Page 61 of Bela's Bounty
Ahead of us, Anna, Rovos, and Igid aren’t showing any signs of concern, so I try to relax some. That is, until Rovos ducks down a darkened, sketchy alley. Where I grew up, the only reason someone might end up in an alley like this was for illegal purposes.
“It’s alright,” Treto whispers when I freeze at the entrance, refusing to go another step.
Up ahead, Rovos stops about halfway to rap the back of his knuckles on what looks like a boarded-up doorway. I take another hesitant step and then freeze again with my heartbeat pounding in my ears.
Suddenly it occurs to me that it was an alley, probably just like this one, that the police found my sister in. An alley she’d been hidden in for long enough they had to use forensics to identify her.
“What’s wrong?” Treto’s voice is in my ear, his hand warm and comforting in mine. But my heart is up in my throat, and all I can do is shake my head.
“I don’t like this,” my voice comes out as barely a whisper. “I don’t want to be here.”
What have I gotten myself into? I mean, I don’t even know any of these people! My eyes dart to Treto. How long have I known him for? Less than a week? And I’ve already fucked him.Jesus!That’s not like me at all!
Wiggling my fingers out of his grip, I take a step back. “I—this—this is a bad idea.”
Treto steps into me, tucking a finger under my chin, and gently lifts my eyes to meet his worried frown. “What’s the matter,Sorsa?”
Swallowing past the lump forming in my throat, I shake my head. Why am I having all these second thoughts all of a sudden? I glance back down the alley to where Rovos, Igid and Anna are all watching us. Skylar is standing halfway between us, looking worried and chewing on her thumbnail.
“Bela,” Treto says softly. “What’s wrong?”
“I—” I drag my attention back to him. “Nothing good ever happens in alleys like this one.”
He nods once and takes hold of my hand before leading me back out into the street, where my heart finally starts to settle, and I feel like I can breathe easier. A criminal wouldn’t behave like this, I tell myself. He wouldn’t care that I was scared.
“Thank you,” I say softly, squeezing his hand in mine.
He reaches up and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “Better?”
I nod and then lean into his touch. “Better.”
“Do you… want to talk?”
The feel of his soft fingers brushing across my cheek before his palm cups the side of my face is soothing, and I find myself nodding again. “It’s the alley. That’s where…” My eyes slide closed, and I lean into his touch. “They found my sister in an alley.”
Treto makes a rumbling sound in his chest, and then his arms band around me until I’m pressed firmly against him in a strong hug. “Ah, Bela. I’m so sorry.”
Pressing my forehead into the smooth space between his pecs, I shake my head. “No, I don’t know why I reacted like that. I’m sorry.”
One of his hands gently strokes down my hair, again and again until l feel like I could melt into him. “It’s an understandable reaction,” he assures me. “But there isn’t any other way into the compound. Unless we go back for theShade.Rovos doesn’t like associating our ship with the human compound. But I would fly it into the bunker—for you.”
He isn’t serious. No one is that understanding…Only, when I look up at him, there is no mistaking the earnest look on his face.
“No, that’s not necessary.” Even though I’m flattered he would consider such a thing. “I’m alright now, but thank you.”
He’s quiet for a long time, and when I peek up at him again, I find he’s watching me, a thoughtful expression on his face. Slowly, the corners of his lips turn up. “Mysorsis the bravest female I’ve ever encountered.”
With his hand firmly gripped in mine, we slowly walk back into the alley, where everyone is waiting patiently for us. It’s no less scary than it was before, but I feel braver this time at his side.
Skyler appears at my other side and curls her arms around me. With her head resting on my shoulder, her gray eyes flick between Treto and me. “You know, in the book of Peter, it says, ‘Cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.’ And then in Corinthians, it says, ‘Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.’ Have you ever thought maybe God brought you here for a reason? Because that was the only way you and Treto could meet?”
My head swings over to her, and I can’t help staring at her because,no.No, I never thought, even for a second, that God had any hand in this. Although now, I admit, she’s making me think.
I’ve never been a very religious person. I suppose I believe there might be something, some higher power, out there. But it’s nothing I’ve dwelled much on. Until now. Treto has spoken many times about his Fates, so would it be such a stretch if there was a God nudging us along, trying to help us choose the best paths?
“That’s pretty deep for a sixteen-year-old,” I murmur, leaning my head against hers.
“I’ve been force-fed Bible quotes since I was born,” she says with a shrug. “Most of them are boring, but some of them have stuck with me.”
