Page 42 of The Devil's Pair

Every single day, Violet had to fight to keep her thoughts and feelings to herself. She rose in the late morning, showered and cleaned her crappy room upstairs at Satan’s, then descended into hell to eat and smile and work and pretend that she was thrilled and grateful to be there.

But the tired, tattered rictus grin mask was slipping and slipping, a little more every day, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep hold of it. She wasn’t even sure that shewantedto keep trying. It was being held in placewith unravelling string, and unstuck sticky tape – and she was exhausted and disheartened.

All she knew for sure was that she wished she was back with her sisters, where she knew her place and understood all the rules… and she was starting to wonder if there was anything that she could do to make that happen.

Chapter Eleven

Bellefonte, Pennsylvania

Rose Terraces Nursing Home

Four months later

Briley walked down the hall pushing the medicine cart, and smiled at the front desk receptionist as she passed. She slowed her pace a bit, enjoying the air conditioning in the entrance area as long as possible. It was the end of August and it was crazy hot, and although Briley had never really minded the heat before in her life, for some reason she was suffering badly that summer.

With a small sigh, she carried on down the hallway, popping in and out of the patients’ rooms, handing out their medication. As usual, a few protested and she cajoled and coaxed them until they took their pills; she always hated having to force anyone to take drugs, but she knew well enough that it was a real necessity in these people’s cases.

The last room at the end of the hall was Ada Washington’s, who was secretly Briley’s favorite resident. The woman was ninety-two, from Georgia, and an absolute terror: her great-grandchildren were constantly sneaking in mini-bottles of whiskey to her, and at last twice a week, she got caught blowing cigarette smoke out her room window. She was unrepentant and unapologetic, and she made Briley laugh every single day.

“Hey, Ada,” she greeted the woman now. “Have you still got some water in that cup?”

“A little bit, honey,” Ada replied, her drawl making even a simple reply warm and almost musical. “You got my drugs?”

“You know it.” Briley handed her the tiny paper cup, watched as the older woman tipped her head back, swallowed the pills. “How are you feeling today?”

“Oh, honey.” Ada smiled, her face so open and lovely. “I’m good, as always. Thanking God for another day, enjoying my stories on TV, and happy to see you. But how areyou, dear girl?”

“Good. A bit overheated, but that’s it.”

“Mmmm-hmmm.” Ada stared unblinkingly at Briley. “You know that you’re looking a little bit peaky, right?”

“Am I?” Flustered, Briley ran a hand over her warm face. “I mean, I’m not feeling fantastic, but I’ll get some cool water, sit under the air-con for a few minutes. I’ll be fine.”

“Huh,” Ada huffed. “Some nurseyouare!”

“Sorry?”

“Honey, don’t you know you’re pregnant?”

“I –” Briley blinked at her. “I’m –what?”

“Knocked up,” Ada said crisply. “Up the duff, up the spout, you have a bun in the oven, you’re expecting. Uhhhh, maybe something classy. Oh! You’reenceinte.”

“I’m –” Briley opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again. “I’m not. I mean, it’s not possible.”

“Why not?” Ada demanded. “If you’ve had sex in the past… ummm, let me take a guess here, just based on what I’ve noticed over the past couple of weeks… maybe three or four months ago, then honey, you absolutelycanbe.”

“I –” she started again, then suddenly, she was whirring and whipping through a mental calendar, counting backwards and forwards, remembering her time with Dux and Drake, realizing that her period was, actually, quite late. But she’d been under so much stress for so long with fucking Gideon, and her periods had become so erratic and irregular, and she’d been so focused on her new job and new life, so she hadn’t even noticed. As she stood there now, though, she felt how swollen and tenderher breasts were, and shealsofelt an odd kind of solidity in her stomach, like something settling or growing, taking hold and blooming. “Oh,God.”

“So?” Ada said. “Is itpossible, honey?”

“Ada,” Briley said, feeling faint and sick and terrified and utterly,utterlysure. “Not only is it possible, I think it’s highly probable.”

“Well, what are you waiting for, then?” the older woman asked. “Take that cute little ass over to the medical wing and get yourself checked out.”

“I will,” Briley said numbly. “After work.”

“No, honey,now.” Ada smiled at her, her brown eyes twinkling with genuine excitement, even in the face of Briley’s shock. “And if it’s a girl, maybe consider naming her Ada, after the woman who clued your beautiful but clueless self in.”

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