by C. E. Wilson
“I don’t mean to pry,” Verity stammered. “I remembered how she looked. You paint her a lot, so I assumed that those colors were for her.”
“They were,” I admitted. “I’m not even sure if I want them now. I might ask them to take them back.”
“Why would you do that?”
“I’m not in the mood for her—er, I mean—those colors lately. That’s all.” I looked down and noticed a bit of hurt in her eyes. Why was she the only one who got to look hurt? What about me? I told her that I might be falling for her, but she pretended as though that conversation didn’t even happen. She gets to play it off? I was hurting too.
“Verity, I—” I stopped myself short when I heard a familiar sound. Quickly, I stood up and went to the window. A boat was nosing against the dock as a figure tossed a rope towards it. Thank you, God, or whoever controlled fate or destiny. I turned back to look at Verity still standing on the floor. “They’re here,” I said, peering out the window.
A feminine shape stood on the dock, and I let out a sigh of relief. Janet. She wasn’t so bad. Especially lately. She wasn’t dressed nearly as well as she was last time, but her simple cargo pants and boots with a puffy jacket looked more natural on her.
“It’s Janet,” I said with slight relief. “She’s all right. She usually doesn’t ever bother searching my place or staying too long. She’ll be—” My face turned ashen as another person exited the boat with a heavy sack flung over his shoulder. “Shit.”
“What?” Verity’s voice called to me. “What is it? What do you see?”
“Milo,” I muttered. Dammit, shit and all to hell! I couldn’t think of a worse time to see him. He looked weary, and as he trudged over to my side of the island, I knelt down in front of Verity. “You have to stay hidden,” I hissed. “No matter what you see. No matter what you hear. Do not intervene.”
I lifted my head and looked out the window. Milo was grunting something—my eyes shifted—to Flynn. Flynn was saying something to him. Though I couldn’t catch the words, I saw Milo change his direction after grunting something to Janet and heading toward Flynn’s cage. Why? Why the change? Why go to Flynn after he said something?
“Verity,” I said again. “Do you hear me? Once you’re hidden…not a word.”
“What’s the problem? Of course I’ll hide, but—”
“Don’t come out,” I said. “Not until I say. Don’t move. Don’t sneeze. And most of all, stay in there, no matter what.” I reached out and grabbed her shoulders. “Tell me that you understand, Verity.”
“I understand.” Her eyes were wide with fear. As they should be. Things weren’t looking good.
“Go now,” I hushed, gently pushing her toward the kitchen. Her feet left the ground, and she flew into the cabinet, tucking herself onto the top shelf. Once she was settled, I moved a few more cups and glasses in front of her. The mugs would block her—but just barely. They wouldn’t be enough if someone was actually looking for her, but why would someone be?
“Please,” I said once more before shutting the door and sealing her inside, “no matter what you hear, no matter what you think is happening to me, you must stay here. Don’t do anything stupid.”
Her eyes looked haunted, but she only nodded again, confused by my crazy behavior.
“I’ll let you know when you’re safe soon enough. Hopefully, it won’t be a long visit.” I shut the door just as my front one was knocked upon. “C-come in,” I called, sitting on the bed in what I hoped was a casual position. “It’s open.”
Janet pushed the door open, and I couldn’t help but notice she looked a little worn out. I supposed a trip with Milo would do that to someone. I tried to look bored as she strolled in slowly and took a seat at my table. I tilted my head. Something was wrong. “What is it?” I asked in a low voice.
“If you have something you shouldn’t, I would advise you to give it to me now,” Janet said.
My face paled. “I don’t—”
“I wouldn’t give an out to anyone else, Mr. Davenport, but Felix had a soft spot for you. If he gave you something you shouldn’t have, I’ll take it, but I can’t promise that you’ll see it again. Not with him calling the shots.”
“Him?” I asked nervously.
“Milo. He’s no longer a warden, but the head warden,” she lifted her head to meet my eyes, “and he’s trying to ‘clean things up’.”
