‘No need,’ he says, and scoops Lana up easily, as if he is Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind.
‘Oh!’ Billie exclaims. Then she turns around and, flicking her middle finger at the group of guys who have turned to watch, follows Blake out of the restaurant. Billie opens the passenger door and Blake deposits Lana into the seat. He closes the door and turns to face Billie.
‘Thank you for calling me.’
Billie shrugs. ‘No problem. Thanks for coming.
Couldn’t take her home. Her mum…you know how it is?’
Blake nods. ‘How will you get home?’
‘Oh, don’t worry about me. I’ll just hop on a bus.’
Blake frowns. ‘Is that safe at this time of the night?’
Billie’s eyes widen. Suddenly he seems so much older.
‘It’s only ten o’clock, Mr. Barrington.’
Blake takes his wallet out of his pocket. He pulls two fifties out and holds them out to Billie. ‘Here, take a cab.’
‘Uh…taxis don’t cost that much, Mr. Barrington.’
‘Call me Blake, and please, don’t argue with me.’
Billie reaches out and takes the money. She shifts from one foot to another. ‘It’s not as bad as it looks.
Tomorrow will be the killer. She’ll think she’s dying, but she’ll be OK. Give her lots of water to drink.’
‘Thanks again.’
‘Oh, and if you want to do anything kinky to her now’s the time. She won’t remember a thing in the morning.’
For a moment Blake stares at her in shock, and then he realizes that it is her attempt at a joke. He shakes his head.
Strange girl. Billie pulls Lana’s phone out of her pocket.
‘Here’s her phone. She’ll need to call her mum before twelve or there’ll be trouble.’
Blake takes it distractedly. ‘OK, I’ll make sure she does.’
He walks over to his side of the car and gets in.
Billie watches the car roar powerfully into life, pick up great speed almost immediately, and take the corner at an alarming speed. She stuffs the money into the back pocket of her black jeans and casually ambles over to the bus stop.
At the bus stop she sits on a cold plastic chair and replays the moment when Blake picked Lana up. She will never have that, but instead of that usual tinge of envy because someone else has more than her, her little heart is soaring for Lana.
Banker boy cared.
Lana moans and Blake takes his eyes off the road to briefly look at her.
‘Ooh uuugggg why uuuuuuggggg,’ she says, and covering her face with her hand, mumbles unintelligently.
Blake doesn’t try to talk to her. When he reaches the apartment block, he takes his keycard from the dashboard and goes out to Lana’s side. The night porter’s eyes are round with curiosity when he carries Lana through reception towards the lift. The porter stands up, but Blake shakes his head, and he sits down again. Blake elbows the lift button. It opens immediately. He slots in his card and they are transported up. The movement of elevator makes Lana stir in his arms. ‘Sorry, Mummy,’ she says. ‘Oh it’s you’… more gibberish…then clearly, ‘where’s Mum?’
‘She’s home safe.’
But she appears not to hear, and seems to be trapped in some nightmare of her own. ‘Don’t die, Mummy. You promised to come to my wedding.’ He watches her with a frown. ‘You said you would.’ She begins to cry. ‘Mum, it’s cold. I’m so cold.’ Blake curses. The lift door opens and he carries her into the apartment and deposits her on the bed.
She grasps his arm and looks into his eyes, frowns, and does not seem to recognize him. ‘Where’s my mother?’
She shivers. He covers her. ‘I’ll tell you now. You won’t break me, Barrington,’ she slurs and turns on her side. ‘I’ll tell Jack what you did. He’ll sort you out.’
‘Jaaaaccccckk,’ she wails.
It makes the hair on his neck stand to see her this way.
But it is only when she starts talking gobbledygook in earnest that he gets worried. He goes into the kitchen and phones his doctor. After a few minutes he ends the call and stares at the granite top. He is simmering with anger —with her, for being so careless, so naïve, and with those pigs that thought they could drug a girl and rape her. His hands clench. He breathes deeply and lifts his chin. He closes his eyes. They didn’t get her. They didn’t get her.
His hands unclench. He takes another full breath. It is not her fault. She is as innocent as a child. Grimly, he goes to sit by the bedside and listen to her ramblings. In all of them, he is the enemy. The one who wants to use her for sex. He clasps his hands and says nothing.#p#分页标题#e#