My head is swiveling left and right, finding the street empty, yet convinced that Rocco and his men are here, lurking just out of sight and waiting for the right moment to strike.
Adrenaline is flooding my system, sending dangerous levels of toxins into my bloodstream. I don't feel the heat any longer, only utter panic that I'm going to be running right back into my captors’ hands.
I bolt off the front porch, Latoya's concerned voice calling after me as I take off down the street.
There has to be a bus station around here somewhere, right? I've no idea where we are—didn't even think to ask. But it doesn’t appear I’m still in Montana with how different the mountains look.
I run down the street, keeping to the backyards of the houses so I'm out of view. Within a minute, there's a police car turning a corner, likely heading to Latoya and Devin’s house.
Ducking behind a playground set, I wait for it to pass before darting away again. After running through a few more yards, I spot a little kid playing outside ahead, his parents out of sight. He appears to be around nine or ten years old, wearing swim shorts and a tank top, kicking around a soccer ball. His pale skin is flushed from the heat, turning the entirety of his cheeks and nose bright red.
He stares at me blankly as I slink up to him, keeping light on my feet as if Rocco will be able to hear me from wherever he is.
“Hey, kid. What state is this?” I whisper, glancing toward his house, where a sliding glass door is directly in view.
“Oregon,” he answers casually, curiosity piqued in his crystal blue eyes.
I bite my lip, not liking how far from home I am. Guess it could be much worse.
“Do you know where a bus station is?”
He shakes his head. “I can ask my dad.”
“No!” I whisper-shout just as he takes a step toward his house. He pauses, a little startled but still curious.
“Sorry. Uh, would you know where downtown is?” I ask, my paranoia growing stronger with each passing second.
What if Rocco finds me with this kid? They'd probably take him, too, and it'd be all my fault.
I need to get out of here.
He tips his chin up as he thinks, showcasing gaps and two different-sized front teeth. His lips are bright red, as if he chugged cherry juice.
Hurry the fuck up. Your life is on the line!
“I think you go that way—” He whips his arm out behind him, pointing straight ahead of me. “—and then you will see a McDonald’s, and I think that's downtown.”
He ends his shitty directions with a shrug, peering back at me with a was that good? expression.
I tighten my lips into a firm line. I'm not much better off, but at least I know I'm going in the right direction.
“Thanks, kid.” I pat his head, then take off again. “Oh, and don't talk to strangers!” I call out behind me.
“But you're a stranger,” he counters loudly.
And I easily could've gotten you killed.
I don't say that, too far away to tell him about the horrors of this evil world. The only thing I can do is hope his parents protect him from it, unlike my own.
Because, mine… mine are the ones who sold me to Francesca.
And I'll be damned if I allow them to do the same with Layla.
Cage
Present
2022
My left foot taps against the footrest as I drive down the lengthy gravel road leading toward Molly's house. Or, I guess Marie’s house, though I'll never be able to call her that. Molly was the name I groaned over and over when I was inside her nine long years ago. And it's the name that still comes back to haunt me during my loneliest hours.
“You could've warned me,” I growl through the phone. I’ve been calling the fucker since the first delivery to Molly’s house, and coincidentally, he’s been busy.
“That was my error,” Legion says, his voice just as deep and toneless as it always is. “I hadn't realized you formed an attachment to her.”
Dickhead. That was definitely a dig .
“Then why didn’t you tell her I was coming? She seemed surprised.”
“I should have,” he concedes. “I let her know a good friend of mine was coming in lieu of Eli until he recovers, and that you were trustworthy. She trusts me so she didn’t seem concerned with your name.”
I sigh. “Why didn’t you tell me she came back?”
I'm pissed that he didn’t. Not because she reversed everything I did to keep her hidden and safe. No, it's because she's been back, within reach, and I never fucking knew. She doesn't owe me shit. Except there's a small part of my ego that hoped she'd want to see me again. The fact that she didn't, only makes me want to prove just how fucking wrong she is for feeling that way. And the problem is I don't know if she'll let me have her, but I do know it won't stop me.