in the back seat,” he says as he pulls the back door of the truck open.
“Oh, thank you so much.” Shepherd guides me to the door. “Do you think you can get up there? Let me help you.”
He sends Bear in before guiding me in and following after. While the man is still pumping gas, Shepherd turns to me. “Just be quiet, lie down, and put your head on my lap. We don’t want him to question us at all, alright?”
I nod and lie down before setting my head on his lap.
The man gets into the truck and looks back at us. “Does he need a doctor?”
“No, it happened days ago. He just has headaches. I think a concussion, but once we settle in somewhere, I’ll get him an appointment in the morning,” Shepherd says. “Really, anywhere you’re heading, we’ll take it. Then from there, we’ll grab a bus. We just need to get out of the city tonight.”
“Alright.”
The truck rumbles to life and he begins to drive as I lie on the seat, cheek pressed against Shepherd’s leg. He seems to know a lot about this stuff, and I can’t help but wonder how life was for him.
Age Fifteen
I’m lying in bed when I hear a horrible noise. It jars me from my sleep, leaving me tangled in blankets and sheets that I battle off me. Was it Mother? Did she leave her room again and fall? The last time, she nearly tore the bathroom cabinet off when she tried using the door to lift herself up.
I grab my hoodie and step out into the hallway. “Mom?” I call.
That’s when I hear steps on the stairs and turn, but I can’t see much in the night. I feel my way down the dark hallway and flip the switch on just as Father hits my floor, but what my eyes are drawn to is a person lying at his feet.
“Oh my god. Killian, help, quickly,” he says, and I rush toward him, wondering if Mom had fallen down the stairs. It wouldn’t be the first time she lost her balance, but she knows better than to wander around the house.
When I reach him, I see that it’s not Mom. No, the hair on the woman is bright red, big curls wrapped around her face. Blood is pooling out around her head as she lies on the rug at the base of the stairs.
I slow when I reach them, confused and wondering if I’m still asleep. What’s happening?
“It was dark, and she fell. We need to call an ambulance,” he says as he rolls her over and presses his fingers against her neck. I don’t even know why he is because her eyes are open and she’s not blinking.
“I-Is she dead?” I whisper.
“No, no, no,” he says. “Come on, wake up.”
“Father, what happened?”
“Dammit, Killian, calm down. She fell. I told her where the lights were, but she must not have seen the stairs when she was reaching for them.”
“Who is she? Why was she in our house?” I ask as I look at him before realizing why. Why else would a young woman be in our house after midnight? “You’re cheating on Mom?”
“Dammit, Killian. She’s dead. I don’t think now is the time for your petty bullshit!”
“I’m not…” I’m just confused, and I don’t know what to do. “Do I call an ambulance? The police?”
“I am the fucking police, Killian. We can’t call anyone.”
“W-What?” I ask. “What do you mean we can’t call anyone?”
“She was just… a prostitute. It’s not… she didn’t have anyone, Killian. No one’s going to notice if she goes missing. But I can’t let anyone know. If it gets out that she died here, people will question why she was here. We can’t let anyone know, Killian. If it gets out… we’ll be ruined. Do you understand?”
I stare at him as I realize what he’s saying. “You… want us to hide a dead body?”
“Do you think I’ll be allowed to stay as the chief of police if it gets out that a woman died in my house? A prostitute at that?”
“It was an accident. She fell down the stairs. Father, we have to call someone.” I jump up to do just that. What if someone can save her? What if they can use CPR and bring her back? Father’s not even trying, and I don’t know what to do.
Father grabs me and slams me against the wall, making my fear spike. “You’re going to listen to me,”