Page 40 of After Our Kiss

- Chapter Fourteen -

Georgia Mary King

––––––––

There was a knock at my door.

Sitting up, I worked to gather myself and make sense of this oddly polite noise. It was late. Conway hadn't come back after he'd stormed off. Why would heknock?“Come in,” I said, smoothing my hair unconsciously. It didn't cross my mind to try and look pretty. I didn't care about lookinggoodfor anyone; it was almost a relief that he kept bringing me boring clothes that barely fit.

Lonnie opened the door, scanned the room, than fixated on me. “Evening,” he said with a grin. “Got a minute?”

Do I have a minute? What the fuck?I slid further down the bed, away from him. “What do you want?”

Shutting the door, he did something Conway never did anymore—not since he'd stopped tying me to the bed. He locked it. It reminded me that I'd been acting too much like a good little hostage and staying put. Why did I only think about escaping when I no longer could?

“Easy,” he said, holding up his hands. “I'm not here to cause trouble.”

Looped over his wrist was a small black bag. It wasn't the one Conway used, but the sight of it made my eyes widen. Lonnie saw my reaction; he shook his head. “Ah, shit. I don't want to freak you out. I just brought—well, here,” he said, emptying the contents onto the foot of my bed.

Out of the bag rolled a small bottle of lemonade, some Reese cups, and a paperback book,The Valley of the Horses.My eyes didn't unwiden, they were permanently stuck at their limit. “What is all this?” I asked.

“I don't know.” Awkwardly, he scratched at his neck. I'd never seen Lonnie behave like a normal person; it unsettled me. “I thought you could use a boost. I imagine whatever my brother is putting you through is painful.”

“You talk like you don't know.”

“Well, I don't.” He shrugged. “I have anidea,because I know Dad asked him to do this, so I'm not oblivious.”

He hasn't seen the videotapes of me.It was a huge relief. Inhaling, I stopped fighting my urge and grabbed up the candy. I'd bitten one of the cups in two before thinking to savor them—I couldn't help myself. Chocolate was familiar and sweet and god damn delicious, and plates of crackers were not.

Lonnie sat on the edge of the bed, not asking if he could. Would I have told him not to? It was hard to be sure. I didn't trust him, but he'd brought me snacks. Something Conway used to do forever ago. “Are you feeling okay?” he asked gently.

I shoved the other cup into my mouth, chewing as I spoke. “I'm not sure how to answer that.”

He leaned closer. “Is it that bad?”

“What do you think?”

“I think it's got to be awful for you.”

Uncapping the lemonade, I took a big gulp. “I don't remember you being sympathetic before.”

Lonnie's smile was thin as new ice. Had he edged closer to me? “I'm sorry. I was a kid, I didn't know what I was doing.”

The bottle twisted in my palms. “Now you know, though. And if you know this is awful, you could help me.”

“I did help.” He pointed at the food.

“I mean... you're saying what Conway is doing to me is bad. You know the biggest thing you could do is get me off this island.” I didn't trust Lonnie at all, but here he was, bringing me treats and a favorite book and—and how did he know?Startled by my own realization, I gaped at him.

His eyebrows knotted at my stare. “Huh. Something interesting just crossed your mind. Tell me.” He was definitely closer now, his leg brushing mine on the bed. I glanced at the door. “Oh,” he chuckled. “Don't get ideas.”

The sugar turned into glass in my guts. “Who told you about this book?” I asked, reaching for it.

Lonnie's grip came down, trapping my wrist on the mattress. I could smell the mint on his breath. “Conway told me. He told me everything about you.”

“No, he wouldn't.”

Squeezing so tight that I gasped, Lonnie said, “Of course he would. He wants to transform you, Georgia. He's not on your side.”

---