Page 104 of Bones
How long had I been in here?
My stomach ached with hunger, but the thirst worried me more. I started having flashbacks of stumbling through the desert with dry, chapped lips, desperately trying to stay on my feet.
Was Sam still alive?
Did Madame kill that girl, Sky?
Were people dying because I wasn’t there to heal them?
What was Madame going to do?“I think you need some time to sit on that.”I knew what she was doing. She thought I would sit here and panic about all the ways she could punish me, and I hated that I was doing exactly that. Bloody memories tried to raise their heads and I fought to shove them back down.
What would she do? Go after Trey? The kids?
You know better,Wolf reminded me again, and I bit back the urge to scream.
When I first heard the footsteps, I thought I imagined them. They were so quiet that they seemed like a dream. Then a tiny glow of light appeared, and I scrambled up on my knees and gripped the iron bars of the cell. It grew bigger, and I tried to convince myself I would be strong enough to keep from begging Sax to leave me a light.
Finally, a body appeared holding a flashlight. It shone into my eyes and I squeezed them shut, a sharp pain shooting through my head. Somebody cursed, and the light dropped down as they darted forward. Then Trey knelt outside the cell, his arms reaching through the bars to grab my shoulders.
“Bones!” he gasped. “Bones, darlin’, are you alright?”
My hands came up to grasp his wrists. “Are you hurt?” I demanded, my voice raspy.
He frowned at me. “What? No, I’m fine. Areyouhurt?”
Relief and dread filled me as I shook my head. Madame hadn’t hurt him, but that meant she also hadn’t taken action yet.
“How long have I been in here?” My voice trembled.
“Three days,” he answered, anger clear in his voice. “I brought you some water.” He reached into the pack he was carrying and handed a bottle of water through the bars.
I gulped it down.
“I have a second one too.”
“Is Sam ok?” I asked as soon as I came up for air.
“He’s weak, but he’s not getting worse,” Trey’s hands were moving across my face and body like he had to see for himself I wasn’t hurt.
I leaned my forehead against the metal bars, and after he finished his examination, he did the same, pressing our heads together as much as possible with the iron bars between us. The physical contact and closeness made my eyes well up.
“I have some food too.”
“What’s happening?” I whispered.
“Madame is refusing to tell anybody where you are, but Mac knew she’d probably stuck you down here. She’s been keeping the corridor guarded, but I was finally able to sneak down here. I don’t have a lot of time, but godsdamnit, I’m gonna get you out of here somehow.” He pulled out what felt like dried meat wrapped in a cloth and passed it through the bars to me, and I tore into it. “Sorry, it’s not much. I had to be real careful. She’s watching me like a fuckin’ hawk.”
“You shouldn’t be down here.” With a little food and water, it felt like my brain shifted back into gear. “ Trey, if she catches you?—”
“I don’t fuckin’ care,” Trey interrupted, his voice tight.
“Trey!” My panic swelled. “You can’t?—”
“No, Bones, you don’t?—”
“She’ll punish you! Trey, please!”
I heard him take a deep breath, and then he gently took my face in his hands.
