“Forget it,” Reva told him. Daddy wasn’t kidding, she thought. Michael really is into violent stuff. “You’re going back to your room.”
“But I’m the Avenger!” Michael protested. “I can help!”
“Look, nobody’s in there with Grace,” Reva told him. “She’s probably talking in her sleep.” She tied her robe, then crossed to the door.
The hall stood empty. Taking Michael by the hand, she led him to his room. “Thanks for waking me, Michael,” she told him. “I’m sure Grace is okay, but I’ll go check. You go back to bed.”
Michael pouted. “Promise you’ll come get me if anything exciting is happening?”
Reva ruffled his already messy hair. “Promise.”
As soon as Michael closed his door, Reva raked her fingers through her own hair and tightened the belt on her bathrobe. From Grace’s room next door, she could hear low, intense murmuring.
She tiptoed along the hall and put her ear against Grace’s door.
The murmur grew louder.
Grace’s voice. Reva couldn’t make out the words, but the tone was clear.
Grace was terrified.
Reva felt a prickle of fear. She rapped her knuckles on the door. “Grace?” she called in a loud whisper. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
No answer. Just the sound of Grace’s frantic murmuring.
“Grace?” Reva made a fist and pounded against the thick, polished wood. “Grace? Is someone in there?”
Chapter 6
A LATE VISITOR
Grace pressed the phone against her ear. Her hand was slick with sweat. Her heartbeat sounded so loud to her that it almost drowned out the pounding on the door.
“Please, Rory!” Grace gasped into the phone. “Don’t you understand? You treated me like you owned me! That’s why things didn’t work out between us!”
“Grace!” Reva’s voice surprised Grace. She jumped, and the phone jerked out of her hand. She grabbed it. As she pressed it to her ear, she felt the blood drain from her face.
“No!” she muttered in a hoarse whisper. “Don’t come here! You can’t, Rory!” She bit her lip and ran her fingers through her wispy brown hair. “Leave me alone! Don’t come here!” she pleaded again. “No, don’t say that. Don’t threaten me like that, Rory!”
The door banged open. Grace slammed the phone down and whirled around as Reva strode into the room.
“Didn’t you hear me knocking?” Reva demanded, scowling at her. “What’s going on, Grace? You woke Michael up. He thought somebody was in here. He was ready to kill them!”
“I didn’t mean to wake him,” Grace whispered. Her heart was still pounding so hard it hurt. “I’m sorry, Reva.”
“It’s a little late for that,” Reva grumbled. “What’s going on? Who were you talking to?”
Grace sank down on the bed. “Rory.”
Reva’s scowl deepened.
“I’m so scared, Reva!” Grace cried. “He’s furious! And he threatened to come here!”
“To Shadyside?” Reva asked. “To my house?”
Grace nodded. She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees, shivering. “He said nothing could keep him from me. He said I’d pay for what I did to him.”
Grace shivered again. The house was warm, but she couldn’t stop shaking. Her eyes filled with tears and she bent her head against her knees. “I’m so scared, Reva, I don’t know what to do! What if he does come here?”
“Let him,” Reva told her.
Grace raised her head. “You can’t mean that!”
“Oh, yes I do.” Reva smiled grimly. “Come on. Let’s go down to the kitchen and make some tea or something.”
Grace didn’t really want any tea. She didn’t want to do anything but fly far away to some place where it was safe.
But no place was far enough.
No place was safe.
“Come on,” Reva repeated impatiently. “I’m wide awake now, and you look like you just checked out of an institution.”
Grace stood up and pulled on her bathrobe. As she did, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Reva was right. Her face was pale, and dark circles ringed her eyes.
I look awful. Skinny and pale and terrified. Maybe some tea will at least warm me, maybe make me stop shaking.
Still nervous, Grace followed Reva along the dim hallway and down the sweeping staircase to the main floor.
“I’m starving,” Reva announced as they passed through the pantry and into the huge kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and stared inside. “Good. The cook made some pies for one of the parties. Apple and pumpkin and cherry. Which kind do you like?”