Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 62679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
What happened to him, it’s at least partly my fault. I knew what we were doing, the three of us, it was wrong for him. It hurt him. I knew it would. Inside, I always knew it would.
I don’t think he knew that what he demanded of us, that it would break him. I didn’t.
But it did.
Last night broke him.
28
Sebastian
I buried that damned ring.
I put it in the ground where it belongs with the rest of Cain Scafoni.
It’s been two weeks since that night. Since Gregory left. I haven’t heard anything from him. I’ve got Gallo looking for him, but I know my brother well enough to know he won’t be found until he wants to be.
What he did, I can’t get the memory out of my head. Can’t stop smelling the smell. Can’t stop hearing the sound of his pain.
And I bear the responsibility of it.
It wasn’t my intention to hurt him. Sharing Helena was my way of controlling him. I wonder if any of us realized the extent of the damage we were doing all along.
I take a deep breath in, drink a sip of my steaming coffee and look out over the water, watching the boat approach. The wind is blustery today and the sand like granules of ice under my bare feet.
Amelia Willow is still missing too, which is worrying. A young girl disappearing is different than a man.
I keep tabs on Lucinda, but I’m not worried about her. I control the money which means I control her.
Ethan is still in Philadelphia. Helena’s not ready to have him here with us and quite frankly, neither am I.
But she’s still not keeping food down and although she was pissed, she’s seeing a doctor today.
I swallow the last of my coffee as the boat docks and I climb up to help Dr. price out. Dr. Price was my mother’s doctor as well as her friend and she’s the one I want tending to Helena.
“Dr. Price, thanks for coming on such short notice,” I say, shaking her hand.
“It’s no problem, Sebastian.”
We talk for a few minutes, her asking about my family, which I lie about, as we make our way to the house.
Helena is still annoyed that I’m insisting on this, but I don’t care. She’s waiting outside, her eyes betraying her lack of trust.
“Dr. Price, this is Helena. Helena, Dr. Carol Price. She was my mother’s doctor.”
Helena extends her hand. “Good to meet you, but Sebastian and I are not quite in agreement about me needing a doctor.”
“I’m sure he’s just being cautious,” Dr. Price says. “I promise to make it as easy and painless as possible.”
Helena opens her mouth and I go to her, close my hand around the back of her neck and turn her to face me.
“I need you to do this, Helena.”
She’ll have an examination if I have to hold her down to have it done, but I’m hoping to avoid that route.
“Fine,” she says. “But next time, you talk to me before making the arrangements.”
“Fine.”
I walk them up to my bedroom and as much as I want to stay, I know I should give them privacy, so when my cell phone rings, I excuse myself and go downstairs to the study.
“Hello?” I answer, not recognizing the number, but knowing it’s Pennsylvania by the area code.
“Um, hi. Is Helena there?”
It’s a girl. And she sounds familiar.
“Who is this?” I ask, but I think I know.
“Her sister. Amelia. Amy.”
I sit down. “Where the hell are you, Amelia? Helena’s been worried sick.”
“I’m sorry about that. I couldn’t call until I was settled and sure. I didn’t want her to try to send me back.”
“Where are you?”
“Philadelphia.”
“What are you doing in Philadelphia?”
“Are you going to let her talk to me or are you going to bully me over the phone?”
I chuckle.
“Is this Sebastian?” she asks cautiously. She must have stored my number when Gregory gave Helena my phone to call her that time. I’d made sure he’d used my phone and not his.
“Yes.”
She goes quiet.
“Is this your new number, Amelia?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me where you are exactly,” I say, picking up a pen and finding a blank piece of paper. “I need an address.”
She hesitates.
“Don’t worry, I’m not getting on a plane to Philadelphia and I won’t force you back to the Willow house.”
“Okay.” She gives me the address of one of the swankiest hotels in the city which immediately sends up flags.
“That’s a hotel.”
“It’s an apartment in the hotel.”
“How are you affording that?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“I just made it my business.”
“Look, I just wanted to call to set Helena’s mind at ease, not play twenty questions with you. And besides, I have a job.”
“A job? Must be a hell of a job to afford that place.”
“I’m modeling. I met this man and he thought I had the right look—”