“You’ll stay here. You’ll spend the rest of your wretched days here. You fucking liar. You fucking lying Bishop! And once you give me my baby, you’ll go by way of Nellie Bishop. I’ll bury you after I squeeze the breath out of you, you fucking deceitful bitch!”
My lips tremble as tears spill down my cheeks. My head hurts and my heart aches at his words.
He leans in close again and I scream once more.
“Stop it. Stop the fucking tears. You’re a liar. You’re a Bishop. I know the truth. I know you. And I won’t be fooled again. Not as clever as us?” he snorts. “You with your sweet, innocent act. You’re the worst of them!”
He reaches for me but Ezekiel grabs him from behind and drags him away. They’re out of the room and into the corridor and all I hear are the words think and baby. It’s Ezekiel who closes the door with one glance at me. I think it’s Ezekiel who locks it. But at that point, it doesn’t matter. Because it’s over. I’m locked in and the room is so dark, but I can’t even move to turn on the light. I can’t stop myself shivering and can’t make my legs work. As all sound vanishes and the air settles and I wish Zoë’s ghost was here to keep me company. I wish Zoë’s ghost was here so I wouldn’t be so alone. So afraid.
37
Jericho
“You can’t leave her down there.”
I disconnect the call and look up at my brother. “Ever hear of knocking?” He’s got a bruise along his temple. I have a matching one and a cut on the bridge of my nose to rival the one he has on his cheek.
“I’m serious, Jericho.” He takes a seat. “She’s pregnant. You don’t want to endanger the baby.”
“She’ll be fine. She has shelter. I’ll get her a blanket. She’ll have food. What more does she need?”
“Sunlight? Fresh air? Not to feel terrified?”
I set my forearms on the desk and lean toward him. “She would have killed my baby. How do I know she hasn’t tried? Maybe succeeded? Barnes will do a blood test so we’ll know for sure.”
“Did you see her face when you were attacking her?”
I sit back, lift my chin and keep my mouth shut. Because yes, I saw her face. In fact, I can’t get it the fuck out of my head. That or the way my hand wrapped around her throat. The panic in her eyes when I squeezed.
How close I came to killing her.
“She’s safest down there,” I tell my brother, swiveling on the chair to get up and pour myself a whiskey from the sideboard.
“Safe from you?”
I drink it, push my hand into my hair, consider another.
“Haven’t you had enough?” he asks.
I snort, pour another and look at him as I swallow it down.
He shakes his head. “At least get me one.”
“That’s the spirit,” I say, pouring him one then resuming my seat behind the desk.
“At least talk to her. Hear her side then decide what you believe.”
“She betrayed me.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yeah, I do. Pretty sure she got the pills from her cousin. Which is in and of itself a betrayal. I’d guess that happened the night they met at the concert. Hell, what do I know? Maybe it was planned all along.”
“You know Isabelle, don’t you? At least a little?”
I grin, drink a sip of whiskey. “She fooled me. Like any Bishop, she’s a good liar.”
“You don’t believe that. I see it on your face.”
“Then you need to get some glasses.”
Zeke sighs. “Look, either you talk to her or I’m going to go down there and get her out myself.”
“You will not go near my wife.”
“Talk to her. You’ve let her sweat long enough.”
“Will it get you off my back?”
He considers, nods.
“Fine.” She betrayed me. After all that we talked about, all she asked, she betrayed me. Played me for a fucking fool. And the thought of it tightens something inside my gut. Inside my chest. Makes it fucking hard to breathe.
“I spoke with a couple people from The Cat House,” Zeke says.
“And?”
“Carlton Bishop was fine. A little under the weather the few days prior but he’d said he was feeling better. They drank a lot. And when the activity began, he dropped dead.”
“He’d been at lunch with Joseph Sawyer yesterday. Sawyer said he looked gray. Thought he was working through a bad cold.”
“Did you instruct your man doing the autopsy what to look for? Unless he knows the signs, he won’t find anything.”
“Told him what I learned. Told him about the penchant Society folks have with poisons. He’s good. Came highly recommended by the doctor who saved Santiago De La Rosa’s life after he was poisoned.”
Zeke nods.
“Should have preliminary results tomorrow.”
“Angelique was pretty upset she couldn’t say goodbye to Isabelle.”