Page 2 of The Hero
His lips moved again, with what Marlowe thought might be a swear word, before he raised his voice. She could just hear him over the din. And English—American, unaccented English—never sounded so good.
“Marlowe Kennedy?”
She nodded.
“I’m your lawyer.”
Marlowe blinked. This man didn’t look like any lawyer she’d ever seen. Granted, she wasn’t exactly an expert, but he seemed too ... rough, despite the pristine clothing. She wasn’t sure what gave her that impression. Maybe it was the anger in his eyes, or the muscles she could see bulging under his white shirt. But never in a million years would she have pegged this man as a lawyer.
“Did you hear me?” he yelled through the fence.
Marlowe nodded again.
“I’m going to get you out of here. Understand?”
She didn’t. Not really. But she couldn’t deny having someone on her side felt really good.
She nodded for a third time.
“You need to be ready,” he told her, his dark eyes boring into hers. She had a feeling he was trying to tell her something, but she had no idea what. “In the meantime, keep your head down, don’t bring attention to yourself. When the time is right, you’ll know.”
Marlowe tilted her head and studied the man across the gap. He hadn’t introduced himself. Hadn’t asked for her side of the story. Hadn’t pulled out any paperwork. Hadn’t done anything she suspected a lawyer would do when meeting a client for the first time. Of course, this wasn’t exactly a normal circumstance. It wasn’t as if they were meeting at a conference table where they could have a private and quiet conversation.
Suddenly, she needed to know this man’s name. She wasn’t convinced he could help her, didn’t think anyone could at this point. The Thai government was in a war against drugs that they couldn’t win, but they were more than willing to make examples out of anyone—foreigners especially—caught with anything, no matter how small the amount. It was why the prison was as overcrowded as it was.
But despite her lack of optimism, looking into this man’s eyes, she felt a deep-seated need to trust him.
She stood slowly, not wanting to alarm Yanisa or any of the other trustees or guards in the room with a sudden movement. She grippedthe metal fence in front of her so tightly, her fingers turned white. “What’s your name?” she yelled.
The man stared at her for a beat before saying, “Kendric. Kendric Evans.”
Kendric.
It fit him. Marlowe hadn’t ever met anyone with that name before. His deep voice rumbled around in her brain as his name echoed within her.Kendric. Kendric. Kendric.
“How are you holding up?” he asked.
Marlowe shrugged. She knew better than to complain. She had no idea if Yanisa or anyone else could hear her over the noise in the room, but she wasn’t going to take a chance that they would.
Kendric frowned. “I just need you to hold on a little longer. Can you do that for me?”
Marlowe wanted to say yes, but the truth was, she wasn’t sure she could. This was the worst experience of her life, and after just weeks, she was already nearing her breaking point. The thought of spending the rest of her life here was terrifying to the point she’d do anything—anything—to get out. “Did Tony send you?” she shouted, instead of answering his question.
“Yes.”
His answer was immediate, and the relief that swam through Marlowe’s veins made her light headed. “Is he okay? Is he here?”
“He’s fine. Worried about you. And no, he’s not here. He sent me,” Kendric said. His gaze moved slightly to her right, over her shoulder.
Marlowe turned her head to see what he was looking at, and saw Yanisa headed her way. She gripped the fence tighter. She didn’t want to go back to the sewing room. She wanted to stay here, talking to Kendric. He was a link to her brother. To freedom. And she didn’t want to lose it. She had the sudden suspicion that if she lost sight of Kendric, she’d fall right back into the pit of despair she’d been living in for what seemed like years instead of weeks.
As if he could read her mind, Kendric yelled, “Look at me, Marlowe.”
She immediately turned her gaze back to him.
“I’m getting you out of here. You have to be ready. For anything. When the time comes, I’ll be there. Understand? You just have to be brave enough to move.”
Marlowe had no idea what he was talking about.
