“Did you tell the teachers that?”
Bella’s eyes widened. “Of course not! Snitches get stitches. They don’t have WITSEC in high school.”
Nausea roiled in Sam’s stomach. “I’m not a snitch. Is that what you think?”
Sam had done the right thing when she’d testified, and they’d beenrewardedwith a new name and a new life in a new town. But they were safe here. They were protected from the Mob guys who wanted them dead. Bella was right that she would’ve had to face the girls at school afterward if she’d told the principal what they’d done.
“This is about more than just being a snitch, Bella. You’re not pointing the finger at them when they were caught red-handed. You’re clearing your name. If you don’t come forward, the teachers will believe that you were vaping too.”
“I’d rather the teachers believe that than to cross the Renegade Rebels.”
Sam groaned. It had been a while since she’d been in high school, but it seemed nothing had changed. There were still cliques and drama. “Bella.”
“I’m not doing it.” The teen crossed her arms over her chest.
Sam took a deep breath. “Fine. I’ll call the school and tell them.”
“For the love of Pete, it’s just detention, not the end of the world.” She stood up and faced Sam. “Don’t you dare call the school and get involved. I don’t need you trying to solve all my problems. You’ll only make it worse.”
Bella stormed to her bedroom and slammed the door.
Sam sank into the recliner. She didn’t want to argue with Bella anymore. Not tonight. Not about this. Not when the ghosts of their past were still haunting them. They’d survived Sam’s testimony against the Mob. Surely they could survive high school.
What could she do? This could be the beginning of the end if Sam didn’t encourage her sister to stick to the straight and narrow. Follow the rules. A tiny step in the wrong direction and it could snowball into more trouble before they knew it. Like official reports on school files, which were just as dangerous as doing well in sports and getting their pictures in the media.
There was so much more at stake than whether Bella was considered a snitch or a cool kid. If she didn’t watch herself, she would be noticed.
And if they were discovered, it could lead to their deaths.
Liam stared out the windshield, Sam’s image sticking in his mind. She was beautiful, no doubt. But closed off, like she didn’t want to let anyone in. Could he really blame her though? She’d had a hard life, and going into WITSEC had only made it harder.
The look on her face when he’d mentioned prayer told him she either wasn’t a believer or wasn’t on good terms with God at the moment. The last six months of his life couldn’t really be compared to her story, but he couldn’t imagine facing it alone. Without God to get him through. He couldn’t begin to fathom how Sam felt.
“I wish you could have met Isabella. She’s smart as a whip.” Aubrey’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. She looked at the clock on the dash and finished buckling her seatbelt. “That took longer than I expected.”
“Okay, I’ll take you back to the office.”
“That would be fabulous.” She smiled.
He turned from the Williamses’ street onto another main street. His attention was caught by a high-school-age girl carrying a blue-and-purple chevron-patterned backpack. A backpack he recognized. What was Sophia doing over here?
“Um, see that girl?” He pointed to Sophia.
Aubrey leaned forward. “Yes.”
“That’s my niece. She’s supposed to be at home.” He gripped the steering wheel.
“Oh.” Aubrey pursed her lips.
“Yeah.” Liam rolled down the passenger-side window and pulled the SUV up next to his niece. “Sophia?”
Sophia stopped and stared straight ahead. At what, he couldn’t be sure. It was just another residential street. No one out and about.
Liam leaned his left arm on the steering wheel. “Just because you stopped moving doesn’t mean I can’t see you. I’m not the dog.”
He looked at Aubrey. “Sophia has a Chihuahua named Blossom. She’ll look right past you if you stop moving. It’s like her eyesight is failing and she can only see movement. Which isn’t the case, according to the vet.”
Audrey rolled her lips between her teeth to smother a smile.
