“I do like them; I just like his better.” The table erupted in laughter and jibes, and I realized what I’d said too late. My face was on fire, and I tried to hide it in my plate until the ribbing died down. Catalina and Lily Anna started singing the kissing song, and I almost died right there and then. Thank heavens the talk changed to something else not long after, and I was once again forgotten.
After lunch, we headed back downstairs. “Wait one second; I have to grab something from my room.” He sighed and looked put out, and I didn’t need to guess why. We’d had a bit of a tiff the night before when I wanted to go back to the room, I’d slept in my first night here. Not only because I didn’t want to sleep next to him, though he promised nothing would happen, that he just wanted to watch over me, but also because I was high as a kite.
I knew better than to hang around him much longer after spilling way too much to the older crew. At least I’d been cognizant enough to keep the name of the town to myself, though I’m pretty sure that that’s what they were after. Anyway, Jason had not been happy with me in the least, and now his face looked like he’d sucked on a lemon at the mention of the room. He could have no idea how much him letting me go last night had turned the tide.
There had been no force. And even though I heard him sitting outside my door and awakened when he left with the morning light, that only made my heart beat a little stronger for him. Now I’m about to do something I never thought I would and especially not so soon.
I made the quick run to the room and filched the flash drive from where I had hidden it. I felt a slight pang still when I went back to him and handed it over. “This is a list of all the children they took that I know of. I found it on their computer over time, so it can be off I’m not sure.” I had indeed seen some familiar names on Track’s list, but there were also many more that I did not recognize, which means they have at least one more of those messed up communities somewhere.
“Thanks for giving this to me, baby.” He kissed my forehead before turning away, and I got the feeling that he knew exactly what it took for me to do that. I didn’t have long to dwell because Track was back before we knew it, and the two of them started questioning me about some of the information on the flash.
“I don’t know what most of those abbreviations mean. Once I got into the computer, I just downloaded everything, but my only concern was the names of the stolen children like myself. As you can see, they were kind enough to keep them in a specific folder. I know where some of them were sent; I’m still trying to figure out about the others.”
“Where were they sent, sis?”
“Hudson Valley New York…oh shit.” I looked at Track in shock, but he wasn’t even looking through the screen at me but was instead focused on what was being downloaded from the flash drive. “How did he do that?” I asked Jason, who just shrugged with a knowing look, and I got the feeling that they’d been in on it together.
Track and I had indeed started a rapport in the time we’ve been working together, but there’s no way I could’ve let my guard down so easily. I can’t even blame it on the weed since its effects had worn off long ago. “Did you want to go after them first, or the younger ones?” Jason asked the question the way I’d expect him to ask what I wanted to eat for dinner.
Not with any disrespect, but in a non-threatening sort of way that made the whole thing seem less scary than what it was. “I don’t know, whichever is easiest, I guess.” I’d always thought to go back for the innocents first, but that was before I realized how hard it was to get back into the town without being noticed.
“We have to hit them both simultaneously.”
“What do we have to hit simultaneously?” A young, very handsome guy walked into the room with Track and looked over his shoulder. “Oh, hi Jace, Jason, you met Jace, Jace, this is Jason’s girl Roxy, say hi. Roxy, this is my brother Jace. There are a few of us running around here; you’ll get to meet all of us soon. We should be heading your way in a couple of days, right.” He looked at the Jace guy for confirmation.