Page 75 of Hey, Daddy

I blinked at him.

“Baby, talk to me.”

I couldn’t.

I couldn’t make my mouth work.

“Nastya.”

I blinked at him again.

“Can you talk?” he asked.

I blinked twice.

“No?” he asked.

Two more blinks.

“Okay,” he said, his eyes going to the man that was beside me. “Baby, we have to get you out of here.”

He picked me up like I weighed nothing more than a feather, then walked me into the living room where he sat me on the couch.

He picked up a blanket from the couch and wrapped it around my body.

It was only then I realized I was almost naked.

I was wearing panties and a bra.

No pants.

No shirt.

I snuggled into the blanket and buried my nose into the soft fabric.

Cold.

I’d been extremely cold.

People came in after that.

There was a lot of commotion.

Even more people talking around me and to me.

I was fairly sure that my brothers were there at some point.

But I didn’t notice anyone or anything for a very long time.

We can’t hang out if you’re going to cry when they put us in handcuffs.

—Nastya to Haze

HAZE

My stomach was leaden.

“You know the protocol here, Haze,” Sergeant Daniels said. “She’s going to be arrested.”

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