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Misha
The house smells disgusting.
Toni has been scrubbing and cleaning all night. It’s easy to tell, not just because of how exhausted she looks, but there are cleaning products all over the kitchen counter. She takes off the rubber gloves she was wearing and puts them in the sink when we walk in.
We need to send this woman to a hotel. She can’t stay here. As her kid keeps deteriorating, so will she. It’s worse for mothers, usually, and she clearly cares deeply about her son.
And it’s just the two of them here together. If Tom’s gone, she’ll be all alone.
I don’t have to look at Rei to know that they agree with me. Luke isn’t here yet, but I know he agrees, too.
“Mrs. Souter,” I say, taking a step toward her. I put my hand on her arm and she flashes me a sweet, tremulous smile. I can tell she’s holding back tears. “We don’t know how long this is going to take, but it might be a little while. It would be ideal if you could give us some privacy.”
She looks up at me, her eyes watery. “Do you want me to leave again?”
I nod. “Mrs. Souter, would it be possible for you to stay with a friend while this is happening? Do you have any family members nearby?”
She opens her mouth to answer, but then shakes her head as she looks up at me. “No. I don’t.”
I nod. “That’s okay,” I say. “You can stay in a hotel for a few days, get some rest. We’ll check in with you every day. But you can’t stay here while we work. It’ll be…”
Scarring? Terrible? You’ll need therapy for the rest of your life? I have no idea what to go with.
“It’ll be distracting for us,” Woods murmurs. “It would probably be best if you weren’t around while we work. Think of it like…an operation. You wouldn’t be in the room while a surgeon is working on your son, right?”
Her eyes narrow. I don’t think she loves the comparison, but it does all the explaining we need it to.
“Go run an errand or something and I’ll have a hotel room ready for you when you get back,” I say. “I’ll text you the details.”
She nods, but she doesn’t seem convinced. “Take care of my son,” she says. Rei and I wait for her to leave before we walk toward Tom’s room, waiting until we hear her car drive away. It’s still early in the morning, and Luke and Trine aren’t here yet.
“Before we go in there,” Woods says. “Do we need to talk?”
I shrug. “If you want to,” I say, my gaze flitting toward the recessed hallway leading to Tom’s room. “We don’t have much time.”
“But you’re okay with it?”
I wave him off. I don’t know how I feel about it–the exorcismorthe threesome–and I don’t know if I even want to talk to him about it at all. I need time to figure all this out, but he looks concerned, and I don’t want him to think I’m angry with him. “I mean, yes,” I say. “It was fun.”
“You’re not saying something.”
I shrug again. “I guess I’m just not sure how to feel about it yet.”
“Should I not have texted you?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m glad you did,” I reply. “It was great. I just…”
“What?”
Fuck it. I have nothing to lose at this point. I try to look him in the eyes as I speak. “I had fun, and I’m glad I did it, but I’m annoyed because it feels like you let me sleep with your girlfriend,” I say.
He narrows his eyes. “Okay…”
“And I really like her,” I tell him. “I’m not sure I can do that again.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” he says quickly. “We haven’t talked about this. And honestly, like you said, we’re going back to Boston soon, and none of this will matter, right?”
I don’t know what he’s trying to do, but this makes no real sense to me. I shake my head. “No,” I say.
