Chapter 179: Chapter 179 - Come With Me
Iyisha looked at him.
For a moment she thought she had misheard him.
"Come?" she repeated quietly.
Malcolm shifted his weight, his hand brushing briefly against the back of his neck before dropping to his side again.
"To the facility," he said after a moment.
Iyisha kept watching him, waiting for him to continue. His eyes held hers for a second, then drifted toward the floor before returning again, like he was searching for something else to add and coming up empty.
"You’re asking," she said slowly, "or telling me that’s what you’re doing?"
"Asking."
Her arms folded loosely across her stomach.
"Why?"
Malcolm did not answer right away. His jaw moved once before he spoke.
"It’s a short detour from New York. Maybe you’ll learn more about what happened to you."
Iyisha tilted her head slightly, studying his face.
"And that’s the only reason?"
His gaze held hers longer this time. His shoulders lifted with a quiet breath.
"I would want you to come with me."
The words were simple, but when Iyisha waited again, Malcolm did not add anything else.
"And after that?" she asked.
Her voice was softer now.
Malcolm rubbed his thumb briefly along the side of his hand before answering.
"I’ll accompany you to New York," he said. "To find your sister."
Iyisha did not move.
"And after that?"
For the first time Malcolm hesitated long enough that it showed. His eyes shifted away toward the wall beside her. His mouth opened slightly, then closed again. When he looked back at her, he still had not answered.
Iyisha held his gaze for a moment longer before looking away first.
Her eyes landed on the bags on the floor. The canvas still looked new despite the miles they had taken. The guns they have collected along the way, leaned against the wall beside them.
Malcolm had taught her how to use most of them.
Every piece of it carried a memory.
She and Malcolm had crossed half the country together. Empty highways. Abandoned towns. Nights when the cold crept into their bones and mornings when they woke up not knowing if the road ahead would kill them.
Sometimes it felt like they had lived an entire lifetime between those miles.
She doubted anyone had been this close to him in a long time.
And still, she did not really know him.
Malcolm moved through the world like he already knew where he belonged in it.
And she did not.
Most of the time she had just been trying to keep up.
And the truth sat heavy in her chest.
She could not save her sister alone.
Without Malcolm, she would already be dead.
Iyisha rubbed her damp palms against her pants before clasping her hands together again. She nodded once without looking back at him, tears blurring the floor in front of her.
"Okay."
Her voice cracked.
"I’m coming with you."
The bedroom door burst open.
Marybeth stood in the doorway, breathing hard.
"Don’t come out," she said quickly.
Iyisha straightened in her chair. Malcolm’s shoulders went rigid beside her.
"What happened?" Iyisha asked.
"The military," Marybeth said. "They’re outside the town. At the gate."
Iyisha’s hands flew to her mouth.
Malcolm went completely still.
"They’re asking for a man with two women who might have passed through here," Marybeth continued.
Iyisha slowly lowered her hands.
"Are they looking for us?"
Marybeth gave her a look.
"Well," she said, "what are the chances it describes the three of us?"
Iyisha felt the air leave her lungs.
"One Caucasian man," Marybeth continued. "One Asian woman. One Latina woman."
Her eyes shifted to Malcolm.
His body had gone tight, his jaw set.
"Are we safe here?" Iyisha asked quietly.
Marybeth nodded, serious now.
"They won’t let anyone harm us," she said. "Hyde protects its own."
She glanced toward the door again.
"But you need to get ready."
Another figure stepped into the room behind her.
Tía Julieta.
Marybeth turned immediately and wrapped her arms around her. Tía Julieta held her for a moment, one hand resting firmly on the back of her head before gently pushing her away.
Her eyes moved to Iyisha and Malcolm.
Without a word she pulled a folded map from under her arm and spread it across the vanity cabinet.
The paper crackled as she smoothed it flat with her palm.
The three of them stepped closer.
"They cannot come inside the town," Tía Julieta said quietly. "But we must be careful."
Her finger moved across the map.
"You said you are going to the Philadelphia medical center, sí?"
Marybeth glanced at Iyisha.
Iyisha nodded.
"We are."
Tía Julieta nodded once and traced a line farther down.
"You must head south first."
Her finger tapped several spots along the roads.
"I heard they placed checkpoints here... here... and here."
Each point landed on a major highway.
She looked up at them then, her eyes sharp behind her glasses.
"I do not know what the three of you did," she said, "but you need to leave tomorrow."
Her finger folded the map closed halfway.
"The soldiers left the gate," she continued, "but that does not mean they are gone. They may be watching. They may come back with force."
No one argued.
Malcolm nodded once.
Marybeth nodded too.
Iyisha stood there, trying to make sense of it.
How would the military know she existed?
Her mind went back to the men who had nearly killed them weeks ago.
Maybe one of them had survived.
Maybe someone talked.
Her thoughts broke when Tía Julieta spoke again.
"Your car is at the back gate," she said. "It’s at the first fence. You can slip out before sunrise."
Then her voice softened.
"Oh, Marybeth..."
Marybeth looked up.
Tía Julieta cupped her cheek with one hand, her eyes suddenly wet.
"You stupid girl," she murmured, grief slipping into her voice.
"Tía..." Marybeth said quietly.
"I’ll be fine."
Tía Julieta suddenly pressed her hand to her chest.
"Dios mío..."
She made the sign of the cross slowly, her eyes lifting toward the ceiling before settling on Marybeth.
"You must make sure you live," she said softly. "This has already cost one life."
Iyisha paused.
Marybeth’s mouth opened, then closed again.
"Did someone—"
Tía Julieta cut her off.
"Angelo went to the military," she said. "He tried to tip them about the three of you."
Marybeth blinked.
"He wouldn’t," she said in disbelief. "He knows the punishment."
Tía Julieta nodded once.
"Stupid man."
She shook her head.
Marybeth stared at her.
"Is he... going to die?"
Iyisha looked between them, confused.
Tía Julieta met Marybeth’s eyes.
"He’s already dead," she said quietly. "Fabio took care of it."
Marybeth gasped and covered her mouth.
Then her hand dropped and she punched the edge of the vanity cabinet.
"Stupid Angelo," she muttered, anger shaking her voice.
Tía Julieta nodded once.
"I will check with Fabio," she said. "You three get ready."
She folded the map and stepped out of the room.
The door closed behind her.
Marybeth paced to the corner, muttering under her breath about how stupid Angelo had been.
Iyisha stood there for a moment before looking toward Malcolm.
He had already moved to the weapons by the wall, checking each one quietly, his hands steady as he inspected the magazines and straps.
Iyisha stepped toward Marybeth.
"Can you get that memo?" she said softly.
"I want to read it."
Something in her chest tightened.
She had a feeling she might not want to know what was written there.
