The Liberator (A Dante Walker Novel) (Entangled Teen) (19 page)

When I feel Charlie take my hand, my heart leaps. And when Blue throws his sweaty arm around my shoulder, it’s almost too much.

All I think as I leave the training room is,
Yeah, these are my friends.
Real
friends.

And then,
So this is what it feels like.

26

Dinner Is Served

Blue, Charlie, and I return to training for the next two days. I can tell Kraven is trying to be more empathetic, but we still call him Cyborg behind his back. Every night, though we return to our rooms broken and bruised, I’m the first to admit that it’s damn fun learning defense. And that I can’t wait to move on to something new.

Valery has been good about checking in on us. She explained that she’s continuing her training in other parts of the estate, and that she’d already passed the self-defense sector. Guess that’s where she was when she was supposed to be on her honeymoon. Knowing she’s training elsewhere also tells me there are other liberators up in this joint, because all I’ve actually seen is Kraven and the two mute chicks who deliver our food.

Speaking of food, where are those broads? They’re usually here by now.

Annabelle kicks her legs up onto a busted-up coffee table in our small lounge area. “I just don’t understand why Cyborg hates me so much.”

“Because you threaten him,” Aspen says. “Because he’s afraid of strong women.”

Blue shakes his head. “No, that guy isn’t afraid of anything. He doesn’t pack that gene.”

“Bet he’s afraid of this.” Charlie raises a bicep into the air and flexes. Beneath her fair skin, a muscle the size of a golf ball pops up.

We all laugh at this.

Charlie acts offended.

She’s been in better spirits lately. Part of it is being distracted. The other relates to something she told me two nights ago after our first day of training. She said that her Grams was with Big Guy now, and that the money she left behind will help Charlie take Hands Helping Hands to a new level.
Maybe He took her for a reason
, she whispered in the dark.
Maybe it’s time for the charity to grow, and He needed to guide these resources into place
. She melted into me.
Besides, who wouldn’t want my Grams at home with them?

I remember her words and try to believe the smile on her face now. It doesn’t appear as forced as it did three days ago, but it still looks strained. The couch squeaks beneath us as I wrap my arm around her waist and tug her against me. She nuzzles her face into my neck.

“Get a room,” Annabelle says.

“Yes, ma’am.” I jump to my feet and swoop Charlie into my arms, then I carry her toward our room like a caveman. She laughs and slaps at my chest.

I’m about to set her back down when the main door swings open.

It’s Red, Max at her side.

“Kraven has invited you to join him for dinner,” Valery announces.

I put Charlie down. “Miami wants to eat with us? What’s he serving—human hearts?”

Aspen barks out a laugh as Valery rolls her eyes.

For the first time, I notice what Max is wearing. “What’s up with the penguin suit?”

“I look damn good, son.” Max brushes his lapels. “Better than you’re going to look.”

My eyes jerk toward Valery. “What? It’s, like, black tie?”

In response, Red moves out of the way and the Mute Chicks shuffle in. Their arms overflow with gowns and suits and bags full of Big Guy only knows what. I decide I have two choices: fight the wardrobe requirement using my mad self-defense skills, or suit up like the hustler I am.

I choose the latter.

Blue heads toward one of the women to dig through the choices, but I block his path before he can get there.

“Nah, man, I get first dibs,” I say.

“You think so?”

As Blue and I wrestle to the floor, the girls step forward and gracefully accept the dresses. Then they make a beeline for one of the rooms, the Mute Chicks following after them. Not sure why a pretty dress makes even the fiercest girl get all squeal-y. When Blue and I finally glance up, we realize we’re alone with two suits and some fresh toiletry stuff.

I shove Blue off me. “You’re a barbarian.”

Blue and I get ready in about ten minutes. We wait for a lifetime for the three girls to emerge. We bitch and we moan, and we sound like a pair of old women at bingo night.

But when the girls finally appear, it’s all worth it.

My gaze goes immediately to Charlie. Her slight body is accented by a black bodice that makes the blood burn against my skin. Beneath the bodice is a pink layered skirt that looks like something a ballerina would wear. Black heels wrap around her calves and lace up all the way up to her knees. When my eyes travel back up, I notice soft pink makeup shimmers above her eyes and along her cheeks, and the remaining ivory pendant my father gave me lies against her chest. She really does look like an angel…avant-garde.

“Charlie,” I breathe.

She smiles and points to Aspen, who’s standing beside her. “What about
her?
”

Aspen is also killing it in a navy thigh-length dress with sleeves that billow out toward her glove-covered hands. With nude pumps and a diamond-encrusted band around her head, she looks half hippie, half high fashion. When I notice Blue’s mouth hanging open, I elbow him in the ribs.

“What?” he says, acting innocent, but he’s already back to ogling Aspen.

“Where’s Annabelle?” I ask.

