Page 56 of The Library on Plum Island
“Of course,” Meg said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Daniella was feeling physically ill by the time she’d ended the call. Never had she pulled such a horrible stunt as she just had, misleading Meg, and Daniella felt the woman was going to get a shock when a horde of reports turned up at the Boston Courts the following day. Because if Doctor Jackson thought it would cause a rift between her and Alex, Daniella was sure he’d contact all the local news outlets.
Daniella squared her shoulders and breathed away her guilt over Meg, reminding herself why she was doing this. Uncle Sam had empowered her to make a stand and stop running so she and Emily could finally live normal lives. Daniella wanted more than anything to stop being on constant high alert that Doctor Jackson would pop up and try to kidnap Emily again to manipulate Daniella. Emily still had nightmares about that, and Daniella knew they wouldn’t stop until Emily felt safe again. She wanted her daughter to feel secure.
“Oh shoot, is that the time?” Daniella’s eyes’ landed on the big clock in the living room. “I’d better finish packing.”
She was about to go to her room when Daniella realized that Hicks hadn’t been in the kitchen when she’d walked out the back to talk privately to Meg. Her brow creased as she went to the kitchen to double-check.
“Hicks?” Daniella called, and she heard a bark coming from the living room.
She walked back into the room and was surprised to see him trying to squeeze back into the house through the window.
“How on earth did you get out there?” Daniella looked at the dog, confused. “Here.” She opened the window a little wider.
As the window opened, Daniella was nearly bowled over as Hicks shot through it like a sixty-pound snarling torpedo speeding down the hallway. Daniella gaped after the animal for a few seconds before starting to follow him. She was brought to a halt as she stepped into the hallway to hear Hicks’s snarl turn into a bark. Cold shards of fear flooded Daniella, and she picked up one of Uncle Sam’s silver candelabras.
Holding the heavy silver object like a baseball bat, Daniella slowly made her way closer to her room. The growling intensified, a crescendo that matched the pounding of her heart. A chill went down Daniella’s spine as a scream echoed through the half-open bedroom door right before there was a crash before the door flew open. A figure clad head to toe in black, like a specter drawn from Daniella’s nightmares, emerged. The door slammed shut behind them, trapping Hicks and casting Daniella and the intruder in a standoff as they came face to face. Time slowed, and the air thickened with tension as the burglar’s hazel eyes, which was all Daniella could see of the person’s face, met hers. They were filled with a hate so intense that Daniella felt it pierce her soul. Thrown by the burning emotion in the burglar’s eyes, Daniella was floored for a few seconds, and then the person moved.
Daniella raised the candelabra threateningly and commanded, “Stop!” She could hear Hicks’s barking escalate as he thumbed against the closed door.
But the figure ignored Daniella and lunged forward in a blur of motion, tilting Daniella’s world as they knocked into her. Daniella hit the wall behind her. The impact jolted her, and her head hit the wall. Pain flared brightly like a starburst behind her eyes before the world faded to black like a curtain falling on her consciousness. As her body slackened, the pain and fear crumpled into the distance as the echo of her own heartbeat sounded like a lullaby lulling her into the void.
Consciousness crept back into Daniella’s world to the sound of a voice filled with worry calling her name.
“Daniella? Can you hear me?” The voice sounded familiar and made her feel warm and safe.
Her mind tried to reach the soothing voice through the swirling mist that held her in the tranquil darkness.
“Daniella, please, open your eyes.” The voice sounded closer as the mist slowly let go of her, and she drifted to the surface and toward the light.
Her eyelids were as heavy as lead, but she pried them open and immediately wished she hadn’t, as the sunlight felt like it was trying to burn out her eyeballs and send its rays into her aching head.
Eyes!Daniella’s brows shot up, and she winced in pain, grabbing her head as the memory of what happened flooded back. “The burglar had hazel eyes.”
“Burglar?” Two male voices echoed through the room.
Her vision cleared, and she found Alex and Harley staring down at her, looking horrified.
“There was a burglar?” Harley asked in disbelief. “Here, in our house, and you didn’t call me.”
“No, I was too busy trying to ensure Hicks was okay,” Daniella answered, and her eyes widened. “Hicks!”
“He’s fine,” Harley assured Daniella. “We managed to persuade Uncle Sam to take him to Betty’s house.” He pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’d better message him and tell him you’ve woken up.”
“In the meantime, can you tell us what the heck happened?” Alex sat beside her on the sofa and handed her a glass of water. “You may need this.”
“Thank you,” Daniella said gratefully, taking the room-temperature water and sipping it before she explained what happened.
Then she remembered what she suspected and needed to tell Harley and Alex before they said anything else. Daniella attempted to sit up and was hit by a wave of dizziness, which caused her to wince as the blood rushed to her head, making it throb.
“Easy,” Alex cautioned, his hand gently pressing against her shoulder, urging her to lie back. “You took quite a hit. You have a lump on the back of your head and…” His eyes widened as they fell on her side that had been pressed against the sofa and his sharp intake of breath alarmed her. “Blood!”
“What?” Daniella looked at Alex, confused.
“You’re bleeding,” Alex said, his tone laced with worry.
“You’re bleeding?” Harley lifted his head from his phone and dropped to his knees beside the sofa. “Stay still.”
