Page 15 of Brick

"I don't want anything from you." The disbelief and rage are building up to a crescendo peak inside of me.

"Bullshit. You're not going around here doing this for nothing. You want something in return." She pokes a hard finger into my chest, which causes me to stumble back a step. She's on fire right now.

"Luna, there is nothing you can offer me that I'll take for helping you out. I'm just doing this shit to make sure my name stays clear. The last thing I need right now is for someone to connectyou and your sister to me. I'm not going back to jail for any fucking reason, so if I say that you have to stay here until we figure this shit out, that's just what's going to happen. End of the fucking discussion." By the end of my tirade, my voice had risen so loud I'm sure everyone outside heard us.

Luna's clear hazel eyes blink a few times as if she's trying to come to grips with what I've just said. I'm not sure which part she's getting caught up on, but I can guess. "What were you in jail for?" she asks, her voice a little softer. Here it comes—the typical judgment that comes from everyone who hears of my crimes. I prepare myself to be the bad guy. After all, that's all anyone ever sees me as. I should be used to it by now.

"Attempted murder, stalking, kidnapping." I go down the list of what I was charged with, and I watch as her body tenses up. This is when it'll start. I pull my hands behind my back just to let her know that I'm not a threat right now. I can be, and now she knows it. The last thing I want to do is scare her, but this is what I am. I'm a convicted felon. It's a stigma I'll never get away from.

I open my mouth to let her know that I'll leave her in the room by herself if it means she'll be more comfortable, but she surprises me by asking, "Why?" Now it's my turn to be blustered. No one has ever asked me why. I usually have to offer up my reasonings. It's a strange change of events.

"Why what?" I finally am able to speak.

"Why did you do it?" Luna continues to stare at me, but this time I can see that she's trying to gauge whether or not I'm telling the truth.

"My stepfather was abusive to both me and my mother. He killed her and got off because the police fouled some shit up." Ilet out a breath as I go into the past. Memories of hearing the judge call out mistrial and the feeling of absolute helplessness that overtook my body. Helplessness followed by blind fury. If the court officers didn't hold me back, I would've tried to murder my stepfather right there in that courtroom. The lawyers apologized. The cops apologized. Even the judge apologized that they couldn't put my stepfather away. They said it was justice and that there was nothing more they could do. It wasn't justice for me or my mother. That asshole was still free to do what he pleased.

"I stalked him, let him know that I wasn't going to let him get away with what he'd done to my mother. When I knew he was good and scared, the same way he kept my mother, I took him to one of my construction sites, tortured him, and would've killed him if a patrolling officer hadn't come around at that time. I was sent to prison, did my time, and was released. I would say that I'm sorry, but honestly, the only thing I'm sorry for was getting caught before that bastard took his last breath. I wish I would have killed him."

Luna stares at me for a few seconds before she walks over to me and wraps her arms around my midsection. I'm so confused and shocked by the display that I don't even hug her back.

"You're right. He deserved it. I would've done the same thing for my family." It was like the equivalent of her telling me I did a good job. I wasn't expecting that at all.

"Yeah, so you see. I'm not exactly the picture-perfect member of society right now, so I can't be connected with any missing girls. I have to help you find your sister. I've got to put this right."

She nods her head, and for the first time, things actually seem like they're going to go smoothly with her. She's not fightingback or trying to get under my skin. It's calm; I could get used to it.

"I hear you. I don't want you to get into trouble either, so can we make a compromise?"

I groan but jerk my head toward her for her to continue. I can at least listen to what she's got to say.

"I need to go look for my sister. If I don't, I'm liable to go crazy and take everyone in here down with me. Can we just go check out a few places while your friends do their digging on the computers? Maybe we'll be able to find her before they even have to do all that. I'll stay right by your side. I'm safe with you, right?" she asks.

"Yeah, of course."

"So then there's no need to worry. Please, help me."

And just like that I was done for. It didn't matter what she needed me to do, I was at her mercy.

Seven

Luna

I feellike I can take on the world.

It took a little bit of convincing, but I managed to get Brick to come with me while I searched for Wendy.

This is the longest that she's ever been missing.

I never approved of her using drugs, but I always made sure she knew that she didn't have to stay out in the street. Even if she was high off her mind, she knew that she was always free to come home.

It just didn't make sense for her to be gone for so long if nothing was wrong. That knowledge only made looking for her that much more frantic.

"Hold up, let me go in first." Brick stops me before I can walk into the shady-looking house. The windows are boarded up, and there's an intense stench permeating through the air.

Any normal person would see this place and balk at the idea of going inside. Unfortunately, I know this is one of the places I might actually be able to find Wendy.

It doesn't surprise me at all that Brick doesn't seem to be skittish about the idea either.

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