Thicker than Blood (41 page)

My thoughts muddled, my head pounding, I
tried to push myself upright in bed, but my body protested as aches
and pains flared to life from what seemed like every inch of me. I
blinked slowly, trying to remember, trying to recall.

Bringing a hand to my aching chest, my heart
suddenly hammering like a runaway train, I gasped. My breath was
staggered as I struggled to breathe, to catch a breath without
nearly choking on it.

They’d tried to kill me.

Liv and Jeffers and Misty. They’d all wanted
me dead.

My stomach lurched, bile rising in my throat.
Why were there no good people left in this world? What the hell was
wrong with everyone?

I squeezed my eyes closed, forcing back my
threatening tears while attempting to steady my breathing. It
didn’t matter why. None of this mattered. This place, these people,
the insane way they lived, none of it mattered because we were
leaving. And once we were free of this hell, we would chalk it up
to another lesson learned on the road to somewhere safer.

The lesson being we could trust no one. No
one but each other.

Swinging my legs over the side of the
mattress, my body protesting my every movement, I gently touched my
face. Jagged stitches stretched across my left cheek, the skin
around them tender and painful to the touch.

Still, it could have been worse. I could have
been Misty. I could have been dead.

My thoughts stuttered to a stop. I’d killed
her and I didn’t feel bad or guilty; I’d simply done what I had to
do to stay alive. But shame was another story, and I felt it in
spades. The shame of the realization that I was becoming like the
people of Purgatory, by selling my body and then killing a fellow
survivor without remorse. How easy a transformation it had been,
how easy it was to become even more of a monster than I’d already
become.

Standing now, I felt woozy, slightly drugged,
and parched with thirst. I scanned the room searching for anything
edible, my gaze landing on the countertop and all the treasures it
held.

My eyes wide, I lurched forward, reaching for
the edge to steady myself. There was a veritable bounty of supplies
here, and I found myself again searching the room to ensure this
was actually our room, that I hadn’t been brought elsewhere.

Once positive that this was in fact our room,
I turned back to the countertop, perusing the items. There were
several handguns, ammunition, blades of all shapes and sizes, short
stacks of clothing, jars filled with a yellowish liquid, as well as
food, both canned and fresh.

My stomach rumbled and my nostrils flared as
the scent of grilled rat wafted up to greet me.

“Rat,” I said dryly, staring at the meat I
had come to despise so much. “Of course I would get paid in
rats.”

Regardless of my feelings on the vermin, I
grabbed one of the skewers. The meat had grown somewhat cold, yet I
tore into it with gusto, swallowing without even chewing. Finished
with the rat, I tossed the bones aside and reached for one of the
bottles. Unscrewing the cap, I sniffed the contents, and came away
coughing. It was a liquor of some sort, though what it was exactly,
I had no earthly idea.

Tentatively, I took a sip, wincing as it slid
a burning path down my throat. Once I was sure it wouldn’t kill me,
I took another swallow and then another, and then I was gulping it
down with vigor, relishing the burn and the warming sensation
flaring to life in my gut.

I was nearly halfway finished with the bottle
when I heard noise from the hallway, and a rattling on the door.
Reaching for one of the blades on the counter, I gripped it tightly
in my fist and waited. When I saw it was Alex who entered, followed
by Leisel, I tossed the blade back on the countertop with a
relieved sigh.

I rushed toward Leisel, throwing my arms
around her and pulling her against me despite the pain it caused
me. Only she didn’t return the gesture; in fact, she went stiff
against me. I pulled back, searching her face. Her mouth was
downturned and trembling as she attempted a smile.

“What happened?” I asked, glancing to Alex.
Leaning against the closed door, he was looking out across the
room, his gaze unfocused.

“Your fight?” I asked, noting the cuts
covering Alex’s face and fists, and the blood staining nearly every
inch of him. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” I stammered, feeling
guilty, wondering if that was why Leisel wouldn’t hug me back. Did
she hate me for this? Was this another item to add to my list?

Without bothering to look at me, Alex merely
nodded. Confused, I looked back at Leisel, but she quickly glanced
away, her face pale.

“Lei, what’s wrong? What happened?”

“Nothing,” she whispered. “Nothing
happened.”

