“Ari. Can I talk to you?”
“Not now.” Another cramp hit her, and she had to bite her lip as she held on to the doorframe.
“You all right? What’s wrong?” He jumped forward and was reaching for her. She took a step back.
“I have to go out.”
“What?” He stared at her in puzzlement.
“I’ve got to go out. Can you make it happen?” She knew she had to seem like a crazy person. And she was being rude. “Please.”
She stepped past him and started walking towards the front door.
“We can’t go anywhere,” Bain called out to her.
She could feel him walking closely behind her.
“Arianna. Stop.” He grabbed her arm just as Dominic walked out of the kitchen, eating a huge sandwich.
He chewed and swallowed his bite, watching them both warily. “What’s going on?”
“You tell me,” Bain growled. “Ari has gotten it into her head that she wants to go out.”
“I don’t want to go out.” She scowled up at Bain. “I need to go out.”
“What?”
“Arianna, why do you need to go out?” Dominic sent Bain a look as she fidgeted back and forth.
She could feel her face going bright red. “Is it not enough to know that I just really need to go out. Do you have to know why?”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Bain snapped. “It’s not safe.”
“Your job is to keep me safe, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. But it will make our job easier if we know why you need to go out,” Dominic told her gently. “We’re going to be the ones taking you, so we need to know where we’re going.”
“I need to go to the pharmacy.”
“Why? You sick?” Bain asked.
Crap. They were right. She was going to have to tell them. Otherwise they’d never take her. But this was so humiliating. She wasn’t used to talking about this sort of stuff.
“I. . .I. . .shit!” She bent over as another cramp hit her.
“Ari!” Bain yelled out. Grabbing her, he picked her up into his arms. “What’s the matter? What’s wrong? Dominic, we need to get her to the hospital.”
“No, no hospital!”
“You’re in pain!”
“Because I have my period, you dense man!” Another cramp hit. She tried to wiggle her way out of his arms. Could her embarrassment get any worse? But he tightened his hold.
“Your period? Oh, baby. Why didn’t you just say?”
What?
She sniffled and gaped up at him. Where had grouchy Bain gone? And who was this honey-voiced man?