Lost in Silence (The Lost Series Book 1)(50)

“There’s no way he could’ve traced you here,” I stand and cross the room, pulling her into my arms. “I made sure of it.”

She sighs but I can see she’s not convinced. No matter how much time passes, I know he’ll always be there in the back of her mind. As long as he breathed, she’ll always be on the lookout and ready to run.

“Precious, how would he know where you are? We drove straight through. I used a different alias at every stop, changing our story so if he did weasel information out of someone, he wouldn’t learn anything to lead him here,” I stroke her back and press a kiss to her hair.

Her shoulders sag and she scribbles on her pad. Finally, something she didn’t expect me to say.

Are you sure?

“You’re safe,” I caress her cheek, cupping it in my large hand. She closes her eyes and leans into my touch. There wasn’t anything in this world I wouldn’t do to keep my promise to her. Even if it meant killing him myself.

She opens her eyes and looks past me to the computer screen, her eyes grow wide. She bats me away and moves towards it. I forgot to close the file on Erik when she knocked. I look past her and see what section I had stopped over. It was the information we had about her.

“It’s not what you think,” I stutter and she turns to face me. Her eyes are hard, anger radiates off her in waves. She points to the screen and then slaps herself in my chest. “It’s a report on Erik, well, everything we were able to dig up on him. Some of the information we have is about you. I’m going over all of it again to figure out what we’re missing.”

She stares at me, making me feel as if I have done something to betray her but I haven’t. I shrug and reach past her, closing out the files I shut down the computer. I turn to leave the room but she pushes her pad of paper at me.

I told you not to dig. I told you it was dangerous. You didn’t listen. Why?

I brush past her, unsure of what to say but I know I don’t want to say it to a notepad. Exiting the room I head towards the front of the house, ignoring her as she stomps her feet behind me. I sit down in my chair and reach for my book but she slaps it out of my hand, shoving her notepad in my face.

Don’t you dare ignore me Hudson Rivers! Why didn’t you listen when I told you not to dig?

“You didn’t tell me not to dig actually. You just shook your head a lot, waved your arms around but you didn’t say a single word. Kind of like what you’re doing now,” I reach around her and pick my book up off the floor, placing it back on the table. “It’s done Alice, no point in fighting over it now.”

She slaps the table beside her, trying to get my attention but I refuse to give it. I place my head in my hands and take a deep breath. At a loss for words, I don’t understand her and I don’t know what to say. This entire situation was bullshit. The ending of it all seemed further with each passing day, with each word she refused to speak out loud.

She walks out of the room into the kitchen. I can hear her banging open drawers, searching for something. I’m almost afraid of what it might be she’s looking for but she comes back in the room, stopping just short of me. I stare down at her bare feet, watching her stomp them again for my attention. I don’t look up and I’m immediately drenched in ice cold water. The action got my attention but I do nothing, refusing to acknowledge her tantrum.

I stand up from my seat and step past her, walking to the bathroom. She squeezes herself in between me and the door, pushing at me in the chest with her fists. I let her but my annoyance quickly grows. She grunts and reaches for my face. I dodge her hands, grabbing her wrists only to keep her from gouging my eyes out. I finally acknowledge her.

“You want to talk Alice,” my voice is cold, emotionless. I already know what I’m going to do and any worry or concerns I might have had about doing it is gone. I can’t take any more of her silence. “Use your fucking voice. Open your pretty little mouth and use it.”

I look down at her, our eyes connect instantly. I see fire burning deep inside them, her fuel is the anger, the fear, the doubt and the shame she has battled on and off the last few months.

Good, she’s going to need it.

“I’m not going to talk to a notepad. I’m not going to play charades with you anymore,” I step in closer, bringing her nose to nose with me. “You have something to say? Say it.”

She pushes at me and lifts her notepad to my face. I rip it from her hands and toss it down the hallway. She gasps in shock but I’m not giving in. No, I’m going to push her even harder.

“What’s stopping you?” Her eyes grow wider still. She knows what I’m about now. I’m not fucking around anymore. “Tell me, why can’t you talk? What did he do to you?”