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As we reach the ginormous brick house, the door opens, and Lucy exits with Donovan right behind her. Is this her house? I’d never been here, but as I sift through my memory, I remember learning that Lucy and Donovan have business here. Clearly, whatever nefarious business that is, they do very well. As do Elena and Niko. I’ve always tried not to think too hard about their businesses because I know they’re criminal enterprises. As I think that, I realize that Liam is now a part of it as well.
Robbie stops the SUV, gets out, and opens my door. I nearly fall out in my haste to escape him and into Lucy and Donovan’s protection.
“Come inside,” Donovan tells Robbie, who nods.
“Have you heard from Liam?” I grip Lucy’s forearms.
“You come inside too. Rosalee will show you to your room. You can rest and clean up?—”
“I need to know about Liam.” I’m nearly weeping. “I think I killed him. I didn’t mean to.”
She wraps an arm around me. “I don’t have any new information. Come inside, Kate.” Her tone is a mixture of soothing and yet demanding.
When I get inside the ornate foyer, a middle-aged woman is standing as if waiting. “This is Rosalee. She’s going to show you to your room.”
“You’re not coming with me?”
“I’ll be there in a bit. I need to talk with Robbie. I’ll see what I can learn about Liam. Then you and I will talk. But get some rest. If you’re hungry, Rosalee will get you some food.”
For a moment, I simply stand there feeling so alone. It’s like I’m a child. I have no agency over my own life anymore. Even in the safety of Lucy’s home, whom I consider a friend, I’m being coddled and shoved aside while the grownups deal with the big, bad world.
Then again, what do I know of dealing in the big, bad world? I’ve certainly suffered from it, but don’t know the first thing about how to live in it.
Reluctantly, I go with Rosalee. She takes me upstairs and down a hall.
“Here is the guest room.” Rosalee extends her hand toward the open door.
I step in and feel like I’m in a palace. The room is painted a soft dove color, and in the middle sits a four-poster bed decorated with floral prints in dove and taupe.
One wall is made up of floor to ceiling windows including doors out to a balcony overlooking a large yard with a pool and gazebo.
In the summer, I imagine it’s lush green with beautiful flowers.
Now in the dead of winter, it’s still lovely with the woods surrounding the yard.
“Over there is the ensuite bath. Mrs. Ricci has provided some clothes that I’ve put in the dresser and hung in the closet.”
I look down at my pajamas, wool coat, and sneakers, now dirty and disheveled from hiding in the woods and driving in the car. I wonder if I have gun residue or Liam’s blood on them. That thought makes me want to get out of my clothes and burn them.
“If you’re hungry?—”
“I think I’d like a shower and then rest.”
“Of course. If you need anything, let me know.” She exits the room, shutting the door behind her.
I’m exhausted, and yet I hurriedly take off my clothes and get into the shower. The hot water pelts me but does little to wash away the night. It’s surreal to think I’d had sex with Liam and then later shot him. I hadn’t realized it was him coming around the tree, and yet, I can’t help but wonder if subconsciously, my anger at him and this whole situation got the best of me and I did shoot him on purpose.
I sigh at myself because all this ruminating about my life isn’t getting me anywhere. I have to accept that as of right now, I have no control in my life. I just hope that Lucy and Liam are right in that I’m enduring all this so that someday, I can go back to my safe, uneventful life.
After my shower, I find a pair of yoga pants and a thick sweater. Tugging them on, I lie down on the bed and let sleep overtake me again.
I wake upon hearing a knock on my door.
“Come in.”
It opens and Lucy pops her head in. “I’m sorry, did I wake you?”
I sit up and stretch. “It’s okay. What time is it?”
