Page 139 of Cain
My foot drums the ground uncontrollably, and I realize that I’ve been dragging the cigarette like a maniac.
Where the fuck is she?
She’s late. Unless Eleanor is useless and didn’t do the one thing I asked of her.
Suddenly, my office’s door swings open, drawing my attention. It’s her.
“Hey,” she says quietly.
There’s something off. She’s shaken, just like the way she was when I first brought her here. I haven’t seen her like this in a while.
“Took you long enough,” I say, gesturing to her to sit on the chair across from me.
I need to see what the fuck is wrong.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. I wanted to get ready first. I took a shower,” she says quietly, taking a seat and tucking her blonde hair behind her ear, avoiding eye contact.
Yeah, something is definitely wrong.
“Hm … you did a good job with it.” I take a sip of my scotch.
She looks at me. “What do you mean?”
“You’re pretty.”
“Oh,” she says with a smile, blushing. “Thank you.”
My gaze lingers on her for a few seconds, trying to read her body movements. She seems nervous, but the question is why.
“So why did you call me here?” she asks, adjusting herself in the chair.
“Are you nervous about something?” I ask bluntly.
“No!” she squeals without hesitation, as if she was expecting the question.
I tilt my head and flash her a smile. “You can’t hide from me, little rose.”
She lets out a long breath that she probably held for too long but still avoids eye contact. “I saw Eleanor’s arms.”
“And?”
She finally raises her big and bright eyes to look at me. “And …? Don’t you know what I mean?”
I tangle my fingers and lean closer to the desk. “I really don’t. But, please, enlighten me.”
“Uhm …” She hesitates.
“Explain, Katerina.”
“Her forearms were full of cuts.”
I ponder. “Suicide attempt?”
She shakes her head and swallows hard. “It didn’t look like that. It looked like someone did it to her.”
“Hmm …” I run my fingers over the stubble on my jaw. “I need to look into this.”
“So you don’t know anything about it?”
