“Truce,” Alix said, and was surprised at how good the idea sounded to her. How much she wanted to find some way to get along with this stranger.
Moses’s expression had softened. He was almost like a different person entirely. A kinder person. Someone who seemed to be looking at her not as a tool in his plans but as a human being. And with the softness of his expression, she thought she could see regret as well.
“Why did you come over?” she asked again, softly.
“Why did you open your door?”
The words could have been a challenge, but they weren’t. Moses wasn’t trying to act tough anymore. The swagger was gone.
“Maybe I wanted to talk to you,” Alix said.
A whisper of a smile. “Maybe you wanted to go out for coffee.”
“Did you?” she asked.
“Maybe.”
“You’re a terrible stalker.”
He laughed at that, and Alix was struck at how young he seemed. He wasn’t much older than her, and she could see it in these moments. And yet, when he put on his mask of confidence, he seemed so much older. So much harsher. But now there was a kindness.
“Truce,” Alix whispered. She found herself reaching through the bars. Wanting to touch him. He started to reach out for her as well, then his face hardened.
He drew back, scowling. “Nice try, girl. Real pro.”
“I wasn’t—”
“You really are his daughter. Clever, conniving, manipulating…” Moses got to his feet and started pacing back and forth. “You get inside my head. You make me doubt. And I didn’t even see it coming. You know just how to make someone believe. It’s got to be genetic. You and your damn dad.”
“That’s not true! I wasn’t manipulating you! I—”
His voice turned mocking. “ ‘Hold out your hand, Moses.’ ‘Come back for a little more, Moses.’ ‘Go on and trust the nice girl, Moses.’ ” He shook his head. “You’re good. I’ll give you that. You’re damn good.”
“What do you mean?”
“I guess I shouldn’t blame you. It’s what you people do. It’s second nature. You lie. You manipulate. Your dad would be proud of you right now, Alix. For a minute you actually made me doubt myself.”
“Why won’t you trust me?”
“Why should I?”
“Why should I trust you? I’m the one in the damn cage!”
“That’s not personal.”
“It’s pretty personal to me!”
Moses slammed his hand against the bars. “You know what’s personal? Finding your dad dead on the bathroom floor. That’s personal!” He slammed his hand against the metal again, shaking the cage. “Watching your mom have a heart attack in the grocery store. That’s fucking personal!” His face was right between the bars, brimming with hate. “If I did half the things to your family that your dad did to mine, you’d be dead by now!”
Alix shrank from his sudden fury, but she forced herself to rally. “If that’s true, why don’t you do it? Why don’t you just kill me already!”
He stopped short, glaring at her. Took a step back, fighting to master his rage. Finally, he said, “That’s what you people do. You’re the ones who kill. I’m better than you. I’m not going to dirty myself like you.”
“What are you talking about? I’ve never killed anyone!”
“Your dad kills people. He gets paid to kill.”
“That’s a lie! He’s never done anything to you! He doesn’t even know who you are!”
“That’s because to him, we’re just numbers. We aren’t even people, to your dad. I’m surprised he didn’t tell you how he makes his money. Too much of a coward, I guess.”
“I don’t believe you!”
Moses laughed. “You know what’s nice, Alix? I don’t have to care if you believe me or not. I don’t have to spin it for news cameras. I don’t have to argue it in court.” He paused, suddenly thoughtful. “You know how nice that is? Just for once, I don’t have to convince anyone. It’s just the truth. Everything good in your life comes from blood money. Your school, your house, your pool, your fancy Architectural Digest kitchen, all of it. You might want to deny it, but your whole family’s covered in blood.”
“You’re lying!”
Moses laughed. “Well, someone sure is, but it isn’t me.” He started walking away.
“You’re lying!” Alix shouted after him.
“Enjoy the cage, Alix.”
17
YOUR WHOLE FAMILY’S COVERED IN blood. Your dad kills people. He gets paid to kill. To him, we’re just numbers. He didn’t tell you?
Alix huddled in the darkness, trying to process the claims that Moses had made. Trying to make them fit into some kind of picture that made sense. But it was insane. Dad didn’t kill people. He did public relations—
“Alix!”
Suddenly the warehouse floor was flooded with light. Huge overhead hanging lamps blazed alive, making Alix blink and squint in the brutal glare. Cynthia came dashing across the concrete floor.
“What the hell have they done to you?”
Alix didn’t understand why Cynthia was concerned. Cynthia had betrayed her. At least that was her memory, but here the girl was, frantically trying to unlock Alix’s cage.
Alix stared up at her, squinting against the stabbing bright light.
“Cyn! Come back!” Moses and three others came pelting through the door. “We’ve got this under control!”
Cynthia whirled. “You’re a fucking animal!” she shouted at Moses. “This isn’t what we talked about!”
Moses stopped short in the face of Cynthia’s rage. The others drew back as welclass="underline" the blue-haired girl and Tank and a tall white kid with bleached hair… the DJ from the rave, Alix realized.
“Give me the keys,” Cynthia demanded.
“I was going to let her out earlier,” Moses said, defensively.
“Are you okay?” Cynthia asked Alix.
Alix didn’t know what to think. With Cynthia there, and Moses back on his heels, it felt like some kind of insane prank, like a joke or game that had just gotten a little out of hand. “Well, I’m still locked up,” she pointed out.
“Give me the keys,” Cynthia said again to Moses, her voice turning dangerous.
“Look what she did to me!” Moses protested, pointing to his face.
“Looks like what you deserved!”
“Cyn,” the girl with the blue hair said, “We all agreed.” She jerked her head toward Moses and his bruised brow, “Wonderboy here got himself beat to shit—”
“Thanks,” Moses said.
“—so we decided it was safer if we didn’t let her out. This isn’t a game. If she gets out, we’re done. And she’s a fighter. No telling what happens if we let her out. We’ve got to be smart about this. Keeping her prisoner like this, it’s not simple.”
“We agreed she wasn’t going to get hurt!” Cyn shouted. “That was what you promised me. We weren’t going to hurt her.”
“You know, I’m the one with the bruises,” Moses pointed out.
“Look at her! She looks like a lab rat!”
Everyone’s gaze turned to Alix, sitting on the floor in her cage with her paper plate and water bottle. Everyone’s eyes went to the urine stain in one corner. They all suddenly looked abashed.
Tank went over to the cage, a key in his hand. “Do you promise not to run away if we let you out?”
Alix stared at the kid, perplexed by the question. “Sure. Yeah.”
“You can’t believe her!” Moses said. “She’ll say anything to get out.”
Cynthia glared at him. “I believe her, and I’m the one who lived with her for the last eight months.” She took the key from Tank.