“Let me…guess…” she says, almost laughing. “She…said…no?”
Oh, Christ, she thinks I’m Vincent. And she thinks I’m here to punish her because Josie didn’t put out for me. I quickly rush to her side and take her hand in mine.
“Debbie, my name is Magnus, not Vincent, I’m here because—”
“Magwhat?” she asks.
“Magnus,” I repeat. “I’m a friend of your daughter’s. I’m here to get you out of here.”
This house may be a mansion, but this room is barely a prison cell. A bed, a television, an attached bathroom that’s been stripped of everything but the necessities. Vincent really is a piece of shit.
“Friend of my…who?”
Great, she’s out of it. Well, if that’s the case, I guess I’m just going to have to do this myself.
I tuck my gun into my waistband, grab Debbie around the thighs with both arms, and hoist her over my shoulder like a sack of grain.
“W-what are you…?” she tries to protest, but I’m already on the way out, back through the hallway and up the stairs to the yard. The last guard is gone like he said he’d be, and I make my way out the gate and across the street to where I parked my truck a few blocks down, the whole way Debbie making some strange noises, trying to formulate a sentence.
Once we’re there, I lay her in the passenger seat, get in, and take off. The mission may have been a success, but you never know when someone else may show up at The Palace—someone else including Vincent himself, and there’s no point in getting in more trouble than necessary, especially with Josie’s mom with me. The last thing I need to do is endanger her.
Right now, all I need to do is get her home to Josie. We’ll get her clean, and we’ll all be a family. One free family.
7
Josie
I almost can’t believeit when I see Magnus pulling up with my mother in the passenger seat. It’s been months since I’ve seen her, and as I focus on her, I realize that a part of me actually never expected to again. I guess I was just never able to expect that.
I’m nearly tripping all over myself as I run down the steps to the truck. I don’t know what I’m more excited about; the fact that my mom’s here or that Magnus returned safe and sound without injury.
“Momma!” I cry out, throwing my arms around her in a massive hug. I can tell she’s not in her right mind, and I have Vincent to thank for that, but she does still recognize me, and Magnus and I will get her right soon enough.
“Oh, honey,” she says sweetly, hugging me back. “How…are you? This…this nice man…he came and…he brought me here.”
“This is Magnus, Momma.” I smile. “He’s my…well, I guess you could call him my boyfriend.”
I turn and smile at Magnus, who winks back at me.
“Boyfriend?” Momma gasps. “Well, ain’t that something. He’s a looker, Josie!”
My mom’s legs sort of sway from underneath her. Magnus notices immediately and comes over to take her by the arm. “Why don’t we get you inside, Debbie?”
“Is there…televi…vision inside?” Momma asks.
It’s going to be a process getting her right, but the important part is that therecanbe a process now. Now that we have her in our care and out of Vincent’s clutches. That’s all that matters.
I have to stop myself from crying tears of joy as Magnus and I begin to lead her up the stairs and into the house. But just as we begin to get her inside, I hear the sound of tires coming down the drive toward the house and a pang in my chest like the blade of a knife causes nearly all the breath in my lungs to disappear.
“Quickly!” Magnus hisses, hands on my back. “Inside.”
We pick up the pace and are helping Momma onto the couch when a commanding black truck pulls up out front. My blood turns to ice when I see it, and my feet stop midstride. Vincent steps out of the truck, smiling like he owns the place. I turn to Magnus.
“I thought nobody else knew about this place!” He doesn’t answer. He simply draws a pistol from his waist and moves for the door. “Magnus, wait!”
“Stay here,” he replies calmly as he steps outside onto the porch.
Oh God…