“Yes!” I snap. “I’m in the shed and no one can see or hear me, okay?”
He sighs again. “I’m sorry to tell you this, kid, but between your uncle and the Candellas, every man and his dog is already looking for you. Why do you think I’m grounding you for Thanksgiving? You’re in one of the most isolated places I could find. I want to keep you as far from society as possible. We can’t afford to let them find you. The Candellas are a formidable family. I wouldn’t put it past them to take matters into their own hands.”
My eyes bulge. They’ve been doing that a lot today. I don’t like it.
“Are you kidding me right now? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
He sighs. “Look, I don’t know if you’re aware of this but your family isn’t exactly squeaky clean, okay?”
I press my lips together and swallow.
“The Candellas aren’t either. There’s a lot of bad blood running between the two families.”
“Why?”
“It’s never been clearly established but there’s…” He sighs. “About twenty years ago there was a gun fight. Candella was shot in the chest and according to the reports I read, there was more blood at the crime scene, suggesting a second victim. The police questioned Candella but he never said a word. There wasn’t enough evidence to build a case, so it went cold.”
“What are you trying to tell me right now? Are you saying Marco was involved somehow?”
“There’s speculation that your family and the Candellas were feuding over something. Candella probably stayed quiet because he didn’t want to admit to killing anybody, but I’m wondering if Robbie’s murder was a crime of revenge. Your family settling an old score.”
It’s getting really hard to breathe. I rub my chest with the heel of my hand. What old score?
“Listen, don’t think about any of that stuff. All I want you to focus on is staying safe and remembering exactly what you saw. I’m not going to let the Candellas find you, okay? And Marco’s in jail right now. He can’t touch you anyway.”
“Oh, please. You don’t think he has connections on the outside? Don’t try reassuring me with bullshit!”
I can almost see Rybeck wincing at the phone, his square face scrunching into wrinkles.
“I know you’re scared right now. But please trust me, no one is going to find you at Eton. We chose that school for a reason. We screened the staff, studied their prospectus. We thoroughly scoped out the grounds. Their strict policies on screen time and phone usage is just one of the key reasons we chose the school. The students barely have access to the outside world. Which brings me to the point, how did you find out about this?”
I roll my eyes. “Because I go to school with a bunch of teenagers. Do you honestly think rules are going to stop them from accessing screen time?”
Another heavy sigh from the beefy agent.
“I don’t think I can do this.” My voice quivers. “I want out.”
“Well, I’m sorry, but you can’t have it. You come out of the woodwork now, you’ll be a lamb led to the slaughter. Let us protect you until your uncle is convicted and the Candellas know the truth.”
“You don’t think he can reach me after this is over?” I’m skeptical. “If he can kill a kid in cold blood, I doubt he’s going to forgive his niece for landing him in prison.”
“We’re going to start you over. We’re going to keep you safe. I promise. It’ll be a new life for you.”
I scoff. “With no family. Nothing.”
“Family doesn’t have to be blood to be family. You’ll find a new home, new people to love you…and you’ll have that beating heart I was talking about.”
His words make me think of Trey and the way he referred to his brothers. I don’t have anything left to say, so I hang up.
Rybeck won’t call back. He’ll probably shrug and roll over, back to sleep in his safe, warm bed.
I shiver and wrap my arms around myself.
I’m cold to my core.
Slipping out of my hiding space, I shuffle back to the dorms, stopped by the sight of a window. I stand beneath it, gazing up at the narrow opening and remembering the way Trey shoved me through it so we could go skating.
I landed in a heap next to the toilet.
The toilet.
In the locker room.
The locker room with showers. Hot, scalding showers that can wash away my angst, give me that small reprieve I’m so desperate for.
Crunching my teeth together, I look up at the narrow pane of glass. It’s just out of my grasp. I tell myself I’m getting in at all costs.
It takes me five attempts, but finally my scrambling feet and stick arms get me through that window. I fall through with the grace of an elephant and land on my hip with a thump.
It hurts, but I’m too focused on uninterrupted shower time to care.
No one will find me in this darkened space.
My secret will be safe and I can finally get warm, get clean and maybe just for a microsecond feel like Ana again.
#18:
Understanding
Trey
I can’t sleep.
Hot lips are keeping me awake.