Because You're Mine(51)

She took his hand. “I’m going to be all right. I sense it.”

“Please, sugar, take the treatment.” His voice broke. “I can’t lose you.”

She cupped his cheek in her palm. Her assurance deepened. “It’s going to be fine. You’ll see.”

“I’m going to admit you to the hospital,” Dr. Miller said. “We’ll need to observe you for forty-eight hours.”

“Righto.” At least she’d be away from that house for a few days. Patricia couldn’t get to her here.

“I want only the best for my wife,” Barry said. “Give her a private room, the biggest you have.”

Dr. Miller moved toward the door. “Of course, Mr. Kavanagh. I’ll arrange it now.” He directed his gaze at Alanna. “Call the nurse if you start feeling at all strange.”

Calm descended on Alanna. Someone in that house had tried to harm her twice. This time was much more serious. Did Patricia know venom could cause miscarriage? Was she only trying to harm the baby, or was killing Alanna her real goal?

By the time the nurse got her settled in her room, it was close to ten. “You go on home,” she told Barry. “Get some rest. I’ll call you if anything happens.”

His grip on her hand tightened. “I’m not leaving you. The effects could start any time. Please, take the antivenom.”

“I am sure it was a dry bite, Barry. It was such a little sting. I feel fine. I’m just needing sleep.” She squeezed his hand. “Thanks for taking such good care of me.”

“That’s all I want to do—take care of you.”

She stared into his face in the dim light. “How do you think that snake got in my bed?” His mother had to have done it, but she wanted him to come to the conclusion by himself. An accusation from her could drive them apart.

He frowned. “I guess it dropped off the tree outside and crawled in through the open door. You leave that French door open sometimes.”

She hadn’t considered that. “Do coral snakes live in trees?” she asked.

“I’m not sure of their habitat. What are you getting at?”

“This is the second time in two days I’ve been hurt. First someone shoved me down the hill.”

“You never said someone shoved you!”

“I didn’t want to worry you. Grady didn’t think the snake could get up into the bed by itself. He thinks someone put it there.”

“Jesse was at the house both times.”

She hadn’t thought about that. “When would he have had time? He was with someone every minute.”

“You followed him around? There was never a moment when he was alone? He could have brought in the snake in some kind of container and slipped it into your room very quickly. He went upstairs to the bathroom before the group left.”

She remembered now. He’d been gone to the loo about five minutes. Plenty long enough to slip that snake under her sheets. But what was his goal? She didn’t know what to believe about the man.

“I don’t want him at the estate again,” Barry said.

“He’s part of my band. We need a drummer, and he’s good. There’s no time to replace him.” “I don’t trust him.”

Neither did Alanna, but she knew Liam would want her to give his best friend the benefit of the doubt. And she needed to know the truth.

“I’m tired,” she told Barry. “You go on home, and I’ll be seeing you in the morning.”

He brushed his lips across hers. “I love you, Alanna. I couldn’t bear for anything to happen to you. I’ll sleep right there on the couch.”

She wished she could repeat his words of love, but it was going to take time, so she smiled and kissed him back without saying anything. “Okay. Could you run home for a few things? It will be several hours before anything might happen.”

He nodded and she wrote out a list. When he closed the door behind him, she sat up and reached for her cell phone. Detective Adams might be able to shed some light on this event.





Twenty-Two


It’s not unheard of for a coral snake to climb a live oak tree,” Detective Adams said, chewing on a toothpick. Dark bags cupped his eyes. “And you say the French doors were open?”

Alanna nodded. The detective’s assurances went a long way toward easing her fears. Believing the snake’s appearance in her bed had been a fluke would make it easier to go back to that house of shadows.

“You see this?” Adams dropped the newspaper in his hand onto her bed. “You and your new hubby are on the front page of the arts section.”

She opened the folded paper, dated the day before, and saw her face smiling back at her. She and Barry looked incredibly happy. Another picture was of her mates smiling at the camera—with the exception of Ciara, who scowled at Barry. The article told of her tragedy and her quick engagement to Barry, high prince of Charleston society.

Another picture showed her on stage with Liam pounding away at the drums. She couldn’t look away. Her chest squeezed at the way he was looking at her in the picture. His lips curved in a tender smile, and she well remembered the light in his eyes whenever he saw her. They’d had something so special. Even now, she couldn’t believe he was gone.