Something was very wrong; I could feel it in
my gut. There were two things that Leisel had never been very good
at—the first was hiding her true feelings, and the second was
lying.

“What happened?” I repeated, my words laced
with worry.

Through her lashes, Leisel glanced up at me.
“Nothing,” she said. “You just focus on getting better.”

I scowled at her, flinching as the movement
pulled painfully on my stitches. “Nothing?”

She nodded. “Yes, Alex fought and—”

“What did they do?” I interrupted, turning to
Alex. “She’s a shitty liar, Alex, so one of you better tell me the
fucking truth before I go find out—”

Placing a hand on my trembling arm, her
features twisted with anxiety, Leisel interrupted me. “A man, he
grabbed me—”

“FUCK!” I screamed, whirling away from her.
My hands clenched into angry fists, I dropped them heavily on the
countertop, making my winnings jump and rattle together. “Fuck them
all!” I continued screaming. “Sick, twisted bastards!”

Spinning back around, I thrust a finger into
Leisel’s face. “Who was it?” I demanded. “You tell me who it was so
I can kill him!” I grabbed a knife from the counter, brandishing it
in the air.

“He’s already dead,” Alex said. It was the
first time he’d spoken since entering, and his voice was strained,
more so than I’d ever heard it before. All at once, some of the
anger fueling my rage began to ebb. He was dead, whoever he was.
That much was good.

“You killed him,” I said, still watching
Alex. “Are you in trouble? Does anyone know?”

“I killed him,” Leisel said softly. “I shot
him. Everyone was there, they all saw.”

I blinked at her, staring blankly into her
big brown eyes that were surprisingly dry. I was still angry, yet
not exactly sure now what to do with my emotions. “Two for two,” I
said callously, angry that she’d been forced to kill two men now.
Men who’d hurt her.

“Yeah,” she mumbled, looking away.

“I’m sorry,” I hurried to say. “I didn’t mean
it like that. I’m just sorry you had to… I’m sorry I wasn’t
there…”

Frustrated, I struggled to find the right
words, feeling awful that once again I hadn’t protected her, and
even worse that someone, another greedy man, had dared hurt her. A
building sob burst free from my lips and I quickly covered my
mouth, squeezing my eyes shut.

Feeling dizzy again, my newly digested food
churning sickly in my stomach, I lurched forward, stumbling my way
across the room and dropping down onto the armchair. Holding my
head in my hands, I looked down at the floor, noticing for the
first time that I was still wearing my sneakers, my blood-stained
sneakers. My stomach churned again and I had to fight not to gag,
not to sob, not to beat my own self bloody from the unfairness of
it all.

“We have bigger problems, Eve,” Leisel said,
kneeling down beside me. “Because of what I did…killing him.”

Lifting my head, I looked her in the eyes.
“What?” I snapped. “What the fuck do we have to do now?”

“Whatever Jeffers and Liv want us to do,”
Alex interjected. He sounded exhausted, but more so, he sounded
defeated.

“They’re making him fight again,” Leisel
said. “Tomorrow night. They’re never going to let us leave here,
Eve. They’re saying we owe them, for killing two of their
people.”

I jumped up from the chair, anger thrumming
through me. “No!” I shouted. “We’re not staying here, we’re not
spending another day here!”

“We don’t have a choice.” Pushing himself
away from the door, Alex shrugged. “Whatever plan you’d worked out,
it’s shit now. I’d pretty sure no one leaves here unless they’re
carried out in body bags. They want us to think we have choices,
when in reality this place is no better than a prison camp.”

Smoke and mirrors, I thought, stewing
silently. It had all been an illusion. There was music here, food,
entertainment, not for the sake of giving people a sense of the
past, but to keep them within the gates, under the control of
Jeffers and Liv.

Without looking at either Leisel or me, Alex
headed for the mattress and dropped down heavily on it. Rolling
onto his side, he faced the wall and his body went utterly still.
Leisel glanced between us, her bottom lip disappearing between her
teeth, her indecision clear.

“Go to him,” I said, grabbing her hand and
squeezing, my thoughts aflutter. “I need to go see someone.”

