Page 210 of When We Fall: Part Two
“One night, I was late getting there. When I finally did, she didn’t come to her window. I got scared. I went inside and found her foster father unconscious and beaten to fuck on the floor. Indie was gone. I-I don’t know where she went or what happened to her. Her foster dad wouldn’t tell us. He disappeared long ago. Whatever happened to him put the fear of god in him, though. Haven’t seen that pissant in years. And our Indie…we’ve been looking for her since. We thought De Santis had her, but there was nothing leading her back to him. We even attempted to enter the palace. Saved, and Dmitri was able to get in for an hour. He didn’t see her dancing or fucking in that place. We have nothing. We need to talk to Matteo De Santis, but he doesn’t exactly take special guests.”
I thought of Anson and swallowed. “I-I know a guy.”
“You do?” Elijah crinkled his brows. “Who?”
“Um, give me a minute. Let me see if he’ll answer.” I blew out a breath, pulled my phone out, and stared down at Anson’s name. I had no idea if he’d answer my call, given the circumstances.
Fuck it. Maybe by some miracle, my sweetheart would answer, and I could tell her I loved her. That I was a fuck-up. That I was going to get better and come back for her. To please fucking wait for me.
The phone rang six times, each ring making my heart sink, until Anson’s deep voice came on the line after the seventh ring.
“E,” he greeted me softly. “What do you need? Are you OK?”
“I, um, hi. I, uh, I was wondering if maybe you knew a girl named Indigo? She’d go by the name Indie.” I held my breath at his silence.
“No. Sorry, man. Why would I know her?”
“It’s suspected Matteo has her in the palace. We’re looking for her for a friend.”
“Who is the friend?”
I glanced at Elijah to see how anxious he was as he bounced his legs.
“Is this for Enzo’s new girl? Because I’m not doing fuck-all to help with anything to do with that shit?—”
“No,” I said quickly. “No. Fuck her.”
Anson let out a soft laugh. “Fuck her. Are you? Fucking her with Enzo and Cole?”
My bottom lip trembled. “I-I did before. I don’t now.” No fucking sense lying about it. “I hate her.”
“Right.” He let out a sour laugh. “Well, I don’t know this girl. Never heard of her.”
“Can I send you a picture? And if you see her?—”
“E, man, I think you’re a great guy. I do. You’ve been fucked by life. I get it, but I’m trying to keep my shit together here. I-I have a lot going on?—”
I got up and left the room, not wanting Elijah to hear me.
“How is Rosalie?” I whispered, my voice shaking.
He was quiet for a moment. “She’s OK. I don’t see her much. She stays locked in my bedroom. When I’m home, I sleep on the couch. You can tell Cole I’m not fucking her either since I know that’s the next question.”
“It wasn’t,” I mumbled.
“Well, for your peace of mind, I’m not. And I won’t. I’m engaged.”
“Can you-Can you tell her I-I’m sorry? I didn’t get to. I-I didn’t even know this was happening…”
He was quiet again. “Get yourself feeling better, man. Get your shit together. Work on moving past so many drugs. Talk to a therapist. Find the sunshine in the clouds, OK? Then maybe reach out to her again, but only if you mean it and you’re ready for her. She can’t be pulled back and forth.”
“OK.” I swallowed hard. “I will. For her. I will.”
“Good. Send me a picture of this girl. If I see her, I’ll let you know, OK?”
“Thank you. Really.”
“Of course.” He sighed.
