Page 109 of Ramshackle
I smile at him when he enters and strides directly toward me. His cool blue eyes sweep over me. He stops just in front of me, so I’m forced to angle my head back to see his face. A smirk catches the corner of his mouth. “Couldn’t sit still?”
“Who? Me?” I ask innocently.
He leans forward, the side of his face nearly brushing against mine. “I know you went next door,” he whispers.
My mouth falls open, but I know better than to lie to him. How does he know that?
Jack chuckles and pulls me into his arms. His hands move down my back as he props his face on my head and inhales deeply. Something clinks behind me, and he draws back, dangling something in one hand.
“What—” I gasp when I see what it is.
The cuffs that block gifts.
“Where did you get those?”
“They were on you.”
On me? Wait. Are these what Vera told me to hide? But…why? Why steal them and then give them back?
He holds them out to me, and I take them.
“You have some explaining to do, little one.”
Aiden’s giving orders as soon as we return to the bunker. Evie, Tinsley, and Reid are tasked with getting the people we rescued to Claudia and Cassandra for their next steps. I know I won’t get answers anytime soon even if my father is part of the group, so instead of sticking around, I walk behind the other Guild members so I can return to my room for sleep.
Jackson steps in front of me. I halt before I crash into him.
He angles his head to the side, and a small smirk twitches the corner of his lips. “Where are you going?”
“To sleep.”
His gaze flicks over my head, and when I turn to follow it, I see Aiden, Kellan, and Dane approaching us to listen in. “You were going to share what happened back there,” he reminds me.
Ah. Right. Leave it to Jack to hold me accountable. It’s my default to keep things to myself and work through them. But I told him I wanted us all to work together now, which means filling them in on what I learned about Royce and on the cuffs.
“Something happened?” Dane asks, concern lacing his voice.
“Vera was there,” I answer, stepping to the side so I can see him and the others. My eyes pause on Dane.
Was she lying about what she told him?
He would have said something about it if she had, right?
“Did she see you?” Aiden asks, his eyes raking over me.
Dane runs his hand through his hair, halting partway through to grip it. It’s a sign that he’s stressed, even though he tries to play it off like it’s nothing. “Did she attack you?”
Kellan pushes past Dane. “Are you hurt? Aiden, call Cassandra. The others can wait.”
I hold my hands up before he grabs me to look me over himself. “I’m fine. Yes, she saw me, but…” My gaze slides to Dane. A few months ago, I would have kept this to myself. I don’t want to give him hope about Vera. Even though she gave me the cuffs and hid me in the closet from Royce, she also almost shot me in the head and told me how much she hates me.
But the way Royce was treating her…
Is she fighting back in her own way? Was it against GE or just him?
I don’t know enough yet, and I’m too worried Dane will take any positive interaction as a sign that he’ll get his sixteen-year-old sister he remembers back.
“We were interrupted by Royce,” I finish.