“What about Felix?” I asked even though I was pretty sure of what was coming.
“He was let go, Mr. Davenport. It was one of the first things Milo did when he was promoted. He tried doing the same to me, but my husband knows people in higher places, thank God, otherwise I wouldn’t be here to tell you this.” Her dark-brown eyes searched mine. “I’m risking a great deal to protect you, Mr. Davenport, and I’ll only do it once. Do you have something you shouldn’t?”
“No. No, of course not! Nothing that would interest anyone. Why? What have you heard?”
She shook her head. “Mr. Davenport, this is not a game. I’ll tell you again. Felix cannot protect you, and Milo is watching me like a hawk. He won’t even let me pack the supplies, convinced that I’ll put something inside. Your past is what concerns Milo. If there’s something here, give it to me now if you’re not supposed to have it.”
“I don’t know what you’re referring to!” I shouted, trying to keep my face straight. “What’s going on? What happened? And what did Flynn say to him when you guys pulled up? Is that what this is about? Something Flynn said? Since when does Milo listen to him?”
“The game has changed now with his new promotion,” Janet said, keeping her voice low, “and judging from what I heard Mr. Andersen shout, Mr. Andersen is aware of the changes as well.”
“What did he say?” My eyes danced over to the cabinet and then back at Janet. “Dammit. What the hell did he say?”
“I’d rather not say it out loud. It would be easier if you gave it to me.”
“Janet. I swear I don’t know—”
“A sex doll,” Janet blurted out with a red face. She truly did look uncomfortable saying it.
“A…a what?”
“I didn’t hear all the details because Milo sent me away, but Mr. Andersen was going on about how it’s unfair for you to have a sex toy. Or sex doll. I don’t remember the exact words, but he was throwing a fit. I’ve never seen him so desperate to talk to Milo. It was like he had to talk to him first.”
Yeah. I’ll bet he did. That crafty little bastard. He was turning my own words against me. Using Milo’s power trip as a chance to get back at me. I swallowed.
“It’s best that you give it up now. Milo will not hesitate to punish you for possessing contraband. Are you going to give it to me, or are you going to let him find it?”
For a moment, I hesitated with my answer. Janet wasn’t as kind as Felix, but she was giving me an out. I could quickly explain everything and pass Verity to her, and maybe she would keep her safe. Or maybe she would turn her over to someone who would experiment on her. Maybe she would be thrown in a fire pit with porno magazines and other contraband. So many maybes. There was only one thing I knew for sure: I would never see Verity again if I handed her over. I couldn’t take the idea of losing her.
“No. I don’t have anything that will interest him.”
Janet rolled her eyes and balled her hands up into fists. She knew I was lying. I didn’t know how she knew, but she damn well knew there was something in my shack that I shouldn’t have. She couldn’t force it out of me, and she wouldn’t lose her job over it. “As you wish, Mr. Davenport. Please don’t say that I didn’t try to warn you.” Her eyes flickered up to mine. “I could have helped you.”
“I know, but…” I hesitated, “it’s not that simple.” Her expression changed slightly. “I can’t give her—”
Someone pounded loudly on the door again, but the person outside didn’t wait for my approval before entering. Milo looked absolutely pleased with himself as his bug-like eyes looked arou
nd my shelter. He closed the door behind him, and I noticed a cane resting at his hip. He didn’t usually wear it when he came to see me, but he looked positively delighted at the chance to try it out on someone.
“I’ve heard rumors,” he declared in a proud, booming voice.
Chapter Thirteen
I tried to look uninterested. It wasn’t hard. I was used to looking at Milo like that, but without the shield of Felix and Janet unwilling to stand up to Milo, I wasn’t sure how much I was going to have to take. “Is that so?” I asked. “Who from?”
“Mr. Andersen tells me you have something that you most certainly shouldn’t have. Where is it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You know goddamn well what I’m talking about, you waste of life. Where is it?”
