Chapter 18

Chapter 18 Hide and Seek Looking around nervously to ensure no one is watching, I lean down and scoop my daughter up. Mark will never know the difference between her and Riley, and as long as Ethan cannot see me, it should be safe for me to steal a moment with the beloved pup.

Excusing myself, I retreat to one of the classrooms down the hall. A few minutes ago I told myself I would turn her away again if we ran into each other, but now that she’s in front of me I can’t help myself. She looks so pale, so tired. Her final surgery is next week and while there will be a long recovery before we can be reunited, it seems the procedure itself is coming just in time. I can’t bear to waste this chance to cuddle her when she’s facing such risk.

“Hello little one.” | greet Paisley once we’re alone.

My little girl doesn’t beat around the bush. “Mommy, why’ve you been hiding from Daddy?”

“Paisley my love, you can’t call me Mommy. I’m so sorry.” I breathe, hating the horrible words on my tongue.

“Why not?” Her head cocks to the side, “Is it cause of playing hide ‘n’ seek?”

The gears in my mind slowly turn over, trying to make sense of her words. “What?”

“Daddy says you playing hide ‘n’ seek with him. Is that why I can’t call you Mommy?” She reasons, looking only slightly hurt.

“Yes angel.” | agree. “That’s also why you can’t tell him you saw me, or I’ll lose the game.”

She thinks about this for a moment, her lovely face scrunching up in thought. “But if you lose the game, will you come home?”

My throat tickles as I shake my head and I fight back tears. “No. I can only be your Mommy if I win.”

“But why?” She presses, in the way all young pup do when they don’t understand a problem.

“That’s just the way it is.” I explain softly. “One day I’ll tell you everything – when you’re older.”

“You pwomise?” Paisley inquires, looking at me sternly.

For the first time since we met, I’m finally free to speak the truth. “I. promise.”

Eve My life just seems to get worse and worse.

After Ethan found Paisley at the open house, wandering towards us with a cookie she snagged from the snack table and looking far too pleased with herself, we finally left. I can’t believe what just happened.

I wasn’t sure before, but I am now. Those pups Linda claimed as her own are undoubtedly Ethan’s, and that means that Elise Carrington truly is Jane in disguise. I thought it would be easy to get rid of Paisley, what with her upcoming surgery, but this is going to be a problem. I’ve got to get Jane and her other brats out of the territory, without undermining my own business interests or letting Ethan know about my plans, and then I’ve still got to find a way to get rid of Paisley.

Of course, I suppose it doesn’t have to be in that order. The best opportunity to deal with brat number one will still be her surgery.

Anything could go wrong for such a young pup going under the knife… anything at all. Naturally, the surgeon Ethan is paying so highly would never dream of crossing the Alpha, but I have plenty of friends in low places. I can easily get my hands on a poison that won’t take hold of her until she goes under the knife, I merely have to time things right.

It’s really all too simple. After a few brief inquiries I obtain the drug I seek, making sure it couldn’t be detected in an autopsy before handing over the cash. Now all I have to do is sit back and wait.

The day before Paisley’s surgery finally arrives, and I join Ethan at the hospital, keeping the wretched pup company while the Alpha completes her admission paperwork. She’s been asleep almost all afternoon, and I’m just starting to lose my patience when she blinks her ugly little eyes open.

“Hello, princess.” | croon, adopting the sort of sickly sweet voice | often hear people use with young children. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m thirsty.” She moans, stretching.

“Oh you poor thing!” | exclaim, “let me get you some water.” Inside my heart soars, this is exactly what I hoped would happen. Turning my back to the bed, I pour a glass of water from the sink and pull the small vial of clear liquid from my pocket. Dumping the contents into the glass, I say a quick prayer to the Goddess. My contact assured me that it would take a full twenty four hours to kick in, which means it should kill the little monster towards the end of her procedure. Of course the doctors would try to save her but not knowing poison was causing the crash, they would probably never think of giving her an antidote.

I turn back to Paisley with a big, fake smile. Naturally she’s too young to see through my act, and I offer her the glass. “Here you are, honey.”

Just then I see movement in my periphery, and to my shock Jane’s sons charge into the room, their tiny forms tackling my legs and knocking me to the ground. Screeching in outrage as I crash onto the tiles, the water glass falls from my hands and spills all over the floor.

“You little bastards!” | exclaim, “what do you think you’re doing!”

“You put something in her glass!” One of the boys cried, “We saw you!”

“What are you even doing here?” I demand, apoplectic with rage.

“Our sister got sick.” The second boy says, his voice more quiet than the first.

“Well obviously!” I growl, gesturing towards Paisley fiercely.

“No.” They reply in unison, “Our other sister.”

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” I hiss, “you’ve ruined everything.” At the moment I feel like I’m the one who’s been drugged. I’m more furious than I can ever remember being. I’m soaking wet, my head is splitting open with pain from my fall, and my plans for Paisley are in serious jeopardy. Not to mention these little devils can’t be here when Ethan returns. “Get out, right now!” || order.

The boys exchange a glance, and cross their arms over their chests. “No.”

Raising my hand in threat, I prepare to slap the shit out of the little monsters – first one, then the other.

However before I can land a single blow they fall to the ground as one, wailing at the top of their lungs and clutching imaginary injuries. “Owwww!!!” They sob “She hit me!”

The sound sends nurses running, and the next thing I know I’ve been caught red handed, my palm still raised in threat, and two little fakers on the ground screaming their heads off with false accusations.

The nurses look at me in horror. “What’s wrong with you?!” The head nurse exclaims, “How dare you raise your hand to innocent pups?”

“I didn’t!”I cry, “They’re lying!”

“We just wanted to say hello!” One of the boys weeps pitifully, “We re sorry!”

“No no,” another nurse soothes them, hugging them close, “You didn’t do anything wrong!”

The next thing I know security is dragging me from the room, and the little brats are grinning at me through their fake tears over the nurses’ shoulder.