Oops

Chapter 19

A/N: I'm not at all happy with how this turned out. *frown* Anywho, epilogue will be up... eventually. Until then, expect a full revised copy of this up here soon... probably. :P You might want to read it, you might not, but it will hold some key information you'll need to know for the SECOND book, Between a Rock... which should be up sometime AFTER nanowrimo. ^_^ Thanks for those of you who stuck around!

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                                                                            Maya

                The police arrested us right after they did my father. Rocky did the sweet thing and demanded our immediate release and stated that he wasn’t pressing charges. It didn’t do much good and we still landed in a cramped, tiny cell—but we were together, and that was what mattered.

                 Tony, Nani, and I were only in the cell for a couple of hours, trying to get some sleep, when Antonio spoke up softly. “Hey Maya?”

                I turned over on the painfully small cot. “Yeah, Tony?”

                 “I’m sorry for getting you into this mess.”

                I shrugged with one shoulder. “It’s okay.”

                “No it isn’t.” He broke off and was silent for a while. I was about to say something when he said, “I didn’t steal the money because I needed it. I didn’t join the Redfangs because I needed to, either.”

                Unexpected tears filled my eyes, and I brushed them away before they could fall. “Then why did you?” I asked. My voice was tight.

                Antonio was quiet for a long time. “Something’s wrong with Dad,” he said, and his own voice was thick with emotion. “I can tell. He’s so quiet all the time, and he never paid any attention to me. Plus, he’s gotten more and more violent. You saw outside the Redfang building—I think he was actually ready to shoot that rock star. And he said—” His words choked, and I could hear him struggling to pull it together. “He said, he loved us. Past tense.”

                “I know,” I said. “I was there.”

                The silence between us grew again. I heard Nani stir next to me, probably listening in as well.

                “I wanted attention.” Now Antonio just sounded ashamed. “I felt like I was losing him, so I stole the money. And I joined the Redfangs while I was still a member of the Blackbirds. It was stupid, and I regret it. I especially regret pulling you back.” I could feel his hand groping the bed for mine, and I slipped it into his. “I’m sorry, Maya. I never meant for you or Nani to get hurt.”

                I pulled his hand up to my lips and kissed it, letting the tears fall. “It’s alright, Tony,” I said softly. “I forgive you.”

                Morning rolled around, and the female fed who arrested my father sat all three of us in an interrogation room and crossed her arms, just staring at us. We stared right back, each of us prepared to deal with cops. It’d always been like this growing up. We never said a word until our father got us a lawyer. Unfortunately, Dad probably wasn’t going to be buying any more expensive lawyers for us—or for himself—for a while.