32
1023 Words
I say through gritted teeth, “You have no idea what I do, lass.”
“Don’t glower at me. And why are you so upset? I’m the one with the brain damage and the maybe-baby.” Her eyes go wide. “Oh god.”
Alarmed by her expression, I say, “What now?”
“The ketamine you gave me…” She stares at me in horror.
My stomach rolls over. My voice comes out gruff. “It was only one dose. One low dose.”
“It was enough to make me lose my memory. Imagine what it could do to a fetus!”
“That could’ve been the fall.”
She says sarcastically, “The drop, you mean. And it might not have been.”
When I don’t say anything, she covers her eyes with a hand and whimpers.
I stand, take her hand away from her face, and lean over her, gazing down into her worried eyes. “The baby will be fine,” I say with more conviction than I feel. “You’re young, strong, and healthy. You’re both going to be okay.”
I don’t add Unless die from that brain clot, because that would just be rude.
She stares up at me, panicking, but managing to despise me nonetheless. “Declan, if it turns out that this kid that I’m not having has anything less than a genius IQ, I’ll kill you. And I don’t mean that figuratively.”
Bypassing the threat on my life, which I’m sure she’s sincere about, I smile. “Deal.”
“Why are you smiling? I just said I’d kill you!”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t get it.”
“If you want to slit my throat, you must be feeling better.”
She purses her lips, considering me. “It wouldn’t be throat slitting. Too bloody.”
“Gun?”
She wrinkles her nose. “Too messy.”
“Ah, I remember. Something slow and painful involving flesh-eating bacteria.”
She nods. “So I could sit in a chair in the corner and watch as you’re consumed inch by inch over the course of days. No, weeks. Months.” She smiles. “In agony.”
I chuckle. “You actually like that idea. What a little monster. And you look so sweet.”
After an odd pause, her voice comes out tentative. “You think I look sweet?”
“No. I think you look like a camel. You’re revolting.”
We stare into each other’s eyes. I become aware of her breathing, the flush creeping over her cheeks, and that I’ve leaned closer, so close, our noses are only inches apart.
She says softly, “You don’t think I look like a camel.”
I have to moisten my lips before I answer, my mouth is so dry. “A hyena. A warthog. A kakapo.”
“I don’t know that last one.”
“It’s a giant flightless parrot.”
“A parrot? So it’s cute.”
I shake my head slowly, fighting the urge to lean closer and press my mouth to hers. My voice is husky when I answer. “No. It’s disgusting.”
After a moment, she whispers, “Liar.”
She pushes me away and rolls over onto her side again.
I straighten and blow out a slow, silent breath. I pass a hand through my hair. Then I take my cell phone from my pocket and send a text to Spider.
I’m coming there now. Make sure he’s ready to talk.
With one last glance at Sloane, I leave the room, nodding at the armed men in black suits Kieran has installed on either side of the door while I’ve been inside.
I head out for a chat with Stavros.
I wonder if Sloane would ever forgive me if I went back on my word and killed him.
Only one way to find out.
18
Sloane
T
he instant the door closes behind Declan, I push the call button for the nurse.
Sixty seconds later, Nancy arrives, looking like she’d rather be eating a bowl of razor blades than visiting me.
“Hi, Nancy. I apologize for being a witch to you earlier, but I’m not feeling that great at the moment. Aside from my brain bleeding all over itself, I’ve been kidnapped.”
She blinks. “Uh…”
“You don’t have to do anything about it. I’m not asking for help. I know you’d get into big trouble with the Irish mafia if they found out you called the police, so don’t do that, okay? I don’t want your entire family getting killed on my behalf.”
“O…kay.”
“Great. Thanks. So listen, I was wondering if you could tell me what would cause a false-positive pregnancy test?”
After she uncrosses her eyes, she says, “It’s extremely rare for a blood test to return a false-positive.”
“But if it did, what would cause it?”
She thinks for a moment. “There are several conditions that raise the level of proteins in the blood. Recent miscarriage or abortion. Ectopic pregnancy, where a fertilized egg implants in the fallopian tubes. Some medications. Certain health conditions.”
“Like what?”
“I’d have to look it up for a complete list, but off the top of my head…kidney disease. Rheumatoid factors. Cancer.”
“What kinds of cancer?”
“Ovarian, primarily.”
Oh god. That’s what my mother died of. A pang of panic makes my heartbeat surge, but I breathe through it. “What about exposure to the drug ketamine?”
“That’s an anesthetic. It wouldn’t affect the test results.”
“Anything else you can think of?”
“No.”
“Okay. Thanks for the info. I appreciate it. Since I’m here, can we check for tumors on my ovaries? And let’s also do all the other blood tests I need to look for kidney disease and whatever else.”
“Why don’t we do another pregnancy test first?”
“I know I’m not pregnant.”
- Writer
