Page 40 of Ravaged
Those last words haunted me.Never works out well, because none of them survived.
“Just because she’s not chained to the bed doesn’t mean I’m letting her go,” I said.
“Not for now.” I balled my fist, then let it go. Wil wasn’t the enemy. It was a warning given from one brother to another. And as much as I hated it, Wil knew more about the way the business worked than I did.
He took another bite, and I did too. Clara left, I assumed to eat her bread in the dining room.
“Is she free in your bedroom right now?” Wil asked, referring to Teagen.
My chest tightened. “Yes.”
Without a word, we both headed towards her. I broadened my shoulders, bracing myself for what was coming. What if Wil was right? That I couldn’t trust her?
But the door swung open. Teagen was sitting in bed, reading a book she had pulled from the closet. Before she lifted her hand to wave, we closed the door and locked it again.
“She could escape through that window,” Wil said. “Especially on the first floor.”
“I have it locked from the outside.”
“Good,” he said, but there was an edge of disapproval in his voice. “Be careful. You never know what they’re capable of.”
Maybe that was true, but I wasn’t going to change my decisions. Not when I knew her better than he realized.
The front door swung open, and the familiar sounds of Oliver, Teagen’s father, filtered through the air. He mumbled to himself. Axe grabbed him by the shoulder and thrust him forward.
“I get it!” Oliver said, a little louder this time. “Where’s the big man?”
“Gerard is out,” Axe said. “It’s only us.”
Wil and I walked towards the two of them, and Oliver looked at me. “Is she safe?” he asked, recognizing me as the one who had chased after his daughter. “Did she get away?”
“If she got away, you would be dead right now,” I said in a low voice.
He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, running his knobby fingers through his thin hair. The bandages on his legs were fresh. “I’ve got something for you. Something you’ll want.”
I raised a brow and tilted my head. I nodded at Axe, and he grabbed Oliver by the throat, lifting him into the air as he struggled to breathe. Oliver pulled at Axe’s hands, frantic to make it stop.
I nodded, and Axe dropped Oliver, letting him collapse on the floor.
He coughed, then gathered himself. “I stole something,” he croaked out. “I stole something from Midnight Miles. That’s why I need protection.” He looked around wildly. “It’s a treasure worth more than any of my debts. Worth more than mine and Teagen’s life. Another five years of wages at the Dahlia District wouldn’t come close to this.” He pushed himself onto his knees. “The Pink Diamond. I have it.”
The Pink Diamond? I had heard of it before but had no idea that it was, or had been, in the possession of the Midnight Miles Corporation. It was a jewel that was worth millions of dollars, the kind of gem people would kill for. How had Oliver gotten his hands on it?
“Where is it?” I asked.
“I can’t tell you.”
I nodded towards Axe, and Oliver threw his hands up in a fit of panic, hiding behind them. “Wait!” he shouted. “Teagen is the key.”
My whole body tightened. Every muscle in my body hung on her name.
“What does she have to do with it?” I asked slowly.
“She’s the key. Ask her about the harp. The one they keep at the Dahlia District. She’ll know what I’m talking about.”
I kneeled down, meeting Oliver at eye level. Flat on his ass, me crouching in front of him. It wasn’t something I wanted to do, but I needed to look him in the eyes, to see his truth.
“You’re baiting us again, aren’t you, Oliver?” I asked.
