Page 31 of Entangled in Them

“I haven’t exactly been allowed to visit.”

I shook my head at myself for my ignorance. “No, of course not. Sorry.”

She risked a smile. “You don’t need to be sorry. It’s not your fault.”

I dragged my hand through my hair. “No, I guess not.”

I was looking at her differently now. I’d spent a lot of time beating myself up about my own life, fighting depression, and struggling to see a future. I guessed I’d been feeling sorry for myself a lot. But I couldn’t imagine having a past like hers, and essentially not even having a future.

The reason I’d gotten involved with Kodee and Dillon had been because I hadn’t been able to face going back into the Army. My injuries were substantial, and there was no option of returning to active duty, but there was the possibility of eventually being retrained and given a non-combative role. The last thing I wanted was to go back, no matter what the job, but I’d needed to be able to do something to survive. I’d still needed a roof over my head and food in my stomach. Kodee had sent out feelers, trying to get an idea of what my reaction would be at doing something that wasn’t exactly legal. By that point in my life, I hadn’t cared less if it was legal or not. I just wanted a way out.

I remembered the early days, how filled with anger and frustration and resentment I’d been. I still had those days now, but they weren’t as frequent or intense as they’d once been. Thanks to Kodee and Dillon, I had a life I could enjoy, and a future to look forward to.

What did Rue have?

How was she taking this all so calmly? I’d have been yelling, and punching things, and attacking the people who were keeping me captive. I’d been wanting to get rid of her, but why hadn’t she been trying to break free? We hadn’t locked her in here, or tied her up, and yet she hadn’t made any attempt to leave.

“Don’t you want something different, Rue?” I asked her. “Don’t you want a regular life?”

She twisted her lips and glanced away. “I don’t know how to have a regular life. I can’t even read. How would I be able to live like a normal person, if even I had the opportunity to?”

I detected sadness in her voice. “You could learn.”

“I’m never going to be free. I accepted that a long time ago. If I try to fight it, all I’ll do is live in misery or drive myself insane.”

“What would happen if you tried?”

She gave a small laugh. “I’d be dead before I even made it through my first night.”

“You mean the Capello brothers would kill you?”

“Them, or someone else.”

I stared at her. She was just a slip of a girl. What could she possibly know, or what harm could she possibly do that would make numerous powerful men want her dead?

“What did you do?” I asked her.

She lifted her gaze to mine. “It’s not what I did, it’s what I saw someone else do.”

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