Page 235 of Ashes of Sin and Stardust

I grinned and sighed. I shouldn’t be that excited about him being proud of me, but here I was, being soft and shit, because he was so nice to me. He drained all the angst right out of my body yesterday, so there wasn’t anything left to be mad at him for.

Ugh. Sadists. Hate to love them, love to hate them.

Reuben went upstairs, and it was only after he left that I remembered who Rachel was. He’d mentioned her name in regards to Woodrow.

I stood up to follow him. Becca looked at me inquisitively.

“Restroom?”

She nodded towards the same exit Reuben had taken. “Down the hallway, first door on the left.”

Istood outside Rachel’sdoor. Reuben had left it cracked open when he’d entered.

“You didn’t come down for dinner tonight, I was worried about you.”

“I didn’t know you were here, or I would have come downstairs. I wanted to ask you... about... you know.”

A deep sigh from Reuben. “Rachel... the police corruption runs deep in this district. Unfortunately, Peter Woodrow is friends with a lot of cops, and they’ve made his case go away.”

“What? That’s not fair! I–I–” she stuttered and stammered. “But I gave my testimony, and you have proof!You saw me!”

“I know, Rachel. I know. And I’m not done fighting. I will get Justice for you and Alice, I swear that to you. He will not hurt any more girls. And... I know for sure that justice is coming to him. It’s just a matter of time, and how it happens.”

My blood boiled. That fucking asshole and his cop buddies. Some of the guys he used to have over for poker night were cops. I’d bet money that some of those cops were involved in Rachel’s assault, and that’s why they made the case go away.

It took everything inside me not to burst through the door and shout. But I didn’t even know what I wanted to shout. I was just mad.

“Alice? Is that the other girl? His ghost?”

“Yes.”

“So you found her?”

“Yes. She’s... she’s mine now.”

“...oh.”

Another long pause.

“Is there anything else I can do?” Rachel asked hopefully.

“I don’t want you to worry about Pete Woodrow. I’ll take care of him. I promise you, you’re safe from him and his asshole friends. Now... why didn’t you come down for dinner?”

“The fight upset me. I felt like I couldn’t communicate with them. I couldn’t help. I was so useless.”

“You’re not useless. You don’t speak the language. I saw the video clip. You did a great job of consoling those who you could. Which is not your job, by the way, but was greatly appreciated. Some of the newer girls really look up to you.”

A heavy sigh from the girl. Her voice was timid and quiet, and I almost couldn’t hear her.

“Rachel...” Reuben hesitated. “I’m beginning to think that staying here is stressing you out more than it’s helping. Are you sure you want to stay?”

“The jobs you’ve offered me sound good, but, I don’t know. It seems really dangerous.”

“I can put you in the back of the house somewhere. One of my hotels, or an office job, maybe in the kitchen at a restaurant. I’ve got an apartment complex I’m buying next month, I’ll let you live there for free.”

Her voice was higher, tense from fear. “It’s not just Woodrow, sir. It’s... you know.The others.The ones who sold me. I’m afraid someone will recognize me. All the jobs you’ve offered me, sir... they’re service jobs. I might run into them.”

“I understand you’re scared. I’m not forcing you to leave, you know that. I just want to help you find the right place for you where you feel safe. And I’m beginning to think this isn’t it. I know you said you don’t want to go to college because you don’t think you’ll succeed there... but maybe a community college or trade school would be a good option? Just think about it.”

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