Page 19 of The Lonely Hearts Guide (Bountiful Beaus #2)

Her eyes bulged. “Of course, not. Where in the world would you get an idea like that?”

“You said she sleeps with the fishes.”

Mrs. Peppercorn rolled her eyes. “Actually, I said she ‘sleeps with fish’ because she does. I rendered her unconscious and sedated her with my sleeping pills. There’s a little goldfish beside her bed. I named him Fish, because he’s a fish. She sleeps with Fish.”

Elliot blinked at her. “Then what was all that business with the lemon wedge?”

Mrs. Peppercorn stared at him like it was the silliest question she’d ever heard. “Mayor Rivera enjoys lemon in his rosewater. There’s nothing wrong with being helpful, sweetie.”

Elliot arched an eyebrow. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you? You’re toying with me.”

Her cheeks darkened. “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. Who can say?” She stared longingly at the fish filet on her dinner plate and sighed. Someone squeezed Elliot’s shoulder, and when he looked over, Alexander was smiling down at him. Mrs. Peppercorn continued. “Oh Elliot, her goldfish was just the cutest little thing. You’d love him. After I tied Ms. Broussard to the bed, he and I spent a little time together. It was sweet. We had a moment. I may ask her if she’s terribly attached to Fish the fish once she wakes up. Granted, if she treats her fish anything like she treats her sons, I can’t imagine her giving a dang one way or the other.”

Alexander groaned. “Priorities, Mrs. Peppercorn. You drugged her?”

“I just said I did, didn’t I? Goodness, baby, are you losing your memory like our Elliot did? I wonder if the residual effects of an automaton’s reprogramming are contagious. That’s something I’ll need to ask the Creationist about while I’m still masquerading as Mother.”

“Why would you drug her?” Alexander continued, looking exhausted by the exchange.

“Because she was going to call Jared. She was going to have him come and take Elliot, and I will not let that happen.” She cupped Elliot’s cheek. “You’re never going back to that horrible, hateful man again.”

Elliot nodded, leaning into her touch. “Yes, Mrs. Peppercorn. I know. The thing is, Jared is no longer a threat.” He knew he had to fill her in, but he worried once she knew he was a killer, she may no longer care to socialize with him. It would sting. It would be a bitter ache to lose the love she’d given him, but he knew he had to be open and honest with her, because a friendship could not be built upon lies. “He sleeps with the fishes.”

“Pardon?”

“Jared. He sleeps with the fishes too, but not like Mother.” He closed his eyes and sighed, refusing to open them. “Master Price attempted to harm our child, and I went off the deep end.” He chewed his lip, hoping if he nibbled long enough, Alexander would step in and save him from the memory. Alexander’s hand touched Elliot’s, wrapping around and squeezing softly.

“Jared’s dead,” Alexander said softly, squeezing Elliot’s hand a bit tighter. “He was trying to hurt the baby.”

“Elliot,” Mrs. Peppercorn demanded kindly, and his eyes snapped up to meet hers. “Good for you, baby. Good for you.”

“I didn’t mean to,” he whispered. Even if she didn’t feel repulsion when looking at him now, it didn’t ease the guilt Elliot felt. “I took his life.”

“He was going to take yours,” Alexander reminded him. “And if he didn’t kill you, he probably would have killed her.” He lifted his hand and placed it on Elliot’s tummy. “You did the right thing.”

“I know. It’s still hard to process, though. I didn’t want him dead. He was horrible and awful to me, but he didn’t deserve to die.”

“That’s subjective,” Mrs. Peppercorn said, taking a sip of her water.

“And now we’re on the run. It isn’t fair. If Mother had her way, I’d still be with him, taking all the hurt he had to offer because I was created to be tortured.” A tear slipped down Elliot’s cheek, and he was thankful when Alexander wiped it away. I know I’m safe now, but it’s not just about me. I have brothers still suffering the same fate. They’re being brutalized to fulfill their husband’s sadistic fetishes. It’s not right. None of this is right.”

“Someone needs to save them,” Mayor Rivera said as he took a seat. He glanced around the room, studying the beaus in attendance. “Maybe someone will. The ones who want to leave their suitors should be able to.” Beau leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest. “When I was nine, my Aunt Lurlene helped me rescue a litter of piglets who were headed for slaughter. Ten years later, we had the biggest pig rescue in the south.”

“As much as I’m enjoying this slice of your life, Mayor Rivera, I’m not sure what it has to do with anything,” Elliot said, though not unkindly.

“What I’m saying is, I’ve been searching for purpose all my life, and I think I might have just found it.” He turned to Mrs. Peppercorn. “When we return home, I’m going to need your help.”

