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“You're awake. We both are. I wish it wasn't true but it is.”
“They got you too?”
“Yeah,” I say, bending my knees to my chest.
“Good.”
“Iggy—”
“Don't call me that. In fact, don't speak to me. It's taken months to get your voice out of my head. I don't need it to come back.”
“I'm sorry. You have no idea how much I've wished I could have done things differently. I've stayed up endless nights playing different scenarios in my head. I—”
“Oh, poor you. Struggling to sleep from guilt alone, tossing and turning in a comfy bed in the safety of your own home. If only we could all be so lucky.”
“You're right. I promise I'll get you back home. To your bed, with your family and—”
“Basta! Just stop. You don't care, so stop pretending. You never did. None of it was even real.”
“But it was, Iggy.”
“Which part?”
“Yes, I lied about who I was. I wasn't really married to your mom. I'm not a banker, nor did I enjoy playing soccer on the weekends. But our talks were real. So was my goal to keep you and your mom safe.”
“Except you failed. Your job was your first priority. Who's to know if my mom is even okay.”
“She is. She misses you.”
More sobs come and his breathing grows heavy. “I don't want to hear any more. I can't.”
I stop talking and minutes later his soft snores replace the silence, along with water dripping from the ceiling.
Ignacio may be alive, but I might still be too late. Even if he’s breathing, what if he's beyond saving?
Three
Ignacio
Fuck him. I can't trust anything coming out of his mouth. Not when he's been lying for years. So many people kept things from me and they all have the same reason, claiming they wanted to keep me safe. All it did was land me in the wrong hands, anyway. I’ve spent a year in this cellar, having my body violated daily in every way possible. Every time they touched me, my anger and hate for Everett grew. My mom betrayed me, too. She chose my father, knowing what he was all along. Why suddenly want him out of her life?
It couldn't be for my well-being. Not after all the deaths I've seen and helped be a part of growing up. All the threats, attempted kidnappings, and only ever being able to live half a life. It was too late to take it all back. I was beyond saving and now, I'm not someone people should even want alive. When you're around monsters for so long, it's hard to not become one yourself.
I pretend to still be sleeping when Everett says my name. I woke up an hour ago, shifting against the ground, my chains alerting him. I didn't even think about what I was doing when moving. The door opens and I push myself into the corner, trying to blend into the darkness.
Everett shouts and kicks at the ground when a man dressed in black grabs at his clothes. “You smell like piss. You might like being dirty, but the smell is starting to make its way upstairs into the house.”
“Don't fucking touch me.” His chains rattle.
“Trust me. I wish I didn't have to. You don't have to worry about me. I'm not the one you should fear.”
Everett huffs, kicking his feet forward. “Please. I'll never give you such satisfaction.”
“Sure. Whatever you say.”
“Your voice is different from the last guy.”
“No shit. Such a smart one you are.”
