Page 47 of Princess of Pride
In an instant, I’m that scared eight-year-old girl again.
“I’m here.” Candace’s voice sounds through the phone, her tender tone making it clear she’s not talking to me. “Let’s get your head back on your pillow.”
She must not know Mom is on the phone.
“I told her,” Mom slurs, her voice distant now.
Rustling sounds like the phone is caught in the covers.
“Who?” Candace asks.
“Chewy. I told her about Elora, and how I’m not her mom.”
“Emery is gone now. Your secret is safe. She’ll never learn the truth. Get some sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.”
My heart freezes at the conviction in Candace’s words. Mom wasn’t rambling. She was confessing. I’m not her daughter. I’m Dad’s and some woman named Elora. Who the hell is Elora and where the hell is she? Why has all this been a secret?
I can’t leave the US now. Not until I know the truth about my past. Not until I know why my parents lied, who my mom is, and where she is.
My stomach churns. Oh god. I’m going to be sick.
I turn to the toilet and vomit the Coke I drank before I left the hotel.
My mom isn’t my real mom. The more it plays in my head,the more my heart shrivels. My eyes water, part with tears and part a result from puking. My tummy empties again, acids burning my throat. I wipe my mouth and work to regain control over my body.
A noise sounds outside the stall door. Probably, Wesley.
“Go away,” I moan and rest my head against the tile wall. If I weren’t sick, I’d never do this in a public bathroom filled with germs. But the cool tiles feel good against my hot cheek, and I’m too dizzy to stand upright on my own.
The door opens behind me.
“She’s about to pass out,” a female says with a Scottish accent.
She must belong to Lachlan because what are the odds? Then again, this is a New York airport.
“And you were worried she’d put up a fight,” a man says with the same accent. He laughs.
In slow motion, I roll my body against the wall to see who’s talking. I’m not even halfway around when something jabs the side of my neck, burning like a hot needle.
“Ow.” I reach up, or try to, but my hand won’t move. My head swims, and blackness steals my vision. I try to speak, but my mouth won’t cooperate. Something’s wrong.
It’s my last thought before I slip into a dark abyss.
11
WHAT HAPPENED TO ME
Lachlan
I walk over to where Wes waits for Emery outside the ladies’ and knock the back of my hand against his arm to get his attention. “You’re relieved of your duty.”
“Thank fuck.” He glances over his shoulder at me.
At that moment, a loud bang sounds from inside the bathroom.
I stiffen and lunge for the door. Wes is closer and shoves through first. His hand on the gun tucked into the back of his pants. I reach for mine too and realize I don’t have it. I’d removed it so I didn’t scare Emery.
The first area is empty, but there are two doors leading to separate parts of the bathroom.
