Chapter 43

Sophia hovered by the door while they said goodbye to each other. There was a tension now, that wasn’t there before, and it caused Sophia to twist her fingers and chew on her lip. They stood in a circle, all facing each other while she stood on the outskirts, not included in their conversation. There was a part of her, deep inside, that wondered if she was the cause for Thorin losing his mind. What he had left of it, that was. Victoria gave Neil a half-hearted hug and kissed Scott on the cheek. Sophia couldn’t help but grin, remembering the sound effects from the night before. And again, that morning...twice. Neil had looked so pained each time that Sophia’s stomach had shook with suppressed laughter. She knew Scott had energy but from the sounds, he had a lot of energy. Connor fist bumped them both, then paused at the door.

“You sure?”

“We’re sure,” Neil said.

Connor’s eyes zeroed in on Sophia, outside the circle.

“They’re great guys. They’ll take care of you. You have much in store, and you’ll need them. Take care of each other.” He tipped his head and waited for Sophia to make eye contact.

Sophia nodded, slightly confused about what the hell he was talking about.

And that was that. As quickly as they had arrived, it seemed that it was how quickly they were gone. Neil and Scott shared a serious look and gave the impression that they could telepathically talk to each other, but with their strong bond over the years, Sophia was sure that they had simply gotten good at reading one another. As they went back into the apartment, Scott immediately went back into his room. She heard him rummaging through a few drawers, and then a moment where she heard nothing at all, but soon after he came out with his phone clutched in his hand. Both of them ignored her existence. She remembered the days when that was her preferential treatment, but not anymore.

“We’ll be right outside the door.” Scott said to Sophia.

“Wait, why are you having a private discussion? If it has anything to do with what they said, I have a right to know. It’s my father. And my brother is there.”

“Just stay here,” Scott said.

They slipped into the hall. There was a whispered discussion, and she could hear an urgency in their voice, but couldn’t make out any words. Sophia paced the floor, straining her ears to listen. Now is when that mental connection would come in handy. She tried to concentrate on Neil, in case there was any lingering connection from the night they shifted. She had thought many times since then that Neil was reading her mind. Nothing. She got nothing. She paused right out of their vision, and she could feel her temper rising. In a way she never felt before, having been degraded into nothing for nearly all her teen years, she was extra sensitive to how they seem to be ignoring the fact that she was even in the room. They shouldn’t be hiding things from her. She trusted them with everything. Both, but especially Neil. They rush back in and go to their separate rooms. She followed Neil.

He pulled a long box out from under the bed. One she didn’t even know was there. He unlocked several combination locks on it and her eyes widened at its contents. Inside was an array of weapons, and a large stash of cash. Different sized boxes of bullets sat neatly stacked. She knew from their scent that they weren’t regular bullets. They were silver bullets, or silver tipped bullets. Bags of wolfsbane sat sealed next to them. A Sig sidearm was pulled out and Neil checked it. He slipped the holster on and slipped the gun inside it. An M-60 and an SR-25 lay next to it. He pulled out the M-60 and SR-25 and sat them on the floor next to him. He grabbed a pearl handled dagger in its sheath. He strapped it around his waist, loaded his pocket with a bundle of cash, and various pocketknives. He closed the box, locked it, then threw the M-60 over his shoulder and closed the box.

“If you’re going somewhere, I’m going. And if something is coming here, I want one of those.”

Neil ignored her and grabbed the SR-25 in his hands. He moved fast into the living room and set it on the table and Sophia eyed it in fear. She knew what they all were, but only because of the males in school whose greatest goal in life was to be one of her father’s elites. She’d also seen them in the locked cabinet in her father’s study when she was little. When she asked, he had told her about each one and had stressed to her that she should never, ever go near them. Neil pulled the tv off the wall and revealed a safe behind it. He opened the safe and took out two cell phones. Cell phones she had never seen before. He slammed the safe shut and put the tv back on the wall.

“I’m fucking talking to you.” She stamped her foot.

