Chapter Sixty-Three

Rory waited until Thyra had sashayed inside. He forced his mind away from the sensual promise he had seen in her eyes and turned to Jericho.

“Tell me what you found out,” he said.

The frown on the other man’s face was not a good sign.

“She made a call. It was to a prepaid cell phone registered to an eighty-year-old man with Alzheimer’s living in a retirement home in California.” Jericho shook his head. “The call was traced back to a cell tower near a busy commercial area in a town fifty miles south of here. She dialed the number three times before it was picked up. Some sort of code, maybe? What do you think it means?”

Rory clamped his jaw. “I’ll have to get back to you on that.”

After he had a little chat with Nina.

Once inside, he found her sitting on the bed. She had borrowed one of his shirts again.

“That was fast, querido.” Her smile dimmed a little when he remained silent. “Is something the matter?”

Well, that was one less problem, at least. After being with Thyra for most of the evening, Octavia made a welcome change.

“There might be,” he replied. “You made a phone call earlier this evening. Who did you call?”

“I did not make a call, querido,” she said. Her expression was one of complete sincerity.

“All right,” he said, expelling a breath and sitting down on the opposite bed. He had no choice but to believe her. But a suspicion was starting to take shape, a suspicion about why she’d been sent to Prima Vista and undergone such brutal treatment. A suspicion he hoped with every fiber of his being would prove incorrect.

If he was right, they were dealing with a far bigger problem than he had previously anticipated. Getting to the truth was going to be tricky.

“What about the others? Did any of you—Thyra, Lena, or Joey, use the pay phone tonight?” he asked. Experience had taught him he needed to be very specific when questioning her.

“No,” she said, visibly confused at his insistence. She tucked her legs under her nervously. “Who would I call?” She flicked her hand in an exasperated gesture.

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

“I did not use the phone, querido.”

The unease in his gut grew thicker. There was no reason for her to keep denying the obvious. He didn’t like it. With every passing second, his new theory was becoming more likely.

“Then what were you doing in that hallway for fifteen minutes? You were by the phone staring blankly ahead when I came in.”

“I was?” She appeared truly baffled.

“You don’t remember?”

“No.” A concerned expression clouded her face as she slowly shook her head, “This was before the performance?”

“Yes. You don’t remember it at all?”

“No.”

“Could Thyra be keeping it from you?”

Her denial was slow in coming. “I do not think so. Was I really there for fifteen minutes?”

His nod had her looking downright uncomfortable.

She rubbed her temple. “It is odd, no?” she murmured, her frown deep and her eyes troubled as they sought his.

They were silent for several minutes, both consumed by their own worries and thoughts.

His decision made, he finally said, “Octavia, I really need to talk with Nina.”

“No!” Her panicked refusal was fierce and instant. “I told you. Nina isn’t here anymore. She’s gone for good.”

“That isn’t true. We both know that.” He grasped her hands and held them tight. They were clammy, yet icy cold. “Nina’s still in there, hidden amidst you all. I’ve spoken to her, held her—you know I have.”

Octavia pulled free and scrambled off the bed, pacing along the aisle between the rows of bunks. “She isn’t.” Her expressive hands flew about emphatically. “The woman you are looking for is gone, Rory. When will you learn to accept that?”

“I can’t. Something doesn’t fit. You all know what the others do on some level, so it doesn’t make sense that you don’t remember making a phone call.”

“But I did not. Why do you insist I did?”

“Because you did. You were the only one in that hall the whole time. Could it be…” Unsure if it was wise to voice even part of his suspicion, he hesitated for a long moment. Then took the leap, regardless. “Could there be another identity hiding inside you? One that none of you know about?”

“No,” she said. The word lacked conviction, though. And for the first time since he’d met her, Octavia refused to meet his gaze.

“Are you absolutely sure?” He crossed to where she stood. “Is there no doubt in your mind?”

“There isn’t.” She moistened her lips, her body tense, as if she was going to flee first chance she got.

“I think you’re lying,” he said softly.

He touched her arm, and she flinched. But she didn’t pull away.

“You’re not entirely sure, are you? I need to know. You need to know.”

“Back off, O’Donnell!” Lena abruptly took over, creating a line of defense in an instant that Octavia hadn’t been able to draw. She slapped his hand away.

“You don’t have to be afraid, Lena,” he soothed, following her as she started to back up. “You can tell me. We’ll deal with this together.”

“There’s nothing to tell,” she snarled, evading his hands. “And who said I was afraid? Now, back off, dammit!”

“I won’t,” he fired back. “Not until you tell me why you’re defensive all of a sudden.”

He had to admire Lena for her strength and her willingness to surface whenever the other alters were incapable of handling a sticky situation. She was always there, ready to pick up the pieces and fight for what was hers.

“I’m defensive because you’re being obnoxious.” She looked down her nose at him. Quite an accomplishment, considering he was a head taller. “I told you, there’s nothing to tell. Fucking deal with it.”

“I think there is. You wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“Wrong,” she countered vehemently. Unlike Octavia, Lena had no trouble denying the obvious.

She backed up, and Rory steadily advanced on her. Within moments she had her back against the wall—in more ways than one. She seemed to realize what she’d done and didn’t like her uncharacteristic retreat one bit. She narrowed her eyes at him, the light of battle glinting dangerously in their depths. “I’m here because you won’t quit bugging me.”

“What are you afraid of, Lena? What could I possibly discover that scares you so much you won’t even talk to me?”

“Not a damn thing!” She shoved at his shoulder.

Invading her personal space, he set his hands on either side of her shoulders. She bared her teeth.

It was a dangerous game he was playing, pressuring her, but he had to know everything if he was to ensure her safety.

And his own.

“Then prove it. Answer me truthfully. Are you absolutely sure that there is no one else in your head besides the five of you?”

“Four. There are just four,” she snapped, nearly pushed to the limit.

Caution was essential.

“Not true,” he disagreed reasonably. “There’s you, Octavia, Thyra, Joey, and Nobody.”

Her fists tightened, and her knuckles turned white. He grabbed her wrists. The look in her eyes predicted nothing good.

“Four!” she repeated. She seared him with her glare.

Close now, he wasn’t about to back down. “Don’t lie to me, Lena. I know Nobody, remember? Tell me who else is in there that I don’t know about.”

She jerked, a spasm that resonated through her whole body, instantly erasing the mix of fear and aggression that had been there seconds earlier.

Empty eyes stared back at him, the look in them so alien, so intensely cold that he was surprised the air in the room didn’t freeze.

What the hell?

Whoever he’d been expecting to appear, this definitely wasn’t it.