Baby Doll(54)

“That’s good, Missy. All you have to do is tell the lawyer. Tell him you’re worried about your safety and you want a restraining order. That girl isn’t stable, and you know it. A lot of people might try to hurt you because of what I did. I can’t have that on my conscience.”

By the time the visit was over, he’d convinced Missy that she needed to stand up and fight. There was a part of him that wondered what else that bitch Abby had said. He could tell that Missy’s doubts about him were growing, but she never pressed him for more information. Rick realized that she wanted to believe him. She wanted all of this to be Lily’s fault so that Missy could resume her humdrum life, living in blissful ignorance. He really had chosen well.

Rick was disappointed that he didn’t get to see Abby’s arrest, that he didn’t get to see Lily’s face. Regardless, it’d been good news. He’d been upbeat for most of the day. He’d even managed to get a few moments alone with that guard he had his eye on. Her name was Angela, but he didn’t know much more. He’d tried asking her a couple of questions, hoping to get a read on her, but she was skittish.

“Better keep your mouth shut,” she’d said. “I might not be able to stop them if they go after you again.”

Rick had done as he was told, but her response pleased him. She was concerned for his well-being. That said something. He considered it another victory. He was eating dinner, or what passed for dinner in this shithole, when Fred ambled by. Rick braced himself, wondering if these beatings were going to be a nightly ritual. But Fred didn’t open the cell; he just leaned languidly against the bars.

“I heard congratulations are in order,” he said, a taunting tone to his voice.

Rick stared back at him. There was no doubt in Rick’s mind that Fred had been bullied in high school. Picked last for sports teams. Stuffed in the lockers. That’s why he cared so much about his own children’s success. He was a weakling, and now here he was, wielding the only power he’d ever had. Quite sad, Rick thought. Quite sad. He considered ignoring him, but he was certain that would result in another beating, and his ribs were so tender it still hurt to exhale.

“Oh, really? What do I have to celebrate?” Rick asked, playing along.

“Heard your demon seed spawned another kid.”

Rick’s entire body seized up. “Lily’s pregnant?”

“Good thing that girl is smart enough to get rid of this one. How does it feel, knowing you’re in here, and she’s going to murder your kid? Guess it’s only fair, ’cuz you stole her childhood.” Fred chuckled as he headed back toward the exit. “Have a nice night, dickwad.”

Rick turned away, not wanting anyone, especially that prick, to see how angry he was, how much effort it took not to lose his temper completely. He kept thinking about Lily, how much she had deceived him. She had said she was happy. That’s why he’d let her keep that child.

And this was how she repaid him. By murdering this baby, his baby! Rick seethed, pacing his tiny cell, cracking his knuckles, his mind racing. He knew what he had to do. His decision was made but it was unfortunate. His decision would put a wrinkle in the plan with Missy, but that was fine. She’d served her purpose. There was no way he could allow Lily to kill his child. He went to the front of his cell and began banging on the bars and shouting.

“Guard. Guard. Hello! Guard! It’s an emergency. Guard!”

He kept banging on the bars until Fred reappeared, his face contorted in annoyance.

“What the f*ck do you want?” Fred asked.

“I need to speak to whoever’s in charge,” Rick said.

“Oh, yeah? And what the hell do you have to say?”

“I want to confess,” Rick replied. Fred stared back, all teasing and joking gone from his demeanor. He reached through the bars and grabbed Rick by the throat, squeezing tightly.

“You’re gonna tell him what you did to the Riser girl?”

Rick paused. He shook his head, reveling in the power he held over this piece-of-shit nobody.

“No. I want to tell him about the others.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT


EVE


If you think I’m going to ignore the fact that your hospital leaked my daughter’s confidential medical records to the media, you’re stupider than I thought. I want whoever is responsible to be held accountable, or I will make it my mission to bankrupt that place,” Eve said, clutching the phone tightly.

Stuart, the CEO of Lancaster General, clucked into the phone. Eve hated that clucking. He did it when he was frustrated or disagreed with employees, which was pretty much every second of the day. Eve had known Stuart for years, and her disdain for him had only grown. He was a sycophant who’d fire his own mother if it meant improving the hospital’s bottom line. He treated his employees with little to no compassion. She remembered his expression when she’d asked for more time off after Dave’s funeral. Abby had been floundering, and Eve wasn’t doing much better. The look of annoyance on his face, the long pause before he agreed to let her take one more week but then they’d have to talk about her future at the hospital, had left her furious. She’d wanted nothing more than to tell him to shove his job up his scrawny, bony butt. But with Dave gone and Abby needing constant therapy, Eve had no choice but to continue working there. But now that his staff had screwed up, Eve was going to make him pay for it.