The Girls They Lost by J.H. Leigh

Author:J.H. Leigh [Leigh, J.H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-03-31T23:00:00+00:00

15

A few days later Badger gave us a heads up that Hicks was coming to talk to us and to lay low until he showed up. We didn’t have a choice but to settle in and wait in the church until Hicks showed up.

Silence was a mind-killer.

Dylan paced like a caged tiger and I chewed on my fingernails, replaying every bad decision of my life that lead up to me sitting in an abandoned church with no hope of ever having a normal life again.

I missed homework and overbearing teachers.

I missed the stale smell of booze and cigarettes that clung to the air in my apartment.

I missed the familiarity of routine that before, I couldn’t wait to escape.

I risked a glance at Dylan. The quiet agony, the stuff she’d never share, brimmed in her eyes and I simply acknowledged it all with a nod because words weren’t needed.

As bad as life had been, it was nothing compared to now.

By the time Hicks arrived, we were both a little feral and almost hoping it was The Avalon coming to end our misery.

But to our shock, Hicks wasn’t alone and he made quick work of an introduction, gesturing to the middle-aged woman briefly, saying, “Dylan, Nicole, this is Kerri Pope, she’s a detective with NYPD. You can trust her.”

The woman, dirty blond hair tucked back in a low ponytail, had sharp eyes like Hicks but where he was hard and salty around the edges, she had a competent yet warm presence that I found genuine. Kerri nodded in greeting as I closed and barricaded the door out of habit. “Bad neighbors,” I said by way of a small joke. To her credit, Kerri gave me a tiny smile before taking a seat on the lumpy sofa that served as our bed. Dylan hopped on the desk, eyeing both adults with wary suspicion.

“So you changed your mind about helping us, huh?” Dylan asked.

“Yeah, guess so,” Hicks said, casting a quick look my way but didn’t elaborate, going straight to business. “Kerri and I used to work together. I know she’s trustworthy and she’s a good person to have on your side. We’re going to need someone on the inside if we’re going to get anywhere. I’ve told her what I know so far but it’s better if it comes from you.”

Dylan looked bored but I knew this was her way of protecting herself. She couldn’t take another rejection and neither could I but we had to start trusting someone if we hoped to survive what was coming for us. I took the plunge and shared our story. I didn’t leave out anything, not even when my throat threatened to choke off my airway.

I could tell Kerri was struggling with the information and I couldn’t blame her. If she was a good cop, learning that two kids just killed three assassins wasn’t an easy pill to swallow. She’d have to fight her instincts and I knew all about that so I could sympathize.

“And you have no idea who these people are running The Avalon?” she asked.

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