Cole(88)

She looked up. Her eyes rounded, and she shook her head. “Oh, no. I didn’t tell them that. Just that the dog went to them. They wanted to know, but no way. I wouldn’t put your mother in harm’s way like that. I told them you put your stuff in storage, but I didn’t know where. That’s what they were looking for. They wanted to find a key or where you stored it all. They didn’t find anything, like I knew they wouldn’t.”

A lost look entered her eyes. “And when they couldn’t find anything, they said there was no other option.” She looked at me again. “That’s why you’re here. They made me get close to you. No one else could, and I knew I only had a little window. You were going back there to stand next to Mauricio himself. He put guards on you. They’ve been watching you for a while, but always at a distance. Did you know that?” She nodded to herself. “They blended in, but we figured out who they were. For once, none of them were by you. I had to move, or it wouldn’t have worked. I think maybe it shouldn’t have worked. I should’ve taken the needle myself, made something up, said you overpowered me, but I knew it wouldn’t work. They would’ve just killed you if I hadn’t helped them take you this way.”

She put the washcloth in the bucket, and her hand covered mine. She leaned close. “I’ll get you out of this. I’ll fix it. I promise. But, Addison, you have to tell me—what did Liam say to you?”

I shook my head.

“He must’ve said something. Why did you move into The Mauricio? Of all buildings, why that one? There was a reason. You went there on purpose. You have to tell us why. What did Liam tell you about the Bertals? What don’t I know?”

I had no response. Even if my vocal chords had worked, I still wouldn’t have told her a thing. There was nothing to tell. I lifted my shoulders and tried to shake my head again, side to side.

Carol sat back. “You have to know something.”

I didn’t.

“Addison—” She shot forward again. “You have to tell me. You tell me; I tell them. We’re both safe. They said that. He said that. If you tell, they’ll consider you family again. Everything will be fine. They’ll protect us. Mauricio will never find us. Even Carter Reed, if he joined that family again, he won’t find us either. We’ll be safe. We could even go together—you, me, Hank. They wouldn’t hurt my other children. They’d be safe, and we could be safe too. Just tell me.”

I didn’t know! If I could speak, I would’ve been shouting it. I. Don’t. Know!

She held still, reading my eyes, before slumping back in her chair. “You really don’t know, do you?”

She was defeated. She finally understood that I knew nothing. Liam never said a thing.

Her hand rested at the base of my throat, but she was talking to herself now. “This isn’t good. They’re going to kill you. They won’t believe you. If you didn’t tell them anything, then why did you move in? It wasn’t a coincidence. Nothing’s a coincidence.” She focused on me again. “Why did you move in there?”

I lifted my hand, pretending to write something in the air.

“Oh!” She shot up out of her chair. “Hold on.” And she was gone. She returned with a computer, which she placed on my lap, helping me sit up. The wifi was disabled. I couldn’t send an email.

“Here you go.” She brought up a blank screen and moved her chair around so she could see what I typed. “Tell me how you ended up living there.”

My friend was approached, I typed.

“How?”

She was given a phone number. We called to look at it, and I loved the building. I paused, frowning, then added, I thought the house was haunted with Liam’s ghost. I couldn’t stay there any longer.

“Who was approached? Was it Sia? Was she the one?”

I pulled my hands from the keyboard. I wouldn’t answer.

“Addison, come on.”

I shook my head.

“They’ll want to know. We have to tell them.”

I typed out, No fucking way! Piss off, bitch.

Carol pulled away. “You don’t have to be rude.”

My hands were sore, but I extended my middle fingers. Both of them. When she saw, I moved them around in the air. She wasn’t going to get Sia’s name from me. My hands went back to the keyboard. I was going to type that they could kill me before I’d say, but she murmured, “Maybe he’ll know. I bet he’ll know.”

Dorian.

Fear rushed through my body. I was paralyzed for a moment, then I lunged, as best as I could, and tried to type again, but Carol pulled the laptop away.