Page 8 of Possessive

"You must be wondering how we came to be in that house today, of all days," Gianni said.

I turned back to him. I had wondered that. If I was honest, I wondered why they weren't there sooner. Maybe they were and never had cause to look in the basement.

"So, Kurt Lasalle works for Reuben," Gianni went on. "In theory. Obviously he didn't have permission to keep a girl in his basement. If we knew that, we would have gotten you out of there ages ago."

It hadn't occurred to me they might have known I was there and just left me there. It should have. Men like these, they had no loyalty to someone like me. Just to themselves and to each other. Even then, loyalty wasn't assured. Everyone has their price, as my father used to say.

"Lately he's been getting into things he shouldn't be," Gianni added. "Overstepping his authority. We've heard from a reliable source that he's been operating a few side hustles on his own. And not paying his dues. Reuben doesn't like it when people do that."

That was a lot to unpack. First of all, reliable sources were hard to find in their line of work. Secondly, was the suggestion Reuben was in charge now.

"What about Reuben's father?" I asked.

"Dead," Gianni said simply. "Both of his parents. But that's a story for him to tell." He nodded toward Reuben, who'd turned his head, indicating he was listening.

Of course they were. The Brantley family had their share of enemies five years ago. It didn't surprise me someone took them out. It sounded as though there was more to it, but I didn't ask. Not now.

"So you came after Kurt?" I asked. "Thinking he was hiding something back there."

That would explain the paintings on the floor, and them breaking into the basement.

"He's definitely hiding something," Gianni said. "Apart from you, of course. Although, now we know about you, fuck knows how many other girls out there he has locked away."

That thought made the single piece of bread in my stomach threaten to come back up.

Of course at some point in the last five years, I'd wondered if I was the only one, but he never gave any indication there might be others. That didn't mean there weren't.

"We'll be searching all of his properties," Reuben said. "Thoroughly. And all of his contacts. Whatever he's hiding, we'll find it."

"I want to help," I said.

Reuben swivelled around in his seat to fix his ice blue eyes on me. "I'll consider it. When you're well enough."

Eighteen-year-old Mina might have argued with him, telling him she was perfectly capable of both helping and looking after herself.

The Mina of the present day, who could barely support her own body weight, just nodded slightly. There was little I could do apart from answer the questions if they asked any. Which they would. If it helped them to pin down Kurt, I'd tell them everything I knew. I was painfully aware that wasn't very much.

I leaned against the door beside me and closed my eyes. I didn't dare to doze here, but maybe someday I'd feel safe enough to sleep. Really sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, Gianni was watching me. He might give someone else the creeps with his intense stare, but he had an air about him. If I could trust anyone in this world, I could trust him.

Letting myself trust, that was another story. I was the little, broken bird in the cardboard box. Desperately wanting to fly, but needing to lie there under the old towel and gather my strength. Listening to kind words and careful gestures, but barely able to grasp that they could possibly apply to me.

I turned my gaze back outside the window.

"This must all seem strange to you," Gianni said. "It all seems strange to me too, and I haven't been through what you have."

I looked back at him, brow furrowed in question.

"You're wondering why I find it strange?" he guessed. "I suppose it's just that all of these people, living so close together, seems to me like a weird thing to do. People in general, I find their weirdness fascinating. I want to know why they do the things they do. Damon likes to tell me someday my curiosity will get me killed."

"It will," Damon said over his shoulder.

Gianni grinned. "See? But if there's any trouble, Damon is always the first to leap into it. Who do you think will get killed before whom?"

"Still you," Damon said. "I'm always careful."

Gianni cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered loudly. "No he's not. If he was careful, he'd stay home and knit."

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