Chapter 9
Cash wasn’t happy.
Addie had disobeyed him.
He’d told her to run and hide. And instead she’d turned up with a crowbar, ready to help him fight.
Not acceptable.
“I think we should get going, man,” Ralen said.
Yeah, it was close to dawn and someone was likely to drive past soon. They were lucky that they hadn’t already.
So Cash didn’t say anything more as he helped her into the cab of the truck. He got in next to her, buckling her in. Then he turned to her.
“You’re in big trouble.”
Her eyes widened as she stared up at him.
“A-am not.” She cleared her throat as if it was hurting her. Had she hurt it?
“Is your throat okay?” he asked.
She quickly nodded.
Hmm. Was she lying to him?
Oh, he didn’t like that at all. He started his truck and drove away from those assholes.
Addie leaned forward, her hand out as though searching for something. Her toy?
“Are you searching for this, Addie?” Ralen held up the saber-toothed tiger.
She took hold of him and leaned briefly against Ralen. “Thank you.”
Cash knew it was ridiculous, but for some reason, he didn’t want her touching Ralen. Talking to him.
You’re being a dick. She can talk to whoever she likes.
“Do you know why you’re in trouble?”
She nodded.
Okay, that surprised him. He thought she would say that she had no idea.
“Do you know what you did wrong?”
She nodded again, her shoulders slumping. He glanced over at Ralen, who looked just as puzzled as he felt.
“What did you do wrong?” he asked more gently. “Why don’t you explain it to me?”
“Dude, maybe she doesn’t want to say anything,” Ralen suggested.
“You can write it out on your phone if you want.”
“I r-rely too much on m-my phone. And my s-sisters.” She coughed. She still sounded like her throat was hurting her.
Her voice was filled with sadness and dejection. Where the hell were her sisters? God, he hoped they were all right.
“Watched him instead of leaving.”
“That’s right. You should have stayed hidden . . . wait a minute, what did you just say?”
That wasn’t what he was expecting her to say. She watched who instead of leaving?
“You watched me fight instead of leaving and hiding?” he said. “Is that what you mean?”
She shook her head. “No.”
So, what was she talking about?
Cash scratched his head. “I’m just tired of only knowing half the story. Addie, I need you to be straight with me. There’s some reason you’re in trouble?”
“I s-saw him. With the b-body.” She cleared her throat again.
Okay, he was about to lose his everloving mind. If she didn’t tell him what was going on right away, his head was going to explode.
Ralen shot him a warning look.
Yeah, he knew that getting angry wasn’t going to help. Cash had a bit of a temper. There was no denying it. And Addie was the sort of girl who would clam up if someone was angry at her.
Plus, it would make him feel like a jerk to get angry at someone like her.
“Who did you see with a body, Addie?” Ralen asked.
“Man with the mean eyes.”
Yep, Cash was about to lose it. What the fuck had she seen?
“The man with the mean eyes,” Ralen repeated. “Sorry, Bat girly, but you’re going to have to give us more than that. We don’t know who you mean.”
“I don’t know who it was. I j-just saw a man w-with a body.” She started to cough.
“Oh, shit. Here, I got you a bottle of water,” Ralen told her. “And an electrolyte drink. And a bag of candy.”
“A bag of candy?” Cash asked.
“Yeah, I thought she might need the sugar rush. She just puked after being in a bar brawl, losing her sisters, hiding in a stranger’s pickup, and seeing her hotel room trashed with that message.
And now she just got into a fight, got smacked in the face, and hit some asshole with a crowbar. Girl deserves some sugar.”
Yeah. Ralen wasn’t wrong. She did.
Wait . . .
“Who the fuck hit you?”