Page 164 of Crimson Tears

He grabs onto my hand, pressing it into his face as he tries to take a deep breath. “Th-thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Evie knocks over a chair, which snaps us from our connection, and it seems to be what Kai needed to get his head back into it.

“I helped them find a way to hide themselves inside the back of the dresser.” He opens the door to the wooden dresser where a few dirty shorts and shirts lay, but the back is empty.

“There were two pieces of wood in here for some reason, so we used one to create a false back. Since these girls were the only ones who could fit there because they were the youngest and tiny, everyone must have hid them.”

Kai is careful as he steps inside of the dresser and begins pulling the false back off. Two little identical girls cling to each other in the back, a small stuffed bunny squished between them.

“It’s okay, Ani and Ami. These people are going to keep you safe.”

One of the girls jumps into Kai’s arms while the other hides herself in the back of the closet, trying to blend into the wood as if she could. Kai hands the one he calls Ani to me while Evie tries to get the other little girl out. They look like they could hardly even be five years old. They are so tiny and vulnerable.

When Ami starts screaming, Ani begins to cry in my arms. I hold her close and try to soothe her as best I can. Her thin body weighs next to nothing. How these girls have survived this long is beyond me.

Evie sits down at the edge of the dresser and takes off her jacket so she’s left in a white tank top and black pants. From this angle, Ami can’t see her weapons.

Ami eventually stops screaming when we remain calm and quiet, and finally looks over at Evie. We could force them out of here, but we’re not in too much of a rush and I don’t want to traumatize them more.

“Hey, Ami,” Evie says gently, letting down her long silver hair. She looks like any normal woman, and Ami seems to settle a bit.

“Do you like bunnies?” Evie asks gently. Ami is holding the stuffed toy close as she nods, pulling it to her chest like Evie might take it from her.

“Bunnies are so cute,” Evie adds right as Damien and Az step into the room. “I have a doggie with me. Want to see him?”

Ami looks skeptical, but Evie looks back at Damien.

“Can you let Az play for a minute?” Evie asks. Azazel tilts his head at her before looking up at Damien.

“Sure thing.” Damien gives a signal to Az, and when Evie pats her side, he comes running over, pouncing like a puppy.

Ani sits up in my arms and watches him.

“Puppy,” her soft voice whispers.

“That’s Az,” I tell her and she smiles. I get the feeling these girls don’t talk much.

Az steps up to Evie and lays over her lap.

“Say hi, Az.” Evie gestures to Ami.

The little girl reaches out a hand to touch Az’s head and he turns to let her pet him before licking her arm. She giggles, so Az keeps going until he has crawled all the way into the dresser.

As if he knew what we needed, Az uses his nose to encourage Ami to come out, and Kai picks her up.

“Good boy, Az.” Evie praises, getting down on her knees to give him kisses. It’s so gross, but the girls giggle and Kai smiles.

“I’ve never heard them laugh before.”

When Damien moves to step closer, the girls freeze.

“It’s okay,” Evie says quickly. “This is Az’s daddy.”

They tuck their heads down into our shoulders until Damien calls Az over and the puppy jumps on him. Damien pretends to fall over, and the girls start laughing again. I grab a blanket from the bed and wrap it around Ani because the temperature is starting to drop outside, and her threadbare clothes are barely holding on.

Evie does the same for Ami. Kai and I walk them out to the van that will take them back to the house.

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