Wilde Card, page 49
“Wh-what?”
He touched her jaw, ran a finger over her skin, tilted her head up. She was pinned by his gaze, pinned by his hand, pinned by his warmth. He stepped forward, and they moved as one, her legs moving with his, until she was against the tree again. She gasped as the rough bark made contact with her back, though she should have expected it. Her mind had fogged over. He was so warm, so present. And he was looking at her like she was his last meal. And she was so lonely.
“Tia, prove it. If I was never a game to you, kiss me. This time, I’m not making the move - it’s down to you. I’m here, and you can take me or leave me.”
Her chest was rising and falling, an earthquake wrapped in ribs. He was being sincere, his voice was rough with desire. She hadn’t seen that look in so long. And her skin was electric, and her pulse was music in her ears. He was being serious, more earnest than she had ever seen him. He wanted her to choose him this time. She dropped her eyes to his mouth; plump lips that knew what she liked. She raised a hand, touching his bottom lip, feeling the warmth of his breath on her cold fingers. He closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. His hair was soft against her wrist.
“Jay,” she whispered.
He let his head fall, his forehead coming to rest on her shoulder.
“You were never a game. And that’s why I can’t do this.”
It was the right thing to say, but it hurt to do so. He was silent for a while, and she let her hand rest on his head, stroking his strangely cold curls. His grip had gone slack on her body, a possession that was no longer his - had in fact never been his. Perhaps he had always known what her answer would be, even as he begged her to kiss him. She felt his heartbeat against her chest, rapid and heavy. Oh, Jay. Closure was never fun, but at least now he could move on. She hoped he would find someone who was worthy of his love. They stood entwined in the silence of the park, only the wind whistling through bare branches for company. Eventually, Tia’s hands and feet became so numb that it was all she could do not to hiss at the pain. He noticed her discomfort and pulled her away from the tree.
As he walked her back to the entrance, she told him of the raid.
“I’ll find a replacement for patrol.”
“You don’t have to.”
“This is going to be dangerous,” he cut her off. “Of course I’ll be there.”
She frowned. “If you’re coming to protect me-”
“Oh, God, Tia. Get over yourself!” he groaned. “You’re not the only one with a death wish.”
That made her laugh, and she was glad to see him smiling at her. The cold had finally made the tip of his nose red, to match hers. There didn’t appear to be any hard feelings, but she couldn’t ignore his disappointment. They parted at the canteen and she headed to a sparring room to find a jacket. She tried not to think about what had just happened out there, between them. She tried not to picture the way he said her name, like a promise and a secret all at once. She refused to drag him back into her mess. She wouldn’t do that to him, not again. Her life seemed to have disintegrated again and she, alone, would deal with it.
◆◆◆
They were all to find their own way to the rendezvous point; the usual intersection where the truck would be parked. There were to be no big groups in order to avoid suspicion. They split up and took different routes in order to reach the truck within the hour. Tia was with Jay and a girl called Tanya that she had met on her first raid. Together they set off into the cold, fleeces turned up to ward off the chill. Jay had also lost his puffy jacket and replaced it with a form fitting fleece for ease of movement.
Tia had a dagger in each panel, one strapped along her wrist and her new favourite throwing knife around her ankle. She also had a crossbow strapped across her body. It was a nice weight, painted matte black to match her gear and the night. She had caught several glances already - no one really used them and they certainly didn't bring them on missions. Oh well, let them look, she thought. She would outmatch any one of them with this beauty.
“Where’s Raghida?” she frowned. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen neither Raghida nor Zeta all day.
Tanya shrugged but Jay conveniently looked away. She paused, sensing that he was being dishonest. “Jeremiah Brooks.”
He scowled. “Only my mother calls me by that name.”
“Where is Raghida...and Zeta?”
Jay winced. “They went shopping.”
Tia’s jaw dropped. She was so shocked that she missed her step and stumbled into Tanya. “I'm sorry, what?”
