of Percy. At least I know how that one worked. This quieter secretive version of him is one I’ve never seen before. I’m not prepared to handle it, and in my world, unforeseen variables are the most surprising, but can also be the most terrifying.
“It was a mistake for you to come back here, Mickey. Especially ‘cause that gunshot in your leg is obviously self-inflicted. And, since you ain't dead, I know it wasn’t all trouble over at Pike’s place.” He turns to face me. “You should have just fucking stayed there.”
“What?” I ask, unable to hide the shakiness in my question and surprised at how much I’ve underestimated Percy’s skill for observation. “Why would I do that?”
“Look,” Percy says, his eyes meeting mine. “I’m a fucking asshole, but I don’t care that you were with Pike. I know this wedding thing is something our dads pushed on us. It’s not exactly like we’re in love. I only care that you came back. You shouldn’t have fucking come back. I’m not always honest, but believe me when I say that I’ve always liked you Mickey. Even when we were kids. I didn’t know how to show it, but you were always nice to me even when I wasn’t nice to be around. Even when I wasn’t nice to myself. That’s always stuck with me.”
“I—”
“Never liked me at all and wished I was still locked up?” he finishes for me.
He’s not wrong. He also doesn’t wait for a reply because he already knows the answer, along with a lot of other things I didn’t think he knew anything about.
“I’m not trying to hurt you or…”
“Mindy,” I answer, finally saying her name aloud.
“The name. Your sister. Mindy.” he says with a smile that I want to rip off his face. He has my sister locked in a trailer and doesn’t even know her name or which of my sisters he has.
I straighten my shoulders. “Yes, that’s her name,” I reply, “Mindy.” It feels good to same her name, even if it’s to one of the men holding her hostage.
“Alright, well, it was Darius’s idea to give her to you as a wedding gift or some shit. She wasn’t in good shape when he brought her here.”
“What happened to her? Where has she been all this time?”
“I’m not sure really. But Darius doesn’t want me to give her to you if she’s not in good shape.”
“You mean he wants you to kill her,” I accuse.
“Yeah, that’s what I mean. Listen, I’m a monster, but even that’s out of my fucking realm. I think she’ll pull through just fine. But, I’m going to need you to trust me and stay away. You can go back to swearing under your breath and giving me fake smiles later. Right now, just promise me. No more looking around, because trust me, you’re not going to like what you find.” He sighs and mutters something barely audible. Something that sounds a lot like, I know I didn’t.
“I understand what you’re trying to tell me,” I reply, “but you’re not telling me why.”
“You’re smart, Mickey. Stay that way. Use that big brain of yours. Keep your head down. You don’t have to like me. You just have to trust me enough to let me do my thing and keep you alive.”
“Mindy, too?” I ask.
He pauses. “Mindy, too. Do we have an understanding?”
I stand from the bed and approach Percy. “We do, but promise me that when the time comes, you’ll help me get her out of here,” I say. “Because you’re right. She shouldn’t be here.”
“I can promise that I’ll try,” he says, holding out his hand.
I look at his hand, but I don’t take it. “That’s not good enough.”
He rolls his eyes and extends his hand again. “I promise that I’ll try to get her out of here before the wedding. Mindy. I’ll try to get Mindy out of here before the wedding.”
The wedding. Our wedding.
It’s an ice-cold reminder that I’m working on a timeline.
The wedding is in two weeks. That’s all the time I have to get my sister out of this place before I have to face The Reich and make vows to Percy that I never intend to keep, and this complicated storyline becomes even more tragic.
The old school bell rings, indicating the beginning of the Reich’s weekly meeting.
“I have so many questions,” I tell him.
He frowns and waits for the bell to stop ringing. “I’ll never be able to give you most of the