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“Ollie has been calling you,” Kate interrupted their moment, and I felt bad for them because the guy—I assumed, Woodrow—looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders despite the perfect teeth being on parade behind curved lips.
His hand, the one entwined with his partner’s, tapped his chest, and I remembered then that Remi had told me he’d lost his voice to cancer a few years ago.
“Yes, you. He needs a favor, but only if you’re able.”
“What is it?” his partner, whose name I’d forgotten—and boy, did I feel awful for that, because I knew how us girls were often stripped of everything, name first—asked on his behalf, save him reaching for his electrolarynx that was hanging out of his pocket.
“Are you confident you can drive a short journey?”
He took a moment before his eyes blinked twice.
His fiancée watched his mannerisms, then said, “Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
He blinked twice again.
“He’s sure. I’ll go with him. I don’t want him out on the road alone. If he switches and panics, he could have an accident.”
They moved as a pair, almost as if they were joined at the hip.
“What’s going on with Ollie?”
The pair joined us at the tiny island, now crowded with people. The woman was the first to smile at me, but Woodrow did the same a second later.
“There’s a property down the road. It’s about two miles before you turn left. A narrow road that will be easy to miss. Turn there and continue until you see a house. Over the years, this place has been home to many slaves—”
The way I looked at Kate, she must have felt the burn from the fire in my eyes.
“There’s no such thing as a home to slaves. Those places aren’t home,” Woodrow’s girl interrupted.
“I’m sorry, Jolie…” Kate apologized instantly. To Jolie, whose name I now knew, then to me. “Cat…that was a poor word choice.”
I agreed, but I stayed quiet.
“There are twelve dogs on the property, all drastically underweight. They need to be removed before the owner comes home.”
Now, I had to speak. “Which could be any moment. He was only meant to pick up another girl.”
“Cat was…” Kate struggled with the right word as she filled in the blanks for the others.
Saving her the agony, I cut in, “I was being held at Rothbart’s house. Remi found me there yesterday and brought me…” Now, I struggled with the word…“home.”
“Why did they go back? Not for the dogs, surely?”
Woodrow nudged Declan, almost knocking him off his feet for the stupid thing he said.
“Hey, I’d understand you doing it, animal man, but them?”
“Enough, boys,” Kate’s voice was sharp, and it cut into their tension and broke it apart before any more could become of it.
“There were other girls. Remi went back to try and get them out. We couldn’t find them yesterday. And now, he’s hurt.” My shoulders slumped, and my head followed.
Woodrow’s face was a picture of horror. It matched the weird worry inside me that I didn’t understand but still felt.
Kate raised a hand as he stepped closer for answers. “He’s okay. Don’t panic. He got hurt yesterday and popped some stitches this morning, but he’s fine. He’s gone to get them restitched, and he’s also taking the girl they found to Beyond Heaven. That is why Ollie needs you, and he suggests you bring a van from the garage, not his car.
“And a weapon,” I added.
