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“Are you happy here?”
His face twisted with confusion. “Happy?”
“It seems like a lonely kind of place. Not much like a home.”
Arnoldo chuckled nervously. “After my wife died and they made me retire, it made sense to sell the house and move into something smaller. I didn’t really bother unpacking any of our stuff. It was all hers really. I was never one for knickknacks or fancy things.”
“There is always a place for you at Cinderhill,” Bailey announced through a smile. “Anytime you want to make a change, you’ll be welcomed with open arms.”
Arnoldo scratched his balding head with his shaking arm. “I never really thought of—"
“That’s all you have to do,” Bailey offered. “Just think about it.”
“Hopefully there is a Cinderhill left...” King trailed off as they stepped back outside.
Without another word, they got into their car and drove away, the mountains looming in the distance. They were quiet for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts.
Finally, King spoke up. "I don't want to just wait around for something bad to happen. We need to strike before they can.” He pounded his fist into his palm.
The way Bailey jumped broke his heart. King’s fervor to demolish these guys was obviously terrifying to Bailey. This wasn’t just some job to her. Some assignment to tackle. This was the life she’d been drowning in for years. Escaping and returning. These men were not faceless creatures in the woods to her like they were to him. Many of them were men she once knew. Once lived with at Cinderhill. Men who were corrupted by her father and have now become the enemy. He draped his arm over her shoulder and knew, for her sake, he’d have to tread lightly.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
Bailey
Fleeing Cinderhill the first time.
“My name is Gloria,” the woman said as she settled in next to her on the private jet. Bailey had never flown before. Had never seen a plane, let alone a private jet. The cushion of the chair was plush. The leather soft. But she could hardly feel anything at all. Numbness had set in.
“My friend, Detective Arnoldo, said you did a really great job telling him what was happening. That took a lot of courage.”
“You’re his friend? Arnoldo doesn’t seem like a guy who has many of those.”
Gloria laughed a hearty chuckle that made Bailey feel flutters of excitement. There had been no laughter in her life for so long. She certainly didn’t say things that made people smile or chuckle. She swelled with pride as Gloria composed herself.
“You got me there. Arnoldo is a tough nut, but we know some of the same people. He reached out to someone in my network. That’s what we have, a network of people. I guess saying we’re friends was a little out of context.”
“A network of people who do what?” Bailey asked, wishing she didn’t sound so defensive and pious. It was the only tone she knew in the presence of strangers. Outsiders. The enemy. She scolded herself, tormented by the constant back and forth happening in her mind.
Bailey could no longer trust her own instincts. They’d proven to be wrong again and again.
“In the simplest terms, we help people who can’t find another way out of the tough situation they’re in. When normal channels fail, we step in.”
“And how do you decide who to help?” She bit the words out like an accusation and then regretted it instantly.
“That’s a good question. We have a process. Certain things have to fall into place in order for us to be able to step in and help.”
“What about my father?” Bailey asked, folding her arms over her chest and grimacing. “Why doesn’t he get help? He has to go to prison and I’m on this jet going who knows where.”
Another woman stepped out from behind a door and made her way toward Bailey, taking the seat across from her.
“Great timing,” Gloria sang. “This is Carmen. She’s been in a tough situation too and we were able to get her out of it safely. Now she helps other people. I thought you might want to talk to someone closer to your own age and life experience rather than some stuffy old lady who’s out of touch.”
Carmen shook her head. “Don’t let Gloria fool you. She’s the furthest thing from out of touch. She’s cooler than all of us. But it’s nice to meet you. I know this first plane ride can be really jarring.”
“It is,” Bailey admitted. “I just want to go back home.”
“And you can,” Carmen shot back quickly. “You’re never a prisoner here. Any time you choose to leave that will be arranged. But for safety—”
