Page 121 of Black Sheep

He stops, looking at me like I’m an alien. “Why would I playing fucking games at a time like this?”

I open my mouth. The penthouse’s intercom buzzes loudly. I look toward it.

He steps in my line of sight. “We’re not getting that until you answer me, Cleo.”

“I made sure she was declared dead so you wouldn’t know she was still alive! So you wouldn’t find her and finish the job of killing her!” My broken voice joins my broken body and I lay my head on my knees.

The intercom continues to buzz. Our chasm grows wider. I shut my eyes against it all.

“You think…I tried to kill your mother?” His voice is a bleak, horrified rasp.

I’m spent. I don’t answer. The buzzing stops. The bedroom phone rings.

“Answer me, Cleo!”

He’s standing above me. Breathing hard. A sound tears from the beast within him. The phone continues to ring.

He lunges for it. “What?” A muffled voice at the end of the line. “No, I don’t want to talk to anyone…Yes, okay. Who? Fine, send them both up.”

He hangs up and returns to where I sit. I open my eyes and watch the fires of hell burn in his eyes. Bending, he lays my phone at my feet. His whole body is trembling. Without a word, he goes into the dressing room, pulls on a T-shirt, and leaves the room.

My hands shake as I place the call.

“Miss McCarthy, thank you for returning my call,” Dr. Denker answers.

“Is…is everything okay with my mother?”

“Yes, I mean there’s no change. The reason for my call is because we’ve had a query about your mother that I found a little odd.”

“In what way?”

“I don’t want to alarm you, but in light of what we talked about a while ago, about being ready to move her…”

“Yes?”

“Someone came to the hospital last night to discuss the same thing.”

Finnan. I surge to my feet. Sway against the wall. “You didn’t—”

“Of course not. She apologized profusely when she realized we wouldn’t proceed without your express authorization.”

“She?”

“Yes, she was quite gracious, actually. Very cheery. Dark brown hair…” Alarm bells scream at the back of my head. “Are you familiar with her, Miss McCarthy?”

“Yes. I am. Thank you for letting me know. I’ll be in touch within the hour.”

I hang up, my mind in a deeper level of turmoil than I would have believed possible ten minutes ago.

He knew. All along he knew. Otherwise he wouldn’t have sent Fionnella Smith after my mother.

Going into the dressing room, I grab my tunic and drag it over my head.

It’s time to meet Axel Rutherford’s monster full-on.

* * *

Axel

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