"He had enemies and they'll hunt us down if they saw us on the streets." She shook her head faintly, "we won't survive on the streets."
There was silence. Jenna didn't interrupt. Tina took that as permission to keep going.
"And staying under De Warden…" she exhaled softly, "…we'd just be numbers that are disposable. He may treat us kindly now, but in the future, he may not."
A clear example was how nothing was done when James and his goons beat her brother to a point of death. She'd reported to the authorities and they simply told her it was her brother's bad luck for picking a fight with someone he shouldn't have.
That incident had left a bitter taste in her mouth. She was planning revenge, hoping to kill James and herself, when her brother woke up with a start.
Meanwhile, Tina's brother was watching his sister, surprised at how much she'd grown. A soft, rare smile tugged at his lips and his eyes softened.
