I don’t want to think about it, I can’t think about it. Brandon… He’ll never… I cry quietly. My shoulders shake and I startle when a weight presses against my side. I peek through the gap between my arms and see that Norah came to sit next to me. She doesn’t say anything, just sits there with red-rimmed eyes.
Jen’s gone.
And what on earth is going to happen to us?
Through the window, I see dusk falling and the door creaks open. Someone enters with a cart. The wheels squeak like nails on a chalkboard. An older woman walks in, hunched over. She stops at the first cell and slides a plate across the floor. A strange smell grows stronger the nearer she comes to our cell, causing my stomach to growl. Are we really going to get food?
When she appears in front of the bars, my mouth waters. This is the first edible thing I’ve seen since they took us, and the hunger is overwhelming. The steel plate is pushed in, andon it are three portions of something that resembles macaroni. Honestly, I don’t care what it is, as long as I can eat something.
Norah and Bel crawl to the tray, and we silently eat with our hands. When we’re done, I sit back on the mattress. The girls join me on either side without saying a word. This creates a strange feeling of solidarity. All the carbs I consumed make me sleepy, and I give in to it. I close my eyes for a moment.
“GET UP!”
I wake with a start to a loud roar and all three of us jump to our feet. What on earth is going on? My gaze wanders to the small windows high up on the wall. It’s still dark outside. My heart’s pounding in my throat as I survey my surroundings. It’s Baldie who shouted. He’s walking through the room with a few other men, opening cell doors. They’re all holding clubs and swinging them around menacingly. The movement makes me feel sick, but I do my best to swallow it down.
“Listen carefully. When your cell door opens in a moment, walk to the door at the front. Don’t think you can escape, because one of our men is guarding that door. Once we’ve gathered everyone, follow him.” He stops in front of our cell and looks at the three of us. ”Understood?”
My legs shake as I nod in obedience.
Thirty
“Thereyouare,”Paxgrumbles as I finally park my Indian.
I turn off the engine and get off. “Sorry. Had to pick up Brooks at the Knights of Mayhem,” I mumble.
“‘Scuse me?” Pax raises his eyebrows and stubs out his cigarette.
“Long story. Let’s get inside first.” I nod at the door and walk up to the security guard. Pax tells him who we are and that we’ve got an appointment with Billy The Kid. The security guard takes a step back and says something into the earpiece he’s wearing. After a few seconds, he nods and lets us into the club. We weave our way through the crowd to the VIP area. The security guard stationed there immediately opens the partition to let us through. He must’ve been told we were on our way.
At the top of the stairs, we see Billy sitting in a dark corner on the couch. From that position, he can overlook the entire club. There’s a glass of whiskey on ice on the table.
“Gentlemen,” he offers as a greeting, raising his glass as we approach.
Nodding, I take a seat on one of the leather chairs opposite him. Pax sits down next to me and rests his forearms on the table between us.
“What can I get you gentlemen?” Billy raises an eyebrow and looks from Paxton to me.
“The same,” I say, nodding toward his glass.
Pax puts his fist in his other hand and grunts, “A beer, please.”
Without another word, the server walks away. I glance across the VIP area and notice that we’re the only ones here.
Pax turns to The Kid. “Can we get down to business?”
“Ah, the information. Of course, Mr. Young. I didn’t call you without reason. Rumor has it that something’s going down in the harbor tonight.” He slumps against the back of the couch.
“Rumors? You’re calling me because you’ve heard rumors?” My little brother almost rolls his eyes.
“You have to understand, Mr. Young, that these aren’tjustrumors. A warning to stay away from the harbor until seven o’clock tomorrow morning is anything but a simple rumor. This is actual information.” He brings the glass to his lips and takes a sip.
Just then, the server puts our drinks on the table, and I take a sip too. “In other words” —I start— “Rumor has it that you’d better stay away from the harbor until seven o’clock tomorrow morning.”
With one eye narrowed, The Kid points at me and says, “Exactly. The rumor also says that you don’t want to be seen there by the wrong people and that you definitely don’t want toget involved.” A broad grin spreads across his face. “I thought that information was worth sharing with you.”
“I agree,” I respond. “We appreciate you sharing this information with us. It’s obviously not our intention to end up there accidentally when you’ve explicitly said you don’t want to be seen.
Pax’s gaze shifts from me to The Kid and back again.
