Page 12 of A Captive Situation

I leveled her with another look.

She was my cousin, one of my many cousins, but we were not close. Our relationship consisted of this. Of her getting high, getting arrested, using my name to get out of trouble. I tended to come down and haul her out of here more for favors since she used to be buddies with people that I needed information on sometimes. That was before I turned in my resignation. I didn’t need those favors anymore. I was thinking my cousin was forgetting that part of our relationship.

I was here for one reason alone. Because my brother would’ve wanted me to help her.

I said to Laila, “Not a problem.”

“What?” Viv screeched again, her eyes darting around the room, looking for someone else to come in and stop this from happening.

I raised an eyebrow.

Laila was waiting too.

My cousin wasn’t seeing anyone else there to help her out, until her gaze fell on the woman from the subway. It stayed there.

I asked, “Unless you want to be charged?”

Laila jumped in, not missing a beat. “They’ll send you to rehab too. It’ll just cost more.”

Viv was still staring at the subway woman, but she snorted again, rolling her eyes. “Money is something we have. Our family is rolling in it.” She paused, remembering me. “Or some of us are, if we choose to roll in it.”

I’d had enough. Reaching for her arm, I growled, “Let’s go.”

Vivianna tensed, resisting. “Wait!” Her gaze was still trained on the woman, and I was about to jerk her after me, because I didn’t like how she was looking at the subway woman. My cousin could spot a mark a thousand feet away. Our family might’ve had money, like she said, but I knew Vivianna had been cut off long ago. The money she got was handed to her from the family’s lawyer, a lump sum given on the same day every month, and she didn’t get any more or any less. It drove hernuts, but it also kept her in check. Otherwise she’d blow millions on drugs as fast as she could snort it without overdosing.

Vivianna jerked her chin toward the bench where she was sitting. “What’s her story?” She looked to Laila for the answer. “She’s been here the whole time I’ve been here, but I’ve been watching. There’s no one back there processing her, or even looking like they’re going to process her.” She looked back, her tone warming. “What are you here for, sugar?” She pulled her arm out of my grip and went over, easing down next to the subway woman.

I didn’t want to look, but I couldn’t not anymore so, lifting my gaze, I let my eyes fall on her. And fuck. I drew in some air, drinking in the sight of her. I could look all I wanted now. She was like nothing I’d seen before. She made me think of rose petals. Lips that were made just for me. She had eyes deep like the ocean, a heart-shaped face. She was slender, but not too slender. There was strength in her bones. In her eyes. In the way she fucking sat there, thinking whatever fucking thoughts that were going round and round in her mind, but she was above it all.

I didn’t know what brought her here.

I didn’t know what made her hands wring themselves.

I didn’t know what was holding her back, making her chew on her lip, but I knew that I took one look at her and I wanted to sweep it all away.

And that reaction scared the fuck out of me, but when my cousin went to her, sat down, and threw an arm around her shoulders, I thanked what God there was for this small assistance from him.

“Come on, Detective Brant. What’s this one here for?”

The subway woman’s gaze kept darting from Vivianna, to me, to Laila, to me, to Viv, to me, to Laila, to me. She had no idea what was happening right now.

“I don’t know. I can find out—”

I knew. This was the bench they put people when they just wanted to pull them away from a situation. There was nothing to hold them,but for some reason they didn’t feel like they could leave them where they were.

Laila was crossing the room. “Hey. Yo.” She rapped against the clear plaster between us and the other side. “What’s with this one? Who brought her in?”

I spoke. “I got her.”

At the same time, Vivianna exclaimed, “She’s my friend! I want her to come with me.” My cousin linked the subway woman’s arm through hers and she looked at me, all serious. “If I’m going to rehab, I’m going to need all the support that I can get. Right, cousin?”

I held her gaze.

I didn’t know what my cousin was doing, what game she was playing, but if I was drowning, the universe just threw me a rope. I wasn’t stupid. I took hold of that rope and I wasn’t going to let it go. “Course, we’ll take her.” I pivoted on my feet, repeating to Laila, “I got her.”

My ex frowned, a little flustered. “I—uh—sure.”

I crossed to Laila, lowering my head and voice. “Whoever brought her in is long gone. You know that bench. I know the bench. I’ll take her.”

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