“Did he want her gone?” Eli asks. “Was he trying to kill her?”
Doc snorts. “No fucking way.”
“Then what…?”
“The motherless cunt got sick of waiting. He had a room all picked out to take her to, didn’t he? If her mom hadn’t come after her…”
A horrible thought comes to me. “Did January say how old she was when it happened?”
“Fifteen,” Eli replies.
I’m expecting anger, and it’s there, but mostly I feel miserable. January’s sweeter than anyone I’ve ever met. How has this been her life?
“Why would he throw everything away like that?” Eli asks. “Paying January’s mother for years, not even letting himself hold her hand. Why would he give that all up just to dose her at a gala where there’s every chance he’d get caught?”
“Because he snapped.” Adriano grinds his cigarette end under his boot. “You know what he’s like.”
We do. Better than anyone. But I learned a long time ago that revisiting those memories is asking nightmares to take up permanent residency in my head.
“Porca miseria,” Eli mutters. “What a fucking mess.”
Doc blows smoke toward the sky. “You got that right.”
“We can’t send January away. Not until we know whether Parker’s making Orchard,” Eli says.
I try not to let my expression change. “Do you want her back in the cage?”
“No. She can stay in the east wing. Actually, she can walk the house for all I care. It’s not like she’s a danger to anyone.”
Adriano turns away.
“Fine by me,” Doc says. “I need to ask her about the O. Maybe run some tests—”
“You won’t be doing that,” Eli interrupts. “Parker still needs dealing with. We have a job to do and limited time.”
Doc looks mutinous but he doesn’t say anything.
“That goes for all of you,” Eli adds. “Stay away from the girl. We have bigger fish to fry.”
He holds my gaze until I nod. “Okay.”
“Good.” He rounds on Adriano. “I’m warning you, Rossi. She dies and you are in the shit.”
Adriano inclines his head.
Eli rubs his brow. “I need to call Peirce. He hasn’t mentioned Parker has access to a drug that works on women, but he didn’t know that’s information we’re interested in. Get some sleep. Tomorrow, we go to work.”
He leaves, taking the key to January’s door with him.
Adriano grunts and disappears after him. I feel a stab of panic and remember that if I’m locked out of January’s room, so is Rossi.
Doc pulls another cigarette from his pack. “Big night.”
“Yeah,” I say. Should I follow Adriano? Make sure he doesn’t go after January?
“Another girl doped because of me.”
There’s a beat and I realize Doc’s being serious. Misery lines every inch of his face. I grab his arm, his skin is cold as a corpse. “You’re not responsible for what Parker did.”
