“How will he get out?” she asked.
I shrugged, extremely frustrated. What were his options? Could he leave in one piece? “I don’t know. He didn’t want to talk about it. Do you know? Has Steven ever talked about it with you?”
She shook her head, her gaze on the residents slow-dancing in the middle of the room. “He never wanted to tell me how he joined them in the first place, let alone how to get out. I’m not sure if that’s possible.”
I whipped my gaze around to meet hers. I was terrified to even consider that option. “What do you mean?”
She looked away and shifted on her feet, and my heart plummeted to my stomach. “I mean that maybe his only way out is death.”
The wooden figure slipped out of my hands and fell on the floor with a clatter, drawing attention from a few people close by.
“Is everything okay, sweetie?” one of them, Mrs. Zhang, asked me, stopping her reading to look at me over the rims of her glasses.
“Y-Yes. Everything is great.”
She wasn’t convinced. “You look pale.”
Mel grinned and patted my shoulder cheerfully to ease the situation, but it was clear that her smile was fake. “She just has a hangover, Mrs. Z. You know how the kids are these days. We’re getting drunk every day and act like monkeys whenever we can.”
I frowned at her. A hangover? Of all things? “Mel,” I hissed at her.
Mel flashed another fake megawatt smile at Mrs. Zhang, but it managed to persuade her because she smiled back at us and continued reading her book.
I pulled Mel away from Mrs. Zhang and the others and to the other side of the Christmas tree. I leaned to her ear. “You think there’s no way out? He’ll get killed?” I couldn’t hide how distressed I was with my shaky voice.
“I don’t know. I tried to find out since Steven never wanted to talk about it, but it’s not that simple. I can’t find any information about the gang on the internet, and the members aren’t willing to share those things. I asked some of Steven’s friends, but all I got from them was not to stick my nose into their business.”
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t even move, sensing I was about to cry. If what Mel said was true, that would explain why Hayden was unwilling to talk about it. If it was impossible for him to get out or get killed if he tried...
No.
“Hey, Sar. Calm down.” She caught my shoulders and willed me to look at her. “I didn’t say that would happen for sure. As far as I’m aware, their gang is lower level, so maybe he can just distance himself from them, and in time they will forget about him. Or he can leave Enfield.”
“That still doesn’t change the fact that he has to go through Axel to get his freedom. You saw him, Mel. That guy is something else. Hayden hasn’t fought for more than a month, and he only started training yesterday. Also, he can’t overexert himself in his current condition. Fighting with a brain injury is extremely dangerous, and I’m afraid Axel will give him a fatal blow and—”
Mel wrapped her arms around me and held me tight against her. “It will be okay, Sar. Don’t panic. We’re just blowing this out of proportion.”
“I don’t know, Mel.” I closed my eyes, battling against the incoming tears. I couldn’t cry. Not here. “I’m trying to stay positive, but I’m so scared. I’m so, so scared.”
“Sarah?” I heard Jonathan call me from the other side of the room, and I pulled away from Mel. I took a deep breath before I turned to meet his gaze. His eyebrows drew together when he spotted my ashen face. “Are you all right?”
He sat at the table playing chess with Adelaine, who was no match against him, as usual. They started dating a few weeks ago, and they got along more than well, which didn’t surprise me. She was always the cheerful one, which contrasted his grumpiness perfectly, and it was plain adorable to see them together. I was happy for Jonathan. He needed happiness and love after he lost his wife.
“Come on,” Mel told me. “Let’s join them before he sees something’s wrong with you. I’m sure a bit chit-chatting with good old Mr. J will calm you down.”
I wanted to snap at her and tell her there was nothing that could calm me down, but I didn’t want to take out my frustration on her. I followed her through the room and even smiled back at some residents, hoping my fake smiles weren’t as transparent as I thought they were.
“Hey, Mr. J and Mrs. A.”
Jonathan observed Mel with narrowed eyes. “I told you not to call us that.”
Adelaine broke into a few embarrassed giggles, her hand covering her mouth. Today, she wore rouge that emphasized her full lips, and her long curly gray hair was put up in a bun, all for Jonathan’s benefit.
“That’s all right, dear. I love Melissa’s nickname. It’s so modern.” She winked at Mel.
“Are you all right?” Jonathan repeated his question. His lips were pursed beneath his thick gray mustache as he studied me.
“I’m fine,” I told him when Mel and I sat next to Adelaine. “I’m just a bit tired.”
He pointed his finger at me. “You know you’re not a good liar.”
I glanced at Adelaine, uncomfortable because I didn’t want to talk about my personal issues in front of her. I’d grown relaxed with Jonathan, and I could open up more to him now, but I wished we were alone.
“She’s PMSing,” Mel said loudly, and my face went extremely red. I wanted to strangle her. “So don’t mind her.”
Jonathan didn’t even react to that, his completely serious gaze fixed on me. “Is everything okay with your boyfriend?”
Something twisted deep in me, and I hoped it didn’t show on my face. “Everything is great.”
He continued studying me like he didn’t believe me. “I hope he treats you well.”
My lips quirked up in a smile as I thought of Hayden’s heated kisses and loving touches, but it didn’t last long. I was supposed to be happy that I got to start a new year next to Hayden, but I couldn’t forget about that fight. It was always in the innermost recesses of my mind, reminding me that my time with him could be limited.
“He treats me well. I’m just worried about our future.”
He raised his bushy eyebrow. “You’re worried about your future?” he asked. “Why?”
“Because sometimes it feels like only one thing could break us.” I couldn’t tell him that I was afraid for Hayden’s life. “Like one moment we’re extremely happy, but the next, everything falls apart.”
He didn’t respond immediately, taking Adelaine’s bishop with his knight when he moved it from h3 to g5. “There will always be ups and downs. No relationship is linear. If it is, then it’s not real.” He switched his gaze from the board to me. “Love comes with a price, but it’s worth paying.”
“Gee, Mr. J. You’re at it again,” Melissa said with a grin. She twiddled one of Jonathan’s captured pieces. “Wisdom at its best!”
He frowned at her. “You could learn something from it, insolent girl. Young people nowadays think they know everything, but they know nothing, especially when it comes to love. All they do is break up after one fight, not to mention all those divorces.”