Bat and the Bone by Alexa Gregory

Author:Alexa Gregory [Gregory, Alexa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

10

T-Bone

The sun is fully rising by the time we get back to the SUV. I drive the car as close to the entrance door as possible so that Mila only needs to put on sunglasses and tuck her head under her hoodie to avoid the sun's damaging rays.

In the safety of the dark vehicle, she takes a deep breath and leans her head back on the seat. Tears line her eyes, and her entire body begins to tremble. Mila shakes her head, and I get the distinct impression that she is trying to dislodge whatever emotion she's having about her mother and the state of her cell.

Seeing strong, energetic Mila so affected by this is hard. I feel bad for involving her in this mission. If I had known from the get-go that she was Sveta Markov's daughter, I like to think I wouldn’t have approached her for her help.

But that's a lie.

I would have, for the good of the case. The only reason why I'm reacting so strongly to Mila's distress is because I want to protect her from the turmoil she is living.

"Mila, it's okay." I pitch my voice low.

"No." Her voice is so small, so hurt that I just let my instincts take over.

I tug her toward me, over the center console, settling her on my lap. I wrap her up in my arms and squeeze her small, curvy form to mine.

"It makes sense to feel a whole mess of things right now," I whisper against the crown of her head. "It's all right to be torn between caring for a woman who raised you, who is sick, and the woman who did horrible things."

Mila stays very quiet, her hands pressed up against my chest. She inhales deeply, eyes closed, and a shiver runs across her body.

"After all this time, I still try to make sense of the things that she has done, you know? Some days, I hate her. Flat-out hate her for ruining our lives, for hurting people. And other days, I think that she wanted to do good but let her hubris get the better of her. On those days, it's not her that I hate." Her body begins to shake in earnest, as she has stopped breathing. A few tears escape her, making the blue of her eyes go gray. "It's me. For even thinking of sympathizing with her, even just a fraction. If she had just gone through the proper channels. Getting grants and permissions, using blood donors..."

"Mila, look at me." I hate to interrupt her, especially since it seems like she is in desperate need of talking to someone about all of this. But her breath is impossibly erratic, and I'm scared she'll have a panic attack. Her eyes settle on mine. "None of this is your fault. That includes her escape. Even if she had been evaluated by a psychiatrist, if she wanted out, she was getting out. Sveta is a very smart woman. None of this is on you," I repeat, trying to make her understand.

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