Page 47 of Pray for Scars
I see the corner of his lips twitch into a smile as he drives, not looking at me.
“Tell her, Ria. Tell her everything you know.”
I hear Ria’s breath catch. I wonder how well they knew each other, since she was Mayhem’s girl at Lover’s Death last year. But she didn’t seem to know much, then. Atlas had invited her, from what I’d gathered. But what the fuck do I know?
Her eyes flit to Nat, then turn back to me.
What Ria knows, I have a feeling Natalie doesn’t.
“I-I don’t know what you’re—”
Jeremiah makes a turn, and he laughs as he does. We’re going down a dark, empty dirt road that leads to fuck knows where. I have no idea what he plans to do with the girls when we get where we’re going, and I’m scared to think about it too much.
“Ria, that bullshit might work with Maverick, but it’s not going to work with me.” I see his eyes find hers in the rear-view mirror. Her face is cast in darkness. “If you don’t tell my sister—”
“She’s not,” Ria says breathlessly.
My brother’s car comes to a stop. He puts it inPark.We’re in the middle of a field. It’s fucking pitch black out here. He doesn’t turn in his seat. He just holds Ria’s gaze in the mirror.
“She’s not your sister,” Ria rushes out. “At least, I don’t think…” She trails off. Shakes her head. “Maybe. I don’t know, okay, I just…” She stops talking, as if she knows she’s blabbering now.
My fingers feel numb. I nearly drop the gun.
“Shut the fuck up,” Jeremiah snarls at her.
Natalie cradles her head in her hands, starts whimpering to herself.
“And if you can’t get that bitch to be quiet—”
“What do you mean?” I ask Ria quickly, the gun trembling in my hand. It feels so fucking heavy. “What do you mean I’m not…his sister?”
Ria’s eyes shift to mine, big and pleading.
“She’s fucking delusional,” Jeremiah says before she can say a word. “Tell her the truth.” He grabs the gun from my hand, finally turns around in his seat to face her. I can nearly feel the anger radiating off of him. “Tell her what you told Maverick before you got to your knees and sucked him off.”
Ria’s face pales, her lips parting.
“I was always listening,” Jeremiah snarls. “You and the rest of them might have wanted to pretend I didn’t exist when you were busy fucking around with Atlas and Maverick, but I survived by paying attention. And I paid attention toyou.Now tell her. What did you find out?”
“What is he talking about?” I ask Ria.
Jeremiah has the gun aimed at her face.
She looks down at her lap, shaking her head. “I-I just…There were some documents in the history department, locked away about the town and I just…”
“You’ve got two seconds,” Jeremiah says so quietly, it makes the hairs on my arm stand on end. “You’ve got two seconds before I get Natalie’s blood all over you.”
Natalie lets out an anguished cry, her head still buried in her hands.
“The 6…Lazar…he ran a ring. A…” Ria keeps shaking her head, keeps looking at her lap, her hands running up and down her jeans as if she can’t sit still. “A prostitution ring, and rumors were that he supplied it with…with children.”
“What?” I ask softly, glancing at Jeremiah. He’s still staring at Ria.
“I don’t know, there were so many things redacted in the files. I don’t even know what kind of files…not court records. I don’t know. Like…minutes from a meeting.” She’s getting hysterical, her voice rising along with Natalie’s whimpers. Her eyes meet mine and they’re wide and wild, as if she wants me to save her from this. But I don’t even know whatthisis.
“I went to M-Mayhem,Maverick, I went to him. He was in my English class, and I had met him through Atlas, and…and when I went back, to get the files from AU to bring to him, they were…gone.”
“Gone?” I repeat, brows pulled together.
