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“That’s all,” Throck says. He climbs to his feet with the careful deliberation of a grizzly waking from hibernation. “Please try not to…worry, Mr. Prince…. These things take…time.”
I want the guy to trust me, so I have to shake his hand. After, my desire to punch my fist through the nearest wall has nothing to do with the Beast inside my head.
I want to protect Alix.
I want to make this case go away.
But I just spent two grand to find out that’s not happening any time soon.
15
ALIX
* * *
“You’re looking better,” I say to Leo.
And after almost two weeks in the hospital, he is. He’s sitting in one of the leather chairs. He still has an IV but it runs automatically; he isn’t clutching the plastic grip like it’s the only thing keeping him from drowning. His eye looks clear, and his lips aren’t as chapped.
According to Trap, they’re keeping him for one more week. They’ll monitor his heart, making sure he stays stable as the receptors in his brain are washed clean of the last remnants of Crash.
“I brought you some flowers,” I say, handing him a bunch of daisies. I realized in the gift shop downstairs that I don’t have a clue what type of flowers he likes. Maybe it’s stupid getting a guy flowers, anyway. I just want him to know I care.
At least, I think I do. Maybe I just want him to answer my questions.
“Thanks,” he says. He puts the daisies on the table beside his chair. I’m pretty sure he’s forgotten them by the time his hand falls back in his lap.
He’s staring out the window, like there’s something fascinating on the bay. It’s raining, though, and the sky is the same color as the water. The first hints of autumn color are washed out by the storm. Everything looks gray.
I should think of something fun to talk about. Come up with a childhood memory. Maybe a secret we shared.
But I’m not here because I want to get all chummy with my brother. Part of me still longs to see him chained to a table in the freeport warehouse.
I chickened out on that plan. But I’m not going to give up on getting what I want. What I need.
“Do you remember what we talked about the last time I was here?” I ask.
Leo shakes his head. “Everything’s pretty foggy.”
“I asked you about where you lived before you got to the warehouse in Philadelphia.”
Every muscle in his body turns to steel. I remember when we were seven, and he brought me his Slinky, the metal rings twisted into a hopeless knot. “How did you do this?” I asked, truly astonished.
“I was just playing.”
“Well, what do you wantmeto do with it?”
“You’re a girl.”
“Yeah.”
“Well girls are better at fixing Slinkies than boys are.”
“Who saidthat?”
“Everyone knows it’s true.”
I had no idea where he got such a stupid idea, but I took his toy. I ran the coils through my hands. I took the time to smooth out every twist. And by the time I got to the end, the Slinky was as good as new.
