Chapter Three #3
After a while, I knew I needed to get out of this room.
Though I had plenty of room in this spacious suite, I still felt confined.
I opened my door and padded down the hallway.
I descended the stairs and rounded the corner.
Though this fortress had thick walls, as I got closer to the kitchen area, voices still carried somewhat.
I picked out a woman’s voice first, then a man answering.
Two people stood at the kitchen island. The woman was tall, my age or a little older, with dark hair pulled back.
She wore jeans and a black thermal. The man had the build of a wrestler, with scars along his forearms and a ready smile.
Antonio sat at the end of the island. He acknowledged me with a tilt of his head. “Come in, Tessa. You should meet our guests.” Of course he knew I was here. I’d forgotten the stairs had an alarm. Hadn’t Antonio told me himself?
I stepped into the kitchen and got the full impact of the woman’s gaze.
She sized me up in a single pass, head to toe, but I didn’t feel like she found me lacking or anything.
In fact, I thought she might be judging me to see how big of a physical threat I represented.
Given the fact her features softened before she gave me a genuine smile, I figured she either didn’t consider me a threat or considered me a threat she could easily contain.
“This is Carrie Miles,” Antonio said. “And Hawk. Carrie is my niece. Her mother was my sister.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t meet you at Haven,” she said. Her accent was hard to place. “Veda said you wanted privacy for a while. We all chipped in with the care packages, though.”
I straightened, my eyes going wide. “Oh, my God. Carrie. You’re the one who sent me the DVDs of both versions of the movie Carrie.” I couldn’t help the grin. “Please say the story Hannah told me about how you and Chains met was true.”
“Oh, it’s definitely true.” Hawk gave me a big smile, which softened as he looked fondly down at the woman beside him.
“So, if you’re Antonio’s niece, you’re Seth’s granddaughter?”
“Suppose I am. Didn’t grow up with any of them, but they claim me now.”
She looked at Antonio, then at me, then back again. “He’s protective of you,” she said, nodding at Antonio. “You know that, right?”
“I know he convinced Knuckles and Hannah to let him bring me here, though the reason why I’m actually in one of his family’s homes is still something I’m trying to figure out.
” I tried to be careful how I worded my explanation because I didn’t want to alienate this woman.
Also, it was easy to see Carrie was different from the others.
Even from Hannah, and I knew firsthand how dangerous Hannah could be. Carrie seemed somehow more so.
“Fair enough.” Carrie let her smile fade, showing me the woman beneath.
“I’m here to keep you safe,” she said. “That’s the deal.
” Hawk said nothing, just kept watch. If Carrie wanted to go outside and start a fight, he’d follow without asking why.
It was the first time I’d ever seen a man let a woman call the shots.
I got the feeling Carrie was as much Hawk’s equal as Hannah was Knuckles’.
“But let me make one thing perfectly clear. I’m just getting to know Tonio and Seth.
But they’re family. Tonio, even if he can be a colossal pain in the ass, is still my family. ”
“I hear you,” I said, holding up a hand as I interrupted her.
“I’m not here to fuck anyone over. Antonio has been kind to me.
” I sighed. “Even if I don’t want to admit it, I needed him when he found me.
So, while I can’t say I’m thrilled at the circumstances or the situation as a whole, as long as he doesn’t fuck me over I won’t retaliate. ”
Carrie tilted her head before nodding. “OK. I can respect that.” She grinned.
“Glad we got that straight.” I turned to see Darby strolling into the room with a big grin on her face. “Though I’ll support putting Superglue in his shampoo if you want.” Of course, Darby made no effort to hide that she’d been eavesdropping.
Antonio watched, one corner of his mouth twitching. “Glad you’re all getting along,” he said.
“Yeah,” I said. “We’re just one big happy family.”
Carrie looked at me again, and this time there was a flicker of calculated interest in her gaze. “Want to get a drink?” she asked.
I looked at Darby, who was already headed to the kitchen’s liquor shelf. “Of course, we do,” she muttered. “What kind of question is that?”
Darby poured us all a round of Crown before holding up her glass. “To getting shitfaced in a Miles luxury safehouse.”
We all giggled as we clinked glasses and drank.
For the first time since arriving, I didn’t feel like prey.
I could feel pieces to my goals clicking into place.
I had the feeling these people truly were allies and would help me bring my abusers to justice.
I knew the stakes were high, and there was most definitely no guarantee of success.
But I knew I had more hope than I’d had an hour ago.
That night, I lay in the dark, replaying everything I’d gone through in the last twenty-four hours. Too much. Too much had been thrown at me and I had to fight to keep down the fear and anger threatening to overwhelm me again.
Later. I’d deal with everything later. For now, I closed my eyes and smiled. I now had a fighting chance, and that was all I needed.