Page 29 of Her Wicked Plan

“He won’t force me up there since this is all for me, right?” I lean over, quiet enough for Scarlet to hear.

“Henry won’t force you to do something you don’t want. He is all about comfort,” she states matter-of-factly.

“Does that mean he wouldn’t get mad if I bailed?”

Her head whips in my direction. “Take me with you! Please! I can’t sit through Barbra singing My Heart Will Go On again. I refuse to.”

I laugh even though I’m not sure who Barbra is, but Scarlet's tone is pure seriousness. It also makes me not want to stick around to hear that. “Okay. You can come with me.”

“What are we going to do?”

“I have an idea.” I smirk before turning on my heels, searching for the woman with the alcohol.

She is standing in the back, resting against a wall, half listening to Henry up front. Her eyes meet mine with an apologetic smile, sorry that I must witness what will happen. She doesn’t want to be here either.

“Remember when you said all I had to do was ask?”

A look of relief floods her face. “Oh, sweet Jesus, I thought you would never ask! Come on.”

“Where are we going?” Scarlet asks quietly from behind me.

I let Scarlet follow Edith out of the common room, not answering her question as we enter the front lobby. Edith hurries behind the desk; a small safe sits below the computer's shelf—one I hadn’t noticed before.

She inputs the code, and a clicking sound echoes out. Then she reaches her hand in; A silver flask is in her grasp.

“Now I’m happy we bailed.” Scarlet chuckles to herself while Edith pours a shot into our cups.

“These parties are rare occasions, but not rare enough.” Edith raises her Styrofoam cup as if she were making a toast.

“Amen.” Scarlett lightly hits her cup against Edith's. They both take a huge swig of the drink, and I’m left shaking my head, thankful we don’t have to listen to karaoke all night. “Edith, your secret is safe with me.”

She dismisses her with a wave. “I wasn’t worried about you telling on me. You either, Leo. I’m happy to share, but I must go back. Henry will most likely notice if I am missing. As for you two, wander around. Scarlet, maybe you can give him a proper tour of the place.”

Edith leaves and goes to leave us but presses the flask against my chest.

“Don’t go drinking all of it.” She warns us, and when we both agree not to empty the metal can, the woman finally heads back to the party.

“Would you like a tour?” Scarlet’s eyes find mine now that we are alone.

“Why not? I’ve only seen the room we just came from, the cafeteria, my office, and my bedroom,” I state before dramatically gesturing to the room we are in. “Oh, and of course, the grand lobby.”

She giggles, and it’s so fucking cute. “How about I show you the grounds first? It’s too late to take you to the other wards since the patients are asleep, but I’m sure I can show you other places in the building.”

“I could use some fresh air.”

“Right this way, then.” She leaves the small space behind the counter, sliding past me, and I get a whiff of honey. Whatever shampoo she uses is intoxicating. I follow the scent, walking behind her, only stopping as she inputs the code.

As I step outside, the cool breeze relieves me. The building isn’t stuffy, but being inside it for a long time makes you miss the outdoors. Scarlet veers left once our feet meet the pavement of the driveway.

The moon shines bright in the sky, casting light on the grass. Thankfully, the small amount of snow has melted, and I hope that was the last. The clouds littering the sky are generous, allowing us the light from the moon.

We continue to walk silently, finishing our drinks as she leads us to God knows where. When our cups are empty, I untwist the cap and pour more for each of us. “Do the patients get time outside?”

She hums while she swallows the liquid, nodding. “They do. There is a designated place for them to go—a courtyard out back that has fencing, of course, on the off chance someone were to try to escape.”

“Right.”

“Since the building is on a huge piece of land, the courtyard is a decent size. It even has a nice view of the lake, but that is as close as they can get to the water.”