Page 15 of The Captive Missing

Bee bobbed her head, acknowledging that the money had existed, then shoved her glass away before answering.

“I gave it away,” she said.

“You gave-” Elaine let her mouth drop open for a few moments before shooting a look at Lillian who rolled her eyes.

“I don’t want any of their blood money.” Bee smirked at the reaction she was drawing, always having enjoyed getting a rise. “I donated it to the Freed Captives Transition Fund. They help captives who are released to start a new life.”

“I am familiar with the fund, Dear,” Elaine scoffed, before switching tactics. “What about your trust? Lillian?”

“She has not been willing to draw from it so far,” Lillian supplied, while loading dishes into the washer. “But she has access to it at any time.”

“How have you been living all these years?” Elaine asked.

“Gabe’s been supporting us.”

“Of all the stubborn-” Elaine stopped, thinking. “Well, this might be the time to draw on that trust, Veronica. Will you make the final payment if he refuses?”

“I will.” Bee didn’t hesitate.

“But that might mean you are harboring him instead of Jason,” Val pointed out.

“I don’t care.”

Bee stood and smoothed at the fabric of her cotton dress before following Gabe’s path out onto the deck. Val ventured a look across the space to where Elaine still stood, staring down into her own crystal goblet.

The inky red contents streaked down the inside of the glass where she had drained it only seconds before. The moment Val heard of Jason’s incarceration, the contents of her own stomach had soured. But the rest of them had already gone through that initial stage of fear. Passing through the wave of denial, they had moved on to drowning the reality along with the pain.

Out on the deck, raised voices could be heard filtering through the closed doors. Although Val couldn’t hear the words they said, Bee’s tone was pleading. Gabe’s was one of steadfast denial. They had always been fire and fire, Val thought, and some things never change.

Rising to clear the remains of the meal, Val stepped up alongside Lillian and began scrubbing at the dishes that were too large for the washer. All the while, the argument outside escalated.

“Why do they yell like that?” Lillian asked, clearly uncomfortable.

“Because they can.” Val sighed. “At The Agency, all of their fights were in whispers. If they attracted too much attention, then we would all have been punished.”

“Are you certain you want to go back?” Lillian glanced over at Val, who was taken aback by her look of genuine concern.

“I am.” Val nodded, but couldn’t stop her hands from trembling. “I can’t let Jason sit in prison and I can’t let Gabe turn himself in. Like Elaine said, I’m free. The worst that could happen is they somehow find out about Jace. Even then, he’s here and they can’t touch him.”

“What if they won’t release Jason?”

“Then at least I tried.”

Elaine walked up behind them then and deposited the last of the mess on the counter. Taking a soapy sponge, Val traded her places and went to clean the dinner table.

Over and over she circled the wood, watching the tiny suds swirl. Somehow the work had a numbing effect, as if Val were wiping at the cluttered contents of her mind as well. Like a mantra, she allowed herself to repeat only a few ideas in her head. Jace was safe, she was free, and Jason would be released.

When the table was finished, her initial misgivings about whether she should go or not were gone. In their place was a steady resolve.

“Fine!” Bee slammed through the outer door and back into the space with Gabe close on her heels. “It’s like you want to go back to them! If you wanted out of this relationship, then why not just tell me? You don’t have to become a captive again just to escape me.”

“Woman, you are crazy!” Gabe was incredulous, standing at the bottom of the staircase as Bee jogged up alone. “You’re going to stay here and take care of that boy whether you like it or not!”

Chest heaving, he waited for a response.

The sound of Bee’s stomping could be heard all the way to her bedroom where she slammed yet another door. Shaking his head in exasperation, Gabe rotated around to find all three remaining women staring at him.

“Val stays. I go. That’s the end of it.”

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