-Chapter 4-

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  “Shut that thing up,” Kane grumbles for the tenth time, covering his ears to help state his point.

  I swing the baby slowly in my arms, placing a soft kiss on its cheek. The child’s whimpers come to an abrupt halt. I smile, running my hands through the baby’s downy hair. I feel a pang of sadness. I don’t even know the poor thing’s name.

  “Finally,” Felix says, acting as annoyed as Kane had been.

  I kick at his shin, and he holds up his fist as if he is going to punch me. Kane groans.

  “Haven’t you ever heard that guys can’t punch girls?” He asks, sounding slightly exasperated. I can’t help but let a small grin spread across my lips as I watch Felix’s incredulous expression.

  Kane makes a sharp turn right into another back alley, and I follow close behind, not wanting to lose him. I’ve got Kane, but I still need a plan to take him to the Government. Without a plan, I might as well just let him go.

  “Watch your step,” Kane advises, pointing at the deep cracks in the tar.

  I keep an eye out for cracks, making sure I don’t trip.

  “Why are we taking her to our place?” Tom asks, groaning. “What if she just plans to run off and give us up to the Feds?”

  Kane sighs, stopping dead in his tracks.

  “Look if you guys don’t stop complaining, I’ll make you stop. Shut up, and walk. If I had let her run off, the first place she would’ve gone was the Feds. Like she said, they didn’t know she was the one with us,” Kane’s voice rang through the empty alley.

  He walked up to a rundown building, sliding a large board away from the wall. An entrance. A soft light came through the large, gaping hole in the wall.

  “Looks like the boys finally decided to get up,” Kane mutters, walking through the opening.

  “Wait. There’s more of you?” I ask, shocked. How many people were working with Kane Porter?

  “Yeah. Quite a few more, actually,” He says, acting like my question was frivolous.

  I follow Kane inside the opening in the wall. It smells like mildew and the air inside of the wall feels damp. I pull the baby closer to me, shielding it from the water dripping from the ceiling.

  “We’re back!” Kane shouts once we enter a large room where at least twenty boys are sitting, talking around a small gas lamp.

  All of them whoop and holler, some even coming to embrace Kane, mostly forgetting Tom and Felix. I stand awkwardly, feeling out of place in the room filled with men. Some look at me, but no one asks why I am here or who I am.

  “Heard the broadcast,” A chubby man says, running his hands over an unruly mustache. He looks to be in his early twenties.

  “Yeah,” Another guy says, although he looks younger and is as thin as sticks. “Heard we were gonna have another recruit. This her?” He points a finger in my direction.

  “No,” Kane says. “She isn’t a recruit. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, boys.”

  I nod, looking down at the baby nestled in my arms. Definitely the wrong place at the wrong time. The baby waves its little fist, enamored with his unknown talent.

  “While I show her to her room, I want you guys to find something we can all eat. And uh, some milk or something for the little kid?” Kane asks, his authority clear. He’s the leader. There’s no doubt in my mind.

  Kane begins to walk towards a narrow hall, and I follow, wanting to get away from all the strangers.

  “You’ll probably have to share a room later… But until we get Charlie back, I guess you can use his room. It’s next to mine, so make sure that thing stays quiet at night,” He says, pointing at the baby resting peacefully in my arms.

  He leads me into a small room, holding the door open long enough for me to squeeze past him into the room.

  “Make yourself at home,” He says, closing the door, probably going back out to supervise the others.

  I look around the room, slightly appalled by what I see.

  A bed is nestled in the corner, the sheets bunched up at the foot of the bed. A small dresser with a cracked mirror stand opposite of it, a small melted candle sitting in a dish on top of it. The drawers of the dresser are open, clothes hanging over the edge. Even more clothes liter the floor.

  Books are stacked in strange places, papers are laying around haphazardly. I just shake my head. It’s better than another night on the streets. I find a drawer that has extra blankets and grab out a few. I find a box and place the baby on the bed, being careful to prop the infant up just right.

  I place two blankets in the bottom of the box, then lay the baby in the bottom, placing another two thin blankets over the small child. I notice a small piece of fabric around the baby’s wrist. A word is stitched in the fabric. Amelia.

  I look back at the baby.

  “Hi, Amelia,” I say, running my forefinger along her soft cheek.

  I place the remaining blankets on the foot of the bed, deciding Amelia should be warm enough for now. I grab the box, and decide to head back out to the room I had first entered into. I need to get to know these men, get them to trust me. Without trust there cannot be deceit.

  I slide my door shut, walking back, retracing my steps.

  Voices boom in the large room, leaving my ears ringing.

  “We found some milk for the baby,” One young boy says, looking to be only eleven or twelve.

  “Thank you,” I say, grabbing the bottle he hands me.

  I wonder why they have a baby bottle laying around if they don’t allow little kids, but I don’t ask. They probably found it in some dumpster and saved it for a rainy day.

  I pull Amelia out of her box, careful to support her head. She accepts the bottle, guzzling it down. I look up, startled to see Kane watching me. His gaze is solemn and emotionless. I’m worried he can read my thoughts, worried that he’ll figure out my plan to turn all of them in.

  If he suspects anything, he doesn’t show it. He just cups his hands around his mouth and shouts out something I haven’t heard anyone say in a long time.

  “Dinner’s ready! There’s enough for everybody!”

A/N- I hope you are enjoying this so far! :D Comment and Vote please :)

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