Page 11 of Wicked Promises (Fallen Royals 3)

Ah, well. This wouldn’t be the first thing the Asher family has covered up.

Margo

I wake up much the same as I did last time: violently.

My body jackknifes, pain crashing through me. It goes straight to my head, and so do my hands.

Someone rushes in. “Margo, Margo, calm down. You’re in the hospital.”

Stars burst behind my eyelids, but I recognize Lenora’s voice. She eases me back, muttering about the lights. A second later, everything in my peripherals goes dim. I lower my fingers away from my eyes and blink.

It still hurts, but not nearly as bad.

Lenora hovers at the side of the bed, her arms crossed over her chest. “I was so worried. I’m not allowed to tell you—”

A nurse comes in, followed quickly by a doctor. The doctor introduced himself, but I can’t focus on his words. I’m too busy eyeing the expression on my foster mother’s face… and trying to decipher it.

“You have a concussion,” the doctor says. I missed his name. “Expect headaches, maybe memory fragments.” He clears his throat. “There’s a detective outside who wants to speak with you.”

I widen my eyes. “Wait. You’re not going to tell me how I got here?”

He takes a step closer, sliding his hand into mine and squeezing. “Try to remember. Close your eyes.”

A nurse says, “You shouldn’t—”

“Leave us for a moment,” the doctor orders.

He notices I’m ignoring his directions and staring at Lenora. Her gaze has been on the floor, but now it flips up and crashes into mine.

“Can you give us a moment, Mrs. Jenkins?”

She flinches. “Yes, yes. But the detective can’t come in until her case worker gets here. She’s a minor.”

She leaves, and it’s almost like she was never here to begin with.

“Just us now,” he says. “So I want you to take a deep breath and think of the last thing you remember. Don’t say it out loud. Liz was right, I shouldn’t be helping.”

I grip his hand tighter. “What if I don’t want to remember?”

“We all grapple with ugly things. It’s how we respond that’s our true defining moment.”

Slowly, I close my eyes.

Last thing I remember…

Dad.

He said he was arrested for killing Caleb’s dad. Took a plea deal… but he said he was innocent. There’s truth buried in there. I was desperate to find it.

You still are.

Outside, into Robert’s waiting arms.

It was snowing.

His car. Driving, talking, and then—

I flinch, squeezing the doctor’s hand. “Car accident,” I whisper, blinking. “But… why does that warrant a detective?”

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