Oran
“Malory, where the hell is my two o’clock?” Malory shook her head but didn’t lift her nose from her computer screen, and I tapped the lip of her desk. If she had those blonde curls hanging at her knees, she wouldn’t be visible, but my attention didn’t sit on that too long. “Do I have anything else to do today?”
“Uh-h, that was your last appointment. I actually didn’t schedule anything deliberately because I have a four o’clock at the nail salon, so dock me. It’s worth it.” Grunting absently, I shuffled to the elevator and ran my hands through my hair, taking a huge breath as I rocked back on my heels. Now what was I supposed to do with my day?
May was busy, and I didn’t exactly havefriends. I could just go to the mall and browse, but what could I buy?Anythingwasn’t a good enough answer.
Stepping into the elevator, I set my mind on that, and my mind turned to the possibilities. May had really enjoyed the gift I got her, and I held my breath as I dove down thirty-one floors.
“Oran.” I barely stepped out of the elevator when Sarah wasall up in my face, and surprise dried my mouth. Her grey-green eyes were wide, and I automatically looked around through narrowed eyes when she grabbed my hand. “I need your help. This guy has been following me for, like, three blocks, and the security guard in here didn’t let him in, but I knew you worked here, so I asked the rec—”
“Shh-shh, relax, Sarah. You’re talking really fast. Who’s been following you for three blocks?” She wasn’t sweating or freaking out hyperventilating. The only indication she was scared was how she spewed out words a mile a minute. My chest tightened when she pointed at the doors, and I frowned as some creep practically had his face against the glass. “Okay, just breathe. We’re gonna walk out— you and me.”
“What?We can’t go out there. That creep was practically breathing down my neck. I couldfeel him on my neck.” Clenching my jaw, I was suddenly glad I’d left my jacket upstairs, and I started rolling up my sleeves absently. Sarah squeaked in shock, and I caught her gaze to crack what I hoped was a reassuring smile. “Are you gonnafighthim?”
“Did you call May?”
“She was in a changing room across downtown.” Jesus, at least today wasn’t going to be boring. “Oran, are you seriously gonna fight him?”
“Yes.” Grabbing her arm, I practically had to drag Sarah to the door, and agitation gorged my muscles. “Sarah, if you don’t trust me, someone’s going to call the cops on me and not that dick, alright?”
“A-alright. Okay.” She inhaled through flared nostrils, and I pursed my lips thinly as I turned back to the door. The guy loitering outside wasn’t creeping looking, per say, but following someone for three blocks in this part of town, it just didn’t happen coincidentally. He probably skated by on his solid six looks and slicked back brown hair but he reminded me of the creeps I’d met with under my father.
Pushing open the door, I silently debated my options as walked over to him. He had a good amount of confidence, enough not to run away, and rage blossomed in my chest.
“Are we going to have an issue?” For once in my life, I wished I got a little more of my dad in me, and this asshole actually smirked at me lightly. He slunk off down the wide steps and onto the sidewalk, and I took Sarah’s bicep again to glance at her. “If you ever see that guy again, call the cops.”
“Thank you, Oran.” We walked around the block before Sarah spoke up, and I glanced down to find her a lot more relaxed in the face. Her eyes were more grey than green, now, and she actually smiled gratefully up at me. “I appreciate it. Again.”
“Of course, Sarah. Do you want to go grab a bite to eat? We can go to Hansen’s.” Snorting a laugh, Sarah nodded happily, and I ran my hand through my hair as I let her arm go. “So, you’re seventeen now. Are you going to try for your license?”
This girl mattered so much to May, but I’d never even seen her aside from that one time at Hansen’s. Everything I knew about Sarah came from May, and she seemed so different, now. Maybe, it was just the situation, and she smiled so brightly now as she nodded excitedly.
“Yeah, yeah. May says she’ll go half on a beater for me, and insurance. I just have to pass the test on the first try. I took my permit test about six months ago so I could go for my license, and May is gonna pay for driving school- I already signed up.” Sarah talked and talked, and talked some more, and I nodded as I paid more attention to the excitement in her tone than her words. “I just need a job, now, so I can pay for everything else. I’ve been looking, but no luck yet.”
“I can always pull a string if you ever want to choose the easy way, Sarah.” I don’t know why I offered, but she shook her head before I even finished. “Determination doesn’t always pay out.”
“Yeah, but it feels damn good when it does.” Arching a brow curiously, I paused when Sarah stopped walking, and she stuffed her hands into her pockets to cock her head. “I told May I wasn’t going to tell on our parents, but I already did. Right after they sent me to Seattle.”
“Ah, so, that’s why they were so uppity.” She shrugged, and I frowned as Sarah huffed softly. “Why did you lie to May?”
“Because I fuck up . . . a lot . . . and I wasn’t sure if I made the right choice. It’s like, the obvious things, they’re not obvious to me. My parents didn’t just argue about my mom’s hideous spending habits. She was trying to convince my dad to take ‘more jobs’ by someone from something called the Syndicate.” My heart sputtered at that, and I ground my teeth as Sarah trudged on with her story, not realizing the significance of what she’d said. “Even though I reported it, nothing ever happened to them. I don’t know if it’s because someone covered it up, or it just takes a long time to actually get to it.”
“Was that the first time you’ve ever heard of that name, Syndicate?” Sarah shook her head, and we started walking again as my mind worked furiously. “It’s a good thing you didn’t say anything, Sarah. That group is dangerous, and it’s even better that your parents forced you out. You won’t be targeted when they target your parents.”
Pushing my glasses up my nose, I glanced over at her as she frowned, her brows furrowing tightly. Sarah looked a lot like May, but a tiny bit more . . . ‘butch’, for lack of a better term. She had broader shoulders, was thicker around the waist and had a rounder face.
But Sarah was just a kid being punished for something she had no idea about. Actually, it was a lot like Mateo’s situation, but grossly simplified, of course.
“Whenthey target my parents.” I kept my mouth shut on that, and Sarah’s frown saddened out of the corner of my eye. “Did you know that with my diagnosis, I lack empathy? Unless someone is right in front of me, they don’t matter at all. Even if they are in front of me, they still don’t matter much. I don’t think I’d be sad if my parents got some really hard karma, they made it pretty damn clear how they feel about me, you know?”
“Yeah, I do, actually. My father is a sociopath— he can’t feel empathyat all. He’s really selfish, really vein, really stubborn and strong headed, and he can’t feel anything nice. He can fake it really well, though. So well that we didn’t really know about it until a couple years ago.” Rubbing the back of my neck as we turned a corner, I gazed at the huge Hansen’s sign rising up above all the others. “You should call May and let her know where we’re going, Sarah.”
“Oh, yeah. Okay.” Sarah started patting her jean pockets to whip out her phone, and I paused our trek when she looked up at me with those same eyes as her sister. Warmth suffused my chest, and I reached to pat her shoulder as her nervousness finally seeped away completely. “Thank you, again. I . . . to be honest, I really don’t know this city all that well.”
“You’re welcome, again, Sarah.” She might’ve lacked empathy due to her mild autism, but Sarah wasn’t fucking stupid. There were plenty of ways for girls to just disappear, and Sarah was a very pretty girl. “Call your sister.”
Pulling my own phone out of my pants pocket, I swiveled my thumbs over the screen before navigating my way to my contacts.
