“Yea, great job, mate,”the voice echoes, but I close my eyes to will it away.
Not now. Go away.
I don’t… need you anymore.
“You know, you’re rather wise, Angel Alvarez?” I distract myself with my new mate.
Also known as thecorrectAlvarez twin.
“Yea, well, some good it’s doing me,” he sighs. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m locked in a fucking cage. And not that I should be admitting this, but I’ve had more than a few opportunities to break out.”
Blinking at him, I consider what, if any, words of wisdom I could offer him right now.
It’s grown eerily quiet inside this mansion, and I’m not sure what that means…
But before I can think about it, a burst of gunfire widens both of our eyes. It’s far enough away that I’m not concerned forus… But that’s not a comfort.
Because Byron is out there.
The pops continue on and they don’t stop. It sounds like a battle is being fought outside, somewhere between us and the prison.
“What do you think is happening?” Angel asks nervously. “That’s… more than usual.”
“Nothing good.” I rub my eyes.
I have to do something. I don’t care if Byron hates me. I can’t just sit here in this mansion while he’s out there, likely being shot at.
My collar is finally off. There’s nothing holding me here anymore. I need to help if I can.
Peeking at Angel, an idea presents itself. One that could very well get me killed.
But it’s the right thing to do… To help Velle and his team—Byron’sfamily. Help them put an end to this, once and for all.
“The Ivory was searching for you for a while before he finally caught you…” I murmur to Angel. “Wasn’t he?”
His green eyes are wide, glistening with the answer to that question, and the hurt it brings him, for reasons that aren’t mine to understand.
All I know is that if he agrees to come with me, it could mean the difference between an all-out war that will ultimately go nowhere… And the end.
Assuming The Ivory won’t slaughter everyone to get his pet back. But after seeing how long Officer Chevelle has lasted in this fight, I believe he is smart enough to take this opportunity and use it to bring Manuel Blanco to his knees.
It’s a gamble, but one I’m willing to take.
Now I just have to get the key to everything on board.
“So… sparrow,” I breathe, and his face springs. “What would you say to finally busting out of this cage?”
He’s gaping at me as if something I’ve said is hitting deeper than just the words.
I know it is… I heard him talking to the birds last night.
Saw that sparrow sitting on his hand.
“You do want to leave,” I tell him. “Staying in captivity because it’s safe and easy only works for so long… Trust me.”
I think back to my cozy, normal, boring life back in Atlanta. It was my own cage. Just another version of Riverwoods.
Turns out, I could cause chaos there just as easily as anywhere else.
