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“Abduct you?”
“Yep.” Delilah laughed to ease the tension.
“Is that like a figure of speech?” Miranda raised her eyebrows.
“No, he… actually saw me as his property.” Delilah sighed. “As soon as we broke up, I was simply a disposable commodity for his pack.”
Miranda worded her sympathies carefully. Delilah could see her walking on eggshells. “Well, you know… at least it’s no major loss. He sounds like a huge asshole.”
Delilah nodded. “I’m glad I didn’t end up with him and all, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.”
Miranda offered a consoling nod.
“He locked me up before I ran away,” Delilah continued. “He was actually going to sell me to another pack.”
At this point, the pedicurist had to remind Miranda to remain still. She nearly leapt to her feet, unable to contain herself. “Like as a slave or something?” She was practically screaming. “Delilah, you’ve got to tell Jude and Graham! I can only do so much for you.”
“Oh, they know,” Delilah said before adding more at the puzzled expression on Miranda’s face. “Not about the being sold as a peace offering part. Theycannotknow that.”
“Why the hell not?” Miranda asked. “If you’re not going to tell them, I am. I can’t—”
“No.” A sense of severity finally returned to Delilah, the urgency of her secret finally grounding her. “Listen. You can’t tell them. That’s my story to tell.”
Miranda considered her words carefully. “Listen, if your pack comes back to get you, and they kidnap you? There’s not anything I can do.”
“Miranda, relax!” Delilah urged her. She took her phone out of her purse and held it up. “Graham and Jude already wiped my phone and got me a new one. They’ve got no way of tracing me.”
Upon seeing the look of persistent concern and gloom on Miranda’s face, Delilah added, “I’m going to tell them the rest of it. You just have to give me a bit, let me find the right time.”
Miranda gave her a sideways glance. “You’re awfully calm about this.”
“Well, you know, I’ve got you here now,” Delilah said, partly hoping she would catch on.
“No…” Miranda added. “There’s something else you’re not telling me.”
Delilah grinned, blushing in spite of herself.
“What happened last night?” Miranda asked. “Did you… did theykissyou?” Delilah shook her head, still grinning widely. “Holy crap!” Miranda shouted. “You—withthem? And you’re hanging out with me instead of being back at their apartment?”
“You know how they are,” Delilah said. “They’ve got a business to run. And I’ve got too much on my mind to hang out at either of their apartments.”
“I guess I get that?” Miranda finally added. “Still. I’m honored.”
“Honored?” Delilah asked.
“Yeah. Even with all this going on, of all the people you could be spending your day with, you chose me.”
Delilah flashed a grin in return. She felt safe around Graham and Jude, but being around Miranda felt so natural. She felt somehow like she’d known her forever. She enjoyed the peace of the moment, but she knew it was fleeting. As she tried to hold on to it and treasure it, she could feel it slipping through her fingers, like grains of sand in a toppled hourglass.
Delilah could feel Miranda dragging the day on, but she didn’t mind. They returned to the Fang District, spending time in almost every shop they hadn’t already visited earlier. Delilah got a better look at the boutique but had the most fun at the thrift shop. She loved looking at pieces of nostalgia from her childhood and marveling at the technology she was a bit too young to remember.
As she cycled through old clothing pieces on the rack, Miranda explained how she had stumbled into the city too, setting to escape her overbearing family and carve out her own legacy. She hadn’t really intended to become a waitress, but she had found she enjoyed it. And for now, that was enough.
Miranda’s last big idea came as a bit of a surprise. Delilah got into her car without any idea where they were going. When they started seeing trees and open fields she realized they had reached the countryside. Delilah was extremely confused and couldn’t hide her puzzlement.
“Don’t worry,” Miranda said, looking away from the road. There were almost no cars out here, and the sun was starting to set. “I know the perfect way for you to let out some of your aggression.”
They arrived at a large log cabin, standing alone and surrounded on all sides by trees and meadow. Outside were a few trucks, but otherwise, it seemed pretty desolate.
