Beautiful Lies (Breaking Belles #2) - Alta Hensley Page 0,65
or caring in any way. Rules are rules,” I said. “You know this as much as I do.”
“Don’t admit defeat,” Montgomery said as he took the empty seat beside me. “I know why you were doing it. I also now know why Portia was.”
“A kidney,” I said. “She was doing it to save her sister’s life.”
I shook my head, feeling so shallow and low. My reason, and every person’s reason for doing the Initiation seemed so small in comparison. The Order of the Silver Ghost were the kingmakers and the dreammakers, and they had the power to grant Portia her wish. But now… well, it didn’t really matter now. What was done was done.
“How’s her sister doing?” Montgomery asked in a soft voice.
“Awful. Dying. She’s in a lot of pain, and the staff are trying to do everything they can to make her comfortable, but it’s not pretty. Portia’s sisters went to get some sleep which is good. But Reba’s going downhill fast.”
“And they can’t get her a kidney?”
“Not fast enough. No.” I leaned forward with my elbows on my legs and ran my hand through my hair. I was pretty sure I looked like a hot mess. It was my first time spending hours upon hours in a hospital, but I had no intention of leaving without Portia.
“I tried to make all the calls I could.” I shook my head. “I even went to the Administration and did what I swore I would never do in my life. I tried to use the VanDoren name to get what I wanted. It was useless.”
“The Order can get that kidney or they wouldn’t have granted Portia’s request before she started the Trials,” Montgomery said.
“Right, well we clearly fucked that up. I seriously doubt they’ll just hand me an ice cooler with a kidney in it as a consolation prize for failing the Initiation.”
“You didn’t fail. You disqualified,” Montgomery said. “And we don’t even know that. They’re asking for you both to return and address this.”
“I’m not leaving Portia,” I said. “Not even an option right now. And Portia isn’t going to leave her sister, so there’s—”
“We’ll go,” Portia interrupted as she entered the waiting room. “Reba’s sleeping and my sisters are on their way here again.” She looked at me. “We need to go face this. Probably nothing will come out of it… but if there’s any chance for that kidney… if they have any compassion at all…”
Her tear-filled eyes came to mine. I wasn’t sure how to tell her I didn’t think the Order knew what the word compassion meant. It wasn’t in their fucking dictionary.
I stood up and put my arms around her and whispered into her ear, “The Order. The Initiation. It’s all noise. Ignore it.”
“We can’t,” she said as she pulled away from my embrace but took my hand in hers. “I made a commitment. You did too. Pretending they don’t exist, doesn’t make this disappear. We have to go. We have to try.” Her voice broke on the last word.
And I saw then exactly why this woman had subjected herself to every humiliating and degrading and painful Trial the Order had asked of her. She would truly do anything for her family. Even walk back to the Lion’s Den with her head held high and beg.
I took a deep breath and looked at Montgomery. “Call them up. We’ll head back now.”
As I drove us back to the Oleander, I finally broke the long silence between us. “I promise you that once we leave here, I won’t stop until I find a way to get Reba that kidney. I’ll see if I can get Montgomery or other friends to help. I might not have the strength of the Order, but I won’t give up.”
She continued to stare out the window at the rows of oak trees passing by. “The waiting list is long. Really long.”
“I know,” I said. “But I promise you that I’ll fight. I won’t just accept no.”
She sighed and closed her eyes. Her shoulders sunk and her body seemed so small and fragile against the leather of the seat. If I could have taken her into my arms right then and there, I’m not sure I would have ever let her go.
As we pulled up to the manor, I tried to ignore the sick feeling in my stomach. I knew what I had to do, and it was going to test every part of my being. “Are you sure you want to go in