Alistair.
“Kate!” she protested, stumbling into the classroom. “I am…um…sorry, Mr. McAdams?”
I heard an unintelligible grunt from behind the door and assumed it was McAdams. I could see a few kids lift their heads, including Alistair, who glared in Taylor’s direction. Psycho much?
“Mrs. Newbury in the office sent me here to get Alistair. I think she has a message for him.”
I was very impressed with Taylor’s improv. I didn’t know she had it in her.
“I hope you have a note, Ms. Wright,” McAdams grumbled, more bear than man.
“She was in the middle of her lunch and said to apologize. It will just take a second.”
Even though I could only see the back of her head, I could tell she was smiling, which I knew must have been incredibly difficult to pull off at the moment. The girl was good. I also knew she’d hooked McAdams. No one could resist Taylor Wright’s smile. Especially not an underpaid widower in his early sixties.
Another gurgle and Alistair was free.
“Thanks for the free pass, T.,” he said, pushing past Taylor and into the hallway. “Sorry I’ve gotta run.” Then his eyes landed on me, and he looked back at Taylor and started laughing. “Nice hair, freak show.” In terms of greetings, I had to admit that was actually one of Alistair’s more friendly salutations. “See ya around.”
Wow. I never knew that level of dickery actually existed.
“We got your text,” I called out to him as he walked. That stopped him in his tracks just like I knew it would.
“Well, at least we’re not beating around the bush anymore. I suppose you’re here to tell me that you’ve disbanded the Sisterhood?”
“Do not be ridiculous,” Taylor snapped. “We are here to give you one last chance to let Bethany go. Or else.”
Alistair laughed. “Or else what? You’ll tell that fat-ass security guard to beat us in an arm-wrestling match? Ooh, scary.”
Never in my life have I wanted to punch someone more than in that moment. Alistair Reynolds was the worst kind of asshole. The kind who had never been put in his place. The kind with actual power.
“Let me know when you’re ready to turn over your little robes and necklaces, and then we’ll talk. But you better hurry, because I heard your friend wasn’t feeling too hot this morning, and now that I think of it, I’m not sure anyone remembered to feed her.”
Taylor ran up to Alistair and went straight for his face, her hands ready to claw his eyes out. He managed to grab her right hand, but with a broken wrist he couldn’t stop her left hand from drawing four lines of blood down the side of his cheek.
He cupped his fingers over the wound and, without a word, turned his head, his eyes like flint.
For one long moment I thought he was going to backhand her. But Taylor just stood up and walked back down the hallway. Her arm bumped mine as she passed me, and I could see the struggle in her face as she tried to hold back tears. I could tell by the look on her face that if she even uttered a single word, the floodgates would open and every emotion she’d bottled up over the past few days would come pouring out all at once. And if Taylor was anything like me, tears would make her feel weak, defeated. She picked up her pace and pushed into the closest girls’ bathroom and was gone.
So that went well.
I made my way over to Alistair, who hadn’t moved an inch.
“This isn’t going to end well. You might as well just tell me where she is.”
“You want to know the truth, Lowry? I have no idea where they hid her. It’s not my job to know. This whole thing wasn’t even my idea.” It was strange, but Alistair almost sounded like he was telling the truth.
“You honestly expect me to believe that as president of the Brotherhood you have no idea where they’re hiding the girl you’re holding for ransom?”
“I don’t expect you to believe anything, but you should know that I’m not the president anymore. And like I said, this
“Kate!” she protested, stumbling into the classroom. “I am…um…sorry, Mr. McAdams?”
I heard an unintelligible grunt from behind the door and assumed it was McAdams. I could see a few kids lift their heads, including Alistair, who glared in Taylor’s direction. Psycho much?
“Mrs. Newbury in the office sent me here to get Alistair. I think she has a message for him.”
I was very impressed with Taylor’s improv. I didn’t know she had it in her.
“I hope you have a note, Ms. Wright,” McAdams grumbled, more bear than man.
“She was in the middle of her lunch and said to apologize. It will just take a second.”
Even though I could only see the back of her head, I could tell she was smiling, which I knew must have been incredibly difficult to pull off at the moment. The girl was good. I also knew she’d hooked McAdams. No one could resist Taylor Wright’s smile. Especially not an underpaid widower in his early sixties.
Another gurgle and Alistair was free.
“Thanks for the free pass, T.,” he said, pushing past Taylor and into the hallway. “Sorry I’ve gotta run.” Then his eyes landed on me, and he looked back at Taylor and started laughing. “Nice hair, freak show.” In terms of greetings, I had to admit that was actually one of Alistair’s more friendly salutations. “See ya around.”
Wow. I never knew that level of dickery actually existed.
“We got your text,” I called out to him as he walked. That stopped him in his tracks just like I knew it would.
“Well, at least we’re not beating around the bush anymore. I suppose you’re here to tell me that you’ve disbanded the Sisterhood?”
“Do not be ridiculous,” Taylor snapped. “We are here to give you one last chance to let Bethany go. Or else.”
Alistair laughed. “Or else what? You’ll tell that fat-ass security guard to beat us in an arm-wrestling match? Ooh, scary.”
Never in my life have I wanted to punch someone more than in that moment. Alistair Reynolds was the worst kind of asshole. The kind who had never been put in his place. The kind with actual power.
“Let me know when you’re ready to turn over your little robes and necklaces, and then we’ll talk. But you better hurry, because I heard your friend wasn’t feeling too hot this morning, and now that I think of it, I’m not sure anyone remembered to feed her.”
Taylor ran up to Alistair and went straight for his face, her hands ready to claw his eyes out. He managed to grab her right hand, but with a broken wrist he couldn’t stop her left hand from drawing four lines of blood down the side of his cheek.
He cupped his fingers over the wound and, without a word, turned his head, his eyes like flint.
For one long moment I thought he was going to backhand her. But Taylor just stood up and walked back down the hallway. Her arm bumped mine as she passed me, and I could see the struggle in her face as she tried to hold back tears. I could tell by the look on her face that if she even uttered a single word, the floodgates would open and every emotion she’d bottled up over the past few days would come pouring out all at once. And if Taylor was anything like me, tears would make her feel weak, defeated. She picked up her pace and pushed into the closest girls’ bathroom and was gone.
So that went well.
I made my way over to Alistair, who hadn’t moved an inch.
“This isn’t going to end well. You might as well just tell me where she is.”
“You want to know the truth, Lowry? I have no idea where they hid her. It’s not my job to know. This whole thing wasn’t even my idea.” It was strange, but Alistair almost sounded like he was telling the truth.
“You honestly expect me to believe that as president of the Brotherhood you have no idea where they’re hiding the girl you’re holding for ransom?”
“I don’t expect you to believe anything, but you should know that I’m not the president anymore. And like I said, this
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