I managed to get Jenny to wake up long enough to stand—then she walked to on
e of the chairs and sat down. She was wasted, and getting her to follow me out of Sinn Manor seemed like it was going to be impossible. I ran to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and grabbed a bottle of water. I didn’t know if that would work, but I had to try something. Damien was outside with the cops, and I wasn’t going to let him take the fall in vain. I splashed cold water in Jenny’s face, and she swung an arm at me. Another splash caused her eyes to open. She wasn’t sober by any means, but she seemed to have rejoined the land of the living where panic was the only emotion we could feel in the moment.
“We have to go.” I grabbed her arm. “The cops are here.”
“What?” She blinked a couple of times. “Shit!”
“Yeah.” I nodded quickly.
The fact that the cops were at Sinn Manor was enough to bring her back to her feet, but she was still out of it. I gave her the bottle of water, and she took a few sips—then I realized it was a mistake. Her face turned green, and she bolted for the bathroom. I don’t know if she made it to the toilet or the sink before she hurled, but the alcohol returned with a vengeance. I peeked out one of the windows that wasn’t broken and saw Damien being placed in the back of a police car. It took everything inside me not to burst into tears. Damien didn’t deserve to get arrested, and it was my fault that he was going to jail—I was the one who called him.
“Jenny, come on…” I ran to the bathroom.
“I…” A gagging noise followed her words.
Jenny started to throw up again, and I realized I wasn’t going to get her out of Sinn Manor. It was only a matter of minutes before the cops came through the door. They were going to find Pennington—a drunk teenager—and me. There was no way I could talk my way out of it. I needed to go, but I promised Damien I wouldn’t abandon his sister. I could hear another car pull up outside and voices—but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. A few seconds later, the front door opened, and I peeked around the corner to see Martinez—and my mother. Martinez started checking the rooms, and my mother just stood in the foyer with a stunned look on her face—then I saw tears in her eyes.
She might be married to a guy that she doesn’t really know, but she did put a lot of work into making this place her home—and I let Jenny ruin it.
“Jenny!” Edgar’s voice boomed through the house as he walked in behind my mother.
“Edgar, it’s awful!” My mother grabbed her husband and started bawling on his shoulder.
“Boss—you gotta see this.” Martinez ran into the foyer and motioned to Edgar.
He must have found Pennington…
Edgar pulled away from my mother. She just stood in the foyer and cried while Edgar went to check on his other bodyguard. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw my mother cry. She was always so flippant and carefree about everything—even when she was trying to tell me how I should live my life. There was no way that Jenny and I were getting out of Sinn Manor. I didn’t hear vomiting from the other side of the bathroom door—which meant she could have just passed out again. I pushed the door open as quietly as I could and saw Jenny leaned against the wall. Her eyes met mine, and I knew she wasn’t getting up. She certainly wasn’t going to be able to run. All I could do was reveal myself and face the reality of the situation I was in. I had failed my mother—failed Jenny—and failed Damien.
Damien, I’m so sorry…
“Mom…” I walked around the corner, and it felt like my legs were turning into jelly.
“Leigh!” She ran to me immediately and pulled me into a tight embrace. “You’re okay—I was so worried!”
“I’m fine.” I leaned against her shoulder and fought the tears.
“How could you let this happen?” My mother’s words changed from emotionally concerned to accusatory the second that she let go of me. “I trusted you!”
“Mom, I…” I was so caught off guard by her sudden about-face that I didn’t even know how to respond.
“The house is ruined! I told you to call if there was a problem!” She took a step back.
“I know, I just…” A lump began to form in my throat.
“It—isn’t her fault.” Jenny’s voice echoed behind me, and I turned my head to see her walk out of the hallway. “She wasn’t even here.”
Did she just—cover for me?
“Jenny!” Edgar’s voice boomed so loud that the pictures on the wall would have probably started shaking if they weren’t already on the floor.
“Leigh, go to your room.” My mother pointed towards the stairs. “If there’s anything left of it…”
“Mom, no—he might hurt her!” I shook my head back and forth.
“She deserves what she gets.” My mother grabbed my arm and started trying to drag me to the stairs. “This isn’t our concern.”
Edger walked out of the living room and started to berate his daughter. I tried to pull away from my mother, but she just tightened her grip and forced me up the stairs. Whatever concern she had for me was gone—she just wanted me out of the way. I stopped fighting when I realized that the only way I was going to get away from her was to start swinging. I might have been pissed at my mother for her decision making, but I couldn’t hit her. She waited until I was in my room and then started walking back downstairs. I waited until she was downstairs and then walked close enough to hear the conversation—and intervene if things started to get out of control—although I wasn’t sure what I could do.