“I don’t need looking after. I can take care of myself.”
“I don’t believe that’s true,” Jared said. “And North should have been taking better care of you. Like ensuring you bathed and ate.”
“I don’t think kidnappers really care about the state of their prisoners,” she said, squirming on his lap. “If I stink too much, you can put me down.”
He really should put her down.
But he just couldn’t do it.
21
She looked like she belonged in Jared’s lap.
This was what he’d wanted, right?
Someone for Jared to be able to focus on. To care for.
And it had to be her. She was the one Jared thought about, dreamed of . . .
North knew that he likely wouldn’t survive what he had to do. Nobody disobeyed The Collective and survived.
But he was going to find out who had hired him to kill Jared.
It could be Beltran. Although North didn’t really think that was his style. And he had to know so that he could take them out.
Then he’d leave.
Jared would be fine after North was gone. He’d have her.
He didn’t need North. He never really had.
This was the beginning of the end.
“North, can you get the IV set up again and grab her some light food?” Jared asked.
North nodded and went to leave.
“Why am I here, though?” she asked suddenly. “North hasn’t given me any reason but to say he took me for you.”
North stilled and turned back. “I took you because I didn’t think you should be living alone. And because Jared wants you.”
“You sound like a child who wanted a toy that someone else has. I wanted it so I took it. No matter the toy’s feelings in the matter!”
“Toys don’t have feelings,” North informed her.
She gasped. Loudly. And indignantly. “Don’t listen to him, Wally and Wallina. He’s obviously lost his freaking mind.”
North glanced over at her toys.
“Wallina?” Jared asked.
“My toy,” she said. “Keira bought her for me when I moved into my new place.”
“The one where you lived alone,” Jared said.
“Yes. I haven’t even been there long and now when I go back I’ll probably never be allowed to live there again. I’ll be lucky if Zander doesn’t put a tracker on me again.”
“Again?” Jared asked quietly.
