When it stopped to pick up two more passengers, Dizzie held her breath. There’d be an alarm if they knew she was gone, right?
It took less than a minute for the elevator to reach the ground floor, but to Dizzie it felt like hours. The doors slid open and the noise of the lobby rushed in as the other passengers rushed out.
Dizzie exited last.
Two of the passengers veered toward the exit. She followed at a steady pace. She struggled to blend in with the doctors and visitors who filled the lobby.
The closer she got to the outer doors, the more people joined the flow. It became easier to get lost in the crowd. With the same skills she used to thread between traffic, she slipped through the spaces between people, embedding herself in the stream of people.
The crowd narrowed as it approached the two sets of double doors. She pulled sunglasses out of her pocket and slipped them on before stepping outside.
A few feet outside the hospital, Killian approached the entrance from the other direction.
Her heart stuttered, then started again. Should she say hi? What if he told her to go back inside?
She couldn’t risk it. Not after everything she’d done to escape. She kept walking when they passed.
“Portia?”
She ignored the spear of disappointment. She’d made the right decision. He might have seen her, but he didn’t seeher.
“Wait. Dizzie?”
Too little, too late.
Dizzie kept walking and melted into the crowd. When she reached the street, she stopped.
She needed a ride. She kept moving, drifting toward the valet stand as she planned her next move.
“Would you like us to bring your car around, Ms. Tremaine?”
She may have been pissed that Killian hadn’t recognized her, but this was a gift. “Yes, please.” She mimicked the cadence of Portia’s speech.
A minute later, a sleek black car pulled up. This wasn’t the one Portia had run her over in. That was a relief.
The valet stepped out and handed her the keys. Dizzie channeled her inner Portia and inclined her head.
Dizzie kept her expression flat and eased into the car. The valet closed the door behind her. The breath she’d been holding escape in a soft whoosh.
Boy, was Portia going to be pissed when she realized Dizzie had taken her car.
Chapter42
Killian stoppedin the middle of the masses of people entering and exiting the hospital. People grumbled and shoved around him as he turned in a circle. He’d seen Dizzie in the crowd. He was sure of it.
Initially believing she was Portia, he hadn’t been surprised when she ignored him. It wasn’t until he’d passed her that he realized it was Dizzie. She was shorter than Portia and the crowds had swallowed her up. Portia would never have allowed that.
Why was Dizzie dressed like Portia? How had she left the hospital? Why had she ignored him?
As his gaze swept the street, Portia’s car roared away from the curb. Killian swore that the woman he’d seen was Dizzie. But if it had been, was it only a coincidence that he’d also seen Portia’s car?
If Portia had somehow convinced Dizzie to come with her, that was very bad.
Killian entered the hospital and stepped into an elevator, waiting impatiently as it ascended to Dizzie’s floor.
Bypassing the nurses’ station, he headed directly to Dizzie’s room. The two guards stepped in front of him, blocking the door. “We can’t let you in.”
“I was here this morning. It wasn’t a problem then,” he countered.
