“Yeah.”
I got up from my stool and looked in the fridge for something to fix him. My eyes latched onto some turkey slices, and I grabbed that and some cheese. I pulled the bread and a plate down from the cabinet and proceeded to make him a sandwich.
Turning around with the plate in hand, I saw what had made him so quiet. He was gripping one of the syringes tightly, his knuckles white. I walked back around the counter, grabbing the syringe from him. “Here,” I said, replacing it with the plate.
He looked at me with dark, cloudy eyes, and then blinked, “thanks.”
We sat there in silence as he ate the sandwich, and when he was done, he said he was going to take a nap. I didn’t think he wanted to confront the things that had happened, but I could see how much it was affecting him, and I yearned to take his pain away.
39
BETRAYAL NEVER HURT LIKE THIS
December 26th
“You should consider yourself lucky,” Lucas’s voice pulled me out of thought.
“Why?” I asked, still not exactly sure why I was talking to him again.
“Most women run from my presence and yet you seek it out.” He mused while stashing the ultrasound machine.
“Like her?” I glanced over to the woman I knew as Casey; the cast had come off and her bronze skin glowed in the light. She was still in a coma, but you could tell she was healing on the outside.
“Have you decided on my terms?” He redirected, and I didn’t say anything for a long moment. Lucas seemed to redirect the questions when he didn’t feel I was worthy of an answer.
“I haven’t done anything yet,” I replied, my mind wandering to the coma-induced woman across from me. How easy she must have it being asleep while the world moved on without her. My hands skimmed across my stomach. He was reasonable. He asked for two things in return for his services. Karter and my placenta. It was more than that. There was something that he still hadn’t told me, and that concerned me more than a placenta for testing.
“There’s nothing to consider you already agreed, I am just laying out the terms.” His jaw twitched with irritation. Before I could respond, there was a tapping on the door just outside the room. My eyes flicked towards the person. The leather jacket embroidered with the number seven caught my eye first, then the creeping font across her chest.Nightshade.
Motorcycle crew that patrolled the area, supply drops and cargo movement. The Syndicate employed them frequently, but I had never seen one in person. They were supposed to all be men… but the person talking discreetly with Lucas was a female.Why?
Curiosity got the better of me, and I slid off the table to stand next to Lucas. Her hair was cropped short, a side of it buzzed off, and she was built like a tank. She was just a little shorter than me, and I wondered how short she actually was without the boots on her feet.
“Regina,” she extended a gloved hand.
I took it, shaking it. “Summer,” I replied.
“I know.” She turned her attention back to Lucas and said, “I found him,”
“Who?” I asked, not following.
“Regina, has been doing a little scouting for me. One of her useful talents since our last meeting,” Lucas explained.
Regina’s eyes flicked towards Casey, then straightened on him, “I needed his help locating my boss.”
“I thought the nightshades had a boss?” I asked, not understanding.
“They do, but Regina was convinced the original one was still alive. Knowing Eric he likes to prolong suffering.” Lucas spoke as if he were stating a fact, and I looked at him sideways.
“So why are you telling Lucas?” I replied.
“Are you sure it’s safe to tell her?” she asked him.
“Tell me what?” my voice hitched.
“I’ve been tracking the movements of Eric for weeks ever since a friend of mine went missing. I noticed he would frequent some state officials and it wasn’t for regular business purposes. So I followed him one night. I heard him talking about a little girl— at first I didn’t think much of it. Eric’s always been a sick bastard, but then I heard rumors that there was a place that women disappeared to when wealthy men needed something clean. There’s a property on the outskirts of Riven, heading into Chicago. It’s Senator Mathew’s place.”
The room tilted. My ears rang. Regina’s eyes snapped toward mine as I processed.
