“Let’s all calm down here,” his voice is calm, friendly even. “If Hugo needs to go, then we can arrange for someone from our precinct to join him. Maybe, Rodnet and Kear.”
“I don’t know them,” my father shakes his head.
“And, you don’t need to,” Fynn snorts again. “All you need to know is that they will keep you safe, at the expense of their own lives. So, if you really can’t sit your ass down here and lay low, this is the only other option available.”
“What about Maddie?” my father wonders, and I feel this is the first time Fynn actually looks at me, and not through me.
“She won’t be going anywhere,” Fynn shrugs. “It’s difficult enough keeping an eye on one person who’s got a target on his forehead, let alone two. And one of them being a girl who prefers bars.”
“I beg your pardon!?” I take a step forward to him, ready to explain that the only reason I was at that bar was because my friends made me do it, and I was about to head home when all that happened.
“Alright, alright,” my father lays his hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down. “Fynn’s a little rough on the edges, sweetheart. You’ll get used to it. Just don’t pay too much attention to what he says.”
“Yeah, princess,” Fynn grins at me, his ghostly white teeth, with fangs that I only noticed now. “If you want a shoulder to cry on, talk to Anderson there. But, if you want to stay alive, then do listen to what I have to say.”
And, with those words, everyone is left speechless. The smirk on his face tells me he liked how that felt.
“So, Fynn and I were thinking,” Anderson jumps in here, and we’re all kinda happy he does, “we’ll take Maddie to the safe house up North.”
“Is that the one - “
“Yes,” Anderson interrupts my father. “It’s the one where we made sure that Milo would stay alive.”
I have no idea what they’re talking about, but I know it’s important. I can’t go back to my life knowing that the person who kidnapped me is still out there, maybe plotting something more, something worse.
“Take her there,” my father agrees without another word said.
“What? Dad, I don’t - “
“I can’t stay here to keep you safe, sweetheart,” my father tells me. “And, right now, these two guys are the only ones I trust. They’re the only ones I know will be able to protect you.”
Nothing else needs to be said. Nothing else needs to be explained. I know he’s right. Especially if he’s not here, I can’t go back to my apartment alone. That guy probably knows all about where I live and that I’m alone there.
“When will you be back?” I ask him.
“I’ll try to return as quickly as I can, hopefully a week, maybe two.”
“As soon as your father returns, we’ll take him to you,” Anderson addresses me, and for some inexplicable reason, his words calm me. I trust him, even though I have very little to base that on.
“See?” my father joins in. “It’ll be alright.”
“I’d hate to cut this short, but we really need to get both of you out of here,” Fynn tells us. “For all we know your house could be bugged, or under surveillance.”
“I doubt that,” my father shakes his head. “The bugged part, I mean. No one enters my study. I make sure to lock it when I’m not home. Not even the cleaning lady has access to it unless I’m here. So, if the place really is wired, this room would be the only safe one.”
“If you say so,” Fynn nods. “But that doesn’t change the fact that we need to get out of here, now.”
“Can I pack some stuff?” I ask.
“Come on, I’ll walk you to your room, so you can grab what you need,” Anderson tells me.
“No, my stuff is at my apartment.”
“It’s not safe to go there,” Anderson tells me. “Do you have anything you can grab from here?”
“I guess.”
“Let’s meet up in front in 5 minutes,” Fynn instructs, and Anderson nods.