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“How about you come with me, and we go talk to her together?” I hold out my hand for her.
“I don’t know.” Tessa suddenly becomes reserved and starts to huddle into a corner of her hollowed-out mattress. “Tilly’s going to be mad that I spoke to a stranger.”
“That’s excellent advice that Tilly gave you.” I smile. “My name is Andrey, Andrey Belov, and I’m a Pakhan for the Belov Bratva. That’s like my family’s business.”
“Oh!” Tessa’s blue eyes light with interest. “What’s a Pak… Pakan.”
“Pakhan.” My smile grows. “It means I’m the head of the Belov Bratva. You know, the leader like Tilly’s the leader of the hackers.”
“Okay.” Tessa nods and holds out her little hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Belov.”
“You can call me Andrey.” I shake her little hand. “I’ll make you a deal. If you can get Tilly to help us, I’ll get you and Tilly out of here.”
“What about our friends?” Her eyes narrow.
“Who are your friends?”
“They’re kids Tilly and I know.” Tessa smiles. “Runaways Tilly has been hiding in our house for about a year. Their mother is a crack-war, and the state is now trying to suck out their souls. When Daddy made Tilly go work for the bad man, he promised Cane, Cody, and Tommy could live with us if they all helped Tilly.” Her little face fell. “But Tilly thinks he’s lying.” She looks up at me and whispers. “We’re running away to Folidra soon.”
“Oh!” I nod. “Now that we’re no longer strangers—“ A bit more guilt tugs at my conscience for tricking a kid, but in the few minutes I’ve spoken with the cherub, I already know I’m going to do what I can for her and her foul-mouthed sister and her tweeny crew of cybercriminals. I’m actually starting to have a grudging respect for Tilly, the teenage she-devil. “Why don’t we go speak to Tilly?”
“Okay.” Tessa takes my hand, and I see her struggling to get off the bed when I see the bandage around her ankle.
“Tessa, what happened to your ankle?”
“It got sore.” That’s all she says, and she points to a few springs that have coiled down. “I cut it on a spring.”
“Can you walk on it?”
Tessa nods. “I limp a little bit.”
“Permission to carry you?”
Tessa nods again and lifts her thin little arms to me, and now I feel a crack in my heart staring into her trusting little eyes. Fuck, I’m a monster! I just manipulated a six-year-old into helping me get her sister to talk.
Swallowing my guilt, I swoop her into my arms. She’s so light and thin. We walk down the hallway, and before we step into the warehouse, I remember there are dead bodies and the hackers on their knees. That’s not going to bode well with my cred with Tessa.
“What do you say we ask my friend Ren to bring Tilly into the living room so we can chat?”
“Okay!” Tessa agrees and smiles shyly at me. “But will you still carry me?”
“Your foot sore?”
She nods. “But I also feel safe with you,” Tessa tells me shyly.
Great! Now I do feel like a huge fucking monster! Pulling out my phone, I call Ren.
“Hey, boss,” Ren answers. “I was just about to come looking for you. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. But I need you to bring your new friend in here, please.” Smiling at Tessa, I keep my voice light. “Tell her I’ve made a new friend, and the two of us would like to have a chat with her.”
“Will do, boss.” Ren hangs up.
A few minutes later, the door opens, and Ren walks in, pulling a spitting mad teenager whose name I now know is Tilly.
“You don’t have to drag me for big fucking brute!” Tilly seethes.
“Now, Tilly.“ I emphasize her name. Her head shoots up toward the use of it and her face pales when she sees Tessa in my arms. “That’s no way to speak around your younger sister.”
