at the reception, Luke took the elevator to the third floor. Visiting hours allowed anyone to enter, unless he was covered in blood and carried a machete.
As the elevator door pinged open, Pru headed towards her room but paused when she didn’t sense him next to her. She backtracked her steps and found him leaning on a pillar, his eyes closed.
“What are you waiting for?”
Luke opened his eyes and pointed to the left with his chin. “For Carmen and that woman to finish talking and go away.” He narrowed his eyes. “I thought you said Carmen didn’t visit you.”
“As far as I know she didn’t.” Pru leaned eagerly to the side to see. Indeed, Carmen was speaking with Eloise, Mrs. Lancaster’s assistant. Perhaps Carmen visited while Pru was out wandering the streets.
As usual, Eloise was clad in a navy blue jacket with matching pants and comfortable heeled shoes. She was dressed as though about to attend a corporate meeting. Her very short black-gray hair was coifed with a side-swept fringe. Even her usual dry expression didn’t deter happiness from blossoming in Pru’s heart. She was finally found, everything would be okay. She would be reunited with her family.
Pru drifted toward them and halted at seeing Carmen’s red-rimmed eyes. She was sniffling.
Am I dying?
“I can’t bear this anymore,” Carmen said.
Eloise raised a hand. “The instructions we have are very clear, you can’t do anything about it.” Eloise’s dead blue gaze focused on Carmen, no mercy to be found there.
“But it isn’t fair. Pru did nothing wrong.”
“This topic is not open for discussion. If you prefer, I can ask someone to speak to you.”
Carmen flinched. When Eloise turned to leave, Carmen wiped her tears and staggered after her.
Pru stayed behind, movement and thoughts muddled by shock. She was not found, and wouldn’t be if things remained the way they were. She was hidden, otherwise why hadn’t Carmen told her family about her yet?
Just as she was about to spiral into self-pity, warmth weaved a gentle pattern from her hand to the rest of her body. She looked to the side, Luke was right next to her, his fingers immersed in her semitransparent hand.
“Did you hear them?” she whispered. Her breath came out on a hitch. She would not cry.
“No, but it can’t be good judging by your expression.”
Chapter Eleven
Luke paced the alley by the hospital, angry with himself for not calling Pru’s family, furious with Carmen for letting her down, and pissed at the charitable Mrs. Lancaster. Eloise, her assistant, was no other than Mack’s mother. Mack was sentenced and executed for the rape and murder of thirty-seven women, but before his execution, he had drastically changed Luke’s life through his affiliation with Sully and the gang.
Was it possible that Luke’s interest in Pru had led Sully and his gang to her? No. Pru’s accident took place a week before they met. He cursed, livid for not figuring a connection that was bound to be there.
Poor Pru. She’d looked searchingly at him, her broken heart reflected in her large expressive eyes and then darted out of the hospital to this alley. Under his insistence, she’d recounted, dry-eyed, the conversation between Carmen and Eloise. He had a feeling her prone body in the hospital had done all the crying.
If only he could hold Pru, reassure her that all would be well, that he was by her side. Instead, he punched the wall hard enough for the pain to reverberate all the way to his shoulder. As he swung his arm for another blow, Pru slid between him and the wall, shaking her head. She was close to him, so close that her forehead almost rested on his chest. So close that waves of memories rolled over him, washing him clean of his wrath. Memories of warmth, of childhood dreams, of fresh spring grass.
“I won’t let you hurt yourself. I mean it,” she said, breath halting as she spoke, her eyes drowning him in, somehow calming him.
Carmen had grown into
As the elevator door pinged open, Pru headed towards her room but paused when she didn’t sense him next to her. She backtracked her steps and found him leaning on a pillar, his eyes closed.
“What are you waiting for?”
Luke opened his eyes and pointed to the left with his chin. “For Carmen and that woman to finish talking and go away.” He narrowed his eyes. “I thought you said Carmen didn’t visit you.”
“As far as I know she didn’t.” Pru leaned eagerly to the side to see. Indeed, Carmen was speaking with Eloise, Mrs. Lancaster’s assistant. Perhaps Carmen visited while Pru was out wandering the streets.
As usual, Eloise was clad in a navy blue jacket with matching pants and comfortable heeled shoes. She was dressed as though about to attend a corporate meeting. Her very short black-gray hair was coifed with a side-swept fringe. Even her usual dry expression didn’t deter happiness from blossoming in Pru’s heart. She was finally found, everything would be okay. She would be reunited with her family.
Pru drifted toward them and halted at seeing Carmen’s red-rimmed eyes. She was sniffling.
Am I dying?
“I can’t bear this anymore,” Carmen said.
Eloise raised a hand. “The instructions we have are very clear, you can’t do anything about it.” Eloise’s dead blue gaze focused on Carmen, no mercy to be found there.
“But it isn’t fair. Pru did nothing wrong.”
“This topic is not open for discussion. If you prefer, I can ask someone to speak to you.”
Carmen flinched. When Eloise turned to leave, Carmen wiped her tears and staggered after her.
Pru stayed behind, movement and thoughts muddled by shock. She was not found, and wouldn’t be if things remained the way they were. She was hidden, otherwise why hadn’t Carmen told her family about her yet?
Just as she was about to spiral into self-pity, warmth weaved a gentle pattern from her hand to the rest of her body. She looked to the side, Luke was right next to her, his fingers immersed in her semitransparent hand.
“Did you hear them?” she whispered. Her breath came out on a hitch. She would not cry.
“No, but it can’t be good judging by your expression.”
Chapter Eleven
Luke paced the alley by the hospital, angry with himself for not calling Pru’s family, furious with Carmen for letting her down, and pissed at the charitable Mrs. Lancaster. Eloise, her assistant, was no other than Mack’s mother. Mack was sentenced and executed for the rape and murder of thirty-seven women, but before his execution, he had drastically changed Luke’s life through his affiliation with Sully and the gang.
Was it possible that Luke’s interest in Pru had led Sully and his gang to her? No. Pru’s accident took place a week before they met. He cursed, livid for not figuring a connection that was bound to be there.
Poor Pru. She’d looked searchingly at him, her broken heart reflected in her large expressive eyes and then darted out of the hospital to this alley. Under his insistence, she’d recounted, dry-eyed, the conversation between Carmen and Eloise. He had a feeling her prone body in the hospital had done all the crying.
If only he could hold Pru, reassure her that all would be well, that he was by her side. Instead, he punched the wall hard enough for the pain to reverberate all the way to his shoulder. As he swung his arm for another blow, Pru slid between him and the wall, shaking her head. She was close to him, so close that her forehead almost rested on his chest. So close that waves of memories rolled over him, washing him clean of his wrath. Memories of warmth, of childhood dreams, of fresh spring grass.
“I won’t let you hurt yourself. I mean it,” she said, breath halting as she spoke, her eyes drowning him in, somehow calming him.
Carmen had grown into
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