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Crow knows I get most of the information I know about the Club from her, but he doesn’t say anything to either one of us as he rolls his eyes and continues on with his food.
“Hey, Crow, have you spoken to Dad?” I ask, and as slowly as he does anything that he has little interest in, he raises his head to look Alice over quickly before looking at me again and nodding, all the while still munching on his burger.
“Yeah, I called him before. He’s on his way,” he gets out, barely understandable with the food in his mouth.
Before I get a chance to say anymore, my dad’s behind me; I can feel his presence before he says a thing.
I turn around instinctually and my eyes fall on my father. He’s a tall man, a little taller than Crow, although only by an inch or so, but the way he carries himself makes him look seven feet tall. He has pitch black hair, his is as straight as rods, whereas mine waves in annoying curls. He needs a haircut, I note as he smiles at me.
“You coming with us, my darling Charlie?” he asks.
So we’re pretending as if he isn’t pawning me off now? I can do that.
“If Crow's there then so am I, gotta protect the poor fellow, haven’t I?” I joke as Crow glances at me in frustration.
I don’t mention Edgar or what he said. He wouldn’t answer me anyway, so I certainly don’t plan on asking in front of anyone and embarrassing myself by letting everyone hear him treat me like a child and refuse to tell me anything.
Crow hates when I talk about protecting him. Even though that’s exactly what I hope I’d be able to do if it ever came to it. Even though I know how capable he is, I know I would do anything for him, including attempt and fail to stick up for him.
“Alright, come on then, kids. The men are waiting,” my dad tells us before rubbing my back and turning on his heel as he heads towards the stairs. We’re going to the basement, I’m sure of it. The stairs lead upstairs to the bedrooms, or down stairs to the basement, and I have no reason to believe the men are waiting for us in the hotel rooms, so basement it is. Shit.
I turn to look at Crow as he soon realises the same thing that I have. They want Crow to do something bad.
It’s sort of like an initiation. One that Crow has failed three times already. He never tells me exactly what he has to do, but he does tell me that he hasn’t done what he was supposed to. And considering he’s supposed to protect me, that’s a problem, or at least for Dad it is. Fuck. They aren’t going to give him many more chances if he can't do it today. If he goes, I go too, I decide. I meant what I told him about leaving together.
“You can come back for your burger later, boy, let's go!” my dad shouts back at us as he nears the stairs at the complete opposite end of the room to us.
Crow and I get up together and start after my dad.
“It’s fine, you’ll be fine, Crow,” I tell him, even though as much as I hate not believing in him, I’m not convinced my words are true.
“Don’t bullshit me, Char. I can’t fucking do it and you know it,” he tells me.
I take hold of his hand and give it a little squeeze. I don’t know how else to support him.
As we eventually enter the basement, it makes sense why it needs to be soundproof. I can hear shouting from the cells and grunts coming from the one room now in use.
Dad’s holding the door open for us as we walk in. He doesn’t usually let me get this far, but I refuse to speak up and remind him of that fact. Any morsels of information he’s allowing me to have, I’m taking.
I recognise the man sitting in the chair. He’s from one of the other clubs, I’m sure of it. I close my eyes briefly in frustration, knowing that whatever comes can’t be good.
I note that I’m still holding onto Crow’s hand so let go gently, not wanting to startle him or allow for anyone else to notice. I don’t care if they see, but they’ll see my comforting him as a weakness for Crow.
Dad stands next to the man who’s bloody and bruised, and looks straight ahead at Crow and I.
“This man helped orchestrate the attack on us. He has given us the information we need, though there’s one more thing we’d like to know.” My dad looks at me as he says this. He wants me to know, to understand.
“I’d like you to leave now, Charlie darlin. You can wait outside,” my dad tells me.
I can see Crow shaking, though I bet no one else notices that part. They’re too hungry for this mans blood.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
My dad comes towards us, pushing me gently towards the door.
It’s only then as I turn to whisper words of comfort to Crow that I notice the man doesn’t have anything covering his mouth and yet he’s not said a word. Surely he should be angry and screaming, upset and frustrated and crying, pleading or begging or trying to get out of the chains in a last attempt to get free. Doing something. Anything.
This man is sitting perfectly still, watching and I’m sure assessing those around him. Mainly Crow as the new one in the room.
