Runaway (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 4)

After a momentary hesitation, Oscar shook his head.

“Why are you not willing to tell me? Who are you covering for?” Jasper demanded.

“Denzel.”

“Why?”

“He told me he would hurt Molly if I didn’t do as I was told,” Oscar whispered.

“But you removed your things from your aunt’s house,” Jasper snapped.

“Denzel made me. He told me I had to leave and that he had somewhere for me to stay. He said he knew I didn’t want to be at my aunt’s. I said I wasn’t going to leave Molly. He told me I didn’t have a choice,” Oscar informed them.

“Who bought your coaching ticket,” Jasper asked.

“I did, but Denzel made me. I had to buy it and take it out to him to show him. He made me get onto the coach and stood and watched me as it left. When it stopped, I was going to get off, but this woman got on and made it clear that she was Denzel’s friend. She said she was going to come with me all the way here, and she did. She wouldn’t let me out of her sight.” Oscar looked ready to cry and fell silent for a moment.

“So Denzel made it look as though you were running away whereas you really didn’t want to leave?” Oliver frowned.

Oscar scrubbed at his face and nodded, but kept his gaze locked firmly on his feet.

Jasper shared a look with Oliver. He wasn’t sure whether to believe him and wished Molly was there. She would know if her brother was lying or not.

“Why have you not tried to make your escape?” Jasper demanded.

“They told me they would hurt Molly if I left,” Oscar gulped. “Where is she? Why is she afraid of you?”

“She isn’t afraid of me. There was just a misunderstanding,” Jasper replied quietly.

“She was upset and doesn’t seem to like you very much.”

“Is she the kind of person to steal anything?” Jasper asked. He had no idea why he should feel compelled to do so. Denzel was not likely to be the most trustworthy person, even though Jasper didn’t know him.

“Molly? Nah, she wouldn’t steal a thing,” Oscar assured them. “She is too proper.”

Jasper rolled his eyes but sighed with relief. “Is she two and twenty?”

Oscar scrunched his nose up. “She might be three and twenty now. I dunno. Ask her.”

“I wish I could,” Jasper murmured as he turned away.

Without saying another word, he stormed through the house and slammed into Molly’s bed chamber. It was unnerving to note that not only was her coin purse there but her clothing too.

“Do you want us to go out and look for her?” Niall asked from the doorway.

“Yes, just in case Denzel has caught up with her.” The thought of it made Jasper want to tear his own hair out. “I dread to think what they would do with her.”

Together, they made their way back to Oscar only to find him quaffing a hearty piece of pie as though it was the last thing that he was going to eat for the next few days. Table manners didn’t mean a thing to the boy who shoved as much food as he could into every mouthful and chewed with an innocent gusto that was humbling to the men who took the food that they ate for granted. They knew that youngsters who ate the way Oscar did were invariably starved, and it was decidedly disturbing to see.

“What happened when you arrived here?”

Oscar froze and stared at him for a moment before he resumed his munching. The more he ate the less ferocious he became until he was almost malleable by the time he had finished the last of his pie. When he began to talk, it was as though he was reflecting not telling them what they wanted to hear. It assured all the men that the boy was at least being honest with them.

“I got off the coach and was taken to the house in Rigley Row. The woman who runs it is a right witch. They fed me, just a few bits and told me it was my home and I was to get used to it. I kept asking where Molly was, but she refused to tell me. She said it was best to forget about home, and not mention it to nobody.”

“Did you see anybody else there?”

Oscar scrunched his nose up. “A couple of girls came and went. One was miserable and cried all the time. She kept saying she wanted to go home, but nobody listened to her.”