Kite was the guy that would stand behind you a hundred percent even when there was a chance you might not come back alive.
Deck threw the car in gear. “That was Georgie. Raven was the one who gave away Emily’s location. She’s helping Alfonzo.”
Chapter 30
I was thrown onto the floor, and my nose hit hard and immediately started bleeding onto the carpet. Orange shag carpet. Not many people had orange shag carpet, except Georgie.
“Keep it on her,” Alfonzo said. “She makes a move, shoot her in the leg.”
I looked up and saw Raven pointing the gun at my head. Oh God, no. Why? Why would Raven help him? Why were they at Georgie’s?
“Where’s the other girl?”
He had to be talking about Georgie.
“She ... she heard me talking to you on the phone and ran. I ... I didn’t see where she went, Master. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Master.”
“Fuck. Stupid girl. We have to get out of here.” Alfonzo took out his phone and started to walk in the other room.
“Raven?”
Alfonzo came charging back, phone to his ear as his fist plowed into my stomach knocking the wind of me. “No f**king talking.” I heard his phone ring, and then Alfonzo was walking into the other room talking quietly. He sounded frazzled as he paced back and forth.
“Raven. Please.” I struggled to sit up then rubbed the blood from my eyes as best as I could with my shoulder. “Why?”
Raven was trembling and pale. The gun wavered, and her eyes were blank as she did as she was told. She looked terrified. I wondered if she was doing this out of fear of Alfonzo. A fear likely ingrained so deeply that she was like a robot, unable to act on her own free will any longer.
“Raven. Please. Deck will help you. Don’t do this. You don’t have to do this.”
She was shaking so badly now that she had to clutch her arms close to her sides to keep from dropping the gun.
“Yes, damn it.” Alfonzo was shouting in the other room. “You’ll have her back.” He kicked a chair in the kitchen, and it went flying into the fridge.
“Where’s Georgie, Raven?”
Raven stared at me as if I hadn’t spoken.
Alfonzo came striding from the kitchen, and Raven flinched so hard she dropped the gun.
“Useless slut.” Alfonzo picked up the weapon, then grabbed her around the neck, hauling her against him. “Aren’t you?”
“Y-yes, Master,” Raven replied in a quivering whispered voice.
“Kai says to behave yourself, Raven. Keep doing exactly as I say, and he’ll still buy you.” He lowered his mouth and kissed her cruelly. “You’ve been good. Very good at getting the information for me.”
She nodded. “Yes, Master.”
Shit. That’s why Raven came and talked to me at the bar. I thought it had been strange she’d taken initiative like that, but she has been feeding Alfonzo information. Had he put her on auction, set it up so Deck would get her out? Had Raven refused to go home because she knew she had to get information for Alfonzo as to where I was?
“You keep doing as I tell you, and I will sell you to him. You want to go to Kai? Or stay with me?”
Oh God, the thought of Raven under Alfonzo’s hand for the last two years made me sick to my stomach. I really had no idea if Kai was any better, but I understood why Raven would do anything to get away from Alfonzo.
Raven didn’t answer, and he raised his hand and slapped her across the face. She didn’t even whimper, but she lowered her eyes from Alfonzo and said, “To him, Master.”
I saw Raven’s eyes close in defeat; Alfonzo would punish her for that, for answering a question he forced on her. A slave admitting she wanted someone other than her Master is against the rules.
I heard a sound above me—attic. Georgie? If she was hiding, there was the chance she had called Deck. God, please, let her have told someone where we are.
“Now, Emily.”
I jerked at the sound of Georgie’s muffled voice above me, but didn’t hesitate as I pushed to my feet and ran bent over at Alfonzo, head-butting him in the back of the legs.
He went buckling forward, into the porch door, and the gun went flying. “Bitch!” he yelled. “I’m going to f**king torture you until—” Georgie landed on top of him as she came out of the scuttle hole in the ceiling.
They rolled out the screen door and down the steps of the porch. I could hear Alfonzo shouting as I used the wall to gain my feet again. I was about to follow when I saw Raven with the gun pointing at me.
“Raven. No. Put it down. I’ll help you. You don’t have to go to Kai.”
She shook her head, tears streaming down her face.
Raven cocked the hammer and pointed the gun at my leg.
“Raven. No. You don’t want to do this.”
“I ... I ... have to.” Her voice was a whisper of a shiver, and I could tell that she didn’t want to do it, but she thought she had no choice—that whatever was driving her made her do this.
“He doesn’t want you to hurt me, Raven. You have to protect me.”
She was shaking so badly I thought she’d pass out, her face pale and her eyes wild as she kept flinching from the noises made by Georgie and Alfonzo fighting outside.
Then suddenly silence.
Raven’s eyes darted to the screen door, and I leapt.
I tackled her, the gun sliding away across the orange carpet, and my body landing right on top of her. I almost wanted to say I was sorry, because it felt like her frail bones cracked under my weight and she didn’t even struggle.