lived with her dad for years and years, ever since she was
thirteen and could stay home alone when he worked so much,
but she visited her grandparents all the time. She missed them.
She vowed that she’d talk to Claire. If she refused her, she’d
pitch a fit. Use the legal angle and the threat of police if she
/>
had to. She wouldn’t mean it, for fear of what would happen to
her dad, because if people ever found out about the deal he’d
made that entailed letting his daughter go stay with the enemy,
they wouldn’t view it in a good light. His name would be more
than ruined. She couldn’t imagine the scandal. They’d be a
joint carcass, all of them, and the vultures would come to pick
at their bones.
“You can have the smoothie,” Haley said, feeling more than
sick. “And you can let go of me. I’m not going to run. I’m
sorry. I just wanted to see my friends for a few minutes.”
“They could have come over to the house,” Snake grunted.
He did taste the smoothie, to her surprise, and a slow, reluctant
smile spread across his scary face. “Good,” he barked, like a
caveman. “I like it.”
Whatever. Haley was not going to find that endearing in any
way. But Snake was right, and she knew it.
“I’m sorry,” she said, meaning it as he steered her through
the mall’s side doors to the parkade. He was onto her ruse. She
didn’t need tampons or underwear of any sort. “I didn’t mean
to make you worry. I wasn’t trying to escape. I knew you’d
find me right away. I just wanted to talk without you being
right there.”
“Did you tell them everything?” So he did know about the
arrangement. Haley figured he would, because she was his job.