“Well, yeah. Zee really wanted to go shopping and have a pretzel. She convinced Raghida to take her to the Plaza.”
“Have you lost your damn minds?” she practically shouted.
Tanya jumped and continued to stare, her bird-like features stretched wide. Tia, aware that she was being a terrible second-in-command, took Jay’s hand and yanked him back until their companion was ahead. He tried not to grimace at the grip she had on him.
“With all the police about, you think it's a good idea to have her walking around like a celestial target?”
“Relax, Tee. She's wearing a disguise, barely recognised her myself.”
Tia almost growled, she was so incensed. Of all the stupid, idiotic ideas…
“If anything happens to them, it's on you.”
Jay had the decency to look worried. He held out a hand, placating her. “Hey, look. It won't come to that.”
“You'd better hope so, because you won't like life without your balls.”
Ahead of them, Tanya sniggered and then tried to hide it behind a cough. Tia noticed but chose not to comment. If it was really a conversation to be had in private, she would have sent the girl away completely. Sharp little ears too. Jay was pretending to be hurt, though she ignored him. She was trying to imagine what could possibly be taking the truants so long; the Plaza was no fun when you didn't have money. She was also chastising herself for getting so caught up in her love life again that it had taken her a whole day to realise that Zeta wasn’t around to irritate her. At this rate, the girl would end up back in the government’s hands.
Tia could understand why Zeta would want to get out of the Tunnels, to do something so completely ordinary after what she had been through. But it wasn't safe. And Raghida knew better. So did Jay, but Raghida especially. The police were patrolling incessantly now, the scout teams on a loop. They were doing everything to find Zeta short of putting up missing posters. The only reason the bloc hadn't done that was undoubtedly because Zeta wasn't supposed to exist. Your weapon wasn't so effective if the whole world knew about it.
She sighed. She was going to have to push this particular nuisance to the back of her mind. It would be the first time Tia would go on a mission without both Raghida and Jay. It felt strange. Quietly, she fell into step beside Tanya and tried not to think about how strange it was to have her right side flanked by a dwarf of a girl. Tanya was so small, with such elven features, it was hard to believe that she was older than both her and Jay. She didn’t talk much but she walked with a quiet assurance in her gait and a dagger up her sleeve. The assurance was more than enough for Tia.
If she couldn't have Raghida by her side, she wanted the next best. In situations like these, you were only as good as your team. She made quiet conversation with Tanya, gleaning only small pieces of information. She was twenty two, her parents had been part of the Rebellion, she was groomed as a child to join. After revealing that, Tanya clammed up. Tia met Jay’s eyes over her small head. Well then, the look said. Her fighting skills were likely phenomenal.
◆◆◆
Philippe Banner’s house was more like a mansion. The entrance was elegant but guarded with security to rival the bloc’s; big white pillars, weaponised men and a gold-plated gate. Cars were parked all along the winding driveway, which was at least twice the length of the house, and still left enough space for two way traffic. They were bordered in on either side by pink flowering dogwoods, Himalayan birches and zelkova trees. The effect was a beautiful and colourful trail. As the truck edged along, Tia tried to swallow moisture back into her mouth. They sat behind a short line of cars belonging to guests who were showing invitations at the gate. The truck was the last to arrive, fashionably late and carrying revolutionary cargo.
Jay, who sat in the middle of the passenger’s seat, pulled at the collar of his white shirt for the tenth time. It disturbed the long, dirty blonde hair that trailed his shoulders. “Eurgh.”
It was distinctly aimed at Tia. She flashed him a rude gesture, keeping her eyes on the BMW in front. “We only had ten minutes to steal these. Shut up and stop complaining, Derek.”
He scowled down at the name stitched into the pocket of his shirt. He hadn’t wanted Derek, but it was either that or one of the other two female names. He was content to take Courtney but Tia hadn’t allowed him. She, herself, was wearing a uniform belonging to an Alison. The shirts were shapeless, with matching waistcoats and bow ties. At such short notice, it was all Tanya could steal from the back office of a passing cafe - without drawing attention to themselves.
