Page 21 of Hansel
Maybe it was something in the tone of my voice. Or maybe he had finally seen the error of his ways. His shoulders sagged slightly. “Keeley, I would never hurt you. Tell me who did this to you so I can make it right.”
Keeley’s head snapped up. “All I wanted was to be wanted by someone. That’s all. It's not his fault I changed my mind.”
Gio froze. “Someone we know did this to you, Keeley, and I want to know who…”
“Can I please just lay down and sleep, Gretal. I'm so tired.”
She sounded tired. Tired and so broken it hurt my heart. “Of course we can. We will get a hotel or…”
“I have an apartment over the Drunken Otter,” Gypsy chimed in. “It's small, but empty. We can hole up there for a few nights at least. I have my medical kit there so...”
I didn’t let her finish, helping Keeley up on one side, Iris rushed to hold her on the other side. We held her between us.
“Let me take her, let me…” Gio took another step forward and I stopped him with my eyes.
“Let me take care of her, Gio, if you care about her at all,” I was banking on the look I had seen in his eyes when he looked at her to be true emotion, “then you have to give her space. I promise we will look after her.”
Walking past him with Keeley between us, I let her head fall onto my shoulder. We had reached the door before she spoke again.
“I know who did it, it was…”
I shushed her quietly. I needed to know the name of the man who had done this to her but not there, not with Gio and his henchman listening in.
“It's ok, Keeley, you can tell me when we get to The Otter. And I promise you Keeley, I promise, they will pay.”
Chapter Thirteen
Hansel
The clubhouse was oddly quiet when I emerged the next morning. I had expected there to be at least some girly chatter. Since Gretal had come back, the common room seemed to be filled with girly chatter. But there was none and it made me feel oddly ill at ease.
One look at Fang who was pacing the length of the room, like some agitated bearded squirrel, and I knew I had every right to feel worried. Making my way over to him, I swung him around to face me.
“What's happened?” One glance at his face and I knew something had, his face was twisted in misery. “Where's Gypsy?” Another look around and I was sure she wasn’t there. None of the women were, not even the club girls had surfaced yet, the whole clubhouse felt like it was grieving.
There was only one thing to put that kind of misery on his face and it was if something had happened to Gypsy.
“What's happened? Fang talk to me.”
“She rang and said she wasn’t coming home for a few days. She sounded…” His voice broke and he cleared his throat quietly. Gathering his hard as ice shell about him, straightened. “She sounded different, like she was hiding something from me.”
I did a double take. “You think she is going to leave you?”
“I honestly have no fucking clue; something is up with her and she won't tell me what it is. It's probably nothing.”
I could tell by his face that he didn’t think it was nothing at all. He thought he was losing her. I recognised the look because I had worn it myself the moment I realised Gretal wasn’t coming back.
“Gretal is with her.” The Judge swept into the room, looking every bit the mob hitman he was. His clothes were totally unrumpled, he was as put together as he always was but there were shadows under his eyes that told me he hadn’t slept. “The others as well.”
We stared at him in shock, Fang with his jaw hanging open, so it was me who spoke first.
“What do you mean, the others are with her? You said Gretal?”
“Gretal, Iris, Darcie, Keeley…” He broke off, running a hand through his hair. “Gypsy, they are having some girly time. Don’t worry, they are safe. Gio has someone watching The Otter.”
Frowning, I felt my eyebrows slam down. They were at The Drunken Otter? A few girly days I could believe, but why had they left in the middle of the night? Why the secrecy? It was clear that something was going on. If his words hadn’t made me suspicious, then his face sure as hell did. For a hired and feared killer, The Judge had absolutely no poker face.
“Anyway they are fine. You don't need to worry about them, Fang.” His eyes turned to me. “You don’t need to worry either. Gio has a man watching from outside no one will get in or out without him knowing.”