Aspen inspects a bracelet around her wrist. “She won’t come out, keeps saying she looks like a tomato.”

“Annabelle,” Blue shouts, “get out here so we can make fun of you.”

With my empty stomach speaking in tongues, I brush past Aspen, press a lingering kiss against Charlie’s temple, and enter the room.

“Let’s move it, girl. I’ve starv—”

Annabelle turns and faces me.

And I forget what I was saying.

Charlie will always be the love of my life. No one else could ever make me feel the way she does. But tonight Annabelle has stolen the show.

She’s dressed in a fire-engine red gown that hugs all the right parts of her body. An emerald necklace lies against her chest, and a matching ring hugs her finger. Her hair is styled in its usual manner, a dark bob with hard bangs across her forehead. But her eyes are different. They’re shadowed in charcoals and blacks, and they’re lined with a heavy hand. At the corner of each hazel eye, the eyeliner sweeps up.

Annabelle looks like an Egyptian princess.

No, a queen.

I place a hand on her arm, but she won’t meet my eyes. “Annabelle, you look incredible.”

“I look enormous.” She jerks her chin toward Charlie and Aspen, who are busy talking to a bumbling Blue. “And they’re so
perfect
.”

“Stop,” I tell her. “Don’t do that. You’re one of the most badass chicks I’ve ever met, and you’re going to be afraid of a dress that puts you on display? Girl, you were
born
to be on display. Look at you!”

Annabelle smiles with one side of her mouth. “I don’t look like a tomato?”

“You look like a beauty.” I take her arm and guide her toward the lounge area. “Now rock that shit.”

Ten minutes later, Valery returns to collect us. She’s wearing a silver gown, and as we head toward the great room, she has to slap Max’s hand away every few seconds. Though it doesn’t escape me that each time she lets his touch linger before batting it away.

As we walk like cattle to the slaughter, Charlie twists her ankle, Blue stutters trying to talk to Aspen, I make fun of Blue’s stuttering, and Annabelle loses an earring. Aspen is the only one who acts like a refined adult, which both surprises me, and doesn’t.

When we spill into the great room, Kraven is there waiting. He stands from the end chair and waves an arm toward the table. “Please, take a seat.”

The Mute Chicks pull out our chairs as Kraven instructs them to serve the first course.

“Why don’t those chicks talk?” I ask when they’re out of earshot.

“Dante,” Charlie chastises, but I catch the hint of a smile.

Kraven pushes his hair behind his ears, something he does way too often. “They’ve taken a vow of silence.”

“Why?” I ask.

He unfolds a black napkin and lays it over his lap. “Where is the other human?”

I narrow my eyes at him. He avoided my question, but that’s not what has my attention. Kraven—he’s nervous. But what about?

“Dropped an earring,” Blue answers. “She’s coming.”

Kraven studies Blue, and then his eyes widen at something different. I follow his gaze and spot Annabelle standing in the doorway.

Seeing her there alone, my stomach clenches. We should have waited for her. She was nervous about being around Kraven after their exchange the first day of training. But it turns out I have nothing to worry about. Annabelle raises her chin, drops her hands to her side, and strides toward the table like Cleopatra herself.

Kraven is suddenly on his feet, watching every step she takes. Only when she’s seated herself at the opposite end of the table does he lower himself back down into his chair.

“That dress you’re wearing…” Kraven says to Annabelle. Her eyes rise, meeting his stare. “It’s quite expensive.”

Annabelle makes a face. “Don’t worry, I’ll give it back. You’re the one who wanted to have this ridiculous dinner.”

We all turn and look at Kraven because this here is entertainment at its finest.

He opens his mouth to respond, but just then three girls close to our age enter the room with silver trays. They lay down white dishes filled with lobster bisque that looks so good, my stomach aches. Next comes a spinach salad with raspberry-walnut vinaigrette. And then the main course: stuffed prawns, garlic rice pilaf, and roasted asparagus sprinkled with goat cheese and sautéed grape tomatoes.

As we eat, Valery forces conversation. We do our best to join in, but mostly we watch Kraven and Annabelle to see if they’ll talk some more trash. Every once in a while, someone brings something up that’s an obvious attempt to make them argue. It’s sad, really, because we like Annabelle, but we’re stir-crazy, and this is the most fun we’ve had all day. Plus, Kraven seems to be on better behavior tonight, so no harm done.

A man who’s dressed like an old-fashioned butler clears our dinner plates and chauffeurs in miniature dishes that look like dessert. What I want to know is where they’re hiding the cooks. Because I’d like to human traffic them to Peachville, assuming we ever make it back there.

As an older woman sets a fresh plate in front of me, something catches my eye. It’s Kraven, rising from his seat like if he moves too suddenly, his chair will explode. At first I assume Annabelle has done something heinous, like used the wrong utensil for her spiced-chocolate tart.

