Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
She flinches and opens her mouth like she wants to argue why I should care. I don’t give her the chance.
“All I care about is finding out specifically what you know about the lab, the people who work there, and getting Kaitlyn back.”
Her eyes narrow. “What do I get in return?”
Eva stiffens, a flash of anger passing over her sweet features. “You said you wanted to help her because she was your daughter.”
“I do,” Vivienne says, flicking her wicked fingers in Eva’s direction. “But I need help with something too.”
“Unbelievable,” Eva hisses. “You have a lot of nerve—”
“It’s fine,” I assure her. “I know what we’re dealing with here. A selfish, vile monster. We can hear her out. Kaitlyn is worth it.”
Eva purses her lips and nods. I turn and look at Vivienne again, arching a brow to let her know I’m waiting.
“I want her,” Vivienne snarls, spittle leaving her mouth and spraying the air in front of her.
Protective fury swells up inside me like a massive tidal wave. “You will never lay another finger on Kaitlyn.”
Vivienne shakes her head, eyes gleaming with unmasked hatred. “Not the girl. The woman who stole your real father from me. She ruined everything.”
I exchange a confused look with Eva.
“Ava Herring,” Vivienne says, venom dripping from her words. “She’s slippery. I’ve been hunting her for over a decade.”
“Red hair? That Ava?”
She nods, lip curling up in disgust. “The media spins her as some sort of harmless philanthropist. But I know the truth. She’s a homewrecker.”
Memories of Ava on the yacht come flooding in. She’s nothing more than a wicked witch who finds young women and serves them up to the evil men of this world.
“I don’t know a lot about her or even where she lives,” I admit with defeat.
“You’re connected with the Crownes, though. I’ve done my research. Caius would know these things. You can ask him. It’s why I embedded myself with them in the first place.”
Kaitlyn was another casualty in Vivienne’s war.
I’m not sure how I’ll get this information for her from a man whom I still have to find, but I give her the answer she wants to hear.
“You help us get Kaitlyn first,” I say firmly. “She’s the priority. You owe us both that in the very least. We’ll see about the rest after.”
“I want Ava,” Vivienne says stubbornly. “Or no deal.”
It’s in this moment I really look at her. Her eyes are manic despite her matronly appearance. Though older and sporting some wrinkles, there’s a childlike naivety in her expression.
If she ran away from Huxley and his mental head games, there’s no telling what sort of psychological state she was in to begin with. Like me, she could have been traumatized and was being used as an experiment.
Unlike me, she turned into a monster because of it.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to make demands on Romy,” Eva says, voice icy. “You’ve done enough to her. When we spoke, you expressed you only wanted to help her.”
“I told you want you wanted to hear,” Vivienne bites back.
“It’s fine,” I blurt out. “We’ll help you get Ava. The woman is evil and deserves everything coming to her.”
Eva’s manicured eyebrows fly up. I give her a subtle nod, letting her know it’s fine. I can handle this woman now that I realize she’s batshit crazy.
I’m well versed on the subject of insanity.
“I’m glad you understand,” Vivienne says calmly.
Eva sighs, resigned. “Okay, so what’s the plan? We’re just three women. How are we going to get inside? They’ll stop us if we try. Maybe we should call the police.”
“No,” me and Vivienne say at once.
“Doc Junior runs that place now,” Vivienne explains.
“He’s the president’s son,” Eva says, catching on. “They’re not going to side with us, are they?”
“No,” I agree. “We have to be smart about gaining access.”
“I know that place like the back of my hand,” Vivienne says.
“You could draw me a map?” I ask, an idea formulating in my head. “Detailed and showing all the exits?”
My mind is clearing, but I certainly don’t know my way around that place. I’ll need whatever knowledge Vivienne remembers.
“I can,” she says, “but the nurses and doctors there are strong. They could easily overpower us. We can’t sneak in and steal Kaitlyn.”
I hate hearing her name on this serpent’s tongue. A shudder ripples through me. Rather than snapping out what’s in my head, I keep my cool.
“We’re not going to sneak in.” I rub at my stomach, fearful of what my plan involves. “I’m going back.”
Both women go silent, waiting for me to continue.
“If I willingly go back, pretending to be ashamed or remorseful of my actions, I’m sure I can convince Seth to bring me back home without any sort of retaliation. I just have to make sure he believes me. If not, he’s going to want to ‘fix’ me. I can’t let that happen.”