Parchment & Pearls

20. Someone Really Wanted To Have A Chat

Chapter 20

Someone Really Wanted To Have A Chat

Something cold pressed against my temple, stinging on contact, and I sucked in a breath.

"Careful," one person whispered.

A girl spoke next. "Says the guy who said he would be careful. What the hell happened, Drake?"

"What happened to Vince being in China?"

"Well, he obviously isn't now. It was a spur of the moment decision I really didn't have time to tell you about. I didn't even know we were coming here until they started packing. Hey, Cruz? Hand me that tape, would you?"

The sound of someone rummaging through a bag. "This?"

"If you're trying to funny, it's not working."

"Do you want to take that stick out of your ass? Geez. Hattie would have laughed. She's nicer than you, too."

"Just hand me the damn tape."

My temple was still stinging, but started to subside as the obvious cut was taped up. One person near me moved away, while the other leaned forward, brushing my hair back and leaving their other hand cradling my face.

"Hattie?" Drake said softly. "Hey, come on. You got to wake up."

I groaned as he brushed my hair back again and my eyes fluttering open to find him just a few inches away. When I did, he smiled slightly.

"How do you feeling?"

I groaned again, mostly because the light was killing my eyes and my head was pounding. "My head hurts."

"I figured. You got hit on the back of the head and then hit it again when you landed on the floor. We cleaned and taped it up since it wasn't too bad."

I reached up and gently touched the taped up cut. "Huh."

I looked past him and around the room - an office inside the mall. I was seated in front of the desk with a stack of papers and folders in one corner, a computer, and a bag. The bag was currently open with the same girl looking through it as I saw before.

"What's going on?" I whispered as I looked at her. She didn't look up when I spoke, acting like she didn't even hear me.

Drake grimaced. "The Order members who knocked you out brought you here...and Vince wants to talk to you."

"What...you...?"

He took both my hands in his, placing them in my lap. "I've got a part to play, Hattie, but Vince knows that I would do anything to protect you, even take out a few of his guys."

"A part to play," I repeated, shaking my head as I looked up at Cruz, who walked up beside us.

"They were never supposed to touch you," Cruz said, and pointed to my head. "The guy who did that...well, he's no longer going to be able to do it again. Vince dealt with him personally. You were never supposed to get hurt."

"Tell me the truth," I said, taking my hands from his and sitting up straighter. I ignored the pounding in my head. "Did you guys know he was coming here?"

"I'm pretty sure you heard me telling them even I didn't even know," the girl finally spoke. She'd moved the bag to the floor and was now sitting on the desk in its place.

"Who is she?" I asked, still eyeing her. "Besides being Order."

"Flannery Rose," she nodded in greeting, giving me a smirk. "Nice to meet you, too, Hattie Devereaux."