“And if she dies before then? He’s put a lot of money into her. If she dies, you’ll have cost him thousands of dollars in expense,” he shouted over his shoulder at her while continuing to hurry down the stairs with Ariana cradled in his arms. “I refuse to allow a Lullaby girl to die on my watch.”
When he stepped off the last stair, Nancy jumped in front of him to rush to the entranceway. “I’ll call Dr. Lawry,” she offered as he hurried past her, careful not to let Ariana’s head hit the doorjamb.
“No. I’ll call from the car. He may have something he wants me to do before I get there,” he told her.
How easily the lies fall with all the practice he’d had over the years. He hugged Ariana closer to his chest as he ran with her to his car parked down the drive.
Nancy stayed at the doorway, watching, but he was finished with her. Let her think she was the cause. She might hesitate before talking to Frank when he arrived. But it wouldn’t matter. Costello would have them far enough away. It would take them at least an hour before they realized he didn’t go to the doctor’s house. And even longer to figure out what he’d actually done.
Gently, he placed Ariana into the front seat of his car. Taking care to buckle her in and position her head away from the door, he shut it and ran around the front to his own seat. After he climbed in, he checked the rearview mirror to be sure Nancy wasn’t coming and that Frank hadn’t pulled up.
“Okay, babygirl. Let’s get out of here.” He threw the car into gear and punched the gas. Driving down the long drive to the main road, not even touching the brake, he turned onto the street. The night sky gave him cover as he raced away from the House.
They weren’t safe yet. Far from it, but at least Ariana was out of the House, and she could get the fucking Lullaby out of her system.
He glanced over at her sleeping form. She snorted softly and turned in her seat, letting out a heavy sigh before settling back down.
Once he was far enough away from the House, he flipped the headlights on and made his way onto the highway.
“Just a few more hours, baby. When you wake up, you’ll be safe and sound.” He reached over and held her warm hand.
Now that he had her away from the House, he could start worrying about the next step of his plan. Going face to face with the only man who could keep him safe from retributions.
Frank Romero.
A pounding worthy of any metal band drummer pulled Ariana from a deep sleep. She groaned, pressing the heels of her hands to her temples, trying to stop the banging. It didn’t work, and to make the situation worse, her stomach roiled with a strong current of nausea.
“Oh, no,” she groaned, rolling to her side.
“Here, it’s okay, let it out,” a warm voice said above her.
Her stomach contents emptied into a bucket being held for her. The retching strained her body, pulled muscles in her back. When she was finished, she moved to her back again, her eyes closed. The pounding increased.
A hot washcloth brushed across her mouth, probably cleaning up the mess she’d made of herself.
She needed to open her eyes, take stock of where she was, but even a small flutter of her lids allowed in too much light. Grabbing her head, she moaned softly. Too much sound and she’d send the drummer into an encore.
“You’re okay,” the soft voice said again. Masculine and firm, but with a gentleness to it. Her mind tried to search out the familiarity of it, but the chase made her dizzy.
She licked her dry lips. “Where am I?” she asked, still putting pressure on her temples. It seemed to stop some of the ache. “Who are you?”
A deep chuckle. “Forgot me so quickly?” he teased. “I’m Costello, and we’re in a small cabin up north.” A cool washcloth draped over her forehead. “Put your hands down so this can lay flat. It will help relieve some of the ache.”
Costello. Thoughts flew by too fast, memories and flashes of a face, soundbite of a voice. She couldn’t grab any of them.
“Just relax. It’s going to take time for everything to get out of your system.”
Get what out of her system? She wanted to ask, to demand answers but fatigue kept her from moving, and the pain in her head stopped her from trying to ask.
A cellphone rang.
“I have to take this, just stay in bed,” he said firmly. A chair creaked, probably from him getting up. Heavy steps followed as he answered his call.
“Hey…yeah…she’s okay… It’s going to take a little time for the Lullaby to get out of her system, but it’s not regressing her right now so that’s a good step.”