“Alright, kid, I’ll see what I can do. We’ll talk about your payment later.”
The line went dead, and I dropped my phone onto the table, resting my head in my hands.
Lila had no idea what I was planning. I’d seen the way her eyes lit up when I told her I murdered my father. She wasn’t afraid of me, didn’t flinch away; she wasjealous.
I kept replaying the words she’d said about not having it in her, but the darkness in me recognized the darkness in her, even if she didn’t want to see it herself. It’s amazing the things you’ll do when you're face-to-face with the person who caused you pain. No matter who they are. And I would do anything to ease that pain, even just a fraction.
No matter the cost.
AftertalkingtoVince,I’d taken a shower and cooked breakfast. I’d opted for pancakes this time, knowing they were Lila’s favorite. I stacked them on a plate with a large helping of butter and syrup and headed downstairs. When I entered her room, she was already awake, her torn sweatpants lying next to the door.
“Sorry about those,” I said, nodding toward them.
She looked up at me, her full lips turned up in a smirk.
“Not like they were my favorite sweatpants or anything,” she said with a shrug.
“I’ll buy you new ones.”
I placed the tray in front of her, and her eyes lit up at the sight of the pancakes.
“My favorite,” she whispered, biting into one. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
I sat at the foot of the bed, watching as she devoured the plate of food, washing it down with the orange juice. She leaned against the headboard, stretching her legs out beneath the blanket.
“What’s the plan?” she asked suddenly.
“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.
“I mean… You can’t keep me in this room forever.”
“Seems to be working just fine,” I mumbled.
I’d decided earlier to tell her about Casey searching for her, even though I wasn’t sure how she’d react to that. I knew she likely wouldn’t stop looking for Lila, even if she texted her to let her know she was okay.
“For now, yeah, but it's only been, what? A few days? A week? Long term, this can’t work.”
“Do you trust me?”
She sat up in bed, the blanket moving to reveal her bare lower half.
“I don’t know, Niko,” she said, shaking her head. "I want to."
“I talked to… a friend earlier, and he said you’re all over the news,” I blurted out, feeling my chest ache as I said the words. “Casey is looking for you.”
Her eyes snapped to meet mine, pain etched into her features.
“They haven’t declared you missing yet because of the text Casey got saying you needed time and needed to get away. But, I’m guessing the circumstances might call for it sooner or later.”
She leaned back into the bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin, a single tear sliding down her cheek. I wanted to hold her, tell her that everything would be okay, but I couldn’t promise her that. Not with Casey searching for her, and not with how things were right now.
“Two days,” I said.
Her brows furrowed as she looked at me, confusion working its way through her.
“What?”
