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“I’ve had enough,” I say, getting up to set my dish in the sink. “Some women are branded, as you saw. The men choose between ink and fire.”
“I’m guessing those women aren’t the ones who do this willingly.”
I don’t answer that. I turn to face her instead. “My father chose fire, too.”
It takes her a beat. She blinks, her mouth falls open.
“It’s not the worst of his crimes, as you know, but he paid. Not enough, not nearly.” I turn back to wash my dish. “He paid.” Blue joins me at the sink, and I wash her dish too. When I’m finished, she slips into my arms and wraps hers around me.
I find myself holding her. Just holding her. And I have this feeling, this thing rising up inside me. A premonition? No. I don’t believe in those. But I hug her tighter because I feel like this is all going to go away too soon. Like she will go away, and I’ll be here holding air where she once stood.
“We should go,” I say hoarsely before the feeling can overwhelm me.
She nods and I see her swipe her hands over her eyes as she turns away. Did she feel it too?
“Let me just grab my purse.”
I take my phone out to scroll through messages while I wait. When Blue comes back into the kitchen, she’s holding her purse on her arm and her phone in her hand. She looks white as a ghost.
“What?” I ask, going to her.
“I had a voicemail from the landlord.” She hits a button and we both listen: “What did you do ransack the place? You can kiss that security deposit goodbye and you can bet your ass I’ll be sending you the bill for the repairs. I should never have let you rent the place.”
13
BLUE
It takes all I have to muster up a smiling, happy face when we pick up Wren and Rudy later that morning. Zeke drives us all to the new facility. Wren is impressed with Zeke’s SUV and if he’s irritated at her putting the window up and down for much of the drive, he doesn’t let it show. I watch him as he answers all her questions, and although I can hear he’s distracted, his mind on all that’s going on, he takes his time with her, and I appreciate that.
I’m sure Rudy senses something is off but doesn’t say anything.
When we get to the new facility, the director comes to greet us, well, mostly Zeke. She seems like a nice enough woman, but I know it’s Zeke’s money that’s buying all this concerned attention, her over-the-top welcome of my sister, but I’ll take it because Wren is thrilled by the waiting balloons, the walls that have been painted baby blue just for her. It’s her favorite color, she tells everyone.
Once we’ve unpacked my sister’s things and Rudy gets lunch ready for Wren, Zeke takes the woman out into the hallway I suppose to explain the two men who will be stationed here 24/7 and that no one, absolutely no one, is allowed to visit Wren apart from the two of us. I give Wren a hug and am grateful at how lighthearted she seems. How happy.
“That’s a pretty necklace, Blue,” she says, pointing.
I reach up to touch it, having forgotten the thin collar, the small, sparkling lock. A shudder goes through me at the memory of what Wyatt Hoxton had said he’d do to take it off my neck once I was dead.
“Thanks,” I say to my sister, making a mental note to not wear it next time I come to visit.
“Is it a gift?” she asks, eyes over my shoulder at Zeke as she sways a little, a small smile playing on her lips.
“Maybe,” I play along.
“Can I try it on?”
“Yes, of course, but I have to bring the key to unlock it. I’ll bring it next time, okay?”
She nods and I follow her gaze to watch Zeke who has his phone pressed to his ear but is watching us. He looks pensive.
“He likes you. He keeps looking at you.”
I shift my gaze back to Wren. “Oh, it’s not like that,” I say, butterflies in my belly even in the midst of all this fear and chaos.
“Is he your boyfriend?” Wren asks, ignoring my comment. Her tone is almost like I remember it. Like I remember her.
I search her eyes for more but there isn’t more. I shrug a shoulder. “Um...”
