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“Were you hunting me?” For the first time she sounds angry, and I have no idea what I said. I’m only answering her questions. But I want to know why.

“No, why?” I narrow my eyes, even if she can barely see them.

“Nothing.”

“I don’t do well when people don’t answer my questions,” I say stepping towards her.

“And I don’t do well when people threaten me.” Her eyes are full of rage, and I watch as she fists her hands, refusing to budge.

“Do I look like a man you should argue with?”

Izel laughs, full on belly laughs. Bending at the waist, she holds her stomach as she laughs at me. Why the fuck is she laughing at me? I don’t understand. Most people fear me. They take one look at my masked face and run for the fucking hills.

She just fucking laughs and laughs at me.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh. I really shouldn’t. I mean, I have this habit of laughing in the most inappropriate times. This seems to be one of those times…” she says trailing off as she takes in that I’m serious. But I know deep down, I wouldn’t hurt her. I couldn’t.

“No, I wasn’t hunting you. An old friend of mine asked me to get you out…” I take a deep breath, debating on telling her. Opening my mouth to say anything else, but what comes out instead is, “You saved another old friend. The girl you, I guess, let out.”

“The blonde?” Her body deflates as she sinks back onto the mattress.

“Yeah, her name is Aziza. I’ve known her since she was six.”

Izel seemed conflicted, her fingers tangled with one another, eyes unfocused. Her breathing comes out uneven.

“Red, a–”

“I’m going to shower,” she mumbles, rushing into the bathroom. Slamming the door closed, the last thing I hear is her locking the door.

My stomach cramps as my brain tries to understand what I said that freaked her out.

5

Zion

ThefirsttenminutesI pace around the small room trying to wrap my head around what I had said that made her run. All I tried to do was tell her that Aziza made it. Thinking it would bring her some sort of peace, knowing that girl she let out, had made it. But apparently it did something else, something I don’t know because she ran off and locked herself in the bathroom.

Around half an hour later, I finally order pizza, thinking she will want to eat since I’m sure Zander starved her from the way she devoured lunch. Only when she comes out, wearing the same clothes that I gave her, she says she is tired and just wants to sleep.

I want to argue with her, to make her eat. But she isn’t mine to demand she eats. She isn’t mine at all. I am just helping Killian out. Sure, I should have left her at the bus station, but I am just making sure she gets where she truly wants to go.

It is just to help Killian and Aziza out.

Liar.

So instead of sleeping, like my body needs, I watch her sleep for countless hours. I doze off for maybe a few hours before I’m back awake and watching her. My body feels as though I can’t rest because I need to protect her.

To make sure she’s okay.

To fix whatever I did that made her get so upset.

“Izel,” I whisper. As much as I want to continue being a creep and watching her sleep, we need to get back on the road.

“Izel,” I say a little louder when she doesn't even stir. “Come on, Red. Wake up.” I reach over, my gloved hand pushing her red hair away from her forehead.

Izel’s eyes peel open before she stiffens, and nothing prepares me for when she screams at the top of her lungs. Her eyes slam shut as she throws herself away from me.She falls off the bed to the floor with a yelp.

“Izel?”