Imitation (15 page)

“
What’s wrong?” Josephine
asks.

“
I think you should let me
lead her inside. You can cut a path for us to get
through.”

“
Linc, I don’t know, she’s
really unsteady.”

“
You know it will only
make her look weak to be carried by both of us.”

Josephine doesn’t argue.

“
Raven?” Linc says. “Do
you think you can walk well enough for Josephine to let
go?”

I think long and hard about his
question before answering. I do not want to say yes only to stumble
and fall halfway there. But I know that Linc won’t let that happen.
He will hold me up. I nod.

“
Good girl. These people
will be looking for weakness. Your attackers could be among them.
You need to appear strong. Can you do that?”

I nod again.

Josephine slides her arm free from
where she’s wedged it underneath my own. I lean harder on Linc to
compensate. I waver and then recover as he pulls me closer against
him. When I am ready, I put one foot in front of the other and we
begin.

The men part for us as we pass. I see
Gus watching but I turn away from him. He is no better than Titus,
standing by and watching others try to kill me, only picking up the
pieces when it’s clear they have failed. I hate him almost as much
as I hate Titus Rogen. And that’s no small thing.

We pass through the last of the
security perimeter and I see the onlookers. They are blocking
traffic where they’ve crowded the street in front of Rogen Tower.
The doorman is back, looking rumpled and scratched but otherwise
intact. He looks beside himself with all of the bodies pressed in
around him.

“
Bad news travels fast,”
Linc mutters.

Just along the front is a narrow
pathway for me to pass by the cordoned area. It is so close to the
surging crowd, I can feel some of them reach out and touch me as we
pass. They all shout questions. Flashbulbs go off.

It is obvious why Titus wanted me to
walk. These people are like vultures, claiming they want to see you
well but ready to swoop in and devour you the moment you show
vulnerability. I will not show them weakness. To do so would
confirm everything Titus thinks about me.

I keep my head down, allowing my hair
to curtain my face and as much of my neck as possible. Still, I can
hear the gasps and whispers from those in the front as they see my
bruised and bloody flesh. I know it must be bad.

After what feels like hours, we reach
the lobby door. It is swept open with gusto as the doorman is
finally allowed to complete his only task. We enter, and I can feel
the moment it shuts again. The noise and swirling air cuts off
abruptly and leaves a quietness broken only by the sound of our
labored breaths as I hobble toward the elevator.

Josephine rushes ahead and presses the
call button then races back to where Linc and I continue our trek,
slow and steady. She hovers beside me, matching her pace to mine
but never touching me. I can feel the stares of the crowd boring
into my back through the glass front doors.

On the ride up, all I can
think about is the redhead’s words:
I know
your secret.

When the elevator doors open,
Josephine tucks her arm underneath mine and they lead me down the
hall. By the time we reach my bedroom, I am terrified. I still
haven’t seen or heard anyone since stepping off the elevator. Even
Maria is conspicuously absent.

As I’m helped into bed, I am aware of
the gown that still clings to me, though it hangs precariously off
one shoulder and has holes all along the bottom hem. Neither Linc
nor Josephine comments on it as they go to work bandaging my
head.

They tuck me in and pull the covers up
tight against my chin. Only then, with the silken sheets rubbing
against my bare arms, do I realize I am shivering.

Linc and Josephine retreat and for a
moment, I am scared they will leave me but they only hover near the
door and exchange whispers.

“
He’s going to be
furious,” Linc says. “But I couldn’t just leave her there and keep
going.”

“
You did the right thing,”
Josephine tells him.

He snorts. “That all depends on who
you ask.”

“
Who do you think she is,
the girl who did this?”

“
I don’t know. I didn’t
get a very good look at her. That red mane of hers is pretty
recognizable, though. Shouldn’t be hard to spot again.”

“
You think she’s the one
behind all of these attempts?”

“
Maybe,” he says. “Gus
will do a whole workup, I’m sure. Not that any of it will take into
account her safety.” His voice turns to a growl on the last part.
Something inside me flutters at his concern.

Josephine’s voice is full of
understanding when she says, “But that is obviously why she has
you.”

Linc doesn’t answer but I can hear him
shift his weight and I know they are still there. I begin to drift
on a cloud of medication and exhaustion when a sharp knock sounds.
The door opens.

Titus steps in, jarring me awake. Some
of the pain returns. He engages Josephine in hushed conversation.
Then it is Linc’s turn. Titus’s expression is deadly serious but
there is no trace of stress or worry, only concentration. He asks
Linc something and then scowls at the response. Before I can guess
what it is, Titus breaks away and strides toward the
bed.

“
Raven, how are you
feeling?” he asks, peering down at me with an expression devoid of
concern.

“
I’ve advised her not to
speak until I can evaluate any possible damage to her throat,”
Josephine says.

Titus waves a hand at her response,
never even looking at her. “Raven?” he repeats. “How are you
feeling?”

I lick my lips and open my mouth. The
croak that comes out is nothing like my voice but it is sound
nonetheless. “It hurts.”

He nods, as if that’s the only obvious
answer. “Josephine will give you another injection to help you
sleep. You did well tonight. Rest and we will speak more tomorrow.
There’s a party in the evening I want you to be prepared
for.”

“
A party?” My croak is
louder this time.

“
Sir, tomorrow?” Linc says
from his place near the door.

Titus ignores both of us and smiles
his crooked smile. “As I said, we’ll talk in the morning. Get some
rest.”

