Badlands: Next Generation Collection, page 16
I wasn’t going to mention that to Addy. She had enough shit circulating in that pretty head of hers without adding that.
This would be over soon.
The kids would be back.
She and I would be home.
Life would go on as always, only I had her now, so I guess it wouldn’t because some major adjustments would need to be made.
I’d worry about that bridge when I reached it.
I took the stairs quickly, doing my damnedest to ignore how slick my dick still was from her pussy. That made me think of being inside her, and I’d done that nonstop since the first time she let me in.
I didn’t want her thinking all I cared about was her pussy. It wasn’t. Being with her was addictive, indescribable, surreal.
Listen to me—already sounding as if I were going to hand over my balls.
Entering the lobby, I spotted Ace and Cam now engaged in a game of pool. Nyx and Maliki were sat at one of the tables in the ‘diner’.
They weren’t talking or even looking at one another. They were just sitting together, watching the room. Those two had some weird vibe shit going on.
I gave Maliki a chin nod, going straight for the front desk. Alfred looked up from whatever he was doing and seemed torn between pissing himself and telling me to go fuck myself.
“So,” I placed my palms flat on the faded marble, “about that car?”
“Yes.” He cleared his throat and reached for a fat yellow keychain wedged beneath some papers.
“Has that been here the entire time?”
My voice was calm, showing no sign that I wanted reach across the desk and rip this old motherfucker’s head off.
He froze for a fraction of a second, but it was just long enough to let me know that I was right.
He shoved the key across the desk. “This was the largest thing I could find. It’s ready to go. Don’t know where you’re going or how far it’ll get ya, though.”
I took the key without another word and went on my way.
I’d already discussed compensation; I wouldn’t have the same conversation twice.
On my way back through the lobby, I tossed the yellow ring to Maliki.
“Get loaded up and pull whatever this is to the front. We’re leaving.”
Outside, the night air was still muggy, but now there was a slight coolness to it, too.
I returned back to the floor our temporary room was on, damn near passing the one I was looking for because of the cracked door.
It should have been shut.
I listened closely.
There was the sound of a running sink followed by a man in pain.
I slipped inside and shut the door, locking it behind me.
“What did you think you were gonna sneak in here and do to me?” Addy’s voice floated above the water.
The bathroom door was only partially open, but I had a clear view of the motherfucker from the lobby.
I’d seen him staring at each of my girls like they were fresh pieces of meat.
They were better than anything they served in that shitty ass diner. He had no right to be anywhere near Addy.
Without warning, I shoved the door open. I took in the living corpse on the floor, the small smear of blood on the wall, and Addy.
She looked semi back to normal. Her chest was heaving and a stain of irritation marred her face, but I could understand that.
“Zane.”
I loved when she said that.
“What is going on in here?” I kept my tone light and moved up behind him, wrapping a forearm around his throat, locking him into a choke-hold as I forced him to his feet.
“He was trying to steal,” Addy said.
“Is that right? Did you come in here to steal?”
He sputtered around my hold on his neck, a strained, “No,” slipping out.
“Are you calling me a liar?”
She pretended to be offended, placing her hands on her hips.
I gave him some leeway so he could speak.
“I’m sorry,” were his first words.
“He came in here and tried to steal what’s yours,” she pouted with a face full of innocence we both knew was bullshit.
Her words, on the other hand—she could repeat those day in and day out. The ‘mine’ part, not that some giant motherfucker with an uneven beard had tried to take what wasn’t his.
She didn’t seem all that shaken up, standing while our mutual friend was on the ground holding the back of his head.
“Is that true?” I asked him. “I gotta tell you I don’t appreciate when other people touch my shit.”
Another apology.
“Why do people always want to apologize after? You sure as fuck weren’t sorry when you first crept in here.”
I let go of him altogether, just for a second. As long as it took me to grab his right arm, bring it behind his back, and start snapping his fucking fingers.
It was a simple task, as easy as breaking a twig in half. He screamed with each one and tried to get away.
The room sounded almost as if a mini array of fireworks were going off with each pop and break.
When his right hand looked like nothing more than flesh covered puzzle pieces, I moved to the left.
I kicked his legs out from beneath him in the process.
“All done,” I announced with the snapping of his pinky.
He fell to the side, groaning in agony, a bit of drool coming out of his mouth.
“Sorry,” he moaned like a broken record.
“What do you think? This good enough?” I looked to Addy, who’d silently watched me break every finger this motherfucker had.
She reached behind her back and walked to where he was lying on the floor. Using the toe of her boot, she forced him from his side to his back.
In one quick motion, she was damn near straddling and slamming her dagger into the center of his chest. A loud gasp came from his mouth, eyes going wide as fucking saucers.
“Piece of shit,” she spewed, dragging the blade straight down the center of him until she got to his stomach.
It was beautiful, the way she immersed herself in her kills.
The movement was jerky, the tearing of flesh ten times louder in the bathroom. Blood stained his shirt and seeped from the wounds. His every breath now had an odd croak at the end as he died.
