"You're quiet," Silas said, gazing at me, his green eyes still vibrant under the dull light overhead.
"Trying to absorb everything," I replied with a sigh.
He looked away when I dropped my head to my knees and hugged them, my cheek cold against my rough jeans. From the kitchen, noises came easily, interrupting the silence between us. With my head slanted like that, I inspected the blood on Silas's temple. My abrupt movement startled him. Kneeling, I splayed both hands on his shoulders.
"What are you doing?" He tried to look up but my palm was on his forehead, pushing him down so that I could observe the wound. It was still fresh, hair around it sticky with parched blood. I pressed a gentle finger to it.
"Does it hurt?"
"My head throbs." His answer surprised me. Normally, he would skip saying the truth to not get me worried.
"Shocking." I went back to where I was sitting. Confusion etched on his face. "Wasn't expecting your honesty?"
"When have I not been honest with you?" Silas eyed me carefully.
"When were you going to tell me about the drive?" I smiled, my tone almost casual as if my question was if he wanted sugar in his tea or not. I, myself, couldn't fathom this quietness. "And what is on the drive?"
"Confidential information." He tilted his face to a side, a reserved poise slipping in while he tactfully tried to find words to shut me down.
"I think I figured that part out." I looked down at the suede toecap of my boots, my hands rubbing on my exposed ankles subconsciously. "Information about what? I want to know that."
"Confidential... stuff," Silas said hesitantly and I couldn't believe that after all these he was still trying to keep this a secret. It didn't mean that he was protecting me. It meant he was keeping me inadequate when I could be helpful.
"Silas." I let out a sigh and turned to face him. "Those men were shooting at you for the drive. I don't think to keep the information from me would do any good for us now."
"Dawn-"
I interjected, "Why are they trying to kill you?"
There was silence. A sound of sirens blaring in the distance could be heard, joining the occasional kitchen chatters.
"You're still not going to tell me." I maintained eye contact.
"You know that it's dangerous-"
I recoiled, "How much more dangerous can it be than this? We're on a run, Silas." A pause. "I assume all of these: putting you in jail just before we were about to leave the country, planting drugs in your mill, all of these are connected to the drive."
Suddenly, I knew that my theory was hundred percent correct. It was just the way his eyes gleamed that made me realize.
"Well..." He shrugged. "You're close."
"Close?" I rose both my eyebrows.
He sighed in defeat. "Alright. You're thinking right. The drive has evidence of some pretty bad stuff that had happened throughout the years. The people in that, they know I'm looking into them."
"And they don't want you to. Did you threaten them anyhow?"
"I did, yes. For exchange of a secure life, void of any sort of politics." At my expression, he added, "I know. That was my only leverage. They used my own bait against me."
"Give up the information or serve time," I whispered, my eyes straining on his bleeding knuckles. I stared but felt no energy to mention them.
"Yes," he agreed with me.
YOU ARE READING
Here's to Us (Blood Money #2)
Romance"What we had is over, Dawn. You don't have to do this anymore. You're free to go." I traced the glass separating us with my fingers, looking into his green eyes and whispered to the phone, "So you want to know why I'm still here?" He just stare...