“Where’s what?”
“The sex doll!” he roared. “Where is it? And who gave it to you?”
“I don’t have one, so I don’t see how anyone could have given it to me.”
“You liar!” Milo shouted, lunging forward. He didn’t usually come at me so quickly, so I held up my hands as he grabbed me by the shirt collar and violently yanked me back and forth. “Mr. Andersen has nothing to gain by lying, so why would he tell me anything?”
“Beats me.”
“You bastard—” he glanced over at Janet. “Did you start to search the place?” he snapped. When she didn’t answer at first, he shook me again as though this would somehow manage to make her speak. “Answer me, Janet. Did. You. Start. The. Search?”
“There’s nothing here, Milo, and you know that,” Janet said. “That little shit next door likes messing with you.”
“He was very specific.” Milo released his grip on me ever so slightly. “A doll. A little Barbie doll with wings. He said you were playing with it. Tell me, Mr. Davenport. What kind of sick, twisted fuck plays with dolls? You playing for the other team? I thought you were in here for a girl. Surely she hasn’t put you off women forever.”
I shook my head, realizing the less I said, the better. Janet was doing her best to keep me out of harm’s way, but Milo was frustrated. He didn’t like me, but he hated Flynn—hated everything that he stood for and probably didn’t like his little screwed-up face. The possibility that Flynn had been messing with him existed, but Milo was so stirred up now that I wondered if the doll had anything to do with his anger anymore or if his display was about showing me that he was the new boss and things were going to change around there…or something like that. I’d heard it in a Western.
“One last chance, Davenport,” Milo growled, pulling me up from my seat so our noses were almost touching.
Jesus. For asking if I was changing teams, Milo certainly didn’t have a problem with being so close to my face—or my mouth for that matter. I remained calm. That wasn’t the time to get angry. Controlling my anger no longer protected only me, but it also protected the girl hiding in my cabinet.
“Is there something here that shouldn’t be?”
“You know there’s not—”
“Shut up, Janet!” Milo shouted at her. “You want me to put in another complaint?”
Her eyes widened. “On what grounds?”
“Of being an insubordinate bitch,” he snarled before turning back to me. “Tell me where it is, Davenport.”
“There’s nothing here.”
“You heard him, Milo,” Janet tried again, straightening up. She was a stronger woman than I’d given her credit for. “Let’s drop off the stuff and head back. My husband—”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass about your husband!” Milo shoved me away from him, and I staggered back a few feet before I was able to regain my balance. “Over the table,” he said in a firm voice, reaching for the cane at his hip.
“What?” Janet shouted. “Milo, you can’t be serious! He doesn’t have anything!”
“Over the goddamn table!” he roared in my face. “Do it before I decide to report you.”
He wasn’t trying to search yet, so I had to see that as a victory, and if he got in his stupid little power trip, then I stood a chance at protecting Verity. I couldn’t imagine what Milo’s angry voice and threats must have sounded like to her. I hoped she understood what I was doing for her. At that point, I’d probably do anything to keep her out of Milo’s dirty hands. I bent over and placed my hands on the table, keeping my back to Milo.
“Unpack his things,” Milo grunted at Janet. “I know what he should have—rations for a month.”
“But what about—shit!” I shouted when something sharp contacted my lower back. I reeled but didn’t straighten.
“Rations for a month,” Milo said in a clearer, calmer voice. “That’s all. Enjoy your little paintings now, Davenport—because once the paint is gone, that’s the last of your little art studio.”
Another strike hit my lower back. And another. Each lash was more painful than the last. My eyes watered. I willed myself not to cry or sob in front of this egotistical bastard. Janet started to unpack my things in my peripheral vision. I focused on Verity’s face in my mind. Safe. She was safe.
Another biting hit struck me.
And another.
And then another two.
