“They’re brothers,” she said, nodding at the door, where I assumed they were waiting on the other side. “They’re here to help you. Wil is, anyway. I think Axe and Derek would have had other plans for you, but Wil’s got a soft spot for women like you.”
“Women like me?” I asked. What was that supposed to mean?
It means he thinks you’re weak. You’re helpless. And he’ll prey on you like he preyed on her.
“Vulnerable,” Maddie said. “And feisty,” she laughed. “I can’t believe you attacked him.”
It’s not like I had gotten that far. But the way she spoke about him made me stop; she was fond of him. They must have been close.
“Are you married to him?” I asked.
“God, no,” she cackled. “Don’t get me wrong. They’re all gorgeous. But Wil? He’s like a brother to me. I’ve been his cleaner for a long time now. Become a friend of family lately.”
“They’re a family?”
“Brothers,” she said.
Your sister. Where is she?the voice asked.
“My sister,” I whispered. “Where is she?”
It was weird to hear a voice, then repeat what it said, letting it control me. But it was all I had in a world of emptiness. And with those words, I knew. I was looking for my sister.
“Where’s who?” Maddie furrowed her brows. “Your sister? I—”
“I will cut anyone who hurts my sister.”
Maddie and I stared at each other, each of us waiting for the other to speak.
“Did you hurt my sister?” I asked.
“Slow down, tiger,” Maddie said, raising her hands, putting them up. “No one is hurting anyone.”
“Did you hurt my sister?”
She shook her head, her eyes cast down. I exhaled, letting my shoulders relax.
“Do you know where your sister is?” she asked.
“No.” My heart burned in my chest. Longing swept through me; I had been looking for her for a very, very long time. And now, I knew I was close, but I was far away too. I needed a glimmer of light to help me see through the tunnel.
“No one is going to hurt your sister,” Maddie said. “We’re here to help you. I am. Wil is. But you have to be smart about it.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “To think in terms like Wil, you need to play your cards right. If you act too quickly, they’ll kill you. Because at the end of the day, you were trespassing. If it weren’t Wil’s birthday, you probably would be dead by now.”
“Wil’s birthday?”
“You were a gift to him,” she said, nodding. “Wil’s birthday present.”
“How can a person be a birthday present?” I asked.
Because the birthday man doesn’t have a soul.
“When you’re the youngest son in a crime family, your birthday gifts get a little more elaborate each year.” She shrugged, her lips flat. “Trust me; you’re lucky.”
There was no way that being a man’s gift made me lucky.
“I’m telling you the truth, Ellie. Theywillkill you if you’re not careful.”
She’s right, the voice said.Play the game. Figure out the players. She’s not your friend, but she’s not your enemy either. He is. He knows where she is.
