42
Moreno
“Nikki, can you put Nova to bed?” I ask, heading inside the compound.
Nova has been silent. Not that I expected much out of her.
Paige seems to have taken a lesson from Nova.
“Sure. Come on,” Nikki says and leads her up the stairs.
I wait for her to disappear down the hallway before I return to the SUV and escort Paige out of the vehicle in handcuffs.
“Are the cuffs really necessary?” It’s the first thing she’s said to me since I got into the vehicle with her.
No apology.
No explanation.
Just silence.
“Until I have answers and can trust you again, yes.” I yank her inside the house, my hand gripping her arm as I lead her down to the holding cells.
“Where are we going?” her voice cracks.
This time, I respond in silence. I hit the light switch and the the lights flicker on as we descend the stairwell into the basement.
Several prison cells are lined up in the basement with iron bars and no windows. The walls are made of cement, and the room is quite chilly, even for summer.
I open the cell door and thrust her inside. “Turn around,” I instruct and unlock the cuffs, letting her hands free.
I pocket the handcuffs and shut the prison door, locking her inside before turning for the stairwell.
“Moreno,” she says, her voice sounds broken. How do I know it’s not just another game to her? “Please, let me explain.”
I storm up the stairs. I need to tuck Nova into bed and see how my little girl is doing after the day she’s endured.
Once Nova is asleep, I’ll pay another visit to Paige, but for now, I’d rather make her wait and wonder when I’ll be back for her.
The prison cell is absent of a bed. There’s a bucket to piss in. There are no blankets, no warm comforts, not even a chair. Although from time to time, we bring one in and let the prisoner sit while we tie them up and torture the bastards.
I trudge up the stairs, leaving the prison lights on.
I shut the basement door and head down the hallway and up the stairs to check on Nova.
Nikki is just stepping out of Nova’s bedroom. “She’s changed for bed and tucked in. She doesn’t seem tired, but she rolled over and pretended to be asleep when I offered to read her a bedtime story.”
“Thanks, Nikki.” I appreciate the help.
Nikki stands tall, staring up at me. She doesn’t seem to take a clue that she’s dismissed.
“Why did you bring Paige back here, under our roof? She kidnapped your daughter.” Nikki waits for me to respond.
If she did kidnap Nova, she did a terrible job by bringing her to Ariella and Jaxson’s home. And Paige wouldn’t have willingly gone with Vance earlier in the afternoon. I can’t let the nagging suspicion that she’d been set up just like I had with the explosion at the facility where we infiltrated.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you,” I say.
Nikki scoffs. “Well, you’ll have to explain yourself to Dante.” She storms down the hallway, her heels clicking forcefully against the floorboards.