Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 113051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
I try to swallow, but my mouth feels like cotton. All the events from last night bubble to the surface, and I try to swat them away, not wanting to face them, not wanting my perception of Kincaid to change.
But it already has. My heart feels heavy.
So terribly heavy.
“I’m sorry,” he says, reading my face. “I truly am.” He helps me to sit upright, slowly, then hands me the mug of tea before sitting back down.
“You lied to me.” I breathe in sharply, preparing for the pain. “Did you kill Clayton?”
He shakes his head. “No.”
“Why don’t I believe you?”
He shrugs with one shoulder, looking down at his hands. “Because whatever trust of yours I had, I’ve lost it. Simple as that, Syd.”
I take a sip of the tea, letting it warm my throat, trying to gather my thoughts before I swallow it down. “Why did you lie to me?”
He exhales through his nose. “NDAs.” He gives me a pained look. “Sorry. It’s the truth.”
“So now it’s a matter of you not trusting me,” I tell him.
“For all I know, you might leave on the first seaplane right after the storm. Tell the world what you saw here. I advise against that, by the way. Not the part about leaving on the seaplane—that I recommend. I mean about breaking the contract. They will sue you, and even if you think you have nothing to give, they will find something. Do you understand me, Syd? They will make it their mission to utterly destroy you.” He pauses. “They will kill you, figuratively. One way or another.”
I gulp, fear tickling my ribs. “You recommend I leave?”
He leans back and runs his hand over his jaw back and forth, the stubble scratchy. “I’ll have to come with you on the plane. But yes. I think you should leave.”
I blink at him in disbelief. “Are you serious?”
“When am I not?” he says, staring at me. “Soon as the storm clears, I’ll get you on the first flight out of here.”
“And you’ll come too? Just leave your boat and your job and go?”
“I’ll have to come back at some point. Maybe I can only leave for a few days, but yes. I’ll take care of you, Syd. I told you I would. I’ll help you get settled wherever it is you want. You won’t have to worry about finances, you won’t have to worry about anything.”
“Except I will have to worry about my friends up here at Madrona Lodge. Are they in trouble too?”
He keeps his eyes locked on mine for a moment, not saying anything. Then he gives his head a shake. “No.”
I let out a shaky exhale. My nerves are so frayed that I can feel them snapping one by one, until nothing will hold me together.
“They drugged me because I knew the truth about Clayton,” I say. “They wanted to shut me up. But they were also taking me somewhere. Michael said something about looking at my brain…”
He nods. “Yes. They would have hooked you up to an EEG. Measured your brain waves.”
“But they know I was telling the truth,” I say. “So why do that? Was it a threat?”
“You’re not well, Sydney,” Kincaid says grimly. “They have access to my files on the computer. They know what I’ve logged after our sessions. They know about your hallucinations. Your sleepwalking. They know you’ve seen ghosts.”
“No. No, because the things in the woods, those bears, the wolves, you saw them too. They’re real.”
“I know they’re real,” he admits. “And so do Everly and Michael. That’s not why they’re worried.” He pauses. “They’re worried for the same reasons I am, except I don’t need to look at your brain, and I don’t need to prescribe you any medication. I know that all you need is time. Time to get well. Depression is a wound like any other. It takes time to heal. There is no quick solution.”
“But she drugged me,” I tell him. “She injected me.”
“You did try to attack her,” he points out.
I narrow my eyes at him. “Why does it sound like you’re standing up for her?”
“Believe me, I’m not,” he says with a small smile. “I’m just letting you know the answers.” He gets up and opens a cupboard, pulling out my leggings, a clean pair of underwear, and my green sweater. “I went to your room and got you some clothes. Figured you would want to change. When you’re ready, and if you still want to, we’ll go to Everly’s office, together, and tell her that you’d like to leave.”
The idea of leaving gives me hope, and I’m grateful I don’t have to go alone. And yet, the thought of seeing Everly again makes me feel sick. Not just that I tried to attack her, which was kind of unhinged and embarrassing and did me no favors, but that she drugged me. She scared the hell out of me.