Lying Bloodlines

Chapter Ten

“Mandy,” He sighs pulling us both into an embrace. “We have been looking for the two of you for the last month.” He pushes us back, “Where have you been?” I put Mandy down pushing her behind me holding my hand up to keep him at a distance.

“Who are you and how do you know us? Who’s ‘we’?” He raises his hands, his face softening.

“My name’s Theo, I’m a friend of Alina and Shai. Both of them and Nonna have been looking for you two, you were taken and-” I run over to the car getting in with Mandy. “What are you doing?”

I frown at him, I don’t know, I’m trusting another stranger with Mandy and I’s life. But rather him then Aster and Ros.

“Drive us to them, now.” He nods racing around to the drivers side. Mandy is on my lap, hugging me with her head on my shoulder.

“Maybe she should get in the back and wear a seatbelt?” I pull the seat belt around us both clicking it in place.

“She stays with me, now drive.” I glare at him, he nods quickly and speeds away.

We drive for several hours, we’re on an empty highway, I watch everything that we pass, as Mandy snores softly. Theo’s hand reaches towards us. I flinch away smacking it.

“It’s okay, I’m trying to get this.” He pulls out a granola bar from the glove compartment, handing it to me. I snatch it putting it besides me, Mandy will be hungry when she wakes up.

He glances between me and the road with a sigh, we drive in silence for a few minutes before he speaks again.

“I’m not going to hurt either of you, please stop gripping the door handle. You’re starting to make me nervous.” He glances at the seatbelt I took off the minute we got onto this road, he hasn’t been able to get me to put it on again.

“I don’t care.” He sighs when I fail to comply with his request.

Several minutes later he pulls into the entrance of an forest. I edge closer to the door ready to jump out at any second. He glances at me anxiously before stopping at a cabin several hundred yards later. He turns to me.

“Please don’t run. I promise they’re here.” I nod, the second he gets out I lock the door and look at the wheel, he left the keys. I put Mandy down and get into the driver's seat as he hits the window, yellinging at me.

The cabin door opens just as I start the car, several people run out. The main one I notice is Nonna. She stares at the car with a frown calling to Theo. Then Alina and Shain come out, I freeze. Mandy who woke up the second I put her down rubs her eyes looking at everyone.

“Nonna and Alina.” She whispers staring at them. “Where are we Aj?” I eye everyone outside the car slowly killing the engine.

“I don’t know.” I crack the window looking at Theo. “Where are we and who are they?” He frowns.

“We’re at a safe house, and that’s Nonna, Alina, and Shai.” I glare at him holding the keys.

“Who’s the rest of them?”  He quickly tries to explain that the two other guys and women are like them and friends. That they’re safe. Nonna slowly comes to the window looking at Mandy and I.

“Annalynn, it’s safe. We’re safe. Just come out dearie, you’re both safe now.” I pause before reaching for the glove compartment and pulling out a gun I noticed earlier. Nonna gasps, “Annalynn, put that down dearie, please.” I go over to Mandy’s side and unlock the door pulling her out the car with me.

Nonna tries to come around to us, I hold the gun up, keeping Mandy close to me. Mandy hides behind me, watching everyone.

“Stay back.” Everyone freezes.

Alina calls to me.

“Aj, it’s okay. We aren’t going hurt you.” She looks me over, “What on Earth happened to you?” I look at her but keep the gun pointed at Nonna, no one here wants her to get hurt as they angle their bodies in her direction.

“She wouldn't tell me on the way here, she wouldn’t even let Mandy an inch away from her.” Theo informs them when I fail to answer.

“How did you find them?” I glance back and forth at them as they talk.

“She was running on the side of the road carrying Mandy, barefoot and everything. I don’t know how long she’d been running.” Everyone looks me over concerned, Nonna steps forward, but I cock the gun.

“How do you know how to use a gun, dearie?” I don’t answer looking back at Theo.

“Why were you so close to that building? Are you working for them too?” He frowns holding his hands up.

“What building?” Mandy steps out from behind me just slightly.

“Jefferson’s protection agency.” I rub her arm as she starts to tremble. Nonna starts to cry as Theo stares at us.

“You ran from the hunters compound?” I nod, “All that way?” I glare at him, why is he asking so many questions I said yes didn’t I? “That was thirty miles away from where I found you. How did you run so far?” Alina moves slightly getting my attention.

“Nevermind that, they were captured by hunters. Aj looks like she was tortured.” She looks at Mandy, “Did they hurt you too?” She shakes her head. Alina looks back at me, “We’re not with the hunters, Aj. If you were with them for the last month you should know that. They’re after us, and now I’m guessing you both as well.”

I rub my ear on my shoulder, holding Mandy closer to me.

“Shut up. Shut up, all of you.” Everyone gets quiet, “We need to shower.” Nonna blinks in surprise. She’s never seen me so emotionless, neither did Alina or Shai for that matter.

“What did they do to you?” I start walking towards the cabin with Mandy, they move out of my way, as I continue to hold the gun up.

“We need to shower.”

In the bathroom I let Mandy wash up as I clean myself at the sink. I stare at myself in the mirror, there’s dark bags under my eyes and my lips are chapped but there’s not a scratch anywhere on me. And there’s no stab mark, I touch my stomach gently, no stab mark.

“Aj?” I close the flannel they gave me and button it looking at Mandy.

“Clean?”

She nods pulling on a shirt several sizes too big for her, it looks like a dress. I grab her hand and the gun on the counter opening the bathroom door. No one’s in the room so we walk out into the living room where everyone’s waiting.