Page 46 of Now Until Forever
Tony bumped the curb turning into the hospital parking lot, and she decided it would take some skill to park this tank of a truck. Not that she wanted to be glad it wasn’t her driving.
Right now, it felt like weeks since she’d discovered Doctor Splitfield’s dead body. It seemed like the world had shifted on its axis since then.
Eliana continued, “His hands were nailed to the table, and whoever killed himcut his tongue out.” She couldn’t even get into the rest of it. Their missing time and the needle marks. Tony attacking her. Those people trying to get into the vault, and how they’d actually succeeded—until one was vaporized right in front of her.
“You…saw that?”
Eliana blinked back tears. “I’m the one who found him, and now this?” She didn’t know whether she was referring to the community and the dresses, or to the bizarre events that hadhappened today, which people were calling “attacks.” Or Tony, or those people. Or the unexplained needle mark.
Maybe it didn’t matter which thing she was talking about.
Tony pulled into a parking space.
“I have to go.” Eliana sniffed. “Carlos is waiting for me to get here.”
Maizie said, “Love you. Tell him to call me.”
The call ended.
Eliana closed her eyes. “I don’t like lying.”
“Your sister never actually told you whatever it was that she wanted to pass to Carlos.”
She looked at Tony. “Is that the point right now?” She couldnoteven. “Who killed Doctor Splitfield? What happened to those young people trying to break into the vault? Are you responsible for the missing time Carlos and I experienced at the compound? And this?” She motioned at her elbow, even though her sleeve covered the needle mark.
“You think I’m to blame for everything that’s been happening?” He hit the button beside the steering wheel, and the truck powered down. “Like I planned to be dosed with whatever made everyone go crazy today? Why don’t you tell me why you weren’t affected by it?”
“How am I supposed to know?”
He leaned toward her just a fraction. “Exactly.”
As if that was supposed to satisfy her. “Are those young people going to show up with their tongues cut out?”
“The Shrine doesn’t need to murder people to get what we want.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
Tony dropped the keys into the cupholder. “Sylvia dealt with those kids. The cops were busy with everything that went down today, which was a great smokescreen for a theft from thevault. If it wasn’t a failed plan to begin with—and major overkill making the whole city descend into chaos.”
“So there was more than one theft, or they just took advantage and jumped on the situation?” She took the keys from the cupholder. “I saw them a few days ago, walking through the Shrine. Probably doing recon ahead of time.”
“You’re no doubt correct that they jumped on a chaotic situation.”
“Seriously?” Eliana said. “Are they going to show up dead?”
Tony shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.” He pushed his door open and got out.
“That’s not an answer!”
He shut the door and walked away. Like he was mad and hadn’t just gone out of his way to do her a favor and help her get Carlos’s truck to the hospital.
She flipped her phone open and scrolled through her contacts to Carlos’s number. It rang a couple of times, and he said, “Hey. You’re here?”
Tears filled her eyes again, burning and blurring her vision. “In your truck, yeah.”
“Oh, right. I see my truck on the app.” He spoke to someone else, his voice muffled so she couldn’t hear what he said. “I’ll come down. They’re just signing me out.”
“Are you okay?” She hadn’t realized how much she’d be reassured just hearing his voice.
