“Lila, god, I didn’t know. I didn’t have the TV on.” Tears streamed down her sister’s face.
They were obviously going to be very dramatic. She forced herself to stand. Will was right. She needed to get cleaned up. She’d stayed in her scrubs because she hadn’t been sure if the police would need them as evidence, but that was a ridiculous thought. After all, it wasn’t like there was someone to arrest. The man who’d held her hostage was dead, too.
She hadn’t saved anyone today. Anyone except herself, and she wasn’t sure that was a good thing.
“I’m going to take a shower and change. Tell the police I’ll give them a statement when I’m done.” She tried to give her younger sister a reassuring smile. It couldn’t have been easy for her to hear about what had happened. Laurel and Lisa had always looked up to her. Where Will had been responsible for having a job and protecting them, she had been the mom of the group. Even when their mother had been out of prison, it had been Lila’s job to ensure they had something of a normal upbringing. “I’m fine, Laurel. It was a rough night, but I’m all right.”
Laurel looked to Will as though she was confused.
Will simply shrugged. “I think it’s shock.”
Shock. Her mind focused on the word. It was a word she understood. There were five major types of shock. Anaphylactic, cardiogenic, hypovolemic, neurogenic, and septic.
Hypovolemic shock. It was what happened to a body when more than twenty percent of the blood volume was lost. When blood rushed from a wound. When the wound couldn’t be closed because someone held a gun to the head of the only person in the room who could do it, who could save her.
“I’m not in shock. You should know the signs.” After all, her brother was a neurologist. “I wasn’t physically injured.”
But only because at the last moment Maryanne’s ex-husband had turned the gun on himself. Had he meant to kill her? She couldn’t be sure. She only knew that when the time had come to be brave, she’d looked at that gun and done nothing.
Her brother put his hands on her shoulders and it took everything she had not to step away from him. “I wasn’t talking about physical shock. You were held captive. You were forced to watch your friend die. He could have killed you. You are in shock.”
“I’m not the one who died.” Maryanne was. Maryanne, who’d almost gotten away. Maryanne, who’d chosen to leave her abuser. She’d been brave and it had cost her everything.
Lila had nothing. That was what she’d realized in those moments when she’d knelt on the floor and waited for the bullet that would end her life. She had nothing. Her siblings were starting their lives. They were all married and having kids and building something. She went to work and came home and thought that looking strong meant she was strong.
It should have been me.
It should have been me.
It should have been me.
The world went watery and she felt arms go around her. Someone was crying—screaming, really.
It was her.
Despite the fact that her family surrounded her, Lila Daley had never felt more alone.chapter onePAPILLON, LOUISIANA
Eight months later“I don’t understand why you can’t stay with us. We’ve got plenty of room.” Lisa Daley’s voice came over the car speakers loud and clear, as though reminding Lila that her sister wasn’t far away anymore.
Not far at all now. The sign that let her know she was entering Papillon Parish rushed by, or rather she rushed by it. Papillon Parish was on the sign, but her sister often referred to the place as Butterfly Bayou. A quaint name for a quaint place. It had been a long drive from Dallas, and everything she owned was in the back of her crossover. She did not need this argument with her sister. She needed to get to the new house, find the bottle of wine she’d packed, and settle in for the night. Unpacking could wait. “You’re still newlyweds, Lis. I’m not going to be the third wheel.”
“You wouldn’t be,” Lisa replied. “You would be like the eighth wheel or something. Remy’s family is always around. Well, when Zep’s not in jail, that is.” There was a soft gasp over the line. “That came out wrong. Zep’s not on drugs or anything. He’s just really obnoxious, and the police around here know how to deal with his smart mouth.”
Lisa wasn’t a Daley anymore. It was odd to think of her little sister as a Guidry. Most of her life had been spent trying desperately to keep the four of them together, and now they were all off on their own.
“It sounds like you’ve got enough family around you.” She loved her sister, but she couldn’t handle her rowdy in-laws right now.