“You good, princess?”
“Peachy. Now let’s get the hell out of here.” She wiped her dagger clean on the untainted part of the man’s shirt and headed for the door, grabbing my hand on her way out.
Chapter Twenty-One
Viginti Unus
I shifted on the seat, opening my eyes to blinding sunlight. Calloused fingers gently massaged my scalp and petted my hair.
“We’re there, princess.”
“And so are they,” Nyx added.
Placing a hand on Zane’s denim clad thigh, I pushed myself into a sitting position, rubbing the kink from my neck.
We’d been driving for who knew how long, the minivan faithfully chugging along.
“Did you sleep any?” I asked Zane.
“For a bit. I’m good.”
I looked at the seat in the back where Nyx, Cam, and Trix had been dozing. All were now wide awake.
“Check out the sign,” Maliki implored.
We looked to the right, seeing a body similar to the one back at the school—all four limbs gone, including the head, chained to what would have been the Windmill city sign, blood still not completely dry.
This one was female. Her breasts had been removed along with her appendages, leaving behind gaping holes that crows were already pecking at.
“Why do they do that?” I thought aloud.
“I think it’s a ritual,” Ace replied.
“I told you those cult fuckers were strange,” Zane said, grunting when I elbowed him.
“Maybe we shouldn’t drive all the way in,” Cam suggested.
“He’s right. If we need to draw back, we want to be able to do it cleanly. Pull over here,” Zane commanded, pointing to a spot a yard or two away from the Windmill sign.
Maliki did as instructed, killing the engine but not removing the keys from the ignition.
“Are we ready for this?” Trix inquired.
“We were born for shit like this,” Cam responded flippantly.
Zane’s lips touched the side of my face a moment before he was reaching for the van door and sliding it open.
The cool air was immediately swept away by the heat. I followed after him once he hopped down.
“Ace, hop in the driver’s seat. Run the air only if your dick starts to melt. Keep the doors locked, crack the windows, and if we aren’t back in two hours, get the fuck out of here.”
He moved along with everyone else, taking the seat as they all piled out of the van. I reached beneath where Zane and I had been sitting and grabbed Annie’s gun and the shell casings.
I didn’t want to take it with me due to my slow reload time. I was nowhere near as skilled as Annie was. I fingered the cool metal, ignoring the pang in my chest. I missed her.
“Hey,” Zane said softly, placing a hand on my lower back. “You good?”
I swallowed and nodded, flashing him a small smile.
“Here, use this. It has two fresh bullets, and there are more in the bag.” I passed them up to Ace.
I didn’t want to leave him completely defenseless.
“Fucking sweet,” he grinned. “Thanks.”
“Do you know how to use that?” Maliki asked him.
“Yeah, my mom used to hunt with something similar.”
I walked to the front of the van as Zane moved to the hatch for something, filing that information away for a rainy day. We all had so much to learn about one another; I was almost looking forward to it.
Nyx pulled off her leather jacket, pulled her long locks into a ponytail, and then announced she was ready.
“Here we go then,” Zane said, coming back to the front.
And he hadn’t come unprepared. He handed Maliki a rifle, kindly returned my Glock, and passed Cam a pump action, keeping a Wesson for himself.
“So you’ve had an arsenal of guns with us this entire time?” Nyx questioned.
“Yup. And since guns are loud, messy, and require ammunition that isn’t easy to come by unless you can make it, these only get to be played with during times like these. Now, mind your bullets, and let’s go.” He strode forward, leaving us to follow.
Windmill was just as empty as Copperfield, but I got the sense this place hadn’t been freely abandoned.
A few corpses were scattered on the sidewalks, freshly killed. In an alley between two buildings, a man had his head bashed in; his one good eye watched us pass.
Lots of trash had gathered in the gutters, some stuck in old drains while a few streets were like obstacle courses, a few waifs were sorting through the mess.
“They don’t seem very concerned that everyone around them is being killed off,” Cam pointed out.
“They’re gonna die out here regardless; why would they be?” Nyx replied.
We kept walking, guns raised slightly as a precautionary measure. It felt as if it took an hour to reach the mall. Between here and there were plazas, stores, and Victorian type homes on a few corners.
“The place is huge,” Maliki pointed out when we came upon the mall.
Huge was an understatement.
The place looked like it wrapped around in both directions. I had just begun to wonder where the Stags were supposed to be and how we were expected to find them when a lone figure caught my attention.
He was moving towards us.
Only when the sun took a break from assaulting my eyes could I tell it was Luce.
“He’s alone,” Cam pointed out the obvious.
I was already wondering why that was, and knew it couldn’t mean anything good. What the fuck had he done now?
When we were nearly right in front of another, I cut off whatever he was going to say.
“Don’t bullshit or beat around the bush. Tell us what the hell is going on.”
Zane stepped up behind me, fixing his gaze on my brother. “She beat me to it. Where are our people?”
