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He has no right to laugh at my home when he is the one who forced us to live this way. “I hear that the gang were, however, rather distraught at the thought of you being left here. I believe they said some rather unkind words to my boy before they left.” It would be a typical Hayden thing for him to get out his anger on the nearest possible person, even if they weren’t the object of his rage. I remember him doing that a lot back home. Whenever something upset him, he would take out his anger by getting annoyed or snapping back at someone else. It’s not fair, but it’s how he copes. The rest of us just have to deal with it.
It was either that, or he would have to go and hunt down the real object of his rage. But everyone in the gang knows that he is no match for the CSO. His rage is strong, but their power and resources are stronger.
“Aubrey sends her love,” he says, taunting me now. “Although I hear Hayden got into quite the fist fight with Jasper. And poor Mason was just so distraught over you having to stay. He was supposedly begging Jasper to take him instead.”
If looks could kill, I would have murdered Mr. Cunningham right on the spot. “You don’t know them.” I tell him. He is messing with me, trying to act like he knows them. Because if he knows them, then he knows how to hurt them, which means he knows how to hurt me.
“But I know you well enough to tell you that you would do anything for them.” He replies smoothly.
“And?”
“I spoke to Jasper last night, after his little spectacle that he performed trying to defend you. Is it true that you told him everything?” I want to avoid talking about Jasper. I haven’t had time to properly process everything that has happened. I need to ask him about what in the world he was thinking before I go and blatantly defend him.
“Why Black Opps? Why trust them when they kidnapped your kid? That doesn’t seem very smart if you ask me. I would expect that someone as smart as yourself would-”
“If he did, he did his job marvellously well.” He says, ignoring my questions completely, my voice falters ever so slightly. I try not to act surprised. I knew this was coming. Jasper himself had basically said it yesterday at the Black Opps facility. But hearing it from Albert’s mouth made it real. It makes it true.
What if the well-built personality of Jasper was really all a lie?
No, I can’t bring myself to believe it. I make my face expressionless, but it’s too late. Albert has already seen everything that he needed to see, “You didn’t think that I placed Jasper in your care for this very purpose?” he laughs.
I did expect this, which is exactly why I have been careful not to tell Jasper anything. But what if my memory has faltered and I really did tell him something in a moment of weakness? What if I misunderstood this whole situation and the real reason he looked angry this morning was because he had betrayed me, and he couldn’t bring himself to look me in the eyes.
“Did you really think that a passing feeling of attraction would overpower his very own blood?” Albert narrows his eyebrows at me, and I feel so insignificant.
“If you believe your blood is so strong then, you can just let me go.” I tell him matter-of-factly.
“Aah, that’s where you’re wrong. You are my plan B.” he responds. He has thought everything through so well. Nothing escapes his mind. “You see, I was a teenager once too, I understand. And if he is lying to me, I’m not going to be stupid enough to let the sole person who knows the answers out of my sight again.”
“That’s assuming that I know the answers.”
“Oh, but you do.” He sighs, knowing that we’ve been over this a thousand times before.
“And so does Jasper, so let me go and get your answers from him.” I am exasperated.
“You seem awfully confident that he knows.” Mr. Cunningham looks at me quizzically.
“Yes, because I’m the one that told him. Now let me go.” The full impact of the words slams into me, and I am overcome with instant regret. It’s selfish to be so flippant with my lies, but I need to see how much trust Albert actually has in his son.
“You know I can’t do that.”
“Then let my mother go. You have me, you don’t need her.” I bargain. I remember the conversation I had with her a couple of nights ago; it seemed then that she didn’t want to leave this place. But that can’t be right, who would want to stay here of their own free will. She deserves to see the light of day, she deserves freedom. She can’t really want to stay here.
“Oh, she could if she wanted to, but contrary to your opinion, some people actually think this place is nice. I think she quite enjoys it here.” He smirks.
I laugh to cover up the shock. I was right, she really just didn’t want to see me, even though she could have left at any moment. “Enjoy it here?” I snap defensively. “How could anyone enjoy it here? This place is a prison, no one enjoys prison.”
“I see this conversation isn’t really going anywhere.”
“You think? What did you want to achieve? Peace? Did you want me to tell you that I forgive you and that I will happily cooperate? We’ve been going round in circles for the past 8 years. Aren’t you tired of this?”
“That would be a nice conversation to have, but no, I didn’t expect that to happen. I just wanted to tell you that the gang is safe and if Jasper does know everything you have claimed, you will no longer be needed.”
“So, you’ll let me go.”
“If that’s how you see it.”
“So, you’ll kill me.”
