Page 120 of Forged in Rain

“Has your mom mentioned anything more about the um, plan?” I ask, disgusted with my thoughts.

“Nope. Just what you heard. Whatever happens, just lay low. If you’re lucky, you’ll be spared.”

“Lucky?” I murmur with a bitter smile.

“Yes, Rain. Regardless of who comes out alive, you’ve got an advantage. You’re not her kid. Stick to your corner and pretend ignorance. That’s the only way you’ll survive.”

“And you?” I whisper, rocks forming in my gut when she casts me an unreadable glance.

“Don’t worry about me,” she mutters.

“How can I not?” I ask softly. “You’re my family.”

Her hands spasm around the wheel, and she says quietly, “When it comes to this, your best bet is to look out for you.”

“Which means what?” I croak through my swollen throat.

Once again, I’m left with the disturbing knowledge that Iris is only out for herself. Fuck. I need to wise up before I’m dead.

Maybe I need to listen because if she were in my shoes, she’d for sure be trading me away if it meant precious freedom.

“I’ll be fine,” she says with a grim smile.

We lapse into silence after that, and I brood about her statement. I have two choices, maybe three. I can lure Iris into meeting John and sacrifice her to his atrocities. I can tell her about his visit and hope she has a plan to bring him down. Or I can tell Cyn and hope he knows of a better way.

Can I save Iris? Shit, I don’t even know if I can save myself.

We pull up to an empty parking lot, the buildings around us long since abandoned. A stray piece of paper twirls in the breeze before spinning up and away and catching on a boarded-up window.

“What are we doing here?” I ask with a shiver.

“It’s—” She drops off as a car approaches, and I tilt my head, but I can’t see beyond the tinted windows.

It doesn’t matter though, because I recognize the muscle car. With an incredulous laugh, I turn to Iris. “What’s going on?”

She sighs and scratches her head. “Insurance.”

“Iris . . .”

“Jagger’s the only other person in a position to protect me. I have no other options.”

“From John? Or your mom?” I whisper as the dick exits his car with a frown.

“Who cares?” she says, rolling down my window.

He raises a brow at me, and I sink in my seat. What the fuck?

“You have what I want?” he asks.

“Yes,” Iris says, leaning into the back and dropping a bag in my lap.

Jagger holds out his hand, and I lift the bag, grunting under the weight. He pulls it from my grasp greedily and peers inside. With a nod, he glances at Iris before his gaze lands on me once again. “You’re still on my shit list.”

I have no words, watching silently as he gets in his car and drives away.

“What was that?” I ask as soon as he’s gone.

“The only bargaining chip I had left,” she says heavily.

---