Page 38 of Lost in Life

A few pieces of the candy drop onto the floor and Harper cries out, reaching for her ruined treats. “Harper, that’s enough.” The woman snaps again, pulling harder on her daughter’s arm. Quiet sniffles fill the room as they leave.

I glance at the kid,Tavish, and find him gazing at the spot the two left. He doesn’t say anything, bending to pick up the discarded candy. Standing upright, he tosses the sweets into a nearby trash can before looking at me once more. “I liked him too.” He whispers before turning to leave.

My mind whirls at what I just witnessed. One thing standing out.

Maybe I’m not as alone as I thought.

Starting the car, I back up the long path, finding myself grateful for the secluded area as I won’t have to worry about West or Nova sneaking away while I’m gone. Not when the small cabin is surrounded by miles and miles of dense forest.

The long drive to our new headquarters drags as my mind wanders back to the two people tucked away in my home. I don’t know their history but I intend to find out everything I can.

Maybe I can convince Tavish to do me one more favor.

Tightening my grip on the steering wheel, I make a mental vow to work on figuring out some of the tech stuff so I don’t have to keep going to the boy. I’m already in his debt enough, I don’t need to keep adding to it, especially with everything going on.

After a quick stop, I pull up in front of the large mansion. The imposing structure gives off an ominous energy. Vines grow up the old brick, the weathered windows hazy from years of dust and cobwebs.

Climbing out of my car, I walk toward the main entrance. While the headquarters is a bit dilapidated, it’s actually quite beautiful in an eerie sort of way. Something I commend our new leadership on.

I pull out my phone, shooting a quick text off to Tavish asking where he is before heading inside. My phone immediately buzzes with his response.

T

Downstairs.

Rolling my eyes, I tuck my phone into my pocket and push open the heavy door. The hinges creak as the wooden door slowly swings open to reveal a large open foyer. Turning toward the long hallway immediately to my right, I make my way toward a set of elevator doors, one of the few modern updates to the building.

Slipping inside as the doors slide open, I push the button for the basement and insert my finger into the small hole beside it, cringing as a sharp needle stabs into my flesh. “Motherfucker.” I grumble, retracting my hand and pressing the bleeding digit to my mouth. A bright light flashes, scanning down my eyes. After a couple passes, the light disappears and the elevator begins its downward descent.

A fun security measure put into place.

While the old mansion appears abandoned, it’s anything but. Nestled underneath the stone structure is a state of the art torture club alongside a multitude of various rooms from a large hangout, sleeping quarters, and my current destination, a decked out computer room that Tavish has primarily claimed as his own.

Entrance can only be granted to those who belong and, to ensure no one else can sneak in, blood must be given from a living, approved source. The way it was explained to me is that the system scans the blood type, along with individual markers unique to each person, and tests the temperature of the sample to ensure it’s fresh. After the blood has been verified, a retina scan performs a secondary security measure.

How the fuck all that works? I don’t know. All I know is that I now have to get stabbed whenever I need to come to base camp, so I avoid it for the most part.

I like inflicting pain, I don’t much care for being on the receiving end of it.

The elevator dings as I reach my destination. Dropping my arm, I exit and head in the direction of the tech room. The door is closed with ado not disturbsign on it. Smirking, I knock twice and wait.

A few moments later, the door creaks open and Tavish pokes his head out, glaring at me. “This better be important. I’m a bit busy.” He grumbles, pushing his glasses up.

Rolling my eyes, I mutter under my breath, “Aren’t we all.”

“What was that?” He asks, narrowing his eyes.

Don’t be a dick. You need the kid’s help.

“Yeah, it’s important.” Lifting my hand, I offer him the supplies I stopped on the way to grab. “I even brought payment up front. Extra this time.”

Tavish’s eyes light up as he snatches the bag from me. Digging through, he pulls out a container of sour rope and rips into the package, biting into one of the long strings. “Okay, everything seems to be in order. Come on in.” Stepping to the side, he gestures for me to come in as he continues to attack the candy.

Kid has a sweet tooth and, all in all, it’s a pretty good bargain if you ask me. Candy, soda, and chips for information. Plus, I’m not the one who’s going to end up with a mouth full of cavities or diabetes, so I figure I’ll feed his habit and he’ll help me with my shit.

“So,” Tavish asks around a mouthful of sugar as he closes the door behind me. “What did you need?” Pulling out a bottle of soda, he twists the cap open and washes down the sour sweets with even more liquid sugar.

Suppressing a laugh, I gesture toward the wall of computers. “I wanted to check on the cleanup from my last job and,” I take a deep breath, pushing down the anxiety. “I need to find some information, but it can’t leave this room.” I level him with a look that conveys what I’ll do if it does.

---