Page 110 of The Banned Books Club

“Except he claims it wasn’t him,” Leo said. “And the police believe him.”

“When Peggy insisted her son would never do anything like that, I started to laugh,” Ida said. “We all know it was him.”

Leo jerked his head toward Gia. “What does he want with you?”

“There’s no telling,” she said. “He’s playing some sort of game. Just wanted to let me know he’d be at the bar tonight, if I’d like to join him.”

“Why would you ever want to joinhim?” Ida was suitably put off, but she also had no frame of reference, didn’t know about last night. She was getting so fragile; Gia tried not to tell her anything that might upset her.

“He’s just taunting me,” she said. “Trying to get a response.”

Cormac lowered his voice, which imbued it with more meaning. “Surely, you’re not going...”

“No.” Now that she had the security cameras in place—Leo had helped her install them this afternoon—she didn’t feel as though she had to keep such a close eye on Sheldon. If her brother-in-law came over and tried to cause any more trouble, he’d be caught on video.

“Thank God for small miracles,” Cormac grumbled, and Gia gave his foot a slight kick under the table to let him know she didn’t want him to say anything else for fear her parents would get suspicious that there was something she hadn’t told them.

When he yelped, obviously on purpose because she hadn’t kicked him that hard, Ida and Leo looked up in surprise. He excused it by claiming he’d accidentally bitten his tongue, then he shot her a grin to let her know he could’ve paid her back for that kick but had chosen not to.

She chuckled to herself. Cormac was fun and engaging and so damn easy to be around. Too easy. That she liked having him hang out with her and her parents was sort of alarming. Usually, once she got to this stage of a relationship, when whoever she was dating felt they had a spot in her life and could be part of even mundane daily activities, she was ready to run the other way.

But that wasn’t the case with Cormac. She liked having him with her no matter what she was doing and was grateful for his support. She admired him in so many ways. He stood up for what he thought was right—even when he’d had to turn on his own family. In her opinion, that was the definition of integrity.

They were nearly finished with the game when Ida slumped lower in her seat and nearly dropped her cup of dice. “I’m sorry,” she said as she managed to get the cup safely onto the table. “I just... I don’t have the strength to continue.” She offered them a feeble smile. “Maybe tomorrow.”

Alarmed, Gia stood up and came around the table. “Can I get you something? More painkillers? A drink of water?”

“No, I... I don’t need anything,” her mother said. “I just... I think I’ll go to bed a little early tonight.”

Leo exchanged a concerned look with Gia. “I’ll help you to bed, honey. I’m tired, too. Why don’t we put on a movie, and you can drift off to sleep in my arms.”

Ida’s gaze met and locked with his as a faint smile curved her lips. “I’m so glad I married you.”

Gia’s eyes filled with tears as she watched her father help her mother up the stairs. Ida was fading fast. Gia didn’t see how she was going to bring Margot home before it was too late.

Cormac came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, pulling her against him. “I’ve got you,” he whispered in her ear. “It’s going to be okay.”

But it wasn’t going to be okay. Because of Sheldon, Margot couldn’t be here, couldn’t say a proper goodbye to the woman who’d borne and raised her.

29

Gia heard a noise in the middle of the night. Was Ida sick? Did she need help?

Gia was just trying to come to full consciousness when her bedroom door swung open. She lifted her head, but the shape coming toward her was too big to be her mother or her father.

“What—” she started to say, but that shadow suddenly rushed forward and clamped a hand down tightly over her nose and mouth.

“Where’s your phone?” a harsh voice rasped.

Sheldon! Her mind, still sluggish from sleep, seemed to trip over itself in an effort to catch up. And once it did, she had so much adrenaline pumping through her body she had no strength, felt as limp as a wet noodle. How’d he get inside the house?

She couldn’t shout. She couldn’t even breathe. And he seemed to realize that at the same second and to take great pleasure in continuing to cut off her air supply.

“You think you’re tough, bitch?” he gritted out, bringing his face down to hers. “You think you can takemeon? Huh, do you? Well, let’s see what you can do now.”

Gia began to buck and try to fight him off, but that only enraged him further, especially when she managed to bite his hand. He pulled back, cursing, and she started to scream, but he cut the noise off only a second later by wrapping his hands tightly around her throat. She could feel him crushing her windpipe as she fought. He was heavier than she was, and because he was above her, he had the advantage of being able to use his weight.

“Is that all you’ve got?” he taunted, breathing heavily in her ear. “There’s nothing you can do, bitch. How does it feel to get exactly what you deserve?”

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