The ashes we left behind

Chapter 29

The building where the gang's apartment is located is almost in ruin.

"Do you think that people died in here?" I ask Asher.

"Probably."

I put my hand on my forehead, trying to keep myself still.

"Let's go to the basement."

"The basement?"

I start to walk away. "The place where the gang usually works. It's beautiful. You're going to like it. especially with its old and disgusting coffee machine."

"You just saw a building where people died. How can you make a joke?"

He's supposed to be the one making the joke. I'm supposed to be the one freaking out. But why should I continue playing the game of the innocent little girl who believes everything we tell her? They've been all played with me too many times. I'm done!

The sun is getting brighter and brighter when we arrive to that old house I once thought was my safe place. This one isn't destroyed. In the contrary. It's like I've left it last time.

"You like the place?" I ask while walking to the door.

"Stop with your trashy sarcasm."

"It's not trashy."

"It is."

I give him a dark glance before continuing.

"Wait!" he suddenly cries.

I turn to him. "What?"

"We have to make a plan, dumbass."

"Ok. You stay here. I go there. Satisfied?"

He doesn't decline. He doesn't have the energy to. Just like me.

When I approach the door, I knock. While waiting for someone to open, I turn to Asher. "Hide somewhere. Don't let them see you."

"Yes, boss."

I mimic his words under my breath. And I get interrupted by someone opening the door. The face that I discover makes my chest want to explode.

"Ginny?"

"Yes. It's me," she replied. "Oh sorry, because of what you've done to me, I'm unrecognizable."

"We did nothing to your face and look how it is."

"How is it?" she shouts. "Tell me!"

I look away, unable to stare right into her eyes. Eyes that are no longer as beautiful as before.

"You know, I can take you by the throat and quickly kill you."

"Why don't you do it?" I ask, surprised by myself.

"I have better things planned just for you."

"What do you-

I don't have the time to complete my question. Indeed, Ginny opens fully the door, leaving enough room for four gang members to come to me. One takes me by the left arm. Another by the right arm. The rest just checks that nobody is with me. I start to protest even though I know it won't work.

"You know what we do to criminals?" Ginny asks as her friends take me inside the house's basement.

"Leave me be!"

We get down the stairs.

The people that welcome me to the basement hate me. I can see it in their faces, in the way they glare at me. I can also see it in the eyes of the one sitting in front at the table. Connor is wishing for me to be dead.

"Connor", I call. He shakes his head as if he was deceived. Then, he goes back to what he was doing. "Please Connor!"

"Shut your trap!" Ginny orders.

They take me to the small bed and tie me to it.

"Connor", I say in a lower and broken voice. "Please."

They're all listening to me. They're all looking at me. Except Connor.

"Connor, listen to me." I let the tears run down my wounded and dirty cheeks. "Listen to what I have to tell you... I'm begging you to."

Where is Asher? Isn't he supposed to help me?

I don't want to let the thought of him giving up on me come into my mind.

"Connor..."

This time, he gets up in a violent way. "What the fuck do you want?!"

"I have done nothing."

Connor laughs. More of madness than amusement. "You heard her, guys? She has done nothing. Working with Asher Williams is nothing. Bringing weapons to town is nothing. Letting a whole army destroy the city we spend day and night protecting is nothing."

"Please, believe me. I have never worked with Asher. Even he didn't know about all of this."

"Then why did we surprise you in that library. A library? What a choice!"

He walks my way. And now, nothing separates us. He puts a hand on my cheek. "Little Mackenzie thinks that life is as easy as it looks."

"Stop being like that."

I was more begging than ordering.

"Oh, yeah. You're right. It's not only about me. It's about all the people in this room." He turns his head to them. "How do you think we should punish her?"

Ginny comes close to me and slaps me. "Like that."

Is it Asher's plan? All this time he has been the author of this mess. And he made sure that they would blame me.

"There is a way!" I suddenly say. "There is a way to find Hailey."

"We're not going to fall in your trap."

"There's a key", I continue, hoping to convince them. "There's a key Hailey gave me the day she went missing."

Connor's brows frown. "A key? For what?"

"I don't know. She told me to keep it until the right moment. It's probably an evidence."

"Where is it?"

"I don't know."

Ginny rolls her eyes. "Obviously."

"I lost it after giving it to the cops."

"Then we should find it", Connor says, energy in his voice. "Untie her", he orders them.

"What?" Ginny exclaims herself.

"Untie her."

The two guys who were holding me untie the ropes around my wrists. I can finally get up.

"Come to the table." Connor offers me his hand. I take it and we both walk to the table. He invites me to sit next to him.

Still shocked by how fast they all changed their minds, I sit.

"We have to find the key. Mackenzie, any proposition?"

"I have no idea."

"You can look in my pocket", Ginny says.

"Why would I-

She takes something out of her pocket. It's Hailey's necklace.

Fear starts to come to me again.