Page 61 of Look My Way
“Yes. Daniel. He switched out some of your pills for a high dose of Xanax, but I removed them all. I know how much you need those meds. You count them religiously.”
“Daniel wouldn’t do that. Why would he do that?” I sound winded, holding a hand to my chest, and an ache spreads inside me, ripping me open down the center. If it’s true, then he really is trying to make me out to be crazy.
“I don’t know. Probably the same reason he’s been lying to you about your family and where he goes when he says he’s going home.”
“What?” My voice echoes around me, head spinning so fast I grip onto the headboard behind me. “What are you talking about? Where else would he go? And how do I know you’re even telling the truth about my sister?”
“Call her. She’ll tell you.”
I take the paper from his hand, skin prickling as I recall seeing her name last night in bold letters. Daniel wouldn’t do something so awful, would he? Lie about my family and drug me? Do I even want to know the answer?
I look up at Zavier and he folds my fingers around the piece of paper, motioning toward my phone on the nightstand. “Go on. I’ll make us some breakfast while you do. Take as long as you need and meet me in the kitchen when you’re ready.”
Swallowing the thickness in my throat, I nod, and he releases his hand from mine. He sweeps at my hair, tucking strandsbehind my ear while smiling a little. “You can do this, carino. It’s the only way you’ll find out what you’re wanting to know.”
The bed lifts as he steps onto the floor. Bending down, he grabs his underwear and heads for the kitchen. His back and ass muscles flex with each step. He’s like a damn work of art. The kind you want displayed everywhere.
The cheeky bastard knows damn well I’m checking him out too, walking slower than necessary like he’s on some damn catwalk. If I don’t avert my gaze and focus on what I’m supposed to be doing soon, I’ll have to grab a towel from the bathroom to soak the drool from my face.
I pull my eyes away from the masterpiece strutting down the hallway, as he sings a song I swear I’ve heard recently. Shaking it off, I reach for my phone, and with shaky fingers, I type out the number. Seconds turn to minutes as I stay frozen, fingers hovering over the green button. Air pulls from my lungs as I touch it, pressing on it a long time after it starts ringing.
“Hello?”
My heart jumps in my throat. Tabitha. I’d recognize her voice anywhere. Ss soft and calm.
“Hi,” I say, feeling each word being forced out of my mouth as I tangle my fingers in the sheets.
“Liam?” Sadness wrapped in excitement fill her tone.
“Tabby,” I whisper, stomach flipping and knotting all at once.
“Is it really you?” It sounds as if a rope is squeezing tight around her words as she says them.
“It’s me. I’m sorry I haven’t called. I didn’t . . .” My words tangle.
“Daniel.” She blows out a breath. “He didn’t let you, did he?”
“He hid your number from me . . . Told me it was a spam caller and blocked it with my permission. It was my mistake. I should have questioned it more and looked myself. I didn’t realize you got a new number.”
“It’s not your fault, Liam. It’s that man you call a fiancé. He’s gotten into your head. I’ve seen him do it before, change your mind about something you were so sure about with a snap of his fingers.” She takes a breath. “Are you okay? Are you safe?”
“I’m fine.” I look toward the hallway Zavier was standing in only minutes ago. “At least, I am now. I think Daniel has been drugging me.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me. I never liked the guy. He kept telling us to stay away and that we were making you sicker with all the stress.”
What else has he said to others who I assumed left me of their own accord? “He lied. I’d never say that. I think I was getting sicker because of him. I miss you guys. So much.” My heart squeezes.
“Come home. We’d love to see you. Ma hasn’t stopped asking, and dad sits by the phone every evening as if waiting for your call.”
“I want to but—”
“Is he there? Will he not let you? If I need to come get you, I will.”
“No . . . he isn’t here. I don’t think I’ll let him in here ever again.”
“Good. Then come see us this weekend. It’s your nephew’s birthday party. You can stay with us.”
“It’s kind of hard for me to drive that far on my own. Or, well, I’m kind of nervous doing it since I haven’t in so long. Is it okay if I bring a friend with me?”
