Page 66 of Firethorne
“Not at the moment. There are other apartments here. Ones we use for the people we save, but you’re the only one here right now. Sometimes Isaiah comes to the office we have set up in the basement to work, but he can’t access this floor. You don’t have to worry. You’re completely safe here.” And then, as if to distract me from my racing thoughts, Damien gestured to the box on the table between us and asked, “Which one are you going to read first?”
I didn’t have to think, I knew my answer right away.
“Emma. Jane Austen. It’s another one of my favourites.” I smiled as the shadows of my former life flickered in my mind. “I always wanted to write a book.” I found myself saying, speaking before I could engage my brain, and inwardly cursing that I’d shared a private dream with him.
“You still can,” Damien replied.
“Maybe.” I shrugged, peering down at the books because I couldn’t look at him right now.
We were quiet for a while, then Damien asked me, “If you wrote our story, what would you call it?”
“A disaster,” I stated, and then I glanced up at him, watching me with what appeared to be quiet admiration. “A fucking disaster.”
“Sounds like my kind of book.” He nodded to himself. “Make sure you include me in the dedication. And it’s Firethorne with an ‘e’.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Damien
Once I left Maya in the apartment, I marched out of the building and found Trent leaning against his car in the small car park, at the back of the building, tapping away on his phone. As he saw me coming towards him, he pocketed his phone and pushed himself off the car to stand.
“Don’t come here again,” I snapped, pointing my finger at him. “Do you hear me? I don’t want you here. She’s been through enough.”
“Enough of what?” He shrugged, not getting it at all. “Us saving her? Me showing up with her ticket out of here? Or didn’t you tell her that’s what I was delivering?” I stayed quiet for a moment, and he nodded to himself. “That’s what I thought.”
“You’re a good friend, Trent, and I appreciate everything you do, honestly, I do,” I said in earnest. “But she’s vulnerable. Fragile. She isn’t like the others. I’d prefer it if you just stayed away.” I was trying the kinder approach, but in reality, I wanted to pick him up and throw him through the car windscreen for questioning me.
“They’re all fragile and vulnerable. She’sexactlylike the others,” he replied, but I disagreed. He had no idea what he was talking about. “So, are you going to give her the passport and the money?” he went on. “Are you going to explain what we’ve set in place for her?”
“No,” I replied a little too quickly. “Not yet. It’s too soon.”
Trent sighed, folded his arms over his chest and speared me with a glare that made the prospect of me punching him more probable.
“The longer she stays here,” he said. “The more dangerous it becomes, for her and us. The quicker we can get her out of here, the better. You know that. We’ve always done it this way. This time, it’s no different.”
“Itisfucking different,” I barked as he pinned me with his stare.
“Because you like her.”
I wasn’t going to answer that, but he went on, “You need to get your head in the game, mate. You can’t let your personal feelings cloud your judgment.”
I moved to stand toe-to-toe with him, my face close to his as I seethed, “My headisin the fucking game. It’s so far in the game I can’t see anything else but this. Don’t fucking tell me what I need to do. I know what needs to be done and I’m doing it.”
“Then let her go. Do the right thing, Damien, and let her start her new life.”
“We do things my way,” I stated, growing tired of his bullshit. “And that means you trust my judgment. And you don’t ever fucking question it. For now, she stays here.”
Trent shrugged noncommittally, and then he glanced across the fields as he said, “Whatever you say, boss. But just know there’s been a lot of talk online, on the dark web. There’s a new shipment coming in soon.” He turned his head to stare at me again. “And you know what that means. We don’t have time tostop and wait. We have to keep moving. Those apartments will be needed again soon enough...ifwe manage to get them out.”
“We’ll deal with whatever’s coming our way when it gets here. But nothing is going to affect the way we deal with Maya, is that clear? She’s going nowhere.”
Trent nodded, turned to unlock his car and opened the door, ready to get in. “I hope you’re right, my friend. And I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I always do,” I snapped and stood back, watching him drive away.
He meant well, I got that. He wanted the best outcome here, and so did I. But he’d picked the wrong time and place to question me about it. He’d made the wrong decision, coming here today. I wanted to keep Maya’s space private, safe. I didn’t want anyone barging in and destroying that.
Because everything was different with Maya.
