VIOLA
Dante drives us to Sacred Heart. He leaves me to clean up, but I don’t. I just stand there and stare at my face in the bathroom mirror. My face is streaked in blood. My hair is pink, stained with it. I must have touched my hair at some point.
I zone in and out until I’m aware of voices downstairs—Lorcan’s and Dante’s. The walls are so thin here, I can hear them perfectly. Even better if I crack open the door.
“—not communicating with his lawyer anymore.”
“So what are you going to tell her?”
“I’m not telling her shit until we fucking know what’s going on.”
“Killing Griffin was a mistake.”
“You don’t think I know that. They have him, I’m sure of it.”
I’ve heard enough.
“Who has who?” I ask, walking out of the bedroom to peer over the banister.
Lorcan’s eyes blaze when he looks up and sees me, and then he jerks his gaze away. He shakes his head in that nonchalant way of his.
“I can’t look at you right now, Viola,” he says.
I shoot a look at Dante who casually raises a brow. “I told you to get cleaned up.”
“I want to go to St Guys,” I stress at him.
“So you said, get cleaned up first.”
I regard him coolly for a few moments then turn back to my room, leaving the door open so I can still eavesdrop.
“She’s not going anywhere near that hospital,” Lorcan says.
“Oh, I know.”
Someone sighs. Lorcan possibly. “The lawyers are doing what they can but until we get an update from the warden, it’s likely his family has had him ghosted or moved to a more solitary unit.”
“She’ll find out.”
“I’ll tell her after Dino is back on his feet. Jude going silent is the last thing she needs. Right, I need to go to the hospital. I left Finn to guard the door while I brought the girls back.”
“I’ll make sure she stays here.”
I move away from the door as Lorcan departs and Dante goes into Quinn’s office. I make a snap decision to grab my coat and quietly leave after Lorcan out the front entrance.
I’m about to chase after him when I feel the presence of someone. On the veranda is Rebecca in a chair with a blanket around her. I walk up to my mother and drop a kiss on her frail body, breathing in her scent. I feel absolutely nothing when I do, but it feels right to do it.
Lorcan’s car is gone by the time I get to the parking lot. I’m fine with that. I wasn’t looking forward to convincing him to take me with him anyway. The Mustang is parked where it always is. I break in easily and hot wire it. Then I drive as fast as the speed limit will let me, all the way to St Guys.
I don’t know what I’m hoping for when I get there.
To see Dino? To talk to him. To tell him I’m fucking sorry.
Because I am.
This is all my fault.
I park up in a visitor bay and enter the hospital through one of the underground entrances. There’s a few for the emergency crew and they’re less likely to stop me and ask why I’m covered in blood.