Between the Cracks and Burning Doors: Book 2 of The Extraction List Series by Renee N. Meland Page A

when she wakes up.”
    I smiled and took both gifts, sitting them on the nightstand. “Thank you. But now you all have to go to bed.”
    A chorus of but s erupted.
    “You can meet whoever this is in the morning.” They all looked at me with the same horror reserved for hearing Santa isn’t real, as if I took their magic away. With only mild protests, they formed a line behind Nick and followed him back down to the basement.
    It wasn’t that I didn’t want them with us; I just had no idea who I had brought into our home. Sure, she was a young girl, but she was also a stranger. So I forced myself to ignore their frowns and sunken faces and send them downstairs until I knew what I was dealing with.
    The girl was wearing a tight black dress that ended a good foot above her knees. After seeing her six-inch red heels, and considering where I found her, I knew there was a possibility that she was a prostitute. Long lashes rested on the edge of her lids, and after seeing enough fake ones at Maureen’s I could tell hers were real. Her dark hair was pulled back in a tight braid, and I gently moved it so she didn’t have to lay her head on top of it.
    She didn’t look more than fourteen.
    I had no idea what to do until she woke up, so I sat in Dom’s chair and grabbed the first book on the shelf below it. I smiled when I realized it was the Bible.
     
    Dom would be in the hospital for quite a while. I supposed that was the only good thing about what happened to him: he could serve the rest of his time in a hospital instead of jail. Although hospitals are similar to jails if you think about it: people in uniforms, watching your every move, telling you when you can pee and what you can’t eat.
    But no one would be plunging their fists against his ribs.
    I hadn’t considered what to do if the bill didn’t get passed by the time Dom got back. I was sure the woman on the TV would come through for me eventually, but I couldn’t be sure if she could do it in the next month. I couldn’t keep them down in the basement forever. And as mad at me as he might be, I didn’t like the idea of keeping anything from Dom after all he had done. I would not repay his kindness with lies.
    Way to get yourself in an impossible mess, Cain. Well done.
    An hour later, the girl’s long lashes fluttered and I saw the dark brown eyes beneath them. At first, she jerked up and scooted as far away from me as she could. “Who are you? Where am I?”
    I stayed in my chair, and sat the Bible down next to me, flashing the cover at her as I put it away.
    Hey, couldn’t hurt.
    “My name is Cain. A man was trying to hurt you earlier. Slammed your head against a wall. I stopped him.”
    She reached her hand to her forehead and ran her fingers over the fresh bandage. “How do I know you aren’t him?”
    I smiled. “Would a man who would hurt you that bad be nice enough to bandage you up?’
    She thought about it. “Fair enough.” She glanced over at the table. “Is that turkey?”
    I nodded. She grabbed the sandwich and seemed to swallow it whole. During bites, she asked, “So what is this place?”
    “You’re in an apartment in the upper part of a church.”
    Little bits of white bread sprayed from her mouth. “Ha, a church? You’re serious?”
    “Are you surprised?”
    “Yeah, that I haven’t burst into flame.” She kept chewing. “You know what I am, right?”
    I nodded. She sat the plate down and sipped from the glass of water. “Just surprised I’m not on fire, is all.” She sat the glass back on the nightstand. “So, what’s your deal?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean, you look a little young to be a priest. No offense.”
    “You look a little young to be a prostitute, no offense.”
    She smirked. “Good point. And none taken. Fuckin’s the most natural thing in the world. I get paid for it, and Maureen feeds me. For a runaway like me, it’s like the fuckin’ Ritz.”
    I stiffened. “You work for Maureen? How come