Eric had emergency medical knowledge from his time in the military as a Navy Seal, and after a little bit of fiddling he was able to get the blood flowing from her. She watched as he connected the now red tube to Bryson.
“Fingers crossed his wounds aren’t infected,” Elena said. “And there is still the minor issue of where we are going to go.”
Adria brushed the hair from Bryson’s face and hoped he was deep in a peaceful dream, far away from all of this.
He pulled the trigger.
The memory was hazy, but she remembered his eyes. She remembered asking him to finish what she couldn’t.
And he had.
If the Families ever learned, Bryson would pay with his life. Adria whispered a silent oath that she would do everything in her power to ensure they never found out.
She kissed her ring.
Adria: I need a favor.
Adria stared at her phone. She needed to be careful. She needed to be sure.
Except she was none of those things.
They needed a plan. Needed next steps. And to do that, they needed help.
She had many contacts, but no one on the outside was equipped to help her with something like this. Adria needed someone from inside the Nine.
Helen: I’m listening.
Adria: If I needed to be out of reach for a little while, is there a place you would suggest?
…
Adria watched the three dots come and go on her phone, her thumb hovering over the screen, ready to delete the entire thread. Elena’s voice rose in the next room, Eric’s lower tones trying to soothe her.
Helen: Off the top of my head, I would say south. But even that won’t buy you much time unless you have help.
Adria chewed on the inside of her cheek.
Helen: Do you have help?
Adria: Maybe.
Adria had never asked X for a direct favor.
Helen: In my experience, things like these don’t work out well when they are drawn out.
The subtext was clear. Helen thought she should come in. Except Helen didn’t know what Adria knew.
Adria: I need to think.
Helen: Understood. I’m here.
Adria stared at the exchange. It was a risk, but she hoped that by tipping Helen off, even slightly, that the woman would assist them in the future.
If she didn’t, Adria hadn’t really told her much, anyway.
It was a planted seed. Now Adria just had to wait and see if it grew.
Next Adria just needed to convince X to let her come visit.
