why he was so hard. A lost lonely little boy in jail surrounded by hardened killers. How sad…at least it would be if she believed he hadn't murdered her mother. After witnessing the fire and her kidnapping, she didn't believe he was innocent for a second. No doubt Carver would be close by.
"Cat got your tongue?" Jaron asked, smirking at her.
Jaron got out of the car. He yanked Rain to his chest when he opened her door. For a moment she met his cruel gaze before looking away. There was garbage in the alley, spilling from containers. The air smelled rancid. Rats were climbing over cardboard and she shivered.
"Home sweet home," Jaron said and pulled her along.
Rain could see one side of the building still looked charred, even after all this time. A rope with ratty clothes hung overhead, flapping in the wind. Rain winced and cried out. She had stepped on something sharp, still in bare feet. Jaron had given her a pair of his old boxers and a T-shirt to wear. The boxers were less revealing than the tiny lingerie panties she had been wearing. She had noticed Jaron studying her legs. Perhaps the skimpy panties were too distracting. His boxers were too big, and he had pinned the sides together to keep them up.
"Someone's bound to notice a barefoot, half-dressed woman in handcuffs being dragged along," Rain said.
"No one sees anything here," he answered unconcerned.
With his hand gripped tightly around her arm he dragged her, limping, to another alley. Rain scanned the area. Nothing was familiar. She looked up at him.
"I can't remember what never happened," she said.
That pissed him off. "You were here," he all but yelled. "Your mother's body was on the ground and you saw me in the shadows. I picked you up."
Jaron scooped her up under her knees and carried her to a small shed. He dumped her down onto a bunch of garbage bags.
"The shed wasn't here," he began, agitated. "There was an overhang, a board. You were small enough to hide under it, but I couldn't fit in with you. It was either leave you behind, or we would both die."
"So you abandoned me, really," she said and glared up at him.
Jaron grabbed her shoulders and hauled her up and shook her. "I dumped trash cans running in the opposite direction so Carver would follow me," he raged.
Rain yanked herself away from him. "Why, Jaron? Why would you save me?"
"Because I was twelve and stupid and didn't know they tried little boys for murders they didn't commit," he snapped back.
"Or maybe I did have something." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Maybe you figured you'd take what I had once you got away."
"All you had was a damn rag doll clutched to your chest," he snapped directly into her face. His heated breath washed over her. "I don't nor have I ever played with damn dolls."
Rain stumbled back, caught off guard by not only his words but a vague memory he'd stirred. She almost fell onto the garbage bags and without the use of her cuffed arms she would have toppled over if Jaron hadn't grabbed a fistful of her shirt.
"What doll?" she stammered.
"I don't know," Jaron bellowed. "A stupid tattered doll you carried."
"My dad brought it back from Brazil," Rain whispered. Her mind was searching for a memory; it was so close, hovering on the edge of her conscious thought.
Jaron eyed her critically. "Where is it now?"
"I…I don't know. I lost it after that night, I think, maybe." The memory slipped away, back into a mind-trunk filled with unanswered questions. The lid slammed shut into darkness.
"There's a lot of stuff you conveniently forget." Jaron's words were patronizing.
"Are you going to give me to Carver now?" she whispered.
Rain could feel her heart thumping harder. She was almost positive Jaron could feel it pounding against the back of his fist as his hand tightened in the material of her shirt. Imagined visions of her bloody, knife-riddled body flashed before her eyes and she grimaced. She swallowed hard and looked up at him. Try as she might, she knew she
"Cat got your tongue?" Jaron asked, smirking at her.
Jaron got out of the car. He yanked Rain to his chest when he opened her door. For a moment she met his cruel gaze before looking away. There was garbage in the alley, spilling from containers. The air smelled rancid. Rats were climbing over cardboard and she shivered.
"Home sweet home," Jaron said and pulled her along.
Rain could see one side of the building still looked charred, even after all this time. A rope with ratty clothes hung overhead, flapping in the wind. Rain winced and cried out. She had stepped on something sharp, still in bare feet. Jaron had given her a pair of his old boxers and a T-shirt to wear. The boxers were less revealing than the tiny lingerie panties she had been wearing. She had noticed Jaron studying her legs. Perhaps the skimpy panties were too distracting. His boxers were too big, and he had pinned the sides together to keep them up.
"Someone's bound to notice a barefoot, half-dressed woman in handcuffs being dragged along," Rain said.
"No one sees anything here," he answered unconcerned.
With his hand gripped tightly around her arm he dragged her, limping, to another alley. Rain scanned the area. Nothing was familiar. She looked up at him.
"I can't remember what never happened," she said.
That pissed him off. "You were here," he all but yelled. "Your mother's body was on the ground and you saw me in the shadows. I picked you up."
Jaron scooped her up under her knees and carried her to a small shed. He dumped her down onto a bunch of garbage bags.
"The shed wasn't here," he began, agitated. "There was an overhang, a board. You were small enough to hide under it, but I couldn't fit in with you. It was either leave you behind, or we would both die."
"So you abandoned me, really," she said and glared up at him.
Jaron grabbed her shoulders and hauled her up and shook her. "I dumped trash cans running in the opposite direction so Carver would follow me," he raged.
Rain yanked herself away from him. "Why, Jaron? Why would you save me?"
"Because I was twelve and stupid and didn't know they tried little boys for murders they didn't commit," he snapped back.
"Or maybe I did have something." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Maybe you figured you'd take what I had once you got away."
"All you had was a damn rag doll clutched to your chest," he snapped directly into her face. His heated breath washed over her. "I don't nor have I ever played with damn dolls."
Rain stumbled back, caught off guard by not only his words but a vague memory he'd stirred. She almost fell onto the garbage bags and without the use of her cuffed arms she would have toppled over if Jaron hadn't grabbed a fistful of her shirt.
"What doll?" she stammered.
"I don't know," Jaron bellowed. "A stupid tattered doll you carried."
"My dad brought it back from Brazil," Rain whispered. Her mind was searching for a memory; it was so close, hovering on the edge of her conscious thought.
Jaron eyed her critically. "Where is it now?"
"I…I don't know. I lost it after that night, I think, maybe." The memory slipped away, back into a mind-trunk filled with unanswered questions. The lid slammed shut into darkness.
"There's a lot of stuff you conveniently forget." Jaron's words were patronizing.
"Are you going to give me to Carver now?" she whispered.
Rain could feel her heart thumping harder. She was almost positive Jaron could feel it pounding against the back of his fist as his hand tightened in the material of her shirt. Imagined visions of her bloody, knife-riddled body flashed before her eyes and she grimaced. She swallowed hard and looked up at him. Try as she might, she knew she
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