Page 375 of Under Her Skin

There was a furious pounding on the front door of the apartment and they both froze. Nobody knew they were there or even knew Enda owned the penthouse. Enda sat up and wrapped the sheet around Ama. “Go into the bathroom and stay there. Keep the lightoff.”

She nodded and disappeared into the dark room. Enda got up and tugged his jeans on as the knocking cameagain.

Steeling himself, he tugged open the door. Olivier stood outside and Enda gaped at him. “Olly …what thehell?”

Olivier shook his head. “No time for explanations now. It’s dad, Enda. He’s had a massive heart attack. He’s in the hospital.” Olivier looked devastated and scared. “Bring Ama. We’ll tell Jackson we picked her up on theway.”

As they allthree ran the corridors of the hospital, a million questions whirled around Ama’s brain. So, Olivier knew about her and Enda and knew about the apartment. How the hell did he know? She couldn’t think of a way that wasn’t negative. And that’s what was killing her—thinking bad things about Olivier, whom she adored, as she knew Enda did. She trusted—had trusted—Olivier with her life. Andnow…

They saw Jackson up ahead, and for once, Ama felt sorry for the monster. At this moment, he looked like the lost little boy, rather than the scheming rapist and possible murderer she now thought of him as. This was a different Jackson—vulnerable. She patted his arm awkwardly. “I’m so sorry,Jackson.”

He looked right through her, ignoring Enda entirely and looked in desperation at his older brother. “They won’t tell me anything,Olly.”

Olivier nodded, his face grim. “They’re probably still trying to do what they do, Jack. Let’s go sit together andwait.”

Ama couldn’t bring herself to sit with Jackson, so she sat opposite him. She caught Olivier’s eye, and he smiled kindly. She felt a rush of relief that he wasn’t judging her for sleeping with Enda. Enda sat next to her, his arm across the back of her chair, and it was so tempting to just snuggle into him. He looked shocked, but grim-faced, and Ama could tell he was trying to keep ittogether.

An hour later, the doctor came to see them. “I’m Dr. Friedan. I’m the chief of cardiology here,” she said and gave them a warm smile. “Mr. Gallo suffered a severe heart attack, as you know. Now, we’ve managed to stabilize him, but the next twenty-four hours arecritical.”

“Can we seehim?”

Dr. Friedan shook her head. “I’d rather you didn’t for a few hours. Let him rest. He regained consciousness briefly, but he’s sleeping now. Come back in themorning.”

After she’d gone, Jackson slumped in his chair. “I’m notleaving.”

Olivier looked at Enda. “Maybe you should take Ama home and stay with her at the house until we have somenews.”

Ama looked at Jackson, who hadn’t even seemed to hear Olivier. “We shouldgo.”

At Macaulay Gallo’s home,the place rang with emptiness. Ama didn’t want to sleep or go to the room where Jackson had been abusing her all week, so she and Enda made camp in the large kitchen. There was a large, well-worn couch and they sat there together, watching dawn break outside thewindow.

“You know, it’s funny,” Enda said quietly, “Even now, I can’t think of him as my father. I know the DNA tests said he was—sorry,is,but …it’s Olivier I stayed for. If it had just been Mac and Jackson, then maybe I would have not been so involved with the family.” He smiled sadly at her. “But then I wouldn’t have met you,amoremia.”

Ama stroked his cheek. “So we have to talk about the fact that Olivier knows aboutus.”

“It wouldseem.”

They sat in silence, contemplating what that meant. Enda gave up. “I just can’t figure it out. We were socareful.”

Ama was chewing her lip. “Do you think Jacksonknows?”

He shook his head. “No. Because if hedid…”

He didn’t have to finish the sentence. Ama knew he meant that if Jackson knew, they’d both probably be dead right now. Ama’s mind went back to what Enda had told her about Penelope. Ama had no problem imagining Jackson stabbingherto death for sleeping with Enda. She tamped down the terror. Better her than Enda …or Selima, but she didn’t say that outloud.

Just after seven a.m., she finally fell asleep, wrapped in Enda’s arms as they lay on the couchtogether.

At eight a.m. Olivier called them to tell them Macaulay wasdead.

The funeral was attended by hundreds of people. Inca and Raffaelo came too, sad-eyed, hugging Enda and Olivier. Ama dutifully took Jackson’s arm as they followed the casket into the church and sat with him as the service began. Jackson seemed out of it, and Ama wondered to Enda if he had taken something to get through itall.

Macaulay’s death had hit him hard. Gone was the hubris and posturing; Jackson was grieving. Even Enda had felt sorry for the –man—as much as he could. He couldn’t shake the anger he felt towards Jackson over his treatment of Ama—the threats to her family if she didn’t comply with him. He studied them as a couple now; Jackson’s perfectly coiffed hair and cleanly shaven face, next to Ama’s ethereal, sad beauty.No.They made no sense as a couple. Why was Jackson so entirely set on pretending theywere?

Enda was plagued with nightmares about Ama being murdered by one of Jackson’s goons. He pictured her in her car, gutted, blood everywhere…Jesus, man, stop it.He bent his head, closing his eyes to erase the images. He felt Raff’s hand on his shoulder and smiled at his friendgratefully.

At the wake,Ama stayed with Jackson for a time, then excused herself. She felt exhausted, drawn, and numb. She had liked Macaulay a lot, even though he was a weak man, and now that he’d gone…god, she would be alone in this house with Jackson. God knows what he would do to her when no one was there to stop him. She went to her room to change out of the formal black suit she had worn to the church and into a simple, but comfortable, black dress. She heard a soft knock on thedoor.

“Comein.”