Alpha’s Hybrid Cinderella – Chapter 51
“Claudia?”
“Raf! I meant to call you, but the staff converted an entire room to an indoor garden for me last night so I went to check and fell asleep after–“
“Claudia!”
ry. I was feeling good, if I said so myself. But Raf’s voice… I pulled the towel off my head and sat at my desk, frowning. “What’s going on, Raf? Is something wrong?”
y?”
in a stellar mood, things had changed a hundred and eighty degrees. In fact, this was the best week I’d ever had, to be honest. Every since that night and
I was going to share all my love life details with Raf, not like this. She was going to have to settle for a vague explanation.
y. We’re spending a lot of time together, and it’s… the best it’s ever been.” I suppressed the urge to bury my face in my hands at my too-telling language and forged on. “So nothing’s wrong. It’s actually amazing. He’s been in a great mood, and there are leads he’s following into, you know… Osborn’s death.”
here something wron
as just worried because you didn’t call last night.”
r texts and missed calls until literally right before you called. I was in the middle of doing it, but you called first.”
to me, right?”
ng was up. She was being way too dodgy, and my anxiety had just shot
No, no way…”
I have to, I’ll go over there and make yo
threat at opportune moments. Not for my own gain, but for both our sakes. There was something she wasn’t telling me, and it was eating at her.
n some resistance… and some of the prisoners that were supposed to stay in Medea’s city jail were brought to Scarlet territory. It’s been happening for a while now, apparently.”
ten lately.”
he information he wanted from some of them but…”
What?
Torture?
add. “But, um. The problem is that he ended up torturing and killing certain people who had nothing to do with it. Like, low-level drug mules… They’re not innocent, but they weren’t evil either. They were desperate. And some of them were like… really young. I’m sorry, Claudia. I know you didn’t want to hear this. And I swear I’m not doing a I-told-you-so thing. I thought you knew, and that was why you didn’t call me last night or answer any of my texts.”
couldn’t breathe.
? Tortu
rmented himself as a child. Had he caught other children, young adolescents on the stre
my hand with a vicious clatter that echoed in my ears — no, wait. That was Raf’s voice, chattering in a panic. I picked up the phone.
ia, what happened!”
’m here. I t
try to find Evan, are you?”
He won’t hurt me. He would never. I’m just going to ask him if it’s true, so don’t worry. It can’t be real, it must be rumors or something going around because they’re trying to discredit
audia. Claudia
ng me…
Oh, Raf.
n she had opposed us being together was…
t me. I’ll be there in thirty — no, twenty minutes. Please, Claudia, don’t. I’m scared. If he’s gone off the rails then there’s no telling what he’ll do now, okay? He’s — he’s got a reputation, Clau
e, what can you do?”
d I promise I won’t say a word, I just don’t want you to see him by yourself when you…”
What
ha
ated even in death. Did I have any right to tell Evan where to draw the line when I wasn’t the one who had lost a friend, a son, a husband? I wasn’t even a Delta soldier on reserve, protecting the city from the evil lurking ev
ght.
Raf. I have to go.”
a, wait!”
way, only to realize I was in a slim nightgown and nothing more. And where was I going anyway? Evan wasn’t even home. My head was drowning. I couldn’t think straight.
didn’t trust my voice to stay leve
en minutes. Already on my way.
to my chest and waited.