Page 65 of Marks of Rebellion

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"She doesn't have a gun on her. Just give her some space."

"You don't know if there's a gun in that building. What if she shoots herself?"

Ryker steps outside. "What are you talking about?"

We tell him what happened.

"Where is she?"

"That building."

He jumps off the step and runs to the building, shouting her name.

Hunter turns my chin toward him. "Why did you say you knew what she meant when she said she wanted to kill herself?"

I try to look away, but he won't let me. My pulse increases and my stomach flips. "I don't want to talk about it."

"No, we're going to. This isn't something you're going to sweep under the rug, Vanessa."

I close my eyes so I don't have to look at him. "I'm not talking about this with you."

"Why?"

"Drop it."

"No. Tell me."

"You won't understand it."

"Try me."

"Hunter," I moan and cover my face.

"I want you to explain."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"I don't want to get into this."

"Why, Vanessa?"

"Because you don't know what it's like to live in a prison with no one coming to save you," I cry out.

"I came to save you. I would save you again."

"You were there because of Naomi and Emilia. If they hadn't been in that pit with us, we would all still be there. And I wasn't talking about that anyway."

"You mean the guerrillas?"

"No."

He tugs me close to him. "What were you talking about?"

Tears stream down my face. "I don't want to talk about this."

"Flower, I need to understand. If it wasn't Santiago or the guerrillas, then what prison are you referring to?"

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