Mrs. Peppercorn opened her mouth to respond, but her upper denture slipped, falling against her lower denture and making a loud clanking sound. Her eyes widened and she closed her mouth, running her tongue across her upper teeth, then the lower palette. With a sigh of relief, she nodded. “Good. I was worried I cracked them to high heaven.” She gave Beau an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry for ruining your speech, sugar. What was it you need my help with?”

Mayor Rivera looked around the room, nodding to himself. “I want to save them. However many I can. Whoever wants to be saved.”

“There are over fifty bountiful beaus on the ship, son,” Mrs. Peppercorn pointed out. “I don’t know where you’d even hide them. That’s what you’re suggesting, isn’t it? Rescuing them and keeping them hidden?”

“Yeah. But not just the beaus on this ship.” He smiled at Elliot. “I want to try to save them all. Some of the things I’ve seen on this cruise have made my stomach churn. They aren’t all treated poorly, but the ones who are . . . It’s disgusting what they’re expected to put up with.” He turned his gaze to a suitor sitting two tables away. The man was eating black cherries from a bowl. In front of the man, his bountiful beau rested on his knees, his mouth open. Elliot wasn’t sure what was going on at first, but then the man swallowed down his cherry, leaned forward and spit the cherry pit into his beau’s waiting mouth. He paid no attention to his beau’s discomfort or disgust, which was clear as day. “Case in point.”

“I don’t even know how you’d go about rescuing them. It’s not as if you can simply show up on their doorsteps and offer them a means of escape,” Elliot pointed out.

“I know,” Mayor Rivera agreed. “But I’ve got to think of something. This isn’t right. No one should have to go through what you’ve gone through.” He reached forward and squeezed Elliot’s wrist. “Thank you, Elliot. Thank you for giving me back my purpose.” He turned back to Mrs. Peppercorn. “I’ll need to find somewhere to hide them. That’s where you come in.” Ridiculously, the sassy side of Mayor Beau Rivera reared its head when he waggled his eyebrows like a maniac. “Do you think your Ladies Auxiliary would be up for a little anarchy?”

Mrs. Peppercorn paused, probably considering the request. It seemed like a fool’s dream. Elliot had over five-thousand brothers across the United States. Saving them all would be impossible. Even if Mayor Rivera only attempted to rescue three or four of Elliot’s brothers, he wasn’t sure how that could work. The men would have to stay hidden indefinitely, in hopes the business would collapse so they could live an open life. Another pipe dream, because Elliot was sure if Ms. Broussard’s Home for Bountiful Beaus was closed, the lost lambs would be led to slaughter and incinerated, or worse, rounded up and sent to new homes with horrible new husbands and new hellscapes to survive.

Yes, it was a fool’s dream, but for his brothers’ sakes, he hoped with all his heart it would come true.

As Mrs. Peppercorn and Beau brainstormed ideas, Elliot leaned his head against Alexander’s shoulder, soaking in the affection pouring out of him. After a while, Alexander’s phone chimed, and when he pulled it out, his lax expression faded, his back straightened, and he looked down at Elliot.

“It’s time.”

Elliot nodded, fear rising at the thought of making a mad dash for Alexander’s helicopter on the upper deck. “I’m scared.”

“You don’t have to be. I’ve got you, baby. I won’t let anything bad happen.”

“Listen,” Mrs. Peppercorn said. “I know you probably expect me to get on board that big fancy helicopter, but I think I’m going to stick it out here.” She looked around the room. “These beaus are going to need their Mother.”

Elliot nodded in agreement. Leaving the cruise would mean leaving the rest of the beaus behind. For all Elliot knew, Beau Rivera could have been planning a great escape for all the beaus on the ship, and Elliot didn’t want to ruin any of their plans he’d been too busy cuddling against Alexander to pay attention to.

“We’ll keep her restrained until we dock, and then we’ll figure out where we go from there.” She slowly rose from her chair and hobbled a few steps forward, cupping Elliot’s cheeks and kissing his forehead. “But you have to run, baby. You have to go find your happily ever after.”

Elliot wrapped his hand around her frail wrist, tenderly stroking her skin. “I’ll see you again, Mrs. Peppercorn.”

She smiled, nodding her agreement. “Me and you are family now, sugar. All the evil mothers in the world couldn’t keep me away from you.”

As they hugged and said their tearful goodbyes, Alexander stood behind Elliot, slowly rubbing his back. His phone chimed again, and Elliot knew it must be the pilot advising him he’d arrived.

Five minutes later, after rushing across the cruise ship in a mad dash, the thwomp-thwomp-thwomp of the helicopter’s rotor played out like a breathtaking symphony, promising freedom and family on the other side of the sea.

