Page 21 of Bleeding Outside the Lines

She shakes her head. “Not one that matters.” Her voice is small, but her confidence is so big that I am taken aback once again by her age.

“What’s your name?”

“Alice.”

“Well, Alice, my name is Ruby. Let me formally welcome you to the Loyal Reds.”

Rowan spins in herchair and claps like a sugar-crazed child.

“Told you, Rubes.”

“Rowan, she’s perfect. You should have seen her tonight. She might end up being a better Ruby than me one day.”

Rowan scoffs and moves back to her keyboard. Cassius fills multiple screens. He sits at a table in an interrogation room with his arms crossed over his large chest and a vein pulsing in his neck. A uniformed officer stands sentry in the corner, waiting for Cassius to make a move.

“Has he cracked at all?” I ask.

“Nope,” Rowan replies, popping out the p.

She presses a button, and we hear a detective ask, “Is she dead, Cassius?”

Cassius rolls his neck and stares at the camera.

The detective speaks again, “Where is Isabella Diaz?”

Cassius does not break eye contact with the camera, when he asks, “Where is the supposed video?”

We hear paper shuffling off-screen, but the detective doesn’t answer him. A knock sounds, and the scratching of the chair sliding on the floor follows. A door opens and closes. Cassius continues to make eye contact with the camera. With me. My skin prickles under his gaze.

The door to the tower opens, and I nearly jump out of my skin. Reagan enters. Rowan quickly changes the programming, but I’m not sure if she was fast enough,

“Ruby. Rowan,” Reagan greets us, her tone peculiar. She looks pointedly at me. “I just wanted to let you know that Aliceis settled in. You might want to let her be for a day or two before you begin training. I have a feeling she’s been through quite a bit. She has some serious scarring on her legs and sides.”

My heart plummets for the young girl, but I know she’s safe now.

Reagan smooths her ponytail out of habit, not necessity, and offers a small smile. She did not need to come up here to tell me this, and yet here she is. What does she really want? She turns to leave and then changes her mind, turning back to us once more.

A fake smile creeps over her face. “Oh, Ruby, I was also curious where you were in the timeline for Cassius Cross? Isn’t his time up?”

I grit my teeth, anger, and embarrassment swirling together inside my body, both trying to reach the surface. “We haven’t found the girl yet.”

“Oh, but I mean, we don’t actually need him to find her, do we?”

Rowan remains quiet beside me. She’s not a fan of the others invading her space.

“Actually, Reagan, it would make things so much easier if we are able to force him into complacency.”

She nods her head, and sucks on her teeth. Rowan and I exchange a knowing glance. Reagan is clearly not convinced, but she doesn’t question us further. When the door clicks closed behind her, I hold my hand up to Rowan, stopping her before she starts. We’re not going to have this conversation, because there’s nothing to discuss. What we told Reagan was all true. We haven’t found the girl yet, and it really would be easier with Cassius alive to tell us. That’s all.

I offer Rowan a forced smile and make my way out of the attic, my normally sure footsteps leaving a trail of uncertainty in their wake.

fifteen

If fury were acolor, it would be deep red, almost black. Toeing that line that you can’t come back from. I see it, the red, black seeping into the edges. I’m going to kill her. And I’m going to enjoy it.

Detective Larson sits across from me, leaning back in his chair, arms splayed wide.

I have no idea what he just said. I don’t care what he said. I’m going to kill her.

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