Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 64545 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64545 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Was he talking about her?
“No, the sedative worked great. Other than some vomiting here and there, she’s good. We’re okay in here.”
Obviously he didn’t fully understand the amount of pain she was in. Her head was about to crack open. Maybe when her brains spilled out all over the pillow, he’d appreciate the level of agony she was in.
“Thanks again…no…I’ll keep that in mind…yeah…bye,” he said and then more heavy footsteps.
The bed dipped and his hand touched her cheek.
“No fever, which is good. Do you think you need to throw up again?” he asked.
“I really hope not. I think my head will explode if I do.”
He chuckled. “I’m glad to see you’re back to being you.” He pulled the blanket up to her chin. “You should get more sleep. I can give you some more medicine to help if you want, but I’m worried it might upset your stomach some more.”
“No. No more medicine.” She threw her arm over her closed eyes.
Medicine.
Lullaby.
“Daddy,” she whispered the word, feeling it play on her tongue. “Costello.”
“That’s me,” he said, running his thumb over her jaw. “You’re remembering?”
“The House. Uncle Frank.” She blinked her eyes open, keeping them as shielded as she could with her arm. Slowly his features came into focus. The dark menacing gaze, strong jawline, and his possessive touch. “I remember…well…almost everything. How’d we end up here?”
She looked around the dimly lit cabin. Even with the lights off and the shades drawn on the few windows there were in the single room building, her eyes still ached. A small kitchenette was in one corner, a couch took up the far wall and then the bed she was lying in. Far less extravagant than the custom-made lifestyle she’d assumed he lived.
“Nancy started double dosing you with Lullaby. It finally started to take hold on you.”
“I was acting like the others?” she asked, horrified.
“You’re out of there now, though. You’re here with me, and Frank won’t find us here. No one will find us here.” He leaned over her body, pressing his hand into the mattress on the other side of her.
“How’d you get me out of the House?”
He grinned. “I gave you the sedative, and then I let Nancy think she’d made you overdose. She was too scared of what would happen to her from Frank if she let one of his Lullaby girls die.”
She closed her eyes again.
“What happens now?” she asked softly. Her body ached too much to move, so she lay completely still while he ran his fingers over her cheek. A soothing action that almost took her mind off the concert going off in her head.
“Now I have to make us safe. You’re good here. Like I said, no one knows about this place. I have to go in a little bit. It’s going to take me at least an hour to get to where I’m going.”
Her eyes flew open. “You’re leaving me here?” Panic squeezed her chest.
“No. No.” He grabbed hold of her shoulders and slowly eased her back to the mattress. “I’m not leaving you. I’m going to take care of things, so we won’t have to keep looking over our shoulders the rest of our lives. If I don’t fix this, they’ll come after us. If they catch up to us, they’ll kill me, and they’ll take you back to the House. You’ll get put in the playroom. Now that they know how much to give you to make Lullaby work, they won’t let you go to waste.”
“I’ll be here alone?” she asked.
“Fuck no.” He shook his head. “I have a guy outside. I trust him with my life…with your life. He won’t come in, but he won’t let anyone else in either.”
“Who is he?” she asked softly, moving her gaze to the door.
He stared at her for a long minute. “My brother.”
“You have a brother?” she asked too loudly and made her head start a whole new song and dance.
“I do. Kevin didn’t take Carlos Romero up on his offer after our parents died. He’s a good guy. He won’t let anything happen to you. Or me.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “But you can’t go outside. Stay in here.”
He straightened up from the bed and picked up the bucket, carrying it to a small bathroom. The water ran for a bit then the toilet flushed. He brought the cleaned bucket back to her bedside.
“I don’t think there’s anything left in your stomach, but just in case.” He winked.
“Where are you going?” she asked when he grabbed a black leather jacket from a chairback near the kitchen.
He shoved one arm into the coat then the other, pulling it up and fixing the collar as he stared at her. Did he think she was going to tell someone? As things stood, she was still a fucking prisoner. The only difference was she didn’t mind this guard.