Page 15 of Twisted Trust

“How did Scott get there?”

“Huh?” I squint at him as the throbbing in my temple flares up and gradually increases.

“How did Scott get to the hospital?”

“Oh… some guy passing by—listen.” I cut myself off before this talk gets too personal. “Thank you for the pasta and for talking to me. I really appreciate it, but I just need to sleep. It’s been a long day.”

Cameron nods in understanding. “You got it. If you need anything, remember I’m just across the walkway.”

“I know. Thanks, Cameron.”

“Anytime, Mae.” Cameron leaves after giving me a brief, warm hug, and the comfort is nearly enough to break me down.

I hold it together until I’m crawling into bed with two pills fizzing on my tongue. As I swallow, the tears come.

Shock. Pain. Trauma.

All of that was terrifying enough, but now Levi is here.

Somehow, that devil has hunted me down and he knows about Scott. I’m not safe here any longer.

I have to leave.

Somehow.

Sleep comes mercifully fast and I fall into restless dreams of Levi and me tangled in the throes of love, or yelling at each other during the height of our heated arguments over nothing.

I jolt awake early the next morning with my pounding heart thundering in my ears and my entire body covered in sweat.

I’m too hot. I need to pee. I need more painkillers.

Fuck.

I lie there among damp sheets and stare up at the pattern mold on my ceiling, willing my heart to calm.

It takes a few dazed seconds for me to click that the pounding in my ears isn’t from my heart but from my front door.

I bolt upright and stare at my bedroom door as a host of terrifying scenarios fills my head.

Did Levi find me?

Is he here to do what he couldn’t do in the hospital? Would I actually have been safer there?

Slipping out of bed, I pull on my satin housecoat and wrap it around my body, hiding the underwear I crawled into bed wearing, and head for the door.

The next flurry of loud knocks makes me flinch, but just as I’m about to bolt back to my bedroom, a woman’s voice flits through the door and my heart sinks.

“Miss Jackson, I know you’re in there. It’s Hillary from CPS. Open up!”

4

LEVI

“This was your last chance, Levi. Don’t you get that? This was —beep— Where the hell are you? The meeting starts in —beep— Levi, you need to get here right now —beep— Levi? Antony says you didn’t show, what the hell is going on?”

Message after message plays from my phone one after the other from every angry XXX Syndicate General who bothered to phone me, but none of them hold any particular interest.

I’ve been locked in on Maeve ever since she vanished from the hospital, and doesn’t that just scream guilty conscience?