Page 31 of Pretty Girls Never Lie (St. Mary’s)

Raven curses under her breath while dialing 911. We’re already rushing from St. Mary’s when Thomas whispers through the phone, “I hear yelling, and it’s getting closer.” He whimpers, and I know the fear he’s feeling. I felt it so many times before, at an even younger age than him.

Raven talks toward the phone. “The police are on the way, Thomas.”

There is more shuffling on the end of the phone, and when I hear Isla’s frantic voice, my entire body comes alive. “Thomas, run! Now!”

“Isla!” I shout, putting the phone up to my mouth.

“Brantley?” She's out of breath, and her words fumble through the phone so quickly I barely catch them. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t your fault, and I don’t hate you. Take care of him for me ple–”

There’s a loud noise, like the phone was dropped on a hard floor, and then the call ends.

“Hurry,” Raven says into her phone. “There’s a small child and his older sister in danger. I can confirm there is a gun on the premises, and I believe someone was shot.”

I put my head in between my knees and breathe in and out of my nose like I used to do whenever I had to accompany my father on hisjobs.The only difference is that, this time, I’m on the other end of it.

I’m out of the car before Raven comes to a stop. The street is painted with hues of red and blue, and there’s caution tape holding back random bystanders. Everything moves in slow motion, and I scan the chaos for her pretty blue eyes, praying to whoever will listen that she’s still alive.

There is no use in thinking about the what-ifs and hating myself for not pulling her out of that fucking car, but I can’t stop myself from spiraling anyway. I’m standing in the middle of the road with my heart in my hands, and the only thing I can hear is my heartbeat. I run my gaze around the chaos, and that’s when something catches my eye. I stare at the hidden shadow before prowling toward it. The farther away I get from the house and bystanders, the more anxious I become.

The shadow moves, and nausea grips me. I know who it is before I even lay eyes on him.

Thomas is hiding behind a parked car, and when our eyes meet, shock ripples the ground around me. He looks just like his older sister.

I continue to walk toward him and subconsciously put my hands up in caution. The red and blue lights from the police cruisers flicker across his cherub-looking face.

Round cheeks, hair as white as snow, and eyes so blue and full of fear. I do something that is completely out of the ordinary. I reach out and scoop him up into my arms and lower my voice. “It's okay. I’ve got you, Thomas.”

I do what should have been done for me when I was his age. There were so many times I wished someone would show up to takeme away and tell me that everything was going to be okay.

It never happened, though.

But I’m here now, and Thomas and Isla are both going to get what they deserved four years prior—someone to come swoop them up and take them away from the bullshit.

Thomas is tense at first, but then he buries his head into my shoulder and holds on tight. I stand in the middle of the road, and although everyone seems to be staring at me, none of them are Isla.

Where the hell is she?

I spin and scan the crowd. It’s silent in my head, and I know if I let myself hear, it’ll be a distraction, so I keep the distractions to a minimum, hold on to Isla’s brother tightly, and stare at the house with the numbers 7678 on the front.

Thomas’s hands dig into my neck when I start toward the house. My stomach churns, and my body goes numb. I think back to four years ago when I hid her in that closet. It was the first time I’d ever done something like that behind my father’s back. Isla was my own little gateway drug, and all it took was one look in her direction again to pull me right back through.

She means more to me than she knows.

Thomas shifts in my arms. “Isla.”

I spin around and stagger at the sight of her.

Isla is surrounded by police officers, and my heart skips a beat when our eyes meet. Her long blonde hair flows over her shoulders and sways with her steady steps. The silver blanket wrapped around her shoulders falls off with the summer breeze, and her blue eyes catch the light from the moon. I almost fall to my knees.

I walk Thomas over to meet her halfway. There is nothing I can say that will express the relief I feel, so I pull her in close, and we stand together with her little brother in between us. He’s still gripping my neck, like I’m the only safe place he’s ever known, and his sister is doing the same.

“We need you to come sit down and get checked out.” I glare at the EMT, and they remain in the same spot, unfazed by my glower.

“Tell me you’re okay.” I move to see her better, but Thomas grips me harder, like he’s afraid I’m going to let go of him.

“You came.” Isla blinks away tears in her eyes.

I’m still holding on to her brother, but I take one hand and grab her chin, tilting it toward me. “I’ll always come when you need me—even when you say you don’t.”

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