And then—
“That’s enough, Milo!” Janet shouted. “That is enough! You made your point! He doesn’t have anything! If he had something, I’m sure he would have given it up by now. Nothing can be worth what you’re giving to him.” Janet wasn’t quite right about that, but I appreciated her stepping in nonetheless. The lashes stopped, and Milo’s heavy boots took a few steps away from me. I collapsed to the floor, gasping for air.
“Make sure he’s settled before you leave,” he said to Janet as he moved toward the door. All I could see were his boots. That was probably how he wanted it. I strained to sit up, but a cry escaped me as I did so, and Janet bit her lip, probably willing herself not to come to me.
“Pussy,” Milo muttered under his breath before swinging the door open and exiting without another word.
For a few moments, silence filled the tiny space of my home. I didn’t tell Verity to come out yet, but I was sure she wanted to. At least, I hoped she wanted to, but she remained hidden as Janet came over to me and carefully helped me up from the ground. I staggered as my back and even my thighs burned. I would be swollen. Gently, I fell into the softest chair I had—Verity’s—but it did little to help with the pain. I wiped my mouth with my hand and tried to look composed.
“He’s a bastard,” Janet said at last, having to raise her voice over my heavy breathing. “At least he didn’t search the place. If you are really hiding something in here, I hope it’s worth it.”
“It is,” I grunted back at her. My words meant more than she could ever understand.
“Just as well.” Janet knelt next to me.
In that moment, I really could see that she was a mother. Her eyes held such a maternal, soft look right then, I wouldn’t have minded her staying a little longer so I could talk to someone else, someone a little closer to my size.
“I’m sorry about the paint, Mr. Davenport. Milo has been…” She let the words hang in the air, which was fine. We both knew how to fill in the blanks.
“It’s not a big deal,” I said between the sharp bouts of pain. “I was going to ask that you guys keep them.”
“So you’re done with art?”
I shook my head. “No. I’m done with those colors. I have some others I can use instead, and it doesn’t take a lot of red to make pink.” I smiled at that, but Janet didn’t understand.
“Here.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out two pencils. “I know it’s not much, but I can easily tell Felix that I lost them somewhere. At least you’ll be able to sketch.”
My eyes lit up at her gesture. She was kinder than I’d given her credit for. I went to take them from her hands, but she quickly set them on the table. I guessed she didn’t want to touch a convict. I sighed and winced from the pain.
“Is there anything I can try to sneak you?” she whispered. “I can’t do much, but if Milo is out flexing his muscles next month on another island, I may be able to sneak in a few things. Most of the new guys he brought in… they’re okay. A bat of the lashes is all it takes to get them to see things my way.” She winked, and I blushed.
Wow. Not only was she kinder than I gave her credit for, but smarter as well. She knew exactly how to work men.
I deliberated carefully over her questions, but only one answer came to mind. “Fabric.”
“Fabric?” she repeated.
“Yes. I don’t care what type or what quality, just anything you can get your hands on. A sewing needle and some thread too. Do you think that’s possible?”
“I don’t see how Milo could have a problem with you wanting to sew,” she said with a shrug. “I can probably only provide one needle, and he’ll need to see it at all times when he comes up.” She rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he searched the place.”
I’d be more prepared next time if he tried to search my home. “That’s really all I need other than my rations, Janet. And like I said…I’m not picky.”
“I’ll do my best,” she said. “Anything else?”
“Now you’re spoiling me,” I said, daring to chuckle. “No…wait! Yes, there is something.”
“And what’s that, Mr. Davenport?”
“Potato chips,” I said. “Once again, I don’t care about the size or flavor. Any bag will do. Anything you can get your hands on.”
Janet smiled and finally stood up. “You almost seem too good to be in a place like this with a guy like Flynn, Mr. Davenport. I hope you know that.”
I frowned and lowered my eyes. I didn’t know that. The only person who even pretended to think I was a good person lately was Verity. Hearing Janet say it—having been my warden for over two years—warmed my heart. Someone else on the planet didn’t see me as a monster.
“Thanks,” I muttered, my cheeks pink.