He nods.
“What do you plan on doing with them?”
He shrugs. “Play with them. Use them as bait. Off them if I have to.”
My blood turns cold.
“Warden said they were off limits!”
Smirking, he gently caresses my cheek. “Do you see him around?”
When I don’t immediately answer, he frowns. “I see by your expression that you don’t think you can do it.”
“Oh, I can do it. I’m just not sure if I want to.” My arms fold defiantly in front of me. “
“Oh, you will,” he growls, making me take a step back. “Because if you don’t—”
“What? You’ll kill me?”
He moves into the drawer of my dresser and pulls out the vial I have hidden in a sock.
“There are things far worse than death, Poppy. Imagine what your life will be like without your next fix.”
Without remorse, he throws the vial to the ground the glass shattering on impact.
“Are you fucking crazy! Do you know how much that was worth?”
He nods. “And I’ll shatter another if you don’t complete this task for me.”
“Okay,” I answer quickly, heart racing when he steps to the other place I have a cache hidden away. “I’ll do it.”
“Good, see that you bring them both here by tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
He nods. “Tomorrow.”
Then he’s gone, leaving me to stew in another mess of complicated decisions I don’t want to fucking make.
I tracked her movements and called in a few favors before I finally found her. It wasn’t too hard. She left to go stay with her Mom in Sparks after she had a falling out with Eddie, leaving her and her son way too vulnerable. She was safer with him than without him.
I had every intention of showing up here and grabbing her just like Arturo wanted until I looked through the window and saw her with her son.
Now I just don’t have the heart to do it.
I know what Arturo wants her son for. Moseley just started a trafficking ring that specializes in the distribution of small children, and Arturo took it over when he took over the Misfits.
As much as I hate her and her husband, because apparently, they got married, I don’t want something to happen to her son. I may be empty inside, but I still have a heart. Especially for kids.
But in order for this to work, I have to scare her back to Eddie, and the only way I can do that is by showing her just how vulnerable she truly is.
My hand hovers at the door for five whole seconds before it finally connects. When I take a step back, I find Amber’s mom standing there, staring at me like I’m nothing but a stranger selling her magazines. “Poppy?”
I look over her shoulder and catch Amber’s eye, noticing the way she suddenly looks panicked.
“Hey, Joanie, can I come in?”
She nods slowly, then leads me into the area where Amber is sitting, quickly exiting when she senses the tension brewing between us. “I’m gonna go check on Gio. You two girls play nice.”