But it’s not that at all.

It’s men—three of them—snaking into the room with blades in their hands.

27

Spy

Valery springs into action, rounding the table and grabbing Charlie. She pushes her away from the men, using her body as a shield. Kraven lunges toward Aspen and does the same. Even Max has come alive, snatching Annabelle from harm’s way. The house staff scurries from the room on mouse feet.

Then it’s just me and Blue.

My pulse pounds so hard in my head that my hearing dulls. With as warped as this house is, how did they find their way in? One of the guys with a shaved head tosses his knife to his other hand and moves closer. That isn’t what scares me, though. It’s that his eyes are locked on Charlie. When I realize what he’s come for, and that this guy is a siren, I lose my mind with rage.

This place is supposed to be safe. But it’s not. Valery said it herself,
no matter where we built, they would find it
. Well, I’d done enough running. These dudes are human.

And I’m immortal.

Born Dante Walker, reborn a demon—

Today a liberator who’s about to put these guys down.

Lunging toward him, I keep my hands up, protecting my eyes. Then I land a solid blow into the guy’s arm that holds the knife. He nearly loses it, but not quite. I’m about to go in for another hit when dizziness overtakes me. Then I’m looking up from the ground.

There are three of them, I remember.

Behind me, I can hear Charlie’s voice. My head is still foggy, so it sounds like she’s screaming from behind a closed window. But remembering she’s here drives me to regain my composure, and before I’m knocked out a second time, I slide to the right. Then I throw my fist into a siren’s ribs and hear a dull crack. From the corner of my eye, I notice Valery shoving the girls through a doorway, leading them somewhere safe. Max flanks behind her, alert and at the ready. Seeing Max reminds me I only have to fight the sirens off long enough until Max or Red—or hell, maybe even Aspen—can return to help.

I land a strong kick into the next guy’s knee, and he drops to the floor. Then I spin on the other siren and attempt to throw my fist into his gut. I don’t make the connection, though, because the siren I kicked is already up, and now he’s got his arms under mine, restraining me.
Where’s Blue when I need him?
A quick glance tells me the answer. He’s busy defending himself against the third siren.

Defending.

In a flash, I remember what Kraven taught us. On instinct, I’d been using some defense. I had to. But I hadn’t thought to apply the new tactics I’d learned.

Now I do.

The siren behind me restrains my arms, but I still have access to other body parts, starting with my foot. I slam my heel back into the siren’s knee and then bring it down on his shoe. He groans and loosens his grip. As soon as he does, I collapse to the ground in a heap. He doesn’t expect this, so he stumbles and falls with me. His arms pull away, and I jump to my feet. But I’m only free a few seconds before the second siren goes for my throat. I deflect his hands and pull a Charlie, kicking him straight in the junk. He stops reaching for my throat, instead cupping his manhood and crumbling to the floor.

But now the guy behind me is up again. He heads toward Blue like he’s done with our fight. I’m about to stop his advance when Bruised Balls grabs me again. Now Blue is stuck defending himself against two sirens.

As I deflect an attack from Bruised Balls, something causes me to pause.

Where is Kraven?

We’ve only been fighting the sirens for a few seconds, but he should have been here. A thought fires through my mind. I shuffle back from the siren who faces me and hold up my hand. He hesitates, his brow creased with confusion. Glancing at Blue, I notice the two sirens take turns attacking and restraining him. But neither inflicts much damage to the liberator.

“Stop,” I say.

Bruised Balls sneers and circles closer, like he’s not about to listen.

“No, really. All of you can just stop. I get it,” I say. “This is our test.”

The sirens stop and look toward the back of the room. Kraven stands watching, his arms crossed over his chest. I expect him to start clapping or some crap. But he doesn’t. He just opens his mouth and says, “Thank you for your assistance, liberators.”

The sirens—err, liberators—slap one another on the back and head toward the dining table, laughing like old friends. They pick over our dessert as Charlie, Aspen, and Annabelle burst into the room. Charlie’s eyes are wide and frantic, as if she’s expecting a bloodbath.

She rushes toward me and lifts her hands to my face. “Are you okay? What happened?”

I pull away because I’m angry, though not with her. I should have sensed the liberators’ cuffs when they entered the room. I should have been paying attention. But that’s the loophole with the cuffs. We can sense them, but only by concentrating all the time. It’s a bit like listening for a bird outside your window in the middle of the night; at some point you get tired and fall sleep. “What happened is this was a test to see if we’d mastered the self-defense sector.”

“The hell?” Annabelle says. “That’s a pretty shoddy tactic.”

I’m certain her words are targeted toward Kraven, but that’s not who responds. Instead, one of the liberators in disguise turns around. “Damn, Kraven. No wonder you’ve got the human without a cause hidden away. Girl’s
hot
. I’d like to get my hands—”

“Enough!” Kraven yells.

