Chills go through me as Henri tears down the hall. “What do you mean someone got my mom!?”
“I’m talkin’ to my dad,” Oscar says through gritted teeth.
“Well, now you’re talkin’ to me. She’s my mom and you lost her.”
“I didn’t lose her,” Oscar snaps. “She took off after Sadie and left me in the car.”
Fuckin’ hell. “Sadie’s out already?”
“He got away from her the first time before she could get him to the cops. She’s the worst bounty hunter in the world.”
Henri balls her fists and takes a step closer to Oscar so she’s in his face. “Don’t you talk about my mom that way, you loser!”
I hear the shake in her voice. She’s more scared than hostile. But so is Oscar as he stares at her with blown pupils.
“Settle down!” I snap. “Fighting with each other isn’t gonna help.”
Henri points her finger towards Oscar. “It’s his fault. Why didn’t he do somethin?”
Oscar’s face flushes with guilt. “I tried.” I can tell he’s on the verge of tears.
“For the love of Jesus! Henri, shut up! Oscar, tell us what’s going on.”
Oscar takes a deep breath. “Selkie wanted to trade me back for Henri so we were on our way over when she saw Sadie and took off after him.” He glances at Henri, then back to me. “She said to wait in the car but I followed her because Brambles wasn’t with us.”
“Oh no!” Henri wails. “The Blackbeards got her!”
“It wasn’t the Blackbeards,” Oscar says. “Some other guys with accents. Like Russian. They had suits and guns.”
“Russians! No way! My mom doesn’t know any Russians!” Henri bares her teeth. “And you ran away!”
Oscar balls his fist. “I did not! I told them to leave her alone!”
“You did?” Henri says with wide-eyes and respect in her tone.
“Yeah, but they took off before I could get to them.”
“Jesus.” I lose my breath as I think of what could have happened to Oscar. What could still happen to Selkie. “You coulda got killed.”
“What would you have done?” he replies between clenched teeth.
“I have a gun, Oscar! It’s different!”
“Sure,” he says sullenly. “You always say do this, do that when there’s trouble, but when it happens, you don’t want me to do anything.”
This time Henri is the voice of reason. “Stop fighting with each other. We gotta go get my mom.” She turns to me. “This is all your fault.”
Take a breath, Eight. Take a breath. “It might not be the same Russians.”
“Who else would it be?” she exclaims. “They saw me and heard about mom. They have a beef with her or something.”
Oscar looks between me and Henri. “What’re you talking about?”
“Eight and his gang met with some Russians yesterday. Me and Brielle went with him.”
Oscar looks at me in horror. “You took Henri and Brielle on a job?”
“Just a meeting,” I reply, feeling chastened. “Nothin’ dangerous.” Which is bullshit and by the look on Oscar’s face he knows it too.
