Dusk (Dangerous Web #1) - Aleatha Romig Page 0,28

reddened areas, bruises, or lacerations. As I continued to smooth her hair and speak softly, tears fell from her closed eyes, like small streams, making their way to the pillow beneath her head.

“What happened?” I asked. “Did they hurt you?”

Her presence combined with silence was more deafening than when I’d been alone.

It was then I noticed the two water bottles lying upon the floor near the door. I hadn’t heard them as they were dropped, but my attention had been on the man’s steps and the squeak coming from the bunk bed as he’d laid Araneae down.

I hurried to gather the bottles and brought them back to the bunk bed. In the split second I’d been gone, Araneae had begun to shiver. Instead of struggling with the covers she was lying upon, I returned the bottles again to the floor, reached for the covers on the top bunk, and pulled the thin blanket from the mattress. Next, I covered her from her chin to her toes, tucking the edges around her to help retain her warmth. Through it all, her eyes stayed closed.

Her expression had eased as if she had fallen into a much-needed sleep. I wanted to tell myself that was all that this was. Araneae was exhausted and to combat that state, her body needed sleep.

Next, I pulled the top bunk pillow down and moved her into a more inclined position. The last thing I tried was the water. After first ensuring that the bottles had been sealed, I opened one and brought the spout to her mouth. “Come on, Araneae. You need to drink.”

I tilted the bottle until the liquid reached her lips. That was as far as it went. She didn’t move or acknowledge my assistance. The water flowed from her lips down her chin.

“It’s all right,” I soothed as I sopped it with the blanket. “Sleep first and drink later.”

Though her skin felt warm, her body trembled beneath the blanket. Getting up, I went to the sink and saturated a thin washcloth with cold water from the faucet. Squeezing out the excess, I folded the cloth and took it back to Araneae. I placed it on her forehead and looked around our cell. The supplies were limited at best.

Unsure what else to do with what I had, I took a small sip of the water, wanting to save most if it for her, and again sat on the mattress beside her. After a few minutes, I stretched out on the few inches of space beside her. With my head next to hers on the pillow, I wrapped one arm over her and softly spoke.

“Do you remember the first time we met?” Though she didn’t respond, I imagined her voice full of zeal and joy. I pretended to hear her determination in the way she voiced her power as queen of Chicago.

“I do,” I said, “like I’ve said several times, I was nervous about your arrival, and then when you did arrive, you were like you are now.” I took a ragged breath. “No, you were unconscious, but then it was because someone tried to hurt you. Now, you’re only tired.”

I worked to slow my breathing. “That first morning, Sparrow carried you down to the kitchen.” I smirked at the memory. “He was all caveman. Even though you were weak from whatever had happened, you were still strong and spunky. In only a few minutes, my worries about you disappeared. And then later that day, you called me. He’d left strict instructions that you were to remain upstairs.” My smile grew bigger. “But he forgot to inform you of his supreme authoritarian power. Or...” I turned toward Araneae, saw her closed eyes, and heard her even breaths. “Or maybe you didn’t care. Maybe you already knew you had him wrapped around your little finger.” I moved my hand down, momentarily over her midsection. “Just like this baby will. If she’s a girl, God help us. Sparrow is a goner. If he’s a boy, he’ll need you to be the mom Sparrow never had.” I looked back at her closed eyes. “Anyway, on with my story, you wanted your laptop.

“Gosh, that was three years ago, and I remember it like it was yesterday. I’m not sure Sparrow knew. No, I’m sure he didn’t. I think we told you...a little, but the truth was that all of us—Reid, Patrick, and I—we were all rooting for you. We were on your side from day one, even though we knew