Page 20 of His

“No, you need to stay.”

He threads his fingers through mine. “Sabine, I am taking this one hour at a time. We are together right now and that’s all that matters. Now kiss me.”

I lean in and take the intoxicating hit that is Astor Stone, and like the beautiful drug he is, just like that, my worry dissolves.

A cobblestone pathway leads to a rounded front door with a beveled window. The door opens to sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean. Though the cottage is small it’s been remodeled to Astor’s grandiose standards, with plush leather furniture, expansive rugs, and upscale amenities.

I’m just about to tell Astor how beautiful it is when I notice he’s stilled next to me with a concerned look on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Cillian is usually sitting right here, or in the kitchen. He always greets me. Something’s going on.”

Astor grabs my hand, pulling me through the house.

“Cillian!” He calls out, checking the kitchen. I’m pulled down a short hallway to the master bedroom, which is vacant. The bed is unmade and the sheets have been pulled back.

“I’m assuming this is Valerie’s room?”

“Yes. And she’s not here.”

“And I’m assuming that’s not good . . .”

We hurry back through the house and push out the back door to the garden, awash in silver moonlight.

It takes me a second to understand what I’m looking at. There are two people on the ground. Leo is kneeled next to Valerie and appears to be consoling her as she sits on the dirt in a stained white nightgown. She’s hugging her knees to her chest and rocking back and forth. She doesn’t appear to be responding to Leo, or even aware that he’s next to her, for that matter.

She looks ghostly.

Cillian is on his cell phone, pacing by the side of the house. He looks just as concerned as Astor.

Astor drops my hand and jogs across the dirt. The moment Cillian sees us, he hangs up the phone and hurries over. He nods to me in greeting, obviously having been apprised of my arrival ahead of time.

I keep my distance, lingering behind them, my stomach swimming with nerves.

Leo turns to Astor as he approaches. His face is ashen.

“She’s been like this for two hours. We can’t get her into the house. We attempted lifting her, but she fought us off.”

“Fought you off?” Astor gapes.

“Yes.” Leo notices me and frowns. Unlike Cillian, he was definitely not aware that I was coming.

Astor kneels down beside his wife, says something in her ear. She stops rocking. I can’t tell what she’s looking at. A bush, a flower, nothing? Whatever it is, it has her complete focus.

“Jackie’s on her way,” Cillian says.

“No. Call her back. I’ll handle it tonight. What are you doing here? I thought you left for New York this morning?”

“Valerie’s health declined soon after you left. She actually called out for you. It was . . . disconcerting. I didn’t feel comfortable leaving her.”

“You should have told me.”

“I knew you had things to attend to.” His gaze flickers to me.

“Tell Jackie I’ll call her tomorrow morning and we’ll regroup. I’m sure the doctor will want to adjust her meds. I’ll make an appointment as soon?—”

Just then, Valerie turns her head. Her eyes meet mine and she immediately stops rocking.

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