Deadly Double

# “Y-yes. You know my name.” Tears splashed down Josie’s face as she grabbed Ecaterina in a bear hug. “Now, now, honey.” Ecaterina awkwardly patted her on the back. “There’s no reason to cry.” Josie squeezed tighter and sobbed uncontrollably. The older woman consoled her the best she could and even helped Josie back into bed.

The crying session only worsened Josie’s headache, and she begged Ecaterina for relief. A half hour after she downed two Tylenol capsules, the room finally stopped spinning, but her head still felt as if it was going to explode at any moment. All the same, she wondered what was going on and how she came to be in that house.

She was disturbed by the lack of control over her body. One minute she was burning up and in the next she was freezing. She needed something, wanted something, but had no idea what.

Though she was grateful to the kindly, older woman who took care of her, she wasn’t sure whether she could trust her. She didn’t even know if she could trust herself…as silly as that sounded.

Josie’s gaze slid to a photograph on the nightstand next to the bed, and out of curiosity, she reached for it.

“They’re a beautiful couple, aren’t they?” Ecaterina said, breezing into the room. “You and your cousin Sheila don’t, uh, share too many features.” She smiled awkwardly. “Are you two first or second cousins?”

Josie stared at the blond woman in the picture. “Sheila?”

“Yes. That’s your cousin Sheila.”

Frowning, Josie concentrated on the stunning and photogenic woman, but only drew a blank. She couldn’t remember ever having a white cousin. “I don’t know.” She exhaled with disappointment. “I don’t remember her.”

Slowly her gaze traveled to the man in the photograph and something sparked within her. “He looks sort of familiar,” she whispered.

“Well, I should say so,” Ecaterina chuckled. “He’s married to your cousin.”

Josie took in the man’s dark hair and blue eyes, but his features weren’t quite right. They seemed wrong somehow. She stared at his eyes. They were the right shade, but they, too, were wrong.

When she realized she wasn’t making any sense, she lowered the picture and touched the bruise above her eye. It throbbed as she struggled to remember how she had gotten it. The harder she tried, the more frustrated she became. “Open up,” Ecaterina instructed. Josie obeyed and was rewarded by having a thermometer shoved under her tongue. “I was supposed to give you a shot a few hours ago,” Ecaterina commented as she looked over a list of some kind. “No shot,” Josie mumbled, shaking her head.

“Oh, I’m sure it’s not going to hurt.” The older woman said. “William said it’s supposed to relax you.” She picked up a small vial.

Josie kept shaking her head.

Ecaterina ripped open a small packet and revealed a new hypodermic needle.

Josie yanked the thermometer out of her mouth. “No!”

Ecaterina jumped from the bed and stared into Josie’s combative gaze with incredulity. “Look. I am only trying to help.”

“I didn’t ask for your help,” Josie snapped, and tossed back the covers. She struggled to get out of bed, but her show of defiance ended when her wobbly legs failed to support her.

The next thing she knew, she hit the floor with a yelp and a loud thud.

Once again, Ecaterina came to her aid. “Sweetheart, you’re going to end up killing yourself at this rate.”

Embarrassed and humiliated, Josie accepted the woman’s offered help and after a few minutes managed to get back into bed. “No shot,” Josie declared stubbornly. “No drugs.”

“You just took Tylenol,” Ecaterina reminded her. “Come now, William wouldn’t prescribe something that would harm you. But if you don’t want the shot, I’m not going to make you take it.” “Who’s William? I don’t know any William.” The moment she said it, she realized it wasn’t true. The older woman tsked under her breath and then placed her hand to Josie’s forehead. “What did we do with that thermometer?” “I don’t have a fever.”

“You thought you could stand up, too,” Ecaterina countered. She searched around the bed and found what she was looking for. “Now say ah.”

Josie relaxed a little bit and did what she was told. A minute later, she discovered she was wrong again. She did have a fever.

“You’re sicker than you think. Why don’t you reconsider taking that shot?”

“No.” She inched away from the woman and then rubbed at her head again. When she pulled her hand away, her gaze narrowed on the jagged welt across her wrist.

Her heartbeat accelerated at the sight of it. Tears welled in her eyes as a memory struggled to surface. Despite her fever, Josie suddenly felt cold and scared, but she couldn’t think of a reason why.

“Josie?”

A strange haze swirled around a faded image in Josie’s mind. The next moment, her head exploded with pain. Josie reeled back, and then slumped against the pile of pillows behind her.

In no time the pain consumed her.

Ecaterina didn’t know what to make of the young woman’s strange behavior. One minute she seemed fine and in the next seemed to suffer from some type of epileptic fit. Her gaze darted to the small vial and hypodermic needle. Maybe she did need this shot.

“Make it...stop,” Josie pleaded.

That was all it took, and Ecaterina gave her the shot. Minutes later, Josie calmed down.

For the first time, Ecaterina wondered about what type of flu bug this woman had. And what happened to her wrists? Ecaterina frowned, and then covered the woman while she slept.

Josie, however, dreamed of another pair of blue eyes. A pair that deepened with concern, twinkled with laughter, and glowed with love. She knew those eyes well and had dreamed of them often.

“William,” she murmured. Warmth radiated throughout her body. As the pain evaporated, she welcomed the memories of an old love…a forbidden love. It had been a time of freedom, exhilaration, and self-discovery. She had found the man of her dreams, her soul mate. However, her feeling of euphoria soon crashed beneath a tidal wave of heartbreak. “Shh. There’s no need for tears.” She wanted to cry. She had to cry. “Josie, it’s all right. I’m here now.” She drew comfort from the man’s gentle voice and quieted down. “Shh,” he said. “I’m going to take care of you,” the voice promised. Josie believed him. Something warm brushed against her face, and she sighed with contentment.

Soon a question nagged at the back of her mind. Who was promising to take care of her and why should she trust him?

You can never trust anyone again, she warned herself.

She struggled to open her eyes. It was hard; her eyelids were so heavy. Her lashes flickered, and she was able to make out something in the blurry light.

A shadowy figure hovered above her. Through sheer determination, she brought the image into focus. Within seconds, a familiar pair of deep blue eyes crystallized. Josie sucked in a startled gasp of surprise. “William?” A wide smile curved onto his handsome face. “Yes, Josie. It’s me.”

Chapter 13

Josie studied the man above her and struggled to make sense of this apparition. It couldn’t be, she reasoned, and squeezed her eyes shut. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her. It wouldn’t have been the first time, she reasoned, but this was too cruel to be true. The cold returned. She shivered and grasped for the covers though it was like grabbing a block of ice to keep warm. “It’s all right, Josie,” William said. “Your body is going through withdrawal. You’re going to be okay.” She clamped her jaws tight and trembled violently. “It’s going to come and go, but you’ll be all right.” Josie didn’t feel all right. In fact, she was nauseous. “You want to throw up?” he asked gently.

She nodded and was instantly scooped out of the bed. Seconds later she was hanging over the toilet bowl and emptying her stomach. When she finished, her abdomen ached, and her head spun.

As before, a cool compress was placed against her head and a geyser of gratitude erupted inside of her and flowed from her lips.

“Calm down. It’s okay. It’s okay.” William cleaned her up.

Josie desperately wanted to believe that, but wasn’t at all sure he was who he claimed. A lot had happened