King looked up just in time to see a look of fear and desperation cross Naomi’s face. Startled, he watched her shoot to her feet and dash out of the room. He followed, his heart in his throat. He walked down the hallway, listened. There was noise in the smaller bathroom, farther down the hall, and he tapped on the door.
“Naomi?” he said.
All he got for an answer was a sob, but that was more than enough. He threw the door open, thanking God that it wasn’t locked because he’d have kicked the damn thing down without a second of thought. What he saw froze the breath in his lungs.
Naomi was over at the sink, water running full-blast. She was rubbing her tongue roughly, then cupping her hands under the spray to drink. Over and over she did this, tears streaming down her pale face, breathing h
