Page 42 of Out to Find Freedom

They made me think of Mrs Minna and the lie Gloria had made up. My eyes stayed riveted to the bottom of the stairs where Lenny would have laid her body.

My stomach heaved. I covered my mouth and coughed.

Killer looked down at me. I quickly moved my gaze to my knees, tucking my hand back under.

“You need anythin’? Water? Food? Blanket?”

I shook my head, even when I could use all of those. “No,” I whispered. I wouldn’t be more of a problem for him or Ryan than I already was.

Flashing lights shined through the front windows. The police had arrived. “A-are you sure Harriet and her family will be all right?” I asked again.

“We’ve got someone at the address you gave us.”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

He made a noise in the back of his throat; it almost sounded like a growl. “Don’t need to thank us.”

I nodded again. “Okay,” I whispered.

“You wanna tell me who gave you those scars yet?”

Did I?

Honestly, I wished he’d never seen them.

“Gloria.”

He cursed. “Your aunt, right?”

“Yes.”

Before he could say anything, we heard footsteps, a lot of them on the front porch. Reacting, I hunched over more. My blood pumped faster through my veins. When the door burst open, I let out a squeak, then spotted Ryan stepping through. More men followed. My chest ached at seeing them all. They looked big, angry, and intimidating.

But then I heard a woman’s voice behind them all, snapping and cursing.

“No,” I whispered. “She’s here,” I cried. I moved so fast my head spun. I was up and over the back of the couch, curling in on myself, hiding. They didn’t take her. She’d sweetened her way around them. They believed her.

She’d kill me.

Kill Harriet.

“It’s not her. It’s not your aunt,” Killer said, crouched at my side. The woman said something. Hearing her harsh voice had me whimpering. She could hurt me like Gloria did. I knew, deep down, it wasn’t logical, but I couldn’t stop the fear clogging my throat.

“Violet, out,” I thought I heard Ryan say.

Killer disappeared from beside me, but then I heard him. “She’s not good with women. Her aunt abused her. She’s got scars—”

A sob caught my throat, and the voices in the room stilled.

“Come on, sweetheart. We’ll wait outside,” a man said to the woman named Violet.

“I don’t think she’s good with a bunch of us in here,” Killer added.

“Call him. No women, but him,” Ryan said. His voice was clear and familiar. “Give the room to Lan, me, and Killer.”

I listened to people leave and waited. I suddenly felt foolish for freaking out. They’d helped me, were keeping my friend safe. They’d gotten me out, and here I was on the floor, my legs tucked up under my hoodie, hiding behind a couch all because a group of men and a woman’s voice scared me.

When the door closed, Ryan said, “We’ll wait for him before you question her.” No one replied, but the message must have been accepted because the room fell silent.

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