Page 179 of Perfect Liar

“Quite right. I did not have that information.”

“That’s my fault. Call him, Thomas, and talk to him. Let him know I tricked you. Tell him I’ll be at Jess’s house as he said. I have to go, but I’ll call you again soon.”

I hung up before he could say anything else.

Jess waited for me at the security entrance, waving her arms as I worked my way through the crowd. I stumbled as soon as I got to her. She caught me, shouldering my weight and dragging my bag as we left the terminal.

She packed me into the passenger seat of her car with a water bottle and an empty bucket, and as she merged onto the southbound highway, my delayed sickness hit me with the force of a hurricane.

Jess rubbed my back as she drove.

“We’ll figure this out…we’ll find him. But first, we must get you to bed.”

She reached across the car to open the glove compartment. The car swerved and she jerked the wheel back as she dropped a pill bottle onto my lap.

“Here, take two tablets. If you throw them up right away, take another…it’s Valium…it’ll help a little with the nausea but mostly it’ll sedate you.”

I leaned back against the seat and swallowed the tablets.

She put on her music playlist, and I shut my eyes, taking comfort in the familiar sound of her voice as she drove us to Stonington.

Drowsiness set in.

I tried focusing on the words she sang.

I tried focusing on my plan to find Will.

“Jess, you still have your guns, right?” I slurred.

But then, before hearing her answer, I faded into nothingness.

CHAPTER 50

Ben stood over the bed and watched me rub sleep from my eyes.

“Welcome back, sleeping beauty.”

My body was slow to fire, but my brain started to function.

“How long have I been out?”

He tapped a message into his phone.

“Jessica said it’s been seven hours.”

“What? Are you texting Will…is he okay? Why isn’t he here with you?”

“He’s quite alright. But come on, Ellie, why do you think he’s not here?”

“Well, where is he and what is he doing?”

Ben kept looking at his stupid phone, reading Will’s reply.

“What do you think he’s doing?”

“Damn it, Ben, stop answering my questions with questions.”

His eyes moved from the screen to me, and he gave me his quiet death stare.

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