“I’m ignoring you, go sit down somewhere.” he said.

Her eyes widened at his tone. A tone she had never heard before. Her stomach lurched in fear, but of what she wasn’t sure.

“I have the right to know what’s fucking going on. I’m not a goddess damned prisoner!”

“You’re not. But you don’t need to know.”

She picked up a pillow from the couch and threw it across the room. “I damn well do need to know,” she yelled.

He ignored her. Scott ran out, armed similarly to Neil. Neil grabbed the SR-25 off the table and tossed it to Scott who snatched it out of the air like it was a baseball. He didn’t even blink at the sound it made or at the impact it had on his hand.

Desperation changed her tone. “Please just tell me what is going on. Please.” She asked, choking on tears that were pooling in the back of her throat. Whether it was from fear, hurt, or anger was anyone’s guess.

“Sorry, Sophia. You just have to trust us.” Scott chucked her on the chin then looked at Neil. “Let’s roll.”

Sophia shivered at what she saw in Scott’s eyes. Lethal energy. It surrounded her in a way that sank deep into her. It caused a fear worse than what she had felt in that locker room with Matthew pawing at her. She knew who Matthew was. But this wasn’t Scott. Not the Scott who tutored her and listened to her when she was going through some of the healing process. This Scott, fuck, he was scary, she thought. Neil followed Scott, taking the room in two strides.

“Neil.” Sophia’s voice trembled, and he stopped. Sophia sobbed and he turned to look at her. She had a tear sliding down her cheek and she gulped against the burn in her throat. He crossed the room again and took her chin in his hands.

“Neil, don’t leave me.”

She saw worry flash across his eyes briefly, but he quickly closed his eyes. She reached her hand up and wrapped her hand around his wrist.

“Please don’t treat me like I don’t need to know. Don’t treat me like less than a prisoner. I’ve done everything you guys have asked of me. Don’t leave me behind.”

Raw pain made his hand shake against her soft skin.

“You aren’t a prisoner, Sophia. Never a prisoner. Never less than the very special person you are. But this isn’t for you, and we have to do what we have to do.”

“Let’s fucking go,” Scott yelled. “Now.”

“We have to go, baby.” He took another breath, and his voice was scratchy. “Don’t let anyone in, for any reason. In the back of Scott’s closet behind his clothes is a hatch door that leads to a panic room. If someone tries to get in, if someone comes here, anyone, go hide in there. I’ll find you when we get back.”

“Neil, please.” She begged one more time.

“Neil! Holy fuck, she’ll be fine, let’s go.” Scott yelled again.

“I’m coming.” Neil yelled back.

He leaned his forehead against Sophia’s and whispered for her to be safe and then was gone. He had slammed the door behind him. Sophia ran to it and turned the deadbolts, and the chain locks then went to the window. She watched as the car sped out of the lot, Scott in the driver’s seat. He told her to be safe, that meant there was a threat. She ran through the apartment checking all the locks on the windows, pulling the blinds down, and closing the curtains. She dimmed the lights so it looked like no one was there. The panic room, she thought. She ran to Scotts closet and shoved his clothes to the side. It took her a minute, but she found the button that was carefully hidden within the wall. She pushed it and a door small enough that she would have to crawl through opened. She dropped to her knees and peered through the door. The other side was a room the size of the bathroom. There was a small shelf with various necessities stacked on it. The light was dim, but it was enough. She pulled her head back out and stood up. The door automatically closed, and the hanging clothes moved to the center, hiding the door. She pulled them aside again and popped the door open. Just in case.

When she couldn’t think of what else needed to be done, she went into the living room. Sinking into the couch, she tried to calm herself. She tried her compartmentalizing techniques, but they didn’t work. Everything over the last 24 hours rolled through her head. She felt such pressure in her chest she thought for sure it would explode. Sophia knew that though they hadn’t gone with Connor and Victoria, they sure as hell went somewhere and clearly they had their own agenda.