Page 149 of Taint My Soul

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

ELIO

Istand by the window, watching the trees move toward the wind. It’s been three days. Three days since we left the city behind to stay in this place. And still I know nothing because Bernard woke up last night, and he hasn’t spoken to anyone about what happened to Saint. I need to know, even though I can already tell. I just want to hear it from him.

Sighing, I move into the kitchen to get a bottle of water to calm my nerves. Ali sits opposite Bernard at the small dining table, taking medication for his injury. The older man looks at me, and I smile as I open the fridge and fasten my hands around a water bottle.

“How are you?”

“So much better.” He answers.

“Any information on Saint?”

“He’s not ready to speak yet.” Ali interrupts me. “I honestly don’t know why you still work for those morons after they did this to your face.”

I swallow hard, stomach stinging with a sharp stab of betrayal. I caused that. I’m sure that if Bernard knew about it, he wouldn’t even try to rescue me.

“Don’t worry about me.” Bernard hums and leans forward.

“You got shot. I’m always going to be worried.”

“I have been through way worse. I’ll be fine.”

I watch their exchange, the worry in Ali’s eyes. The affection in Bernard’s.

Bernard finally looks up at me, shoulders falling with a sigh. “He’s in the Red Vault. There’s nothing we can do.”

“What? We can’t just leave him there.” I point out.

“Look, kid. What’s more important is that we got you out of the city,” Ali utters. “When Tobias sets his son free, Saint will have to kill you to prove his loyalty. Bernard was there the first time. He couldn’t stop it. He’s done his best for you, so you should leave the city.”

“I am not leaving him behind!” I maintain, even though my voice shakes. I have been running my whole life, and I’m not abandoning Saint. Not when he didn’t abandon me. When he saw everything about me and stayed. When he deemed my betrayal invalid because of how he feels about me. If I leave him behind, I destroy a part of myself.

I’m not ready to do that.

“No.” I snap at them.

Ali barrels forward. “I won’t let you put my husband in danger. I barely see him because of our jobs. The Red Vault isn’t even in Kingston City. It’s on a private island, and it’s heavily secured.”

“I told you the kid’s stubborn.” Bernard chuckles, but Ali doesn’t find his words amusing.

“No. I’m not leaving him.”

“Then you’d better learn how to shoot a gun. How to fight, otherwise you’re just a liability, and you’re going to get caught, and it’ll be worse for you.”

I don’t answer his questions.

I don’t really know what to say.

Because he is right.

I step out of the kitchen and head outside to take a run, following the short path that goes around a lake and back to the house. Breath spilling out of my lungs in quick heaves, my shoes stomp into the gravel as I race down the path.

Ali’s right.

No matter how much I try to make up these scenarios in my head, rescuing Saint is dangerous.

I don’t know how to fight, and quite frankly, I’m not sure if I can lay my hand on a gun without recalling the night that I got shot by my uncle.