AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ryan sat across from me at the table, hunched over his plate. He shoveled food into his mouth without pausing to take a breath, slurping at his coffee. I didn’t even have a glass of water.
Oh, nothing for my little sis, Ryan had told the waitress with his most charming smile. She’s having a tantrum today, so she gets to sit there and think about what she’s done.
I was surprised Ryan was willing to stop for food. It seemed risky, especially after the shootout last night. I expected he would take me straight back to the trailer and lock me up so I couldn’t escape again. On the other hand, he always acted like he was invincible. By refusing to allow me to eat with him, it served as a reminder that he held all the power in this dynamic and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it,
“Starving,” he grunted into his meal. “Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you? I’ve been worried sick. Completely lost my appetite.”
I rolled my eyes. Yeah, right.
“Tell me,” he said with a sniff. “How did you think this was going to work?”
I clenched my teeth, silent. He’d tossed my backpack in the ditch, but he hadn’t checked my boot. I still had my knife. I could turn this around in my favor.
“Were you going to whore yourself for money to get out of town?” Ryan added.
“That would be your department, not mine,” I countered. “You’re the one getting cozy with every junkie and addict within a hundred miles.”
He clutched his steak knife and pointed it at me.
“Watch your fucking mouth. After everything I’ve done for you, I deserve a little respect. Is this how you repay me? You just leave?”
“I thought you would have been relieved. No more little sister to worry about.”
“We’re family,” Ryan spat. “That means we don’t abandon each other.”
God, he disgusted me. Holding it over my head that we were siblings and we had to stick together while the bruises bloomed black and blue all over my body because of him.
“I’m not going to be your little worm on a hook anymore, Ryan,” I shot back. “Find someone else to use as bait.”
He slammed his fist on the table so hard that the silverware rattled. A few nearby customers glanced in our direction with startled looks. Ryan pretended to flick a bug onto the floor.
“Spider,” he said. “Pesky little things.”
His gaze shifted to me, cold, hard, and narrow. Then he lowered his voice.
“I raised you. I fed you. I put a roof over your head. I worked my ass off to keep us alive. You owe me.”
I could scream. The diner wasn’t full, but there were a handful of people nearby who might be willing to interfere on my behalf. On the other hand, I knew Ryan had a gun. He’d jabbed it into my ribs hard enough to hurt.
“Don’t even think about it,” he warned. “If you draw attention to us, I’ll put a bullet in your lungs and you’ll drown in your own blood.”
I shook my head. It didn’t make sense. Why would he track me down, bring me home, and keep me as his pretty little pawn to sell drugs, when he was willing to shoot me if I acted up?
“Just let me go, Ryan,” I said.
“No,” he hissed through his teeth. “Mom died. Dad didn’t want anything to do with us in the first place. You are never going to leave me.”
Ah. There was the truth of it. Ryan was grasping at straws to gain some semblance of control when our lives had been nothing but chaos.
I almost felt sorry for him. We’d been through hell together. But he didn’t want a better future for us. He didn’t want to be happy. He was angry—at the world, at our parents, at life—and he wanted to stay that way. It was easier to cling to the hatred that had helped him survive, rather than face the heartache of everything we’d endured.
“You can make it up to me,” Ryan said.
“I have nothing to apologize for,” I replied.
He leaned back, spreading his legs wide as he crossed his arms.
“Don’t play hard to get. It’s not cute. This gun dealer in Wyoming contacted me. He agreed to pay triple the price for his personal shipment of drugs every month, as long as I sweetened the pot for him. He was very interested when I told him I have a sister.”
