Return ↠ Argent [2]

30. Dial Tones

Out of all of the things that should be on my mind right now, the one thing that bothered me the most was Stiles. I was worried after we had left the hospital if he was alright and that he got Cora out of there safely. I mean, Stiles and I aren't brothers, but he's the closest thing I have to one.

Are you okay? What about the others? I'm sorry about what happened; I had to do-

My fingers slip away from the buttons as someone takes the phone from my hands, growling under their breath. When I looked up to see who it was, it was Kali of course; angry that I was trying to contact someone.

"No texting, no calling, no talking to your friends," Kali snarls, clutching my phone before handing it to Jade beside her to do something with it. "If I catch you trying to contact anyone other than us, then Deucalion won't even be able to protect you. You're with us now. You don't need to talk to them."

The saliva in my mouth thickens as she glares at me, turning and walking away. I wasn't sure where we were exactly, but I had to guess that it was some type of rundown warehouse that they managed to hide away at. I remembered Stiles telling me something about how they had stayed in a room at Allison's apartment building, but I guess that place became compromised after we figured that out.

After Kali was gone, Jade turns to me and looks me up and down, making me feel uncomfortable. It was only the two of us standing in this large area, shelves stacked miles high with boxes and other large objects no one could lift without some type of machine around us. After I had left with Deucalion, I felt out of my skin—like I was floating, or lost in my thoughts I suppose.

Jade stares at my phone in her hands for a moment before holding it out for me to take, but I just stared at her. "Take it."

"You heard Kali," I speak, surprised at how broken my voice sounded. I wished that it wouldn't do that. "I'm with you now."

Jade snorts quietly, grabbing my wrist and slamming my phone back into my hand as she stares me in the eyes. "You and me both know the lies behind that last sentence."

I stared at her as she let go of the phone, stepping back and crossing her arms. It was like she was wanting me to say something to her, but I wasn't sure what. I wondered if she wanted me to apologize for what I had said earlier, but I meant every word of it. I wasn't going to apologize for something I wasn't sorry for.

So, she talked first.

"I'm guessing you have a plan then?" she remarks, raising her eyebrows.

I furrow mine. "Plan for what?"

She looks at me like I was dumb. "I know you, Corey. You know that. You also know that I know that when you don't get your way, you find a way out of it. So, what's your plan?"

I stare at her, eyes dull. A part of me wanted to tell her some type of plan I had formed in the back of my mind, but in all honesty, I didn't have anything. I was too drained and too deprived of hope to actually come up with something, and either way, if I did have a plan, I sure as hell wouldn't be telling a member of the alpha pack what it was.

I dodged the question. "Why'd you lie to Deucalion back there?"

Jade was the confused one now. "What are you talking about?"

"You lied to him about me," I cross my arms, gaining a little bit of confidence back. "You told him that I sucked at lying, but I guess you forgot all of the times I got you out of trouble because of my lies."

She smiles then, something that triggered a memory deep within me. Like seeing her smile was a foreign concept. "Ah, I forgot about those. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be standing here today."