Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
But I lucked out this evening. I called an Uber while I was walking out of the club, and within a minute, one had pulled up on the corner of Randolph and State. I made a beeline for the back seat and locked the door behind me. My driver, thankfully a woman, didn’t speak the entire drive.
Five bloody stars for her.
My phone rings. I pull it out of my purse and look at the screen. It’s Dinah.
Good grief. Does the hospital need me to come in?
I could ignore it. Send it to voicemail. I’m not on call tonight, so they can’t force me to come in.
But if they need me, they need me. Someone’s life could be on the line.
I accept the call and bring the phone to my ear. “What’s up?”
“Liss! I’ve got some great news.”
I sit down on my couch. “I could use some good news.”
My phone buzzes again. A text from Maddox. Probably asking me why the hell I left in such a hurry for the second night in a row. I’ll check it once I’m off the phone with Dinah.
“Carol got the lungs she needed.”
I drop my jaw. “She did?”
“Yeah. They finally found a match.”
My heart soars. Carol doesn’t have to die.
But then that means…
“What about Lou? He’ll be left all alone.”
“They’re still looking for a match for him. “
My heart sinks. “But if Carol gets better, he’ll die alone.”
“Liss, look on the bright side. Carol is in surgery as we speak. She’ll be able to breathe, talk, laugh, scream. She can visit Lou as he waits for a match.”
“Still, though…” I rub at my forehead. “They’re the same blood type. I was hoping one donor could cover both of them.”
“Hearts are in higher demand,” Dinah says. “But I’m sure they’ll find something for him, too. We thought Carol was a lost cause, but now she’ll get to live out the rest of her natural life breathing freely.”
“That’s… That’s great news, Di. I’m so happy for Carol.” I scratch my head. “I’ve got to let you go, though. Kind of dealing with something else. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Everything all right?”
I swallow. “I’m not sure right now. But everything will be, I hope.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Nothing you have to worry about. I’ll see you tomorrow, Di.”
“Okay. Take care.”
I end the call.
This really is fantastic news. It would be even more fantastic if Lou had gotten a heart out of the deal, too, but what Dinah said is right. It could be right around the corner. We’re only a few days into Lou and Carol’s one-month pact, and one of them already got what she needed.
Right now, I have other things to think about.
There’s something festering at Aces Underground. Something dark, something sinister. Every time I think about it, a chill creeps up my spine, my instincts screaming that whatever’s lurking in the depths of that place is dangerous. I know this feeling. I felt it whenever my mother was about to go on one of her tirades. Something in the air would shift. Dad and I both learned to sense it, and sometimes we were able to talk her down before things got out of control.
Sometimes we weren’t.
She never broke every dish in the house again, but there were other incidents, including one in particular that was so completely horrific that I never allow myself to think of it.
Focus, Alissa.
But it’s true.
I feel, right now, the same way I felt that day in her master bathroom before she—
No. I shake the thought from my head.
I never allow myself to relive that day.
I close my eyes, shut down the memory.
Or try to.
But I can’t. I remember walking into the bathroom, seeing my mother gazing at her own reflection in the mirror, the look in her eyes unmistakable—
“Oh!” I jerk at the knock on my door.
I look at my phone. It’s pretty late for visitors. And I didn’t buzz anyone up.
My heart was already thrumming, but now it speeds up even more.
I grab a knife from the kitchen counter, hold it between my fingers.
It’s Rouge. It has to be her. She knows that I know something. And she’s here to—
“Alissa, it’s me.”
My heart slows down. It’s the rich, low voice of Maddox.
I look through the peephole to confirm it is indeed him and then open the door, throwing my arms around him.
“Hey there,” he says.
“I’m sorry I ran out on you again.” I kiss his lips. “I… I just couldn’t stand to be in that club for one more second. I felt like my very life was at stake.”
The melodrama isn’t lost on me, but I’m freaked.
“Baby, you’re never in danger when I’m around,” Maddox says gently into my ear.
“God, I hope that’s the case.”
“It is.” He looks over his shoulder. “But let’s go inside. I found something strange in my pocket. Someone at the club must have slipped it into my jacket while I was at the bar or something.”