Page 50 of Dangerous Silence
“So what do you think they should do?” I asked. “Based on what you know.”
Maddie breathed in deeply, staring at the wood-paneled walls. In here, with no windows, it made the room seem darker and closed in.
“Muro is unpredictable. It’s hard to know the best option with him,” she said quietly.
“How do you know Muro?” I asked.
Her jaw went rigid. “I used to live in Brackston. A long, long time ago.” Her eyes narrowed, recalling the memories. “Luckily, the brothers have been taking care of his contacts one at a time. Muro is probably getting a little desperate by now.”
“So where does that leave him?” I sat up, resting my elbows on the table. There were grooves and spots in the wood that created a pattern. It was an older table, but well cared for. “Who does he have left? Or better yet, who can the brothers turn to for help?”
“What about the police?” Maddie asked. “The odds are that they’re in with Muro, but you never know. Maybe some of them want to put him in prison?”
“What do you mean?”
Her eyes fluttered to the side. “I mean, there’s a possibility for it both ways. Either they’re under Muro’s grip, or they aren’t. But maybe it’s worth a shot.” She shrugged. “You’ve got to believe in something around here.”
And that filled me with hope. Stupid, foolish hope, knowing that we had been in the middle of this war on a regular basis, and yet, there was still a chance that law enforcement was on our side. Maybe we could have the upper hand.
We.
When had it become ‘we’? I smiled to myself, and Maddie pushed my shoulder.
“Hey,” she said in a sing-song voice. “What are you keeping from me?”
“It’s just that,” I shook my head, “I didn’t realize that we can end this. If we work together. Use all of our resources.”
Maddie gave a soft laugh. The sound made me anxious, not understanding why what I had said was so funny. But I told myself it was nothing: I was overreacting. So I focused on that word:we. There was a ‘we’ in all of this.
Maddie squeezed my shoulder. “I hope they can end this,” she said. “Axe likes you, you know.”
“He doesn’t like me,” I said. Axe liked having someone around that he could play with, torturing and pleasuring alike.
Or, maybe he liked having someone he could talk to. Maybe he felt more comfortable with me because of the situation. Because he could keep me in a cage.
But a hope lingered inside of me that Maddie was right. That he wanted me for more reasons than that.
“Oh, hush,” Maddie said. “You’re here, aren’t you?”
Maddie’s red hair dye had grown out slightly, exposing a thin line of brown hair. It was fake, but I liked the red; it went well with her deep emerald eyes. In a world where I was somewhere between Axe’s ward and his captive, she was the only other friend I had. She was nice, even though she didn’t have to be.
“Why are you so nice to everyone?” I asked.
She smiled, then sighed, leaning back in her seat. “You should be nice to everyone.”
“But why?”
“You don’t know what secrets they’re hiding.”
I stared at her for a moment; the smile had almost faded, but she was still hinting at it, looking up at the ceiling. What secrets was Maddie hiding? Or me? Or more importantly, what secrets was Axe keeping from me? I had a feeling I got to see him when he was most secretive, so what did it mean for Axe to have secrets? What side of himself was he hiding?
“Anyway,” she shrugged her shoulders, “Make sure you don’t do anything you regret,” she said. “You’re still young.”
“I’m eighteen,” I said.
“Exactly.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “If this all blows over, you can go back to a normal life.”
She said that like she couldn’t. “Can’t you?” I asked.