I am too disgusted to argue with him.
He nods at Josephine before closing the door behind him. It isn’t
until after he’s gone that I realize I still haven’t told anyone
what the redhead said to me about my secret. But right this moment,
I don’t want to. The only one I trust to save me is Linc. He’s also
the one person I can’t afford to tell the truth.

Josephine is the first to speak,
muttering incoherently under her breath. It is another break in her
otherwise patient exterior, and I wonder just what she thinks of
Titus Rogen. Linc’s thoughts are more obvious. His hands are fisted
at his sides and he stares at a spot on the wall only he can see.
Josephine has to shake him to get his attention. Even then, he
flinches as if he might strike out at her. She shrinks back and his
shoulders relax.

“
Sorry,” he tells
her.

“
No harm, no foul,” she
says as she crosses to the bedside. She props her bag on the
blankets beside me and begins searching through it with both hands.
“Linc, I’m going to need your help, if you don’t mind.”

“
What do you need me to
do?” he asks, coming around to my other side. His gaze flickers to
my neck and the ink there. I look away.

Josephine hands him several packets of
plastic, completely oblivious. “Unwrap these and lay them here. I
want to take some swabs for testing,” she says.

My mouth, nose, and ears are swabbed
with cotton that she places inside twist-top canisters. My vitals
are taken. Twice. Then she peels the blanket away and directs Linc
to adjust two different lamps to improve the lighting around
me.

I lie very still while her fingertips
trail lightly over my chest and neck.

“
I’m going to apply a
cream to some of these bruises,” she says to me. “It’s going to
hurt.”

“
Okay,” I
whisper.

“
I can give you another
injection to help you sleep, but it would be more effective if you
can wait until I’m done with the cream. Can you do
that?”

“
I’ll try.” My voice is
barely above a whisper but Josephine nods in understanding. She
reaches into her bag and begins pulling out supplies.

On my other side, a hand slips into
mine. I look over at Linc, then down at our joined hands. His
fingertips rest lightly against my palm, his hand weightless
against me. He is afraid to hurt me. I curl my fingers around his
and squeeze. He squeezes back and smiles, but it’s
pained.

Josephine wasn’t lying about the
cream. It hurts. The moment her hand touches my skin, the burning
erupts. I shift and squirm, biting my cheek to remain still and not
make it worse.

Her touch is feather-light against my
skin and still it leaves a trail of fire behind. I have yet to see
the damage for myself but I know it cannot be pretty if the pain
returns so readily.

“
How are you doing?” she
asks, still intent on what she’s doing below my
collarbone.

“
Fine,” I lie.

I tighten my grip on Linc’s
hand.

“
It’s over,” she says
finally.

My cheeks are stained with moisture.
Linc is watching me. His relief matches mine.

Josephine forces a smile. “You did
very well,” she says. “And that cream will help. By morning, it
won’t feel as raw.” She frowns. “Nothing I can do about the
bruising,” she adds.

“
It’s going to be bad,”
Linc agrees, his voice a growl. “How can he expect her to go out
tomorrow night?”

I don’t hear Josephine’s response. The
pain is building again, leaving behind a roaring in my ears. I
don’t realize I’ve made a sound until their conversation cuts off
and they glance at me. Josephine scoots closer, a syringe already
in her hand.

“
I’m going to give you
that second injection now,” she says.

I nod, which I hope she takes as a
signal to hurry. I squeeze my hands together as the medicine is
forced into my vein and like before, I count to ten. A soft sigh
escapes my lips as the pain recedes. My eyelids become heavy with
the weight of the medicine and I let them close, enjoying the
sensation of floating for as long as it will have me.

The mattress shifts as Josephine
rises. I listen as she moves about, straightening up and gathering
her things. A moment later, I feel a strand of hair brush along my
shoulder as she bends over me. “Get some rest,” she says. “I’ll be
back in the morning to check on you.”

I give a small nod, not wanting to
spoil the relief I feel by talking or moving more than I have
to.

“
You were very brave
tonight,” she adds.

Then she is gone.

Linc is beside me, his hand still in
mine. I don’t want him to go. The idea of him leaving makes me
afraid for the first time since I was dragged into the
alleyway.

“
Don’t go,” I
whisper.

I open my eyes just as he raises his
to my face. I know he was staring at my chest again. I’m sure
there’s an irony there but I can’t bring myself to joke with him
right now. The idea of laughing hurts.

“
I won’t,” he
promises.

The drugs make my limbs heavy, my
thoughts thick. I have trouble keeping my lids open and after a few
moments, I let them close and just lie there, half awake, half
falling off the edge. Oblivion sounds good.

When the mattress shifts and Linc’s
hand slides free of mine, I bolt upright—and immediately regret it.
I cry out and he is there immediately, guiding me back with gentle
hands. “It’s okay, I’m not going anywhere,” he says. He sits next
to me, shoulder to shoulder, and slides his hand back into mine.
Even with the blanket and a few inches of space between us, my
nerve endings hum at his closeness. Or maybe it’s the
medicine.

I begin to relax again.

“
I recognized her,” I
whisper after a moment.

“
Who?”

“
The girl who attacked me
tonight. I’ve seen her before.”

He stills beside me but don’t look,
unsure how far I want to take it. How much can I tell
him?

“
Where?”

“
That first party I went
to, with Taylor, when you saved me on the rooftop. She was there in
the lobby when I arrived. Gus saw her too.”

“
Gus saw her?” he repeats.
I can tell this is new information to him.

“
Yes. And there was a boy
with her. I don’t remember him as well. He stayed farther
back.”

Linc is quiet for a long time. I
wonder what it means if Gus hasn’t said anything about that night.
“What did she want?” he asks finally.