Fall Gently (Red Light: Silver Girls series) by Debra Kayn Read Free Book Online
Authors: Debra Kayn
initiation into Sparrows involved handing over an innocent girl to work on a street corner. She covered her mouth. Sick to her stomach, she lurched for the sliding glass door and stuck her head out into the cold.
She closed her eyes, drawing deep, cold breaths into her lungs. A chill crawled down her spine. The freezing temperature numbed the wetness on her cheeks.
Dawson and Jackie had each other, and he'd allowed Jackie to throw her life away. She pulled her head back inside the room and shut the door. There was no excuse for Dawson's behavior.
She kicked off her shoes and noticed the button on the phone blinking. If he thought she'd listen and think differently of him because Jackie was his sister, he was a complete idiot.
Angered over learning the truth, she strode over and picked up the phone.
I joined Sparrows to keep food on the table and a roof over my sister's head after our mom was involved in a car accident coming home from work and laid in a coma for almost a year before she died when Jacqueline was sixteen years old and I was twenty-four. We'd been on our own for ten years when I got picked up for chopping cars for Sparrows and went to prison. A buddy of mine in Sparrows promised to take care of Jacqueline while I was serving time, or so I thought. When I got out, I found Vince had control of my sister and by the time I could do something to get her out of the hands of Sparrows, it was too late. You're right. I should be the one dead.
Jackie never told her the story about her mom or her brother. Roni lifted her thumb and found the edge of her cuticle with her teeth. With force, she ripped the skin away and welcomed the sting.
Slouching on the bed, she stared down at the phone. She refused to trust Dawson, even after he'd told her his connection to Jackie. He'd admitted to joining Sparrows and becoming a felon. But, it was obvious he loved his sister, and he was here to hold on to a promise. She blew out her breath. It was typical of Jackie to think of others and not herself, even in the worst of times.
She typed a text.
I shouldn't have said what I did. The whole thing with Jackie... I'm sorry. She was my friend.
Instantly, Dawson replied.
I'd change places with her if I could. I was too late, and I'll live the rest of my life regretting every step I've made, but I won't let you get lost, Roni. You're going to make it. You have your whole life ahead of you, and I want to help.
She turned off the phone without replying. Her life with the Network suited her. She preferred to have no one depend on her and to move through each day only accountable for herself. No family. No friends. Only a past she couldn't outrun, and the fear of making things worse for herself held her back.
Dawson, despite his desire to help her and keep his word to his sister, would only bring more risks into her life. That was a lesson she'd had to relearn over and over. While he appeared sane and sincere on the outside, he carried a dark spirit.
Just like Vince.
Just like her stepfather.
Chapter Seven
T iff remained in the doorway of Roni's room watching Dawson carefully. He sat in the chair next to the sliding door meeting the madam's gaze. He'd already received permission from Jeremy to stay after his appointment as long as he left before ten o'clock. He needed the extra two hours with Roni because she hadn't spoken two words to him during his twenty-minute appointment.
No, he wanted the two hours with Roni. Only when he visited her had he found a calmness that escaped him since learning of Jacqueline's death. With Roni, his mind stayed focused, and he stopped wanting to destroy everything around him. He found contentment with her in the room.
"The door has to remain shut. I don't want the other ladies to question why rules apply to them and not to Roni." Tiff walked toward Dawson and pulled open the drapes. "Jeremy will come and escort you downstairs at ten o'clock, and you'll leave through the entrance to Silver
She closed her eyes, drawing deep, cold breaths into her lungs. A chill crawled down her spine. The freezing temperature numbed the wetness on her cheeks.
Dawson and Jackie had each other, and he'd allowed Jackie to throw her life away. She pulled her head back inside the room and shut the door. There was no excuse for Dawson's behavior.
She kicked off her shoes and noticed the button on the phone blinking. If he thought she'd listen and think differently of him because Jackie was his sister, he was a complete idiot.
Angered over learning the truth, she strode over and picked up the phone.
I joined Sparrows to keep food on the table and a roof over my sister's head after our mom was involved in a car accident coming home from work and laid in a coma for almost a year before she died when Jacqueline was sixteen years old and I was twenty-four. We'd been on our own for ten years when I got picked up for chopping cars for Sparrows and went to prison. A buddy of mine in Sparrows promised to take care of Jacqueline while I was serving time, or so I thought. When I got out, I found Vince had control of my sister and by the time I could do something to get her out of the hands of Sparrows, it was too late. You're right. I should be the one dead.
Jackie never told her the story about her mom or her brother. Roni lifted her thumb and found the edge of her cuticle with her teeth. With force, she ripped the skin away and welcomed the sting.
Slouching on the bed, she stared down at the phone. She refused to trust Dawson, even after he'd told her his connection to Jackie. He'd admitted to joining Sparrows and becoming a felon. But, it was obvious he loved his sister, and he was here to hold on to a promise. She blew out her breath. It was typical of Jackie to think of others and not herself, even in the worst of times.
She typed a text.
I shouldn't have said what I did. The whole thing with Jackie... I'm sorry. She was my friend.
Instantly, Dawson replied.
I'd change places with her if I could. I was too late, and I'll live the rest of my life regretting every step I've made, but I won't let you get lost, Roni. You're going to make it. You have your whole life ahead of you, and I want to help.
She turned off the phone without replying. Her life with the Network suited her. She preferred to have no one depend on her and to move through each day only accountable for herself. No family. No friends. Only a past she couldn't outrun, and the fear of making things worse for herself held her back.
Dawson, despite his desire to help her and keep his word to his sister, would only bring more risks into her life. That was a lesson she'd had to relearn over and over. While he appeared sane and sincere on the outside, he carried a dark spirit.
Just like Vince.
Just like her stepfather.
Chapter Seven
T iff remained in the doorway of Roni's room watching Dawson carefully. He sat in the chair next to the sliding door meeting the madam's gaze. He'd already received permission from Jeremy to stay after his appointment as long as he left before ten o'clock. He needed the extra two hours with Roni because she hadn't spoken two words to him during his twenty-minute appointment.
No, he wanted the two hours with Roni. Only when he visited her had he found a calmness that escaped him since learning of Jacqueline's death. With Roni, his mind stayed focused, and he stopped wanting to destroy everything around him. He found contentment with her in the room.
"The door has to remain shut. I don't want the other ladies to question why rules apply to them and not to Roni." Tiff walked toward Dawson and pulled open the drapes. "Jeremy will come and escort you downstairs at ten o'clock, and you'll leave through the entrance to Silver
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