Page 13 of Edging Sanity

CHAPTER

TEN

“Delilah.” Dr. Bronwin’s stern tone sliced through the air as soon as Rowan stepped back against the wall. “I heard you had quite the adventure before your appointment yesterday.”

“Those poor officers,” Delilah said innocently, smiling and leaning back into her chair. “They didn’t know the way. Got a bit turned around.”

“Can you explain to me why you neglected to tell me that during your last visit?”

“You neglected to ask.”

Rowan coughed in a failed attempt at covering up her laugh. A mistake considering it resulted in both of them turning their focus, however briefly, to her. Delilah’s victorious gaze lingering for a second too long. Bronwin sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose before speaking again.

“I’d like to start off by discussing why you felt the need to manipulate and threaten your guards into a detour?” Bronwin asked, clearly having already been informed of the entire situation.

Rowan hadn’t found anything in her search of Delilah’s room—or of Delilah herself—the previous day, and she still couldn’t figure out how the hell Delilah had gotten any information about Brinks. She could have spoken to Brinks, manipulated him into telling her information… He might be naive enough to fall for it, to believe her.

“How else was I going to see her after she abandoned me?”

“Why do you feel she abandoned you?” Bronwin asked evenly, leaning into accepting Delilah’s obsession head first and scribbling a quick note in her notebook before looking up to catch Delilah glaring at Rowan.

“I was told that Rowan would be my guard. My… escort to the sessions. Then without warning, she’s not.”

“I see,” Bronwin murmured, taking down more notes that Rowan was dying to read. “So if there was a warning, you would have felt happier or more assured?”

“I’d be happier if that didn’t happen again.”

“We thought it best if⁠—”

“We?” Delilah cut her off sharply, anger radiating from clenched fists and a hate-filled gaze. Bronwin straightened in her chair, holding her chin high and pretending like she was entirely unaffected as she faced off with a pissed serial killer.

“You met the hospital director, Adele. She and I discussed your progress and we thought that it might be beneficial for you if there was someone else you could be around.”

Attempting to placate Delilah by pretending the change was for her, very obviously, did not work. Delilah whipped around in the chair, setting her piercing gaze on Rowan instead.

“Did you know about this?”

Rowan met her gaze evenly, waiting until the silence dragged uncomfortably on—long enough that Bronwin prompted her to answer, giving permission Rowan didn’t need, before she uttered a single, “Yep.”

Tension crackled through the air. Delilah’s fury was palpable, coating Rowan’s senses in a delicious mix that she could easily become addicted to. There were other emotions there too, plain on Delilah’s face, battling for dominance. It was more expressive than Rowan had seen her yet. Rowan kept her hands clasped in front of her, calm, composed, waiting for what Delilah would do next, which reaction she’d settle on.

“Was it something I did?” Delilah asked with a deceptive pout. “Did you like my show too much?” A smirk played on her lips, anger gone in an instant. It was overtaken with the need to nettle Rowan. The need to provoke a reaction that Rowan refused to give.

She wasn’t at all surprised that Delilah had reverted back to that. Had brought that up after everything.

“What show, Delilah?” Bronwin finally asked, breaking the terse silence that made it clear Rowan was not about to answer. She looked between the two of them with narrowed eyes, but Delilah didn’t look away from Rowan. She didn’t even acknowledge her therapist.

“Rowan?” Bronwin snapped, demanding an answer.

“No idea.”

“Liar,” Delilah hissed. “You check the cameras from nine to ten every morning. You told me that.”

Rowan shrugged. “I said between nine and ten. I’m only in there for a few minutes to make sure everything functions properly.” Another lie. One that hit its mark entirely too easily.

Delilah abruptly tried to stand, her cuffs clanking loudly against the metal arms of the chair as she was yanked back down. Her face was red and her body shook with unbridled rage. Rowan watched her, learning the new side of Delilah, studying her.

“Delilah,” Bronwin cut in. “Would you like to explore this anger that you’re feeling towards Rowan right now? Do you want to kill her?”