The helicopter hadn’t landed, but it wasn’t very high up, and there was a ladder hanging down, ready to lead them into their future. Elliot gave Alexander a final kiss before their journey up, touching their foreheads together, and shouting over the thwomping sound, “I’m going to make you so happy, Alexander.” Elliot placed his hand on Alexander’s hip and felt something hard beneath the fabric. He opened his mouth to ask what it was, but Alexander’s smile paralyzed him. Alexander’s net worth may have been in the billions, but his smile was worth everything. Then a new expression worked its way onto Alexander's face. Disbelief, maybe? Confusion? Elliot wasn’t sure. Not until he heard her.

“Absolutely not,” Mother screamed over the roars and thwomps. “Elliot Price, I forbid you from getting on that helicopter.”

Elliot’s entire body stiffened. How had she escaped Mrs. Peppercorn’s bindings? What would happen to him now? Could he still escape? So many questions roared through his head, but for the first time in his life, Elliot wasn’t alone. Elliot had never been able to rely on anyone, but he could rely on Alexander. The next thing he knew, Alexander had his hand around Elliot’s wrist, tugging. Looking over his shoulder, Alexander was already on the third rung of the ladder. “Baby, I need you to climb. Come on, I’ve got you.”

When Elliot stared into Alexander’s eyes, he felt a lifetime pass between them. It was filled with laughter and love and so much peace. It was a gentle life. A quiet one. It may not have been a love story for the ages, but it was simple and it was true. Truer than anything Elliot had ever felt. So, he climbed. Rung after rung, step after step, Elliot made his way up with the man he loved.

Lightning struck the sea, illuminating the night, giving Elliot a vision of the world in panorama. In the distance, there was nothing but sea and sky, and the sight of it terrified him. If he fell, he would never be found. He was sure of it. He would sink to the seafloor and be forgotten, his quiet life snuffed out before it had truly begun. So Elliot climbed faster, desperate to reach safety.

There was movement below him, and it struck up a fresh wave of panic inside him. He didn’t have time to look down, he couldn’t risk losing the momentum they’d gained. Then he felt it. Her hand on his ankle. Nails digging into his skin.

“You get down here now!” Mother screamed. “Elliot Price, I will not tell you again.”

To Elliot’s horror, the helicopter rose higher in the evening sky, and when Elliot looked down, Mother was still at his heels, as the ship was shrinking beneath them.

His leg was shaking, and when he realized it was from Mother jerking his ankle back and forth, his heart thundered in his chest. It was as if Mother was trying to make him fall on purpose. He kicked at her, not necessarily trying to kick her off the ladder, but simply as a fight for his own survival.

Professor Plum squeaked in his pocket, but Elliot couldn’t let go of the ladder to console him.

“Stop,” Elliot pleaded. “Mother, you’ll make me fall!”

She glared at him. “That’s the point. You let go of this ladder right this second.”

“We’ll drown!”

She shook her head. “Clarence will find us again. I will not allow this, Elliot. I will not allow you to make a mockery of my life’s work. Let go!”

Elliot reached down to knock her hand loose, but as he did so, her unnecessarily sharp fingernails sliced at his palm, making him howl in pain. He knew he had to get away from her, but when he reached for the next step on the ladder, sharp pain coursed across his palm where Mother’s nail had connected. It felt like pouring alcohol on a flesh wound—a sharp and relentless stinging sensation. He tried again, only to realize it was no use. He wouldn’t be able to use that hand to climb.

Looking up, Elliot’s heart ached. Alexander was trying so hard to get them to safety, and it was all for nothing. If Elliot remained connected to Mother, he would drag both Alexander and Professor Plum to their watery graves along with them. He couldn’t have that.

“I said, let go!” Mother shouted again.

Elliot closed his eyes and did just that. He let go of the version of Mother he’d held in his heart. Elliot let go of a life of endless strife and misery, and he grabbed on to the life he planned with Alexander. Or, rather, Alexander grabbed onto him, holding Elliot as close as he could.

“Kick,” Alexander screamed over the roaring rotors. “Kick her off or she’ll take you with her!”

But Mother’s grip was relentless. Even as her heels kicked into the air, she remained steadfast and unwavering. “Elliot Price, you let go of him this instant! This isn’t the way a bountiful beau is meant to behave. I raised you better than this.”

“No,” Elliot barked, furiously kicking his leg to shake her loose. He was so close to finding his forever, and here was Mother, trying to ruin it. Again. Never before had Elliot felt the level of anger he had for Mother at that moment. He was so close to freedom, and she was trying to take it from him. “Not Elliot Price! I’m just Elliot. That may be who you see me as, but that is not my name.”

