Page 94 of The Devil We Know

Antoinette takes off toward her mother and her sister, and Tony and I head off in the direction of our private rooms. Tony speaks softly to Carolina, who shakes her head in response, but he ignores whatever she’s saying, stooping down and hefting her over his shoulder and taking off through the doorway, the slap of her palms on his back reverberating through the room.

I stop beside Jessica and ask, “Are you going to come willingly?”

She glances back at the other woman, then turns to me and says, “Yes. The last thing they need is to feel like they’re babysitting me.”

I take her hand, leading her out of the room and down the hallway through the maze of corridors until we reach the door to my room. I turn to her with a sheepish look as I say, “Obviously, the last time I was here, I was not expecting to bring company back with me.”

She frowns and then asks, “Are you saying it’s likely a pigsty?”

I laugh and shake my head. “No, they would have made sure it was cleaned regularly on the off-chance I was going to be back without notice.”

She raises her brows at me questioningly. “Then why the explanation?”

“Tony likes to leave me gag gifts. I’m preemptively assuming he has done so liberally while I’ve been gone.”

She giggles, looking intently over my shoulder as I turn and open the door. I flip the light on, bracing myself for some crazy scene, and then laugh as I enter the room.

Jessica enters right on my heels and then laughs as she sees the gift that Tony left for me on the bed—an intricate and life-sized blow-up doll.

She walks toward it, leaning over the bed and squinting as she says, “This thing must have cost a fortune.”

I sigh heavily, closing the door and leaning against it as I reply, “Tony would spare no expense.”

We both laugh, and the short reprieve makes me feel a tiny bit lighter.

I motion to the doorway on the other side of the room and say, “There’s a bathroom over there if you want to freshen up a bit. I’ll take care of our friend here in the meantime.”

Still laughing, she walks in the direction I indicated, glancing over her shoulder as she jokes, “Do I dare leave you two alone?”

I laugh again, shaking my head as she disappears. The smile drops from my face, and I frown down at the lifelike doll in front of me. Sighing, I heft it over my shoulder, turning and walking to the doors across from the bathroom. I swing one open, careful to make sure the other remains shut, as I lean in and toss the doll on the pile of other objects that Tony has been leaving me over the years.

“What else is in there?” Jessica’s voice behind me startles me.

I whirl around, shutting the door and leaning back against it as I say, “Nothing.”

She squints at me with a knowing expression as she says, “Liar, liar.”

I laugh nervously, shaking my head as I step into her, my hands going to her wrists when she attempts to go around me. I pull her in close, wrapping my arms around her, pinning her arms to her sides, and pressing my face into her neck. “Plenty of time for all that nonsense later.”

She pulls back just enough to look me in the face as she says, “You mean plenty of time for you to get rid of the evidence.”

I walk her backward until the backs of her legs hit the bed. She topples over, and I follow her, my body pinning her to the mattress. “Would I do that?”

She nods enthusiastically and says, “You absolutely would.”

I raise my hand as I reply, “Scout’s honor.”

She giggles and then sputters, “As if you were actually a fucking boy scout.”

I laugh and shake my head, but I say nothing as I allow myself to sink into her while focusing on not crushing her.

We fall silent, and her hands are on my back, rubbing soothingly. Then her face is in my neck, her breath warm against my ear as she says, “I’m sorry.”

Pain jackknifes through me, and I clear my throat as I whisper, “Let’s not talk about that.”

She wraps her arms around me more tightly but says nothing. She just nods, her only response an incoherent cooing.

I sigh deeply, willing the agony in my chest to ease, and then she’s pushing against my chest. I sit back and ask, “What is it?”

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