“Leaving one to wonder how the TV stations knew of it in advance,” Brynn said.
Abby shrugged. “They’re such a high-profile couple, I guess it’s hard for them to keep anything under wraps.”
“The limo might have been a giveaway,” Rye said. He admired Brynn’s ability to maintain her forced smile when he felt like smashing something.
Brynn asked, “Was it ever explained how Violet came to be chosen for this—”
“Farce.”
“—honor?” Brynn asked, talking over Rye’s angry whisper.
Abby’s lips formed a moue of sadness. “I heard the senator telling one of the reporters that they wanted to do this for a child who was seriously ill, but well enough to withstand the trip.” She laughed softly. “Of course the travel was streamlined for her. They made it hassle-free for Violet and her mother.”
“Yes,” Brynn said, keeping her smile pasted on, “they literally rolled out the red carpet for them.”
The news vans had caravanned behind the Hunts’ limousine to a private landing strip where the couple’s Gulfstream had been waiting to fly Violet and her mother to Tennessee for a reunion with her father, brothers, and beloved dog, Cy.
Cameras had captured the red carpet–white glove treatment extended to them by the two pilots and flight attendant, as well as the f
ond farewell hug that the senator and his wife had bestowed on a smiling Violet and her tearfully grateful mother.
The end of the poignant story had shown the Hunts’ jet soaring off the runway into a rainy sky. The two stood arm-in-arm on the tarmac beneath an umbrella, waving until the plane’s blinking lights disappeared into the clouds, which was the fade-out shot that had brought tears to the anchorman’s eyes.
“Violet has more surprises in store,” Abby informed them in a hushed, happy voice. “Elsa from Frozen is scheduled to visit her at home tomorrow. Violet is also going to receive a new iPad, with all her favorite apps already downloaded, and a TV for her bedroom.” She chatted on, unaware of how appalling this was to Brynn.
“Mrs. Hunt is even prettier in person than she is on TV. Her suit was just okay, but her shoes were to die for.”
Before Abby could expand on wardrobe, Rye clasped Brynn’s elbow and said in an undertone, “We need to get out of here.”
Brynn must’ve picked up on his urgency and the reason for it. She said to Abby, “We’re due at a party. I only wanted to stop by and say a quick hi to Violet.”
Rye steered her around, out of the room, and down the hall toward the elevator. She went without protest.
Abby fell into step with them. “As close as you are to Violet and her family, I’m sure they would welcome a call from you. And she’ll be back on Tuesday.”
Tuesday. Days past the GX-42’s expiration.
“Yes,” Brynn said. “Her next radiation treatment is scheduled for Wednesday.” She worried her lower lip. “No matter how streamlined the trip, her autoimmune system is so weakened, I worry about infection. Severe fatigue.”
“I overheard Mrs. Hunt say that the flight crew has the weekend off, but they’ll be flying Violet back. And she’s being safeguarded. Violet’s doctor in Knoxville was put on notice. A medical team supervised by him will be on standby the whole time she’s there. The senator insisted on that. Violet’s welfare is his top priority.”
Brynn and Rye exchanged a look.
“It’s a shame you got here too late to see her off.”
Quietly, Brynn said, “Much too late.”
“I need to get back to work,” Abby said. “Have fun at your party.”
She started back down the hall. Rye watched her until she reentered Violet’s room. As they drew abreast of the elevator, he noticed that the ground floor button was lighted, indicating that someone had summoned it. It could have been anybody. But the hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and he trusted that instinct. He wheeled Brynn around. “Hurry.”
She reacted without question as he towed her toward the fire stairs and rushed her down them. When they reached the first floor, he opened the door a crack. No one was at the elevator or in the corridor. The guard was still hunched over the television, his back to them. “Is there another way out?”
“An emergency exit on the other side of the building.”
“Will an alarm go off if we open it?”
“I have the code to disarm it.”