-runaway Love - Alexis Love- Veronique Vega- Lindsey Meadows- Kis- [DIRECT]

The "Runaway Love" wasn't a romance. It wasn't a boy with a fast car or a promise of forever. It was the fierce, desperate, unspoken love of survival. It was the way Veronique saved the last apple for Kis. It was the way Alexis taught Veronique how to hot-wire a hairpin lock. It was the way Kis threw herself in front of a swinging fist meant for Alexis.

Alexis didn’t look back. She grabbed Veronique’s arm and pulled her up the steps. The "Runaway Love" wasn't a romance

Kis was last. She turned her head, just enough for Meadows to see the hard set of her jaw. Then she dropped a single, folded piece of paper onto the wet pavement. It was a list of every violation, every skimmed dollar, every “accidental” lock-in of the basement. A copy was already in an envelope addressed to the state licensing board, sitting in a mailbox two blocks away. It was the way Veronique saved the last apple for Kis

Alexis dug into her duffel bag and pulled out a crumpled photograph. It was of a woman who looked like her, but older, sadder. Her mother, before the drugs, before the disappearances. Alexis kissed the photo and tucked it back. Alexis didn’t look back

“Last chance to back out,” Veronique murmured, her breath a ghost in the air.