Chasing the Night - Iris Johansen [112]
No reply.
“We have to find a way to get you out of here. Then there would be no reason for her to run that risk. Will you do as I say if I can figure a way to—”
“I won’t do as you say,” He leaned suddenly forward into the stream of light. Eve smothered a gasp. Luke, the Luke of her age progressions, but so much more…and less. The same beautiful bone structure as his mother’s, olive skin, and wide-set dark eyes. But his face was thinner, harder, and his eyes were glittering with defiance and knowledge far beyond his years. He was probably the most beautiful boy Eve had ever seen, but the joyousness that had touched her heart in that photo was no longer there.
“Is this some trick?” Luke asked. “Why would he let you come here to me? Why should I trust you? Why should I trust her? All my life they’ve been telling me what a whore and a beast she is. Sometimes I believe them. Why should I—”
“Shut up!” Kelly was kneeling facing him, her eyes blazing into his. “You don’t talk about Catherine like that. I guess I’m supposed to feel sorry for you, but I don’t. Everyone is trying to help you. So be quiet and let us do it. Catherine loves you and deserves better. Don’t you call her names.”
Darkness and light. The two beautiful young people were kneeling facing each other, and Eve found herself mesmerized by the sight of them. Kelly, so fair-haired and fragile appearing, Luke dark and hard as a diamond. Both glaring at each other, caught in a storm of emotion.
Then Luke’s expression changed, anger ebbing, replaced with curiosity. “You like her.”
“Of course I like her. She saved my life. And she wants to save yours. Don’t you realize that these people will kill you? Did they brainwash you or something? You’re in a cell, for goodness’ sake. Are you stupid?”
“I’m not stupid,” Luke said fiercely. “And I don’t know anything about this brainwashing, but I think that’s an insult, too. Do it again, and I’ll knock you into that wall.”
“You and who—”
“Kelly.” Eve stepped forward. “Catherine wouldn’t want you to defend her in this way.”
“No, she wouldn’t defend herself at all. She’d feel sorry for him and think she’s to blame for what that monster Rakovac and Mikhal Czadas did to him.” Her voice was shaking. “She’s not to blame. They hurt her as much as they did you. And now she’s going to let him bring her here, and he’ll try to kill her because of you. Now you tell us how to stop it.”
“Kelly, what are you asking?” Eve said. “He’s a kid and a prisoner just as we are. There’s no way you can expect him to—”
“Yes, I can,” Kelly interrupted. “It’s a part of his pattern. He survives. Do you think he would have lasted this long if he didn’t have that drive? I’ve been thinking about him since we began to get hints from Rakovac that he was still alive. He’s Catherine’s son, and that would count a lot toward making him like her. He’d have her strength and endurance. And he learns from his mistakes. Two years ago, he knew enough about this place to help Natalie escape. And he was smart enough to know that he couldn’t go with her unless he had enough money to keep himself hidden from them. Luke thinks and waits and takes whatever is done to him.” She looked him in the eye. “But you don’t give up, do you? You never give up.”
He didn’t answer.
“Did they punish you for helping Natalie?”
“Yes.”
“Badly?”
“Yes.”
“But then you waited and started planning again.”
“Yes.”
Kelly looked at Eve. “So don’t tell me about this poor defenseless kid. His pattern is as strong as Catherine’s. If he wants to do it, he can help us.”
“Could you help us get out of here?” Eve asked Luke.
He nodded.
“Will you? Do you want to do it?”
He gazed at her without answering. Then he said slowly, “I don’t know. You come in here and tell me things that are confusing me. I don’t like to be confused. I don’t know if I can trust you.”
“And I don’t know how to make you