“Your wig is sliding,” he retorted.
It wasn’t, but she patted it down anyway. Alison was a redhead, complete with freckles - courtesy of Tanya’s makeup bag - and green contacts. Her square-rimmed glasses then took care of the rest. Beside Jay, Tanya had morphed into Kathy with unruly curls and eyes that were slightly too wide. And now all there was left to do was wait.
In the back of the truck, there were seventeen masked Rebels waiting to escape and do their job. There hadn’t been much time to prepare, so whilst Tia and Jay had arranged several boxes to dwarf the empty space, they were completely empty. If security at the gates decided to check the truck’s cargo, they would find only human beings and the whole plan would fall apart. Which explained Tia’s dry mouth and racing pulse - but not the excitement she felt in every vein. She felt reckless, desperate to do some damage, aching to finally put the Rebellion back on the map.
It was time they knew.
The truck inched forward as another car was let through. From what Talia knew, Phillippe Banner was filthy rich and the most influential man in politics - even more so than the Prime Minister himself. He was the guy who funded most of the government’s bills, and so he was the guy who raked in the money every year. He just kept on getting richer. He had a finger in every pie, was even responsible for a portion of the scholarship programme at the university. Or so Summer had said. Personally, Tia had never heard of the guy, but she wasn't about to thank him for what little charity he provided. It wasn't enough, and if his house was anything to go by, he had more than enough. She tried not to glower at it; they were close now and industrial strength lights were strobing through the dashboard. Alison wasn’t the type of waitress to glower. She was supposed to be friendly with a wide smile and big eyes. But thousands of poor, homeless children suffer whilst this guy lives in luxury…
Two security guards waved the truck to a stop at the front of the line and Tia sat ramrod straight. She clenched the wheel to stop her hands from shaking. It all came down to this moment. Beside her, even Jay’s mouth snapped shut. One guard, short and round, tilted a flashlight up into the cab. It almost blinded her and she had to tilt her head to see his bland features through the blaze.
“Passes,” he barked.
Alison flashed him the biggest smile in her arsenal. “Why, of course.”
He merely blinked. Swallowing the smile back down, she ducked her head into the glovebox and rummaged around, making plenty of noise as she did so. After an appropriate amount of time, she straightened up and pulled down the sun visor, even flipping up the mirror. She feigned confusion, frowned down at the guard.
“Oh, God, hold on a moment. It’s here somewhere.” She turned to her passengers. “Derek, where did you put our passes?”
He shrugged. “You didn’t give them to me.”
“Yes, I did,” she hissed. “If you weren’t so busy gawking over Kathy-”
“Hey!” Kathy said. “I resent that comment.”
Alison reached over her and yanked down the sun visor. No passes. She breathed heavily, returned back to her seat. The guard stared back at her, his expression carefully placid. “Ma’am, if you don’t have your passes-”
“No, no-” she shook her head vigorously. “I had them! Banner sent them all to me, including Derek and Kathy’s. Oh, God.” Her face crumpled. “My dad’s gonna kill me for fucking this up. He told me not to mess up. He's never going to trust me again and he threatened to cut me out of the company and out of his will and now he's going to do it!”
She began to sob loudly. The guard backed away at the sight of tears, his neutral expression becoming one of panic. He turned to his colleague and muttered something. He produced a clipboard, sighing.
“Alright, let’s see.”
The second security guard was much taller, with a gaunt face and an unusual tilt to his mouth. He approached, flicking through the pages. “What’s the name?”
Alison, panicking, began to wail louder. Shit. This was worse, because they didn’t know any of the names on the list, and everything was going to blow up in their faces. Both of the guards were watching her cry, horrified. She needed to buy time, so she flung herself at Derek, who patted her on the back and made reassuring sounds. Her mind was racing, trying to come up with an idea. Maybe if she said a generic name-
“There you are!”
A voice rang out, loud, carrying through the open air. She recognised that voice. She lifted her head, sniