"We're lucky they weren't in the mood to be anything else," Ghost said conversationally. "I'll change my plans and head down there tonight."
A woman in the background yelled, "Oh, and I'll just reschedule my Whipple, shall I?"
Casually, Ghost said, "There's an innocent woman whose life is in danger. You tell me."
With her voice closer to the receiver, I heard her say, "Ask her if she'd rather come here and babysit for me, then. Our house is a fucking fortress. I'm surprised you haven't added a moat."
"You'd fall into it and drown," Ghost replied without a hint of sarcasm.
My lips twitched. "Are you married to an oncologist, by any chance?"
"A bratty one," Ghost confirmed. "I'll be there tonight. Stay indoors. If they think your defenses are weak, someone might use the opportunity to take advantage of her current state."
"A cheery thought," I muttered.
"Hang tight," he assured me, and then we hung up.
I gave Evie an apologetic look, trying to keep it calm when I wanted to grab her fiercely and hold her to me, like doing that would keep the dream the way it had been all this time. "I can't let you get hurt again."
She stared at me, steady and unflinching, but there was something that shimmered behind that look. Something I couldn't interpret, but that gave me the impression that I'd deeply wounded her. Her hair was spread around her slight shoulders, and she tightened her hold on her legs. "I understand."
"How are you feeling? You look a little more alert." I kept my voice gentle, doing everything in my power to mask the tumble of emotions somersaulting through my head.
"Less groggy," she confirmed, laying her cheek on her knees. She paused, and then her eyes lifted to mine. "You didn't have to do that."
"I really did," I countered. "You deserve to be safe, Evie."
"I am safe with you," she scowled.
Her words wrapped around my heart, vibrating with a soothing frequency like strummed harmonic chords. I reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. "You know what I mean."
Her eyes fell, and she stared ahead of her, like she was thinking through something. I couldn't guess what was going through her head right now—fear, of course. Maybe disappointment in me, both for not protecting her and forpawning her off on someone she didn't know. I'd been trying all day to keep things bright and relaxed, to soothe some of the tension I'd sensed from her as Ghost's plan approached. Finally, she sighed, sidled up to me, and laid her head against me as I automatically wrapped my arm around her. "Nan was impressed with the frog."
A shadow of a smile touched my lips. "As she should be. I'm a natural. I might quit my day job, even."
"Master gelatin artist," she said, swiping her hand through the air like she was revealing a headline.
"There are literally no downsides to this career path," I smirked.
Evie yawned, her hand clutching my shirt. "Can I sleep now?"
She shouldn't. I should keep her awake and observe her for any neurological symptoms as the ketamine worked through her system. But then again, if she was right next to me, if I didn't let her out of my arms, I could keep her safe. I tightened my hold on her, coaxing her to relax into me. "You can sleep."
"M'kay," she mumbled, already drifting off.
I smoothed a hand over her hair and took a deep breath of alyssum and lavender. Yeah, leaving her was going to hurt like a son of a bitch. And I had only myself to blame.
Chapter Twenty-Two
EVIE
I woke up aching, but it had nothing to do with the bruises on my arms and wrists. The pain ran from my heart to my throat, where I'd had to swallow tears more than once throughout the night. I'd hoped I'd been wrong about Benjamin and the life he had to return to.
With my eyes still closed and still resting against Benjamin, I banished those feelings firmly into the mental box they belonged in. I couldn't face that. And right now? I was still lying on him. He hadn't moved all night, only shifting a little to angle back so he could catch some rest too, and I'd stayed in his arms. I kept my eyes closed, listening to the steady cadence of his breathing, relishing in the way his chest lifted my head and fell again. His arm was heavy across my back and waist, tethering me to him.
But it was hard to ignore the fact that my brain had revved to life now. The sun was rising—I could sense it beyond my closed eyelids—and my wrists were on fire, which made my fingers twitch. Like he'd sensed the change in my own breathing, Benjamin's torso tensed, and then he sat up, looking down at me. "Evie?" There was a note of worry in his voice, like he was afraid something had happened to me while he'd been sleeping.
I opened my eyes, blinking up at him blearily. "I'm okay."
