Page 59 of When Sinners Rise
“Don’t fucking push it, Miri.” His raised voice brings some attentive eyes towards us, but I stare, refusing to be intimidated by him. He settles back down as I pick up my fork and spear a berry from the bowl. “It’s simple. I’m going to put this right. Get your sister. Get you both gone. That’s it.”
I stop chewing. He said he’ll get Naja.
“Really? Easy as that?” I test him, but inside I’m screaming.
“Yeah.”
“How?”
“I know where she is.”
CHAPTER TWENTY - THREE
SHAW
Idon’t know how I feel about anything anymore. Waking up next to her this morning and knowing I was doing the right thing by my own gut reaction to this work we do, hurt somehow. It’s probably the realisation setting in. There was barely a chance at going back after the first hit at Abel, let alone me shooting him, and now, with us travelling cross-country to get the sister as well, I’m truly cutting my throat.
Miri won’t have seen it ‘cause I’m damn good at hiding anything remotely bordering on feelings, but it all fucking aches beyond words at the moment. All the anger and humiliation and dismissive comments from them over the years mean shit this morning, because it’s the first time I’ve woken up without something on my phone telling me to be somewhere. Or some group chat about what’s happening. That’s what family is to me. And maybe it’s a fucked-up concept to the rest of the world, but it’s what I’ve known. They’ve always been there – wrapped around me. Inside me even.
Looks like I’m free of that now.
Thinking back on Miri’s attack helps. It reminds me about doing good. Mariana was like that for a while after she was taken. I’d go in and sit with her when she lost it, putting my hand on her shoulder as if that would do some good. Thirteen-year-olds know shit about panic attacks, but I think it worked. I used to feel her mood shift, like her energy and mine were in sync. She’d cry, I’d wait, and eventually, our heart rates were the same again.
“I got you a coffee,” Miri says as she opens the door. I look sideways at her climbing into the car and frown. “You didn’t sleep much. Thought you could use more caffeine.” I nod and take it from her. “What’s with the frown?” It deepens on my face. “You said this was good? Going to get Naja? You haven’t changed your mind now, have you?” She’s clutching her own damn coffee like I’m about to take all the wind from her sails. “I need her, Shaw.” I turn the wheel and ease down on the gas, pulling us out of the gas station so we can get on with the plan.
“Nothing’s changed. Calm down.”
“Oh, okay.” She nods, but I can see her fear take hold for a moment.
The drive continues in silence for the most part. I’m just thinking some more, letting all these damn emotions try to find some goddamn balance in what I’m doing verses what I’ve been taught to do. She talks occasionally, asking me what we’re gonna do when we’ve got Naja, where we’re gonna go after. I have zero fucking answers for that, so don’t try giving any. I just keep driving. I mean, snatching a woman outta somewhere is easy enough, and beating on, or threatening, or even killing someone if they get in my way is nothing new to me. Just another day in the office, right? Steal a woman, take her somewhere.
“Shaw?”
I sigh, pissed with the interruption in my thoughts. “What, Miri?”
“Where is she?”
“Place called the Grillhouse.”
“Is it a brothel?”
“Kinda.”
She picks at the lid of her coffee. “So, she’ll have been made to have sex.”
“Yeah.” And more than that.
“And your family sold her to someone?”
“Yeah.”
“How much?”
“Don’t know. I don’t see the books.”
Quiet. Until.
“Is it a nice place?” Nice?
