hair was pulled back in a severe ponytail and covered witha blue cotton kerchief, accentuating her prominent cheekbones and lips. The oil lamp offered little light, yet the girl wore sunglasses. She had the beauty and poise of a debutante, though her clothes were plain.
“What do you want from me?” Caddy said, her tongue clumsy in her mouth.
“I should ask you the same thing.”
“I want to go home.”
“I’m afraid that’s impossible.”
“Please, I don’t understand … I just want to go home. I haven’t done anything—” Her voice broke, betraying her fear.
“Are you thirsty?” the girl asked. She made a small movement with her hand. The man filled a glass with water from a tarnished metal pitcher and placed it on the table next to Caddy’s chair.
“Please, take it,” the girl said.
Caddy looked at the glass with suspicion.
“It is safe, I assure you,” the girl said. “It will help remove the taste of solvent from your mouth.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“We don’t wish to harm you.”
This made Caddy angry. She pointed at the man. “He put a bag over my head. He nearly suffocated me. And he broke my phone.”
“Necessary precautions,” the girl said.
“Against what?”
The girl’s face was stoic, the light from the oil lamp reflecting in her glasses. It was clear she wouldn’t be easily intimidated. Caddy tried a different tack.
“Please, just tell me what’s going on.”
The girl relaxed into her chair. Her voice softened. “What brought you to the warehouses?”
Caddy didn’t answer. She wasn’t sure it was a good idea to tell this girl anything.
“We only want to help you,” the girl said.
Caddy stole a look at the man. So he hadn’t intended to kill her as she’d feared. At least, not yet. They wanted something from her. If there was any hope for escape, she’d have to play along. “I found an address, written on a slip of paper.”
“Where?”
“At home.”
“What made you want to pursue it? It was just a slip of paper with a meaningless address. Why would you seek it out?”
Caddy crossed her arms.
“Please,” the girl said. “We’re concerned for your safety. We think you’re in danger.”
Danger? Who’s the one being played? Caddy wondered. Maybe the girl knew more than she was letting on. Maybe she knew something about her father. She would tell her enough to get her to tip her hand.
“I don’t know, really … except that it seemed weird—mysterious, somehow, to find an address like that. I was … curious. I just wanted to see what was there.”
“And what did you discover?”
“Nothing. I couldn’t find the place. There were no numbers or anything. I was going to leave and then some men showed up.”
“The men in grey suits.”
Caddy’s heart jumped. So the girl did know. “Yes. They started chasing me. I panicked. I ran.” She gestured at the man. “And then he grabbed me.”
“Red Cloud,” the girl said, naming the man. “But he just goes by Red. He likely saved your life. Do you know who those men are?”
“The ones in grey suits?” Caddy asked.
The girl nodded. “Did they speak to you?”
“No.” Caddy looked at her hands. They’d started to shake. She felt nauseous, the taste of the solvent coming back to her. She reached for the glass of water and took a small sip. It was cold and clean on her parched tongue. She took another sip and placed theglass back on the table. What if it was laced with something? At this point, did it really matter? She couldn’t escape if she tried.
“Did your father ever tell you anything?” the girl asked.
I knew it, Caddy thought. It was her father they were interested in. She tried to appear calm, steadying her voice. “About what?”
The girl leaned forward, her face glowing in the lamplight. Slowly raising her hand, she removed her sunglasses. Where her left eye should have been was a dark, sunken knot. “They did this to me.” She fixed on Caddy with
“What do you want from me?” Caddy said, her tongue clumsy in her mouth.
“I should ask you the same thing.”
“I want to go home.”
“I’m afraid that’s impossible.”
“Please, I don’t understand … I just want to go home. I haven’t done anything—” Her voice broke, betraying her fear.
“Are you thirsty?” the girl asked. She made a small movement with her hand. The man filled a glass with water from a tarnished metal pitcher and placed it on the table next to Caddy’s chair.
“Please, take it,” the girl said.
Caddy looked at the glass with suspicion.
“It is safe, I assure you,” the girl said. “It will help remove the taste of solvent from your mouth.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“We don’t wish to harm you.”
This made Caddy angry. She pointed at the man. “He put a bag over my head. He nearly suffocated me. And he broke my phone.”
“Necessary precautions,” the girl said.
“Against what?”
The girl’s face was stoic, the light from the oil lamp reflecting in her glasses. It was clear she wouldn’t be easily intimidated. Caddy tried a different tack.
“Please, just tell me what’s going on.”
The girl relaxed into her chair. Her voice softened. “What brought you to the warehouses?”
Caddy didn’t answer. She wasn’t sure it was a good idea to tell this girl anything.
“We only want to help you,” the girl said.
Caddy stole a look at the man. So he hadn’t intended to kill her as she’d feared. At least, not yet. They wanted something from her. If there was any hope for escape, she’d have to play along. “I found an address, written on a slip of paper.”
“Where?”
“At home.”
“What made you want to pursue it? It was just a slip of paper with a meaningless address. Why would you seek it out?”
Caddy crossed her arms.
“Please,” the girl said. “We’re concerned for your safety. We think you’re in danger.”
Danger? Who’s the one being played? Caddy wondered. Maybe the girl knew more than she was letting on. Maybe she knew something about her father. She would tell her enough to get her to tip her hand.
“I don’t know, really … except that it seemed weird—mysterious, somehow, to find an address like that. I was … curious. I just wanted to see what was there.”
“And what did you discover?”
“Nothing. I couldn’t find the place. There were no numbers or anything. I was going to leave and then some men showed up.”
“The men in grey suits.”
Caddy’s heart jumped. So the girl did know. “Yes. They started chasing me. I panicked. I ran.” She gestured at the man. “And then he grabbed me.”
“Red Cloud,” the girl said, naming the man. “But he just goes by Red. He likely saved your life. Do you know who those men are?”
“The ones in grey suits?” Caddy asked.
The girl nodded. “Did they speak to you?”
“No.” Caddy looked at her hands. They’d started to shake. She felt nauseous, the taste of the solvent coming back to her. She reached for the glass of water and took a small sip. It was cold and clean on her parched tongue. She took another sip and placed theglass back on the table. What if it was laced with something? At this point, did it really matter? She couldn’t escape if she tried.
“Did your father ever tell you anything?” the girl asked.
I knew it, Caddy thought. It was her father they were interested in. She tried to appear calm, steadying her voice. “About what?”
The girl leaned forward, her face glowing in the lamplight. Slowly raising her hand, she removed her sunglasses. Where her left eye should have been was a dark, sunken knot. “They did this to me.” She fixed on Caddy with
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