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“What do they want you to do?” I ask, after driving for a while. I needed time to compose myself. Keeping myself from grabbing her and shaking all the information out of her. Luckily, Fallon stayed quiet, so I could calm down in my own time.
“I don’t know. They said they would tell me when I called.”
“How exactly did you end up at the auction, and how did you get that number? Be specific. I want every single detail you remember.”
“I was walking home from class when two men, both wearing black hoodies, grabbed me. I couldn’t even see their hair color or anything. The only thing I could tell from their voices was that one was an older man.”
She pauses, and I glance over at her. She is looking out of the windshield, her forehead scrunched up like she is trying to remember that day.
“They showed me a picture of my sister. She was tied up…” Fallon’s voice becomes shaky, “They told me to cooperate, or they would kill her.”
“What did they ask you to do?”
“At first, they just gave me a piece of paper with the number on it and told me to memorize it. We drove around a little bit, and then we stopped at a building. The same one the auction was at. The older man brought me inside.”
Fallon shifts in her seat, nervously. Clearly, she doesn’t want to talk about this, but there is no other choice. I want answers now, not on her terms.
“Did the man seem to know the people who ran the auction?”
“He must have talked to them before because they were expecting us. They were talking about someone specific buying me, which I didn’t understand. I still don’t, really. How did they know you would buy me?” I can feel her eyes on me, waiting for my reply.
Fuck. What am I going to tell her? Not wanting to lie to her, I say nothing at all. Instead, I think about what this means. Whoever sent Fallon knew about Victoria. They knew I would want her. They also had to know I would be at the auction in the first place.
I get the feeling that Fallon has added this up already but hasn’t said anything. She knows more than she is letting on, and I need the information she has to figure out who it is that sent her, but most importantly, why?
“Do you know anything else? Is there anything that sticks out to you?” I try to hide the anger in my voice.
I’m not sure how I’m going to get the answers out of her. I’ve done everything, used every tactic I can think of, minus physically hurting her, and I don’t even want to think about going there. The thought of hurting her… of marking her flesh with bruises makes me sick to my stomach. I could never force myself to strike her, not even while knowing she holds all the answers. I can’t.
Fallon shakes her blonde head. Her eyes are glued to the floor of the vehicle, and without knowing it, she’s giving herself away. “No. I have the number I can give you, but aside from that, I already told you everything. I know as much as you do.”
Thankfully, we pull into the driveway, arriving back at the cabin. Which is what I need, to put some space between us, give myself some time to digest the information that I just discovered. It’s obvious that someone is after me and that Fallon was sent for a reason. She’s a damn near spitting image of my past. A past that has haunted me for years, a past that shaped me into the man I am today.
I park the SUV and get out, walking over to Fallon’s side. She slips out of the car and falls into step beside me. When we’re inside the house, I walk straight to the whiskey cabinet. I’m tempted to grab the bottle and take it with me over to the couch, but instead, choose to pour myself a glass. I don’t want to get drunk, not when I need to remain alert and focused.
Taking a massive gulp, I let the distinct burn of the whiskey resonate through me. It hits my belly like a weighted brick.
Twisting the glass in my hand, I find Fallon standing beside me, watching me. I’m almost angry because all along, she was doing this because she had to. She didn’t run, not because she didn’t want to, but because doing so risked her sister’s life. Knowing she lied from the very start, at least to some degree. My grip on the crystal glass tightens. I don’t know how I’ve kept myself from imploding on her.
She’s so fucking brave and stupid. Brave for doing what it takes for her sister, but stupid for listening to someone who is obviously after me. But I suppose if the roles were reversed, I’d do the same, wouldn’t I? Wouldn’t any decent human?
