Page 275 of Unexpected Hero

When I roll onto my side, the twinge of pain in my ribs kicks up a few notches as I attempt to get comfortable. Ha. As if there is such a thing here.

After a few minutes, a meek voice calls out to me.“Can you sing more, Ana?”

That’s Tina.

The sweet girl who got here the same night as me.

“Sure, honey.”

“Her name—” Vanessa starts. Immediately, I cut her off with the first line of the song.

She grumbles to herself, but loud enough for all of us to hear every grating word. “Great. The fan club has already formed. This is bullshit. I can’t believe my fucking luck.”

Tina sits up and skewers Vanessa with a sharp glare. “What’s your problem? We don’t need any of your shit,” she hisses. “This is our only break from this nightmare. And you’re ruining it. We support each other in here. If you can’t shut up, then get out. Don’t take the rare minutes of peace we get by being a bitch.”

See what I mean about even the weak girls having moments of strength?

Damn, I’m proud of Tina.

Vanessa turns her ire on the teenager. “You want to know what my problem is? I’ll tell you.” She points her fake fingernail in my direction. “She’s my problem. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her.”

What?

Tina and I trade confused glances.

When I face Vanessa again, some pieces start aligning in my exhausted mind.“You were behind this, weren’t you? Is that what he meant when he said you helped them? Did you orchestrate this?”

Vanessa trails her tongue over her bloody lip, shaking her head despondently. “Not exactly, princess.”

My spine stiffens, tiny spikes of adrenaline removing the pain from sitting up straighter. “What did you do, Vanessa?”

“I didn’t orchestrate it.”

“What. Did. You. Do?” I ask again, over-enunciatingeach syllable.

“It wasn’t my idea, okay? They approached me. They already knew who you were.”

I’m on my feet and moving across the room before I know it.“You set me up? For them? Why? When? What kind of monster does something like that to another woman?”

“Only a mega bitch twat would,” Tina chimes in, suddenly behind me with her arms crossed at her chest.

Another girl — one I don’t know yet — stands on my other side now. All of us banding together to eye down the trader bitch who had some hand in getting me fucking drugged and kidnapped.

Not to mention everything that’s happened since then.

“Explain yourself, Vanessa. I deserve the truth.”

More footsteps shuffle behind me.

My throat gets tight, and my heart swells with affection for these girls. I don’t know them. Most of us have barely spoken more than a few words. Yet we’ve suffered together. We’re bonded.

None of us asked to be here.

None of us deserve this.

But when someone wrongs one of us, apparently, we all stand as one.

We wait Vanessa out as her gaze bounces around the room from girl to girl. When her eyes finally land on mine, she looks more nervous than a worm in a hook hallway.

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