Page 41 of Voracious

“How much trouble is he in? I know you lied to Aria about Kade’s position.”

I shrug, even though he can’t see me. “Barry isn’t telling me much either.”

“The assistant?”

“Yeah,” I reply. “He’s watching over me just now until Kade makes an appearance.”

“You trust him?”

“Who?”

“This Barry. Does Kade trust him? What if he’s working for his boss?”

“The Sawyers.” I trace my fingers along a blanket, the same one me and Kade shared on this same couch years ago. “I found out Archie is a political leader. He’s married to someone called Bernadette. I looked at her pictures – Kade said she was his main boss, but she doesn’t seem the corrupt and evil type.”

“They never do.”

I shouldn’t be saying any of this. I haven’t even told Barry I did my own research on Archie Sawyer. He has a daughter, my age, and she’s honestly so beautiful.

On the outside, they look like a sweet, happy family. They take part in charity events like Nora, and they’re the owners of numerous foundations, set up to help people in need around the country – homeless and abused children.

“How is Aria?”

I blink, glancing at the door to make sure no one is there. “She’s fine. A lot better now that you’re contactable.”

“Has she been drinking?”

I shake my head. “No. She’s been coming to the home gym with me and tidying the manor. I think she’s scrubbed the entranceway on her hands and knees every night.”

“Stress cleaning,” he says, humming. “She never changes.”

Kade stress cleans. He used to freak out if he forgot to put his clean clothes away when I got to his room, then he’d go bright red and try to hide them under the bed, as if I wouldn’t notice.

The cute and innocent Kade was adorable.

Tobias tells me about his day, as if we’re just two people casually talking. Luciella visited today, and he says the hug she gave him made him feel like he could finally breathe. He hates hugs, but getting one from his little girl meant he was still alive.

My dad hugged now and again, but once he married Nora, it was like the father I grew up with died with my mother.

He tells me about his lunch, and how his therapist was monitoring him after being locked away for nearly three months.

Then, when he finishes explaining the movie everyone in the institution will be watching at movie night, he realises he just talked for a solid fifteen minutes without letting me speak, so he aims his attention back on me.

“Do you know where Christopher is now?”

“He reached out to Kyle the other day – he was getting on a boat to go somewhere and didn’t want him to worry.”

Tobias scoffs. “Motherfucker.”

“Barry has a team tracking him. He keeps buying a new phone and changing cars, and he has some sort of blocker on his bank account, so they can’t trace that.” I stand and walk around the living room. “He’s obsessed with cybersecurity. He builds these trojans and hacks into systems like some tech guru.”

“I know you’re blaming yourself for all of this, little one – I can hear it in your voice. He’s a disease. And he’ll be dealt with. You don’t need to be silent anymore.”

“Barry said he can hide me – get me a new identity and a new life. I could come to America.”

He’s silent, and then he says, “You’re going to annoy me by visiting every day, aren’t you?”

“IfI take him up on his offer, then yes.”

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