• • •

The night was still warm, the marketplace empty and
silent as I made my way through it. Metal barrels were lit
throughout, lighting my way to my destination. Though I was alone,
I was armed, a gun tucked into the back of my pants and two blades
secured at my hip. I wasn’t leaving anything to chance anymore. In
fact, I’d never leave anything to chance ever again.

Turning a familiar corner, I found myself
somewhat close to the entrance of the camp, but still far enough
away that the guards on duty wouldn’t notice me. Leaning up against
Dori’s building, I crossed my arms over my chest and waited, ready
to wait all night if I had to.

Time passed slowly, or quickly, I couldn’t be
sure without a watch. There was really no way to tell time in the
dead of night, with everything still and silent, the sky
unchanging. Eventually I heard a shuffle, a strong determined gait
across the pavement, and a moment later E rounded the corner.

Surprised to see me, he widened his eyes and
slowed his steps as a smile curved his lips. “You waiting for me,
Wildcat?” he asked smugly.

Moving to come closer, I put my hand up.
“Stay where you are,” I gritted out, my heart rate spiking.

Pausing, he raised his hands in a defensive
gesture. “Don’t be like that,” he said with a chuckle. “We had fun,
didn’t we?”

“Fuck you,” I snarled.

He laughed again, his tongue darting out to
run slowly across his lower lip. “Right here?” he asked, then took
a small step forward, his smile growing wider and infinitely more
menacing. “Or right here?”

“Again, fuck you,” I spat.

“You look a little beat up, you sure you can
handle me right now?” He took another small step forward.

My hand went for my gun, whipping it out from
behind me and aiming it at his chest. “Take another step, asshole,”
I growled. “And it’ll be your last.”

He chuckled again, entirely unfazed by my
bravado. “What’s a man got to do to catch a break with you,
Wildcat?”

Keeping my gun trained on his chest, I didn’t
respond. There was nothing left to say. He’d gotten what he wanted,
and now it was time for him to pay up.

“Where’s my truck?” I finally asked. “Where’s
everything you promised?”

His smile fell away, his dark eyes growing
even darker. Sighing heavily, he shoved his hands deep into his
pockets. “I’ve got it,” he said.

“Where?” I snapped.

“What’s the rush?” He cocked his head to one
side. “You got places to be?”

“I’m leaving,” I said. “Tomorrow. First
thing.”

Why I was trusting him with this information,
I didn’t know. But what choice did I have? If the truck wasn’t
ready, if he didn’t have what he’d promised me, we wouldn’t be able
to leave. While my winnings had been plentiful, they wouldn’t last
us for any real length of time.

His dark eyes narrowing, E took another
cautious step in my direction. “You sure that’s wise? I know what
went down tonight, what happened with your girl. According to
Jeffers, your man is indebted to him. You try and leave before that
debt is paid, it ain’t gonna end well for any of you.”

He was only three small steps away from me
now, his chest only a hairbreadth of a distance from the barrel of
my gun. I was nearly trembling at his proximity, and from the
unreadable look on his face. This man was a wild card, his dark
eyes unreadable, his cryptic words, his carefully calculated
actions all pieces of a puzzle that didn’t seem to fit
together.

“We’re leaving,” I said, hoping I sounded
stronger than I felt. “And I want everything you promised me inside
the truck and ready for us by morning.”

He grinned. “You giving out orders now?”

“I’m the one with the gun, E,” I sneered.

“That won’t always be the case, Wildcat. Fact
is, it doesn’t have to be that way for you anymore.”

A moment passed where he only stared at me.
Then another as his eyes searched mine, for what I didn’t know.

“I could be good to you,” he eventually said,
all former pretense gone. There was no smug grin, no swagger to his
movements. He stood before me a man, nothing more and nothing less.
It was surprising and yet…it wasn’t.

“I’m not all bad, Wildcat,” he continued, his
gaze sincere. “At least, I wasn’t always this way.”

Maybe if this had been our beginning instead
of our end, my answer might have been different. But this wasn’t
the beginning, this was the end, and there was nothing here for me,
nothing for me to find with E. And he’d only helped me to see that,
to solidify my decision.

“I don’t care,” I said, shrugging. “We’re
leaving.”

He seemed to expect my answer, his expression
unchanging except for his eyes. Flat and dark, yet in the face of
my indifference to him and his confession, they’d gone suddenly
ablaze. Taking a step back, he nodded.