Free The Fall of Sky: Part Four (The Fall of Sky #4) by Alexia Purdy Page B

still leave me confused and blindsided, it was Lonzo. He even topped Liz. I couldn’t for the life of me figure him out. He was as transparent as a wall.
    I shut the door to the station wagon and huffed out a long, relaxing breath. Soon enough, we’d be free from Lonzo and Jonas, from Emilio and all of their psychotic entourage that held a frightening edge to our lives. I couldn’t wait for that day. Couldn’t wait another second.
    Heading back inside, I found Liz pulling on a faded black denim vest over her fitted black camisole. Form fitting ripped jeans that showed off more skin than they covered hugged her long legs. Black combat boots finished off her look, including some last minute makeup to keep her from looking as tired as I felt. She looked stunning, like a young Joan Jett. I gave her a loving smile.
    “Heading out now, Sis?”
    She returned my smile, but hers looked much brighter and less jaded than mine.
    “Yep. Lonzo and I are heading out.” She pressed a small folded paper into the palm of my hand before pulling me in for a tight hug. “This is the address if I’m not back soon.”
    Her words terrified me.
    “Be careful,” I whispered.”
    “I will. I’ll see you later, okay?”
    “Okay.” I watched her as she stepped away. The loss of her warmth and familiar scent, like a faded perfume mixed with a sweet laundry softener smell, left me feeling cold. I hoped she knew what she was getting into. Sometimes morbid thoughts crossed my mind at times like these. What if that was the last hug I’d get from her? What if when she walked out that door, she’d never come back, like our father?
    She reminded me of our father in so many ways. What would our mother say to that?
    I gulped and waved goodbye to her, and even gave a small wave toward Lonzo, who tipped his vaquero hat toward me and winked. They clunked down the steps of our humble home and stuffed themselves into Lonzo’s rental SUV.
    As they turned down the road and around the corner, off on a new adventure, I hoped our lives would come to a nice, calm mode soon. There was just so much we could take, and I was at the bottom of my bottle. I hoped I wouldn’t be needed anytime soon by anyone but Saul, for I was empty and my soul was in dire need of filling back up.
    I watched their vehicle until it faded away and I could no longer hear the engine. Shutting the screen door behind me, I stood in the middle of the living room and peered around.
    This fork in the road was looking more like a devil’s crossroads with every second passing.
     
     

Chapter Fifteen
     
     
     
     
    Liv
    The quaint Los Angeles house Lonzo brought us to reminded me of the nice older neighborhoods in the area, the ones that sported peeling paint off the sidings and stood elevated up on stilts, with creaky stairs and sunken backyards in the rear of the homes. It looked pretty classic for the time period, but was larger than the other houses lining the hill of a street. Wrought iron crowned the breezeblock walls and matched the design throughout the alleyway where the houses faced and ran down a hill toward a busier road, out into the open traffic of the L.A. rush.
    Several cars were parked along the curve where the house sat, right in the middle of a sharp turn. It got me wondering how many times cars had crashed while trying to make the curve before jumping onto the steep drive that ran all the way down the hill. I shuddered as we walked past it toward the towering house.
    “Liv?”
    “Yeah?” I crossed my arms, feeling a slight chill run through me.
    “Remember what I said. You’re just a girl I’m seeing. Don’t ask about Emilio. Don’t say you know him, or it’ll blow your cover. Don’t even say your name.”
    “Well, shit, Lonzo. What sort of place are you taking me to?” I whispered harshly as I reached out and grabbed his arm. He just as easily grabbed my hand and wove it roughly through his fingers, then dropped it so we were walking like a couple. I