Page 96 of The Baby-whisperer and the Brute
Honestly, I was relieved she’d changed her mind about coming downstairs to talk to me. This was the most cardio I’d done in weeks, and though my bruised hands had mostly healed, their full strength hadn’t yet returned.
Overhead I heard noise—it sounded like her bedroom doorknob rattling.Good.She’d be down in a minute. Releasing my grip, I dropped to the ground and rubbed my sore ribcage.
But seconds later she poked her head through the window opening again. “I can’t get out. Mother’s locked me in my room.”
“What? That’s crazy. Does shedothat kind of thing?”
Angelina scrunched her face in dismay. “Afraid so. I don’t want you to climb up though. It’s too high. You might fall. I’ll try to sneak away in the morning and come see you.”
“No. Uh-uh. No way.”
I moved toward the tower again, restarting the climb. No way was I taking the chance that her mother might somehow persuade her to change her mind again. And from what I’d seen, the woman wasn’t above forcing Angelina into the car in the morning or having someone else do it.
Nope—I had to have my woman in my armstonight.
Vine by vine, I scaled the tower’s outer wall. If I hadn’t been injured, the climb wouldn’t have been that difficult for me. Even now, it would just be a little slower than it would have been if I’d been at full strength. She was worth every bit of effort I could muster.
A siren wailed in the distance.Getting shot by a cop, however,wouldbe a problem. I picked up my pace, stretching higher, climbing faster.
“Be careful,” Angelina begged, leaning even farther out the window to watch my progress.
I glanced up at her. “Yoube careful. I’m fine. Nothing to worry about.”
More sirens sang out, much closer this time. Judging from the sound, they might actually be just in front of the house now.
“Hurry Sully,” Angelina said. “I’ll hide you in my room.”
A couple minutes later, I reached the large window, gripping the frame and dragging myself the final bit of distance until I could swing a leg up and hook it over the sill. Pulling my body through the opening, I collapsed to my knees on the floor of Angelina’s bedroom, breathing hard from exertion.
“Are you okay?” she asked, sounding more worried than necessary.
I tipped my head back, smiling up at her. “Just dandy.”
She kissed me quickly then pulled on my right arm and shoulder. “Hurry. We’ve got to find a place for you to hide. Maybe you could get under the bed?”
I took one glance at the low bedframe. “Um… that’s not going to be happening.”
There was a clatter of footsteps on the stairs leading to Angelina’s tower room. She looked at me wide-eyed. “She really did it. The police are here. What about the closet?”
Grabbing my hand, she dragged me toward her tiny closet, but I stopped her.
“It’s going to be okay. Trust me.”
Instinctively I knew hiding would be thewrongthing to do. Besides, I had nothingtohide. I wasn’t a teenage boy sneaking into my high school girlfriend’s room, and Angelina wasn’t a little girl. She was a grown woman who should never have been locked in a tower in the first place—not tonight. Not ever.
Loud banging on her door preceded an authoritative shout. “This is the Eastport Bay Police. Are you all right in there, Miss Rappaport?”
“I’m fine,” she assured them. “Everything’s fine. Although I seem to be locked in.”
In a lower tone someone asked, “Why is it locked from theoutside?”
A woman’s voice answered, but I couldn’t tell what she was saying.
“Are you alone Angelina? Is someone with you?” the officer demanded.
“Just my boyfriend,” she said. Her voice sounded high and nervous. I couldn’t blame her, but I knew it would alarm the police officers—they’d be coming in any minute now, and probably with force.
A loud, metallic scrape signaled the turn of a rusty iron lock. Angelina’s gaze swung to me—it was frantic. I used our joined hands to pull her toward me.
