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“You mean in spite of the fact that his business partner kidnapped me and is expecting me to believe he’s holding Shane hostage?”
Riley nods. “I know it’s hard to wrap your head around, but it’s true. Shane really does have nothing to do with this. As for Isaiah… he’s got a moral code.”
“Steal from the rich and give to the poor? That sort of thing?”
Riley snorts. “Fuck no. Not like that. But he has boundaries, lines he won’t cross.”
“Like what?”
“When he gets what he wants from Governor Coombes, he’s going to let all of you go. I’m sure of it.”
“Riley—”
“When the two of you are done walking at a snail’s pace, maybe we can get some actual exercise in!” Hayes yells at our backs.
Riley spares him a look, and after a few seconds, she flips him off. I tense, waiting for the inevitable backlash, but Hayes bursts into laughter, and the sound has me coming to a complete stop.
“So, you do know how to do things besides grunt and complain.” I spin on my heels and give him a knowing look. “Look at that. You’re almost human.”
Hayes’s laughter trails off, and he adopts his earlier sour expression. “Keep walking.”
Keep trying, Evie. Establish a connection. If they like you enough, they’ll feel guilty and help you get out of here.
“There was a hint of emotion in there,” I joke, my heart hammering against my chest. “You’re all bark and no bite.”
“Don’t push your luck,” Hayes warns with a lift of his chin. “And hurry the fuck up. I hate being outside in the sun.”
“You some kind of vampire?”
Hayes gives me a pointed look.
Riley places an arm around my shoulder and spins me around so I am facing the front again. Then she removes her arm, and we continue our walk. Now and again, I cast a glance over my shoulder at Hayes and the other man, who trudges forward, eyes blank and glazed like a zombie’s.
“What’s with him?”
“Felix? He’s having a hard time. Personal crisis,” Riley replies without looking at me. “He’s not normally like this.”
“I’m starting to think you’re the only one who’s even remotely human. Well, you and Shane’s cousin, the one with short, cropped hair?”
“Cory? Yeah, he’s really private, though. He’s probably beating himself up about pushing Shane to take on Isaiah as a business partner. Pierce is feeling guilty too. That’s the other guy with Shane. They’ve all been friends since they were little.”
“Let me guess… none of them had any idea. All of them just thought Isaiah was the answer to their prayers, a way to expand Shane’s empire and get rich. Yadda, yadda, yadda.”
Riley shrugs. “That’s what they say, but no one tells me much.”
“Because you’re a woman?”
“Because I don’t want to be here long enough to find out. I appreciate them looking out for me, but I’m counting the days until I can get out.”
I frown. “I know what you mean.”
“Can I give you some advice?”
I sigh. “Yeah, sure.”
“It’ll be over soon,” Riley says, calmly. She tilts her head back and squints up into the sun. “All you have to do is keep your head down and avoid drawing attention to yourself.”
“It’s a little too late.”
