Silver-Lined Secrets by Aleksander Petit

Author:Aleksander Petit [Petit, Aleksander]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aleksander Petit
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

Baeton was right; it hurts. Not enough to immobilize Bailey, but enough to slow him to a snail’s pace. Bailey runs, more of a hobble really, and hides in the back of a nearby alleyway, tucked into the far corner and hidden from sight by a dumpster. Rain pounds against him as he shivers and shakes, cold and nervous.

A car drives by far too fast to be a casual driver, and at first Bailey thinks their plan may have already failed, but the car passes without slowing down. For the moment, they’ve lost Bailey.

Once the growl of their engine is gone completely, Bailey walks to the mouth of the alley and looks around, surveying the area. Nobody seems to be around, but there is a main street up ahead where he can probably catch a taxi.

A nearby shop has an awning for him to duck under to protect himself from the rain while figuring out a plan. Bailey slides the emergency bag off his back and checks to see what’s in it under the dim light of a streetlamp. In the front compartment he finds a small flashlight, batteries, and a pocketknife. In the main compartment there’s a bundle of maps, wallet full of neatly pressed bills, first aid kit, water bottle, and folded blanket. Most of it is water-logged from the puddle he landed in, making the bag’s contents a questionably useful soup.

He pockets the wallet and the knife. Something brushes against his hand, and he pulls out a square of velvet. He’d forgotten about the pouch Lucien gave him and the note inside.

Baeton told Bailey to go to the safe house address in his texts, but if they caught Baeton, they could possibly find the address in his message history despite its deletion. If they get ahold of the address, the safe house won’t be safe anymore. Or maybe they already have the safe house address from the security breach and the school didn’t let anyone know. Maybe there are people in the school with less loyalty than expected.

Loyalty is the only reason he should follow Baeton’s orders, and there are several logical reasons he shouldn’t.

A direct order was given to him, and Bailey makes the decision to disobey it.

Bailey zips the backpack, throws it over his shoulder, and walks towards the main street where he hails a taxi. He reads the driver an address written on a scrap of paper, the ink runny and nearly unreadable. When they arrive at the tall brick apartment building, Bailey thanks and pays the driver.

There is a buzzer on the door with each apartment listed. As per the instructions of the paper scrap, he presses the button for 4B DuBois and hopes someone is home.

“Hello?” comes a tinny voice through the speaker.

“Hey, it’s Bailey.”

“Lucien’s friend?” asks the voice. It’s too distorted to tell who’s speaking, but their answer ensures that he has the right place.

“Yeah. Can I come in?” His teeth are starting to clatter from the rain seeping into his clothes.

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