“There was a complication,” Luce began. I didn’t realize how different he looked until he opened his mouth. Even his voice sounded different. He seemed colder, meaner, and pissed.
“We were run off the road before I could reach the compound. Tobias is dead. Your man Grizz knows to expect your arrival soon,” he directed at Zane. “Dad knows everything,” he said to me, eyes subtly shifting between Zane and I before going to Cam.
They lingered there for a few seconds, and then he was abruptly turning away and walking off.
What the fuck?
I don’t think any of us expected him to be that upfront.
“So where is everyone?” Maliki called after him, beginning to follow.
“I’ll show you,” Luce answered over his shoulder.
“I don’t like this,” Cam said quietly.
I agreed. This felt all wrong, but we didn’t have many options.
In silence, our group made its way to the back of the mall.
We hadn’t yet reached it when I heard the loud idling of a truck.
“Whatever you do, don’t shoot,” Luce warned as took the last few steps around the side.
My heart tripped up at the sight we were met with. Twelve Stags, three vehicles, and a small girl who looked just like our mother covered in blood.
Her hands were bound in front of her. Where there wasn’t blood, there were bruises on her pale skin.
“That your sister?” Zane asked from behind me.
“Yes,” I managed to reply.
As we got closer, I saw the black around her sky blue eyes.
“It’s not her blood,” Luce assured me.
That wasn’t much comfort when it looked like she’d gone swimming it. She gave me a smile to pretend she was okay, but I knew better.
“Where are the other three?” Nyx questioned.
“There are no others. They said they would trade me for one, and if I didn’t accept, they’d just kill that one anyway. I wasn’t sure who it was they were talking about. I wasn’t willing to sacrifice any of them.”
I knew the last part was meant for Maliki and Zane, but that did very little to soothe the rising tension.
The Stags watched us approach, not making a single move.
In the center, just behind my sister, was one taller than the rest. His antlers were bigger, and he was shirtless, revealing a body just as toned as Luce’s.
“There they are.” His gravelly voice seemed to boom across the clearing.
“What the hell is going on?” I demanded to know, fingers tightening around my gun.
“Stay calm, little queen,” the man laughed. “My name is Creed. The Stags are my faction.”
“Where is my brother?” Nyx interjected.
“Lucifuge, would you like the honors of telling her that the boy is thriving? And then there’s that sweet friend of his…Lilith? She’s very giving. And the other boy. If we can bring him to heel, he shows great promise.”
Zane tensed beside me, I could feel the hostility beginning to rise off his shoulders. My stomach turned at this asshole’s words. What did he mean, she was giving?
“This one…this one is a lost cause.” He gestured to Bella.
I bit my tongue to tell this asshole that she wasn’t lost, she just would never reform to his bullshit.
“Why just one?” Maliki was the one to ask.
“They’re using her for an initiation,” Luce finally said. “To fully join them, you have to show your loyalty. They’ve requested two of us for Bella.”
No. Fuck no. This could not be happening.
“One of them is Cameron,” he added so softly I almost didn’t hear him. “I tried everything I could think of that wouldn’t risk the kids, but they’re hiding them somewhere. No one can find them.”
“Luce, it’s cool. I know you didn’t offer me up like one of the sacrificial lambs,” Cam joked humorlessly.
“What? No! We are not—”
“That’s crazy. We can’t—”
Cam passed his gun to Zane and stepped forward, cutting both Nyx and I off. “It’s okay. You’ll both be okay.”
I shook my head, refuting that bullshit statement. He said it like he intended to walk over there and die.
“No the fuck we won’t,” Nyx snapped, her voice breaking on the last word.
“It’s for Bella,” he said as if he needed to hear it himself, too.
He didn’t hug us goodbye, even now still following our Savage code. Never show weakness.
I didn’t give a damn. A calloused hand grabbing mine was the only thing that stopped me from firing at all these deer-masked bastards.
“Hang in there, princess,” Zane murmured.
I felt like a selfish bitch.
His brother was still gone, and he was standing beside me, trying to offer as much comfort as I imagined Zane could.
With no debate, argument, or last-minute deal, we watched Cam walk over to the Stags.
“My sister,” Luce gritted out.
Creed nodded his head, skull bobbing up and down, and nudged Bella towards us.
She didn’t look back once, coming at us like a bullet. Code aside, I hugged her as soon as she slammed into my chest with a muffled sob.
“You’re alright,” I told her. She definitely wasn’t, and I smoothed a hand down her gnarled hair.
I looked over, thanking Zane silently as he immediately went to unbinding her wrists.
“What happens now?”
I was talking to Luce, but it was Creed who answered.
“Now, the prospects do their diligence.” He raised his slightly voice on the word, ‘prospects’.
It must have been a signal. Six Stags on either side parted like the damn Red Sea and out stepped a bottle blonde and…Butcher?
I waited for shock to hit me, but the only thing I felt was bitter foolishness and rage. The signs were there, and none of us saw them. His behavior the last few months—few weeks, especially—was leading him to this epic fucking betrayal.
