Price of a Bounty - By S. L. Wallace Page 0,31
Keira. “I think you should see him, at least one more time.” I paused. “There is something else I wanted to discuss with you.”
“What is it?”
“Have you been paying attention to the news?”
“Not much electricity where I’m staying,” she pointed out, “so no.”
“There was a… well an attack at the Ramsey estate.”
“Oh yeah, the butler…”
“Not the butler, the chauffeur.”
She looked convincingly shocked.
“You didn’t know?” I asked, my eyebrows raised.
“What are you implying, Scott? No, I didn’t know. I’m not the one keeping secrets,” she accused quietly.
I held her gaze but didn’t speak. April looked back and forth between us but didn’t say anything.
“How?” Keira finally asked. “What happened?”
“It was a car bomb. Her chauffeur was killed instantly. It happened a couple of days ago.”
“Her chauffeur? You mean her bodyguard.”
“Yes, it was clearly retaliation for what she did to you. Don’t you think?”
-April-
Ashton
When I arrived at the park, Keira was already there, on a bench in the shade. She smiled and stood as I approached.
“Would you like to stay in the shade or enjoy some sun?” I held up the blanket I’d brought along.
“Enjoying some sun sounds perfect.” She smiled at me and took one end of the blanket. We spread it on a grassy knoll.
“You’ve cut your hair.”
“Will you help me even it out?” She handed me the scissors.
“Are you going to dye it too?” I asked.
“Maybe.”
“Would you go back to red?”
“No, not yet. Maybe I’ll try your color.”
I smiled. “That would be nice. Then we might actually look like sisters.”
We sat down together and faced the three apple trees we used to climb when we were children. I went to work on her hair. The birds twittered in the trees, and the sun warmed my bare arms. I breathed in deeply and felt the muscles in my shoulders begin to relax.
“Are you all right, Keira? I mean really all right?” I’d been able to help her in the past. Did she need my help again? “Remember the first time you stayed with Cole? I was so worried.”
“I wasn’t with Cole back then. It took me a long time to figure out who was safe.” Keira turned and gave me a reassuring hug. “I’m safe with Cole. Haven’t I always let you know where I’m staying, and how you can reach me?”
“Ever since those first few weeks, yes.” She was right. She had. “If you need a place to stay though, I could sneak you in. Here, I’m finished.” I handed her the scissors.
“And jeopardize your job? That’s not a good idea, April.”
Losing my job might not be so bad, but she was right to worry, then we’d both be on the street. How would we survive? I didn’t have any savings of which to speak. Live in help received payment mostly in the form of room and board, and Keira’s accounts had been closed.
Just then we saw Scott. I wondered if he could loan Keira some money, but quickly dismissed the idea. I knew that Keira would never accept. We stood and each received a warm hug from our big brother. Then we sat again, the three of us together, like old times.
Our parents used to bring us to this park. The apple trees were much smaller then. They had grown and twisted with age. I thought about how similar we were to those trees: beauty on the outside masked a twisted and shady interior. Well, the trees reminded me of Keira and me actually. Scott had been luckier; he’d had more opportunities.
“Where are you staying?” Scott asked Keira.
I watched the rest of their exchange with interest. Scott really didn’t like Cole.
“Has he hurt you?” he asked.
“No! He never has. See, no scratches or bruises.” She stood up and spun around. “No new ones anyway.”
We both knew she’d been hurt before, but I trusted that Keira was telling the truth about Cole. I’d stayed with him before too, but Keira didn’t need to know about that. While I’d been lost in thought, their conversation had continued.
“I’ve spoken with Rick,” Scott said.
Now that was an interesting topic! “What’s he like?” I asked.
“Worth it,” Scott said and turned back to Keira. “I think he has real feelings for you.”
“No,” she said, and her eyes grew dark. “I went to him first. He turned me down.”
“Oh, Keira! That could be a good sign.”
“How would you know?” she asked harshly.
That hurt! She didn’t think I knew much, but I knew a lot more than she realized. She didn’t know that I protected her