River & Revenge

06 | innocence at stake

A N D E R

     "Are you trying to scare her or date her?"

"Neither," he wasn't too happy listening to River's aggravating voice early in the morning, but the pesky vigilante had insisted on knowing the progress first thing when he woke up. Amidst Ander's need to sleep and the persistent questions, he had found it hard to escape the several missed calls but now, he was battling the possibility of a better idea—the glorious power-off button.

"If she refuses to say—"

"Then nothing," he hung up on him. He wasn't going to take torture lessons from his deranged brother even though he wasn't sure what to do past this. He neither knew how to bring out answers from someone nor wanted to put her through that, but going empty-handed to River could lead the way to a rattling future. Ander couldn't see himself winning in any situation, and he regretted agreeing to it in the first place.

His gaze wandered to Jamie, her ginger hair flowing past her shoulders and ending with curls in the middle of her back. She was busy chit-chatting with the old owner of the bakery, and even though he couldn't see her front, he could imagine the way her face was lighting up at every other joke from the elderly woman in her late seventies.

Pamella of Ms Pam's didn't manage the bakery anymore, but she often stayed around to check in on her regular customers. Ander had been one once, and from the way, Jamie got to munch on a free pretzel, he assumed she still hung around.

When she returned to their seat with a cheesy grin plastered on her face, she had another pretzel in her hand. "Got one for you too!" He took it gladly, and the sugar and cinnamon-coated bread felt too heavenly after a painful and starving morning.

He had yet to hear back from Marco. His best and only friend had been missing for the last two days; he had vanished without a trace. He neither had returned to their apartment—which he still thankfully had for the next week—nor stayed back at the supermarket long enough to find something. Saying he was worried would be an understatement. Ander was full-on freaking out, and a part of him suspected River was behind it.

"Do you always do night shifts?" He voiced his random curiosity, hoping the redhead would distract him enough from his paranoia of finding Marco dead in a ditch, and it looked like it was working. The sugar dust covering his chin made her laugh, and embarrassed, he reached for a paper napkin. He would have tried to be more mannered, but who was he kidding? He was hungry and anxious, and it was seven in the morning.

"Mostly, yeah," she shrugged, and Ander noticed a shift in her voice. If it was because of the conversation they were about to have, he hated the idea of disappointing her, but under no circumstances he wanted to let River take over.

He had been violent enough the last time they saw each other.

"So, how's work?"

"Ask what you really want. I don't think we can avoid it anymore." She chuckled, though he knew she didn't find anything funny.

"You know what I want to ask."

She'd confirmed his brother wasn't the culprit, and even though he couldn't find himself to trust River, he did trust Jamie. As far as he knew, she didn't have a reason to lie, but to be safe, he had to know more.

He knew the criminal's tag would never leave his brother's shadow, but he liked the idea of his freedom—despite his neurotic ticks. Perhaps, River would live a better life after this, and Ander could finally ease up on the guilt of not being a better brother all these years.

"I don't have it anymore," she mumbled quietly, and he waited for her to elaborate, "It's true, I had footage showing it was a woman who walked away from the burning car, but yeah, I don't have it anymore."