“Sweetheart, your future is waiting,” she cried as the grip she had on him loosened. “Master Price will forgive and forget. You just have to let go.”

Elliot shook his head. “Jared is dead.”

The look of horror and hopelessness on her face was palpable. “What do you mean?”

“I killed him,” he said flatly. “He hurt me. He tried to hurt my baby—”

“Jared Price’s baby,” she attempted to correct him, looking shell-shocked. “It’s his baby. He paid for it. Dear God. You’ve gone mad, haven’t you?”

“My baby!” Elliot growled, kicking again. “Mine. Not his. Not yours. This is my life, Alexander is my future, and you are a memory I wish to forget.” He kicked more furiously that time, screaming, “Let—me—go!”

Mother dug her nails into Elliot’s thigh. “If I fall, I’m dragging you with me.”

Elliot pushed past the pain in his palm and clung to the ladder as Mother tried in vain to dislodge him. When she realized her efforts were fruitless, Elliot watched as her attention shifted. No longer was she looking at him, her sights were set on Alexander. Elliot’s heart sank.

Reaching high above her head, Mother managed to grab Alexander’s ankle, making direct contact with his skin. Her sharp nails pierced through and blood drizzled down her fingers, across her hand, and ran down her arm. Alexander cried out in pain, one hand slipping from the ladder out of reflex, as if he was trying to swat away a pest. When Alexander let go, the three of them slipped, but he grabbed the ladder with one hand as the other dangled over the ocean.

“I’m going to fall. Elliot, I can’t hold on,” Alexander grunted. “Grab the ladder. If I fall, I don’t want to take you with me.”

Elliot’s heart cracked right down the middle. No. He couldn’t lose Alexander. Not again. Alexander Davenport was the kindest, most amazing man he’d ever met, and Elliot was undeniably, unequivocally, irrefutably in love with him.

“But the baby. Our baby, Alexander.” Elliot sniffled. “We’re going to raise her on Sugarplum Island.” As Elliot’s jaw trembled, he tried to maintain his composure. “We’re supposed to be a happy family. Miss Twylah said so.”

“Baby, please. If I fall, you’ll fall, too.”

Elliot swallowed and nodded, tightening the hold he had on Alexander’s waist. “I know.” Elliot pressed his face against Alexander’s stomach and shook with fear. “I’m with you. Right until the end.”

As panic flooded Elliot’s veins, he felt something jabbing at his chest. Little pinpricks that didn’t quite hurt, but were still terribly uncomfortable. Elliot looked down in time to see Professor Plum crawl out of his pocket. His heart raced, because he had no way to catch the fieldmouse, should he fall. But Professor Plum’s nails continued to prick his skin through the fabric of Elliot’s clothing as he journeyed downward toward Mother.

The mouse stared at Mother, then looked up at Elliot and almost seemed to smile before opening his mouth and chomping down on Mother’s finger. Mother cried out, instinctively pulling her arm away, loosening the hold she had on Elliot.

Elliot saw it. The moment Emily Broussard realized what was about to happen. The initial rush of fear, quickly replaced by a look that almost resembled annoyance.

“Not again,” she groaned, then she fell, screeching “Clarence!” during the descent. The problem was, they’d flown far enough from the ship that finding her in the middle of the night would more than likely be impossible. Elliot kept his eyes locked on Mother’s until darkness engulfed her.

The next thing Elliot knew, he was in motion. Looking up, he watched as Alexander pulled them up the ladder. Little pinpricks plucked through Elliot’s clothing again as Professor Plum crawled the length of Elliot’s body, to rest on his shoulder. Elliot grabbed the fieldmouse and tucked him into his shirt pocket before working with Alexander to get them into the helicopter. Once they were on board, the pilot looked over his shoulder and scowled at them, telling them to buckle their gee-dee seatbelts, and that he wasn’t about to get struck by gee-dee lightning trying to rescue their gee-dee behinds. He had a terribly filthy mouth, and Elliot didn’t care for it in the slightest.

Once they were strapped in, Professor Plum peaked out of Elliot’s pocket and stared up at him. The little mouse nuzzled its face right over Elliot’s heart.

“He loves you,” Alexander said over the roars and whirls of the helicopter’s propellers. “Are you okay?” Elliot nodded, because he thought he was. He’d already seen Mother plummet to her death once, so the impact was less this time. He cuddled closer to Alexander and breathed in his scent.

“Alexander,” he whimpered, the stress of everything finally taking its toll.

“I’m here. I’m right here. We’re going home, baby.”

Home.