My weight shifts, careful not to let the wall creak.
“You don’t know him as well as you think you do,” he says with ease.
He’d be surprised at how well she knows me.
“I don’t?” I can feel the smugness in her voice.
“Tell him where the money is, or give us somewhere to start looking, and this ends with you walking out of here safely.”
Finnic says all of that hesitantly. I can hear the disbeliefin his own words. He doesn’t really expect, nor believe that I will let her go that easily.
And if she were a actual hostage, I wouldn’t.
The old mattress coils creak faintly.
“You think so?” A humorless laugh escapes her.
“Stop.” He says with warning in his tone.
She says nothing for a moment. But then finally decides to speak.
“Why do you even care? Just leave me alone.”
She knows he won’t leave. She’s already pulled him in enough that he believes he can make some sort of difference.
I glance at the cigarette between my fingers. All I want to do is light the damn thing, but I have to make sure she’s safe at all times.
I honestly believe Finnic won’t hurt her, but that was why I felt an unease in my chest. He seems to be feeling entirelytoomuch for her.
Thoughts run rampant through my head.
What if she feels something? No, she couldn’t possibly.
“You don’t understand how this works,” Finnic interrupts my chain of thoughts. His tone hardens as he continues, “You may not get another chance.”
“You’re right,” Leigh agrees. “I may not get another chance, but that in no way affects you. You don’t know me.”
The room falls silent for a second before Finnic’s stepsget closer to the door. I can see the handle move, but he doesn’t go to open it yet.
“I don’t know you.” He agrees. “But I know someone like you.”
I still completely and halt moving the cigarette. The paper pinches tight enough between my two fingers that it nearly creases.
“Knew.” He corrects, “I knew someone like you,” he repeats again, slower this time, like it bothers him to say it out loud.
Leigh doesn’t interrupt him as he continues, “She was a big believer in all things turning out for the best.”
The bed creaks again and I picture her shifting just enough to remind him that she’s still listening.
“You said knew.. What happened to her?” She asks softly.
I can hear him exhale deeply on the other side of the door before leaning away from it, releasing the handle. “I thought you wanted me to leave you alone.”
I close my eyes briefly.
“I want you to leave me alone if you’re here to get me to fess up.” She admits, “But I’m fine with you being here if you just want to talk.”
I don’t move.
