Violet closed her eyes and continued breathing hard. I doubt she would sleep much, but at least she was getting some rest. Wiping my tears away, I took a deep breath to calm myself. What was going to happen now? He would be back eventually. Did he expect a body wrapped up in a black bag?
I gasped as I remembered. “We have painkillers!” When Poppy and Rose pretended I was ill, he had brought two down for me. Rushing to my bedside table, I grabbed them from the drawer and ran back. “Violet, take these!” Her eyes flicked open. She looked at the pills and opened her mouth, accepting them immediately. “Want water with them?” She shook her head. I couldn’t take them without water—it was gross and they stuck to my throat. Violet had to have been in a lot of pain.
“Just one, Lily. We’ll need to ration them,” Rose said. As much as I wanted to give her both, I knew Rose was right. We only had two and getting more wouldn’t be easy.
“Thanks,” Violet whispered once she’d swallowed the pill I popped in her mouth.
Rose stood up from the bed. “We’ll leave you to get some rest.” I shook my head, not wanting to leave her on her own. Rose shooed me with her hand and widened her eyes—she wanted to talk about something without Violet. I got up and followed them out.
“What?” I asked as Rose shut the bedroom door.
“We need to think of something for when he comes back. He won’t be happy with this outcome.” Violet surviving. The sick bastard! “I’ll speak with him and try saying Violet thought we were going to come to harm or something. I’m not sure yet.”
I sniffed and wiped my eyes again. I was just holding it together. All I wanted to do was curl up in a little ball and cry, but I couldn’t give up. I still had hope. “Will she die?”
Rose sighed. “I’m not sure. I truly hope not.”
Violet couldn’t die. I had only known her a few hours but down here that seemed like years. Everything down here seemed longer. She was the only one who was as desperate to get out as I was. I needed her.
***
My heart jumped into my throat as I heard the cellar door creaking open. I gripped Violet’s hand and closed my eyes, saying a silent plea to Clover to leave Violet alone.
Someone opening the bedroom door made me jump. I leaped up but then sagged in relief as Poppy stepped in and closed the door. She was by herself. So he was listening to what Rose had to say?
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Rose is speaking with him now.”
“Should we try and listen?”
Poppy shook her head. “No. If he came in and caught us, he wouldn’t like it.”
I clenched my jaw shut as the overwhelming urge to shout and scream at him flooded me. There were so many things I wanted to say to the bastard, but not one I could say without getting myself killed.
“How long do you think it’ll take her to convince him?”
Poppy shrugged. “If she can, it could take a while. He doesn’t change his mind often.” His sick, screwed-up mind. Something really shitty must have happened to him, but that wasn’t a good enough excuse to do what he was doing. I sat on my bed next to Poppy and we waited silently for Rose.
While we waited, I thought of so many things I would be willing to do if he just left her alone. I would never complain about being down here again. I would never again shout at Poppy or Rose for calling me Lily. I would never try to think of ways to hurt him.
I looked over at Poppy as we heard the cellar door open and close again. I didn’t want to get my hopes up but he hadn’t come for her—that must be good. Rose opened the door and smiled. “It’s all right.”
“What?” I asked, my eyes wide in shock. He wasn’t coming back for her? I hoped but never expected it to happen.
Rose nodded and sat down on Violet’s bed. “I explained that she was scared. Said she thought he was going to kill all of us and was just trying to protect us. He mumbled incoherently for about ten minutes. I couldn’t understand a word of what he was saying.” She stopped and frowned. “It was odd…and frightening.” I gulped. Rose being frightened was frightening. “Eventually, though, I managed to convince him that she didn’t know what she was doing. She hadn’t understood that we’re a family.” I clenched my jaw. We are not a family.
“So he’s going to help her?” Poppy asked. Her eyes were wide with surprise.
Rose bit her lip as she searched for the answer. “He’s agreed to letting us help her. He won’t be bringing any medication down for her as punishment.” I sat frozen. He was going to leave her in pain. I felt the air leave my lungs as if I had been punched in the stomach. He wasn’t being merciful—he was being vengeful. She had done something he didn’t like, and he was making her suffer for it. My hate for him consumed me. I gritted my teeth. My blood boiled. I wanted to kill him. I wanted him to die in the way he had killed so many girls.