None of us ask about her daughter because on the heels of what she just said, it could be taken the wrong way.
Saying goodbye to her, we slip out of the shop, continuing on toward the soda shop. The street is darker, and Abbott slows us down as he points toward a person huddled against a building. The police have a strict policy against homeless people, and I sigh, knowing Abbott is going to wake whoever it is up.
Whenever possible, we have a list of homeless shelters on hand, because not everyone knows where they are. It has to be better than being arrested, you know?
And if they’re dangerous, I know Abbott can handle it, and at least he, Ansel, and Shi are armed right now. While I have a knife in my back pocket, I don’t have a firearm.
“Hello?” Abbott asks, moving toward what I now see is a girl with dark hair. “Are you okay?”
The girl flinches before she scrambles onto her feet, weaving slightly. I’m not sure if it’s exhaustion or if she’s high, but I still keep my arms out so that Bellamy and Winter won’t get any closer.
Winter still attempts to lean closer, trying to get a better look at her.
“I’m sorry, I just wanted to rest,” the girl whispers, breaking my heart.
“I just don’t want you to get picked up by the police,” Abbott says gently. “Can I help get you into a shelter?”
“I can’t go there,” she rasps.
“Alisa?” Bellamy asks, also taking a step forward.
“You know her?” I ask, dropping my arms.
“No!” Alisa hisses. “You do not know me. It’s better for everyone if you forget you saw me.”
Turning and walking quickly away, she doesn’t look back as she slips into an alley to get further away from us.
“Shit,” Abbott sighs. “I would have given her money. The shelter wasn’t a deal breaker.”
“Madam Clara is a scarier person than we are,” Winter reminds us sadly. “It looks like some of the omegas who escaped definitely stayed in Savannah. I hope they stay hidden. Madam Clara is really petty.”
“And dangerous,” Bellamy sighs. “I’m getting the heebie jeebies from standing here.”
“Let’s get moving,” Abbott suggests, and we all continue walking another block until we arrive at the soda shop.
I feel awful that we couldn’t help Alisa, especially when it appears that she’s living on the streets.
“We’ll take a path home with better lighting,” Abbott tells me softly as I nod.
“Bell, will you share a root beer float with me?” Winter asks, glancing at him.
“Yes. That sounds really good. The walk was still a solid idea. I needed the fresh air to help me sleep tonight,” he says.
Winter gives him a big smile, and I’m glad that seeing Alisa didn’t ruin being out with us. I’ll suggest to Pack Mayor to keep an eye out for her.
After ordering, we sit in a booth and chat, giving me time to text Easton. He’ll be able to keep his ear to the ground while at the police station.
Me
We saw one of the girls from the auction downtown tonight. She ran away, but maybe you can look out for a girl with long, dark hair and a pale complexion. I didn’t have a chance to see what color her eyes were since it was so dark.
Easton
I’ll also let Silas know in case he hears something. Thanks, Cass. If she was scared, there’s nothing you could have done to keep her from running.
Tucking that piece of advice away, I set aside my phone and take a sip of my drink.
“Mmm,” I say happily. “This was a good idea.”