We all stop and stare at Kraven, who I somehow doubt has ever shouted. Not like this. He seems to realize his mistake, but it doesn’t stop him from glaring at the liberator who wants himself a piece of Annabelle. Kraven’s face is so red, it rivals the severity of Anna’s dress. He looks away from the liberator and toward Annabelle. Then he strides from the room.

Annabelle’s breath rushes out in a gasp right as Valery and Max reappear.

“Oh, it’s over?” Valery says.

“You knew this was a test?” Aspen accuses.

Red waves her hand. “’Course.”

Max stares at her in awe. “You amaze me, woman. I’m not sure whether to be impressed or afraid of how good you are at keeping secrets. Maybe just turned on.” He tries to grab for Valery, and a smile plays on her lips.

One of the liberators, the dude with the shaved head, licks his fingers, says something to a guy across the table, and heads in the same direction Kraven went.

I pull Charlie close and whisper in her ear. “I’m going to ask how I did. Will you distract them?”

She nods and whirls in a circle. “Valery. I don’t…I don’t feel so—”

She slumps to the ground. I have to march away before my grin blows her story.

Her fainting spell does the trick. Valery and everyone else in the room rushes over to see what’s wrong with Trelvator Girl. As for me, I slip across the room and spill into a wide hallway. Moving like a ghost, I catch up with Kraven and the liberator who followed him.

What I told Charlie was the truth; I want to know how Blue and I did. Especially after he threatened that my cuff was on the line, not that he’d have a prayer of taking it from me. But I also want to know if I can find out anything new. Like why Big Guy has decided we need a training pad, besides the obvious threat of collectors and sirens. But why train us to fight instead of training us how to recapture Charlie’s soul? Valery insinuated they’d help teach me how to descend into hell. But thinking back on our conversation at the graveyard, I remember she actually said, “They’ll help you.”

But help me do what?

Red said the collectors and sirens could find us anywhere, so why not go on the offense immediately? What are we buying time for? I know how she’d answer that question:
to train you so you’re better prepared to face them
. But with the number of secrets floating around, I want to be sure that’s all there is to it.

I take a few more steps toward the pair of liberators and listen. Right away, I recognize Kraven’s smooth, calm voice in comparison to the other guy, who speaks much quicker.

“It’s not safe yet,” Kraven says.

“But the guys are getting restless,” the other dude replies. His voice has a slight accent to it, like any second he’s going to suggest we
throw another shrimp on the barbie
. “We’ve been locked up in here for three weeks. We’ve completed training. Just give us a few hours to go outside and try them out.”

“Are you so eager to leave your post?” Kraven says. “Have you forgotten the commitment you made? I gave you a choice. I gave you all a choice. And you chose protection.”

The Aussie dude groans. “Wasn’t much of a choice when the alternative was to become a mute house slave.”

“But it
was
a choice. And they’ve only agreed to stay quiet until the words on the scroll reveal themselves.”

The guy doesn’t respond right away, giving me time to mull over what’s been said. The liberators who pretended they were sirens…they’re here to be protectors, probably for Charlie. And I guess the two women liberators chose to help around the estate instead. I wonder why.

“Listen, Neco. We have to remember what else we’re harboring here.”

The other liberator, Neco, raises his voice. “I know. That damn scroll. You only remind us every day. A lot of good it does anyone.”

“You have to believe,” Kraven replies.

“Believe what? That the words are going to magically appear? It wasn’t meant for us. I don’t know why God even gave it to you. Probably just to mess with our heads.”

“Watch your tongue,” Kraven says, his voice deepening.

Neco hesitates. “Can you at least tell me whether they’re still out there?”

“Of course they are. They haven’t gone anywhere.” Kraven sighs. “They’ve set up on the side of the cliff as if we don’t know they’re there.”

“Just another reason we should leave. Draw them out, fight them before they have a chance to attack.”

I don’t hear anything else. I’m already storming back toward Charlie.
They
are out there. Kraven admitted as much. Sure, Valery warned us it could happen. But there’s a difference between saying they might know we’re here, and that they’re actually parked outside.

My mind spins as I move faster. Who exactly are
they
? Are there sirens out there, hidden among the cliff face? Or are they collectors?

Where is Rector?

The last thought needles into my chest until I can hardly breathe. When I make it to the great room, everyone is gone. Maybe they took fainting Charlie back to her room. Good. I can talk to her in private there. But what will I say? I hate keeping secrets from her, and I remember the promise I made after the night she was taken, that I would never lie to her again. But my plan is to steal Charlie’s soul back. And she’ll never agree to that. She’ll insist I’m trading my life for hers.

And that’s exactly what I will do if I must.

But not tonight.

Tonight I’m finding that blasted scroll.