Read Online The Cross (Alliance Book 2) by Inna Hardison - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Inna Hardison
Tags: Young adult dystopian
Ads: Link
took him to Hassinger, even after what that woman did to him. He thought he deserved it somehow, because he failed, because he didn’t think he could save his sister after all.
“And the only bad thing I ever saw him do, I think it would have killed him if Ams didn’t come around and started talking to him again. He bullied her into coming with him, using me as bait. She didn’t want to run, but I did, so he told her he’d take me but only if she came too. I didn’t tell you that part. Ams wouldn’t talk to him for days after that. I had to take his food to him and put HealX on his scars, and I watched him do what you are doing, watched it for days. Punishing himself, looking as if he wished he were dead, not eating, not speaking either. All those horrible things you did, or think you did, he did all of them too, in his own way, only he did them to a little girl who didn’t even know him well enough to like him yet, not to his best friend. But you are like him, whether you see it or not… I am sorry I hurt you, Brody. I needed to know for sure who you are. I think I do now, and we will talk again,” and she left then, and he didn’t know what to do about her after that.
Riley came in, looking at him in his old Riley way, but he didn’t know how to tell him any of this yet, so he slid back down the wall and shook his head at his friend, and he let him be. He watched Riley dig through his bag, and pull out a shirt. The one he had on was wet for some reason. He pulled it off, too much light landing on all the scars he could see above his bandages, thin white lines diagonally drawn across his back. He felt sick looking at it, after what Laurel just told him.
“I am going to kill her, Riley. Someday. I will find her, and I will kill her.”
Riley turned around, surprised look on his face, “Kill who, Brody?”
Of course. He had no way of knowing that he knew how he got those scars.
“Hassinger. I am going to kill her.”
Riley crouched in front of him, concerned look on his face.
“I had Laurel tell me what happened to you, to all of you. I think she told me everything she thought I could take. And then some things I don’t think she meant to tell me. You and Ams things. I think she wanted to go back even before me. Because of all the sadness, the sadness on you at the compound after what you did to Ams, the way Stan made her feel, the field in Reston. I think she means to go back, Riley, and I don’t think any of us can stop her.”
“I know. But we can’t let her. At least not until we know she’ll be safe. I don’t trust them, Brody, the Alliance, only now, after what you told me about Trina, I don’t trust us either. It’s like they are all playing some kind of game, and none of us know what it is or why they are doing it. I need to know for sure she’ll be okay if she goes back, and until I do, she can’t go anywhere. We can’t let her.”
He nodded, letting Riley know that he was with him on this if he needed him.
“Brody, whatever Laurel told you about me and Ams, she did it for a reason. She gets people, reads them somehow. It’s like she can see through everybody. Her telling you that, she meant well by it, and I don’t mind you knowing. I’m actually glad that you do. I am not the saint you think I am, Brody. Never was.”
He left him alone after that, and he didn’t want to think about Laurel and all the things she just told him, so he made himself think through everything he learned about the Alliance in the last few years, trying to connect it all up so it made sense, but he couldn’t do it. Riley was right, it wasn’t adding up. But Hassinger would know. They just had to get their hands on her, and make her talk. He still had her on the ECH. All he had to do was tell her that he had one of the replenishers. She’d come for that. And he’d make her talk, and then he would kill her. He went through Riley’s bag and found his comm, and typed in the GPS numbers for a
“And the only bad thing I ever saw him do, I think it would have killed him if Ams didn’t come around and started talking to him again. He bullied her into coming with him, using me as bait. She didn’t want to run, but I did, so he told her he’d take me but only if she came too. I didn’t tell you that part. Ams wouldn’t talk to him for days after that. I had to take his food to him and put HealX on his scars, and I watched him do what you are doing, watched it for days. Punishing himself, looking as if he wished he were dead, not eating, not speaking either. All those horrible things you did, or think you did, he did all of them too, in his own way, only he did them to a little girl who didn’t even know him well enough to like him yet, not to his best friend. But you are like him, whether you see it or not… I am sorry I hurt you, Brody. I needed to know for sure who you are. I think I do now, and we will talk again,” and she left then, and he didn’t know what to do about her after that.
Riley came in, looking at him in his old Riley way, but he didn’t know how to tell him any of this yet, so he slid back down the wall and shook his head at his friend, and he let him be. He watched Riley dig through his bag, and pull out a shirt. The one he had on was wet for some reason. He pulled it off, too much light landing on all the scars he could see above his bandages, thin white lines diagonally drawn across his back. He felt sick looking at it, after what Laurel just told him.
“I am going to kill her, Riley. Someday. I will find her, and I will kill her.”
Riley turned around, surprised look on his face, “Kill who, Brody?”
Of course. He had no way of knowing that he knew how he got those scars.
“Hassinger. I am going to kill her.”
Riley crouched in front of him, concerned look on his face.
“I had Laurel tell me what happened to you, to all of you. I think she told me everything she thought I could take. And then some things I don’t think she meant to tell me. You and Ams things. I think she wanted to go back even before me. Because of all the sadness, the sadness on you at the compound after what you did to Ams, the way Stan made her feel, the field in Reston. I think she means to go back, Riley, and I don’t think any of us can stop her.”
“I know. But we can’t let her. At least not until we know she’ll be safe. I don’t trust them, Brody, the Alliance, only now, after what you told me about Trina, I don’t trust us either. It’s like they are all playing some kind of game, and none of us know what it is or why they are doing it. I need to know for sure she’ll be okay if she goes back, and until I do, she can’t go anywhere. We can’t let her.”
He nodded, letting Riley know that he was with him on this if he needed him.
“Brody, whatever Laurel told you about me and Ams, she did it for a reason. She gets people, reads them somehow. It’s like she can see through everybody. Her telling you that, she meant well by it, and I don’t mind you knowing. I’m actually glad that you do. I am not the saint you think I am, Brody. Never was.”
He left him alone after that, and he didn’t want to think about Laurel and all the things she just told him, so he made himself think through everything he learned about the Alliance in the last few years, trying to connect it all up so it made sense, but he couldn’t do it. Riley was right, it wasn’t adding up. But Hassinger would know. They just had to get their hands on her, and make her talk. He still had her on the ECH. All he had to do was tell her that he had one of the replenishers. She’d come for that. And he’d make her talk, and then he would kill her. He went through Riley’s bag and found his comm, and typed in the GPS numbers for a
Similar Books
