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The next morningI’m standing in front of the bathroom mirror waiting for Lace to finish her shower so we can go to breakfast. My short blond hair is damp, and I run my fingers through it, not bothering with a brush. Over my shoulder, the door opens and I freeze, every fiber in my body seizing with fear. But it’s just Camilla. She spots me and comes over, glancing only briefly toward the stall at Lace, who is singing some Disney tune off-key, her face in the hot spray.
“I’m supposed to be done with this shit,” Camilla hisses, grabbing me by the arm to pull me aside. She looks around to make sure the coast is clear, then reaches into her pocket for a small slip of paper. She hands it to me, and I put it at once into my own pocket.
“I had no idea it was you.” I try not to act too surprised.
“Yeah, well, I’m in here for a reason, aren’t I? The law doesn’t tend to be too lenient with its cyber security.”
“I appreciate it, Camilla,” I say. “Sincerely.”
“A friend looked into the information Lace gave me, and he was able to secure the address and the dates of the Air BNB your sister is staying in.” Camilla looks over her shoulder once more, then looks back at me. “Whatever happens after this moment is on you, not me, and if you drag my name through the dirt …” she trails off, but I don’t need her to finish her thought. I could never betray her; I won’t.
“You have my word,” I promise, fingering the paper in my pocket. “Thank you.”
She nods once and hurries away, not glancing back.
Lace and I are on our way to the cafeteria when Jaxon stops us in the hallway. Lace looks hesitantly between the two of us, but I nod to her, urging her on. We are almost to the cafeteria anyway, so I watch her go without me, confident that Ronnie won’t try anything in front of so many officers.
“What’s going on?” Jaxon asks, taking a step back so we’re out of the hallway and tucked into a small corner. “Did Veronica assault you yesterday?”
“I don’t know where you heard that.” Unconsciously I drop my chin, but Jaxon catches it before I can pull my jacket up.
“Is this her handiwork?”
I glance over my shoulder, suddenly paranoid that Bull or Lulu might be following me on Ronnie’s orders. They hate my likeness for Jaxon, and giving them any reason to go after Lace to spite me isn’t acceptable.
“Mia was talking about it in the staff room this morning,” he pushes. “What happened?”
I blow out a big breath of air between my teeth, hating the fact that I would have to be more honest with him if I wanted his help. Then I face him again.
“Look, Mr. Jaxon, this is nothing. But I need something else from you.”
“I haven’t done enough?” He straightens up, looking away from me, and the expression on his face pains me.
I hate using him like this, I really do. I know that beneath Nick Jaxon’s rough ex-policeman exterior, he has the kindest heart I’ve ever had the pleasure of coming across, even if the job comes first.
“Christ, Joey, there’s nothing else I can do, I already told you that. I’m on the line with you as it is.”
“I know, it’s not about that. I just—” I look away, my eyes landing on the closed cafeteria door. Then I look back at Jaxon. “I need you to keep an eye on Lace, okay? I need you to stay with her, make sure she’s not alone.”
“Why? Has she done something? Have you?”
“That’s all I can say right now, Mr. Jaxon, but you have to believe that I mean it earnestly and I’m telling you the truth. She could be in danger, and I need someone to look after her.”
“Why?” When he says this, his tone is joking, but there’s a shred of concern in his dark eyes. “Are you going somewhere?”
I turn and walk away, stopping only once to look back at him over my shoulder. “No one ever really leaves this place, do they, Mr. Jaxon?”
Chapter Nineteen
Once dinner is over,Lace has caught on to the fact that Camilla has already given me the information I needed, and she’s not as pleased as I thought she would be.
“What do you expect you’re going to do?” she asks desperately, her skin chalk-white, lip trembling.
“I’m going to get out of this place, and I’m going to find my sister.” Ignoring Lace’s horrified look, I get onto my hands and knees and reach under the bed, to the bottom of the mattress, where the homemade toothbrush shiv is hiding still in a tiny rip in the fabric. I pull it out and examine it. It’s not fancy, nothing like a real shiv, but it should get the job done.
“You honestly think you can just waltz out of here and go on an adventure to find your sister?” Her brow is furrowed, lips set in a hard line. She looks like she could slap me, and I almost wish she would. I could use some sense knocked back into me.
“I have a plan.” I slip the shiv into the back of my pants, making sure it’s covered by the tail of my jacket. Lace continues to stare at me, speechless.
