AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Where are we?” She questions.
“America.”
She rolls her eyes, but stops midway through the roll, looking almost nervous. Scared. “Where?” She presses, and I can see the urgency, so I let up.
“California.”
She pauses, gazing out the window for a beat. “I’ve never been to California…” She fades out for a moment, then looks at me. “What is this place?”
I run my tongue across my teeth as I try to decide on how much to tell her. If I plan to keep her here a while, she’s going to find out at some point. But if I want to get some answers from her, see if I can learn some things about Santiago, I should maybe keep some information under wraps. She might be on Santiago’s side. Even though a part of me doesn’t think that’s true. She’s beaten and bruised, there’s no possible way she’s an associate of Santiago’s, right?
“We’re at… we’re at my clubhouse.”
“Clubhouse…” She quiets, seemingly falling into a memory. “Are you in a gang?”
I bark out a laugh. “No. I’m not in a gang.”
“Well, what is it? I’ve seen enough gangs before. You guys all wear leather vests… and you don’t seem like matching type of guys.”
I smile. “They’re calledcuts,and I’m not in a gang. Anything else?”
“Why did you bring me here? Where are the rest of the girls? Are you going to hurt me or something?”
Ding, ding. There’s the big question.
“I brought you here because I think you can help us.” She gets a fearful look in her eye, and I raise up my hand. “It’s for another day.Today,you and Lilah need to take a shower and go to sleep. It’s been a hell of a day, and I’m not really into the interrogation mood. And as for the other girls… they’re safe.” I turn to move, when she stops me again.
“Aziel.”
I grind my teeth together, melody her voice saying my name turns something inside of me. My stomach jumps to my chest and flops back down, upside down. A shitty pancake flip is what it is.
“Thank you… for rescuing us.” She says softly, tears glossing up her eyes.
“Rescuing you?” I walk up to her, standing only a breath of air away. In her space, I watch as emotions flit through her eyes with ever blink.
Blink.
Worry.
Blink.
Fear.
Blink.
Regret.
Blink.
Hope.
I glance from her, to the kid, and back to her. “My biggest question that’s been playing through my mind all day iswhy were you there? We took a ton of girls out of some jail-like cell. A fucked up place that I wouldn’t put a dead body. But you weren’t there. You weren’teven closeto being around there. You weren’t dressed like them. In those… fucking sheets or whatever the fuck they wear. You were dressed normally. Who are you, Ivy? And what were you doing on Santiago’s compound?”
With each word, I can see that she closes in on herself. Every layer folds together and she shuts down. With my last words, she’s a closed book. I can’t even read a word. She’s looking at me, but she’s not even close tolooking atme.
She adjusts Lilah in her arms and looks at me with a fake smile. “Now that I think of it, I am kind of tired. Can we talk about this tomorrow? I’m going to take a shower and crash. Lilah is about to fall asleep.”
She’s right about something. Lilah does look like she’s about to knock out, but in no way does Ivy look tired. She looks wired, and I know why.
