Page 139 of Into the Woods

He really had, but he was still my dad, so I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and tried to comfort him. “It’ll be okay.” Please don’t let that be a lie.

“Why are you here?” Dad asked, his voice hitching as he stared at me with a wild look.

I grimaced. “It’s a long story, but, I think the better question is, why are you helping these people?”

Dad’s head lowered once more. “I’m so ashamed of myself. You have to believe that I never wanted any of this.”

“And yet, you’re here,” I replied, not ready to let him off the hook. I looked at the computers. “You’re part of this.”

“Not by choice,” he quickly replied. “I tried to get away from them, truly I did. I even met a congressman who was going to help me. But then Jasper and Kent found out. They were already on edge after Gary’s death and Beckett’s disappearance, but when they heard I was planning to betray them, they threatened you and your mother after they killed the congressman and his entire family.”

Not surprising.

I pushed myself up, looking around the small space.

Aside from the desk and the rolling chair, there was a beaten-up wooden coffee table and two vinyl armchairs. A skewed framed certificate proclaiming the factory had once passed inspection was covered in a layer of grime and filth.

“We need to get out of here,” I murmured, going to the window that overlooked the auction floor.

The auction seemed close to starting. People had begun taking their seats, filling the space with noise. To the right I could see the small landing area outside of the office where our guard was. He was picking at his nails, oblivious to me peering at him through the one-way glass. When he turned, using the mirror side to inspect his teeth, I turned away with a grimace.

“What time is it?” I asked.

Dad got up slowly, wincing and touching his already purpling cheek. “Almost eleven.”

“Come on, Court,” I whispered, knowing he had to be close by now.

“Court?” Dad blinked at me. “Court Woods?”

I nodded.

“I wasn’t aware you two were friends again.”

I shot him a baleful look. “Well, Dad, you’d have to actually be part of my life to know who my friends are.” I didn’t bother keeping the acidic bite from my words.

“Becca—”

I held up a hand. “Don’t. Are you really trying to stop Jasper and Kent?”

He nodded.

I looked past him to the screens, realizing they were surveillance feeds. “What are you doing up here?”

“Monitoring the local channels to make sure we have a heads up if law enforcement gets wind of this event,” he replied.

“Auction, Dad,” I snapped, pointing a finger at the window. “They’re selling people down there. So, why not just call the cops now?”

He looked uncomfortable. “Because, Becca, I would be held responsible, too.”

I threw my arms in the air. “News flash, Dad, you are responsible, too.”

He looked at the floor. “I’m not a man equipped to handle prison, Rebecca.”

I gaped at him, wondering how he’d ever been my hero. He had the spine of a jellyfish; no wonder the general was so easily able to control him. “Well, make a decision fast, Dad.”

He gave me a quizzical look.

“Court’s on his way here,” I explained. “He’s coming for me, and he’s bringing friends. The kind with badges and guns and the power to lock you away for a lifetime.”

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