Of course. I'll touch base with you again later."

As Damon left the lab, Jonah laid his hand on Anna's arm. "Let's spend tonight in."

Anna smiled as she tilted her head up to meet his eyes. "That would be lovely. Shall we pick up food?"

"We could order pizza."

"That sounds like a plan," Anna responded.

Anna spent the rest of the day on autopilot. She couldn't maintain focus on her work. She finally gave up and made a trek to the floor lounge for coffee, despite having it available in the lab. She hoped a walk would clear her mind, but it didn't, and when Jonah suggested they leave, she was more than ready.

As the stress of the day abated, Anna noticed Jonah's increasing preoccupation. At first, she dismissed it as being from the same source as hers and a.s.sumed the thefts were still weighing on him. She reached out and touched Jonah.

Jonah clutched her hand, absently caressing her palm with his thumb. "Anna, sometimes I think this isn't for me."

Anna tucked her hair behind her ear. "What isn't for you?"

"This relations.h.i.+p. Everything."

"What?" Fear stabbed her heart. Was he breaking up with her?

"I'm not my brother. I'm not into the whole domination thing."

Anna gasped with shock. "Marcus is into domination? Does that mean that Tabitha is ...?"

Jonah cut her off. "That's beside the point. I'm not talking about Marcus and Tabitha. I'm talking about us."

So much for trying to change the subject. "I don't understand. I thought you enjoyed our time together." Hadn't he rea.s.sured her more than once?

Jonah rubbed his palms together. "I do. You're smart. You're s.e.xy. But you've made it clear you have certain inclinations. I don't know if I can meet your expectations."

Anna searched his eyes, praying to see affection and not regret. "You have met my expectations. More than met."

Jonah shook his head. "I can't keep it up."

Anna flinched and pulled her hand from his. "I don't understand. Are you faking pleasure?"

"No," Jonah answered without hesitation. "That's not what I mean. I've enjoyed our encounters, but it's too much. The planning, the research. I can't do that all the time."

Anna curled her fingers into her palms, keeping her tears at bay. "No one asked you to do it all the time. No one asked you to make a research project out of it. It's not supposed to be work."

Jonah's frustration spilled out. "You know, that's what it feels like in a way. Work. It's like planning a special anniversary dinner every week. I'm not sure I have it in me. Actually, I know I don't."

Anna's rising anger replaced her hurt. "Slow down. Jonah, I never said I wanted you to dominate in every encounter. I never said that. It hasn't even been every time."

Jonah's expression was pinched. "No, it hasn't, but I feel like that's what you want."

Anna waved her hand as if dismissing his a.s.sumption. "Sometimes. I want it sometimes Jonah."

"How often?" Jonah demanded.

The continuing questions unnerved Anna. "I don't know. I never thought about it. What kind of answer do you want? Every other Thursday? Every third time? It's when we're in the mood. When we're both in the mood."

Jonah's gaze searched Anna's face, seeking his answers. "How can I meet expectations when I don't know what they are?"

Realization jolted through Anna as she identified the source of his frustration. "Jonah, relations.h.i.+ps don't work that way. There's no rule book. I don't have a checklist. I just know I want to be with you."

Jonah kept his back toward her as he stood. "Anna, you know I'm not good at relations.h.i.+ps. None of them have been successful."

"If they had been, we wouldn't be here, would we?" Anna retorted.

Jonah's shoulders slumped and he turned toward her. "I suppose that's one way of looking at it."

Anna's patience snapped. "That's how I choose to look at it." She immediately regretted her outburst. She didn't have much of a temper, but Jonah touched her deep emotions.

"Well, to me, it's a record of confusion and failure," Jonah added reluctantly.

Anna rubbed his arm, wanting to soothe him. "Why think of it like that? Not every relations.h.i.+p works out."

"Anna, people got hurt. I hurt people. I got hurt, too." Regret and frustration marked his face.

Anna zeroed in on his statement. "Was your heart broken or did you just hate failing?"

"All right. It was more the failing," Jonah admitted. "But it's incredibly discouraging. Most of the time, I didn't even know why. If I don't know why, how can I fix it going forward?"

"There are so many things that go into a relations.h.i.+p. Attraction. Compatibility. Even timing. I'm not saying there weren't reasons, Jonah, but I don't think your past issues are causing us problems."

Jonah ran his fingers through his hair, leaving ruffled groves. "Like what? I don't even know what the issues are."

Anna tapped her index fingers together. "Your work. For whatever reason, you're willing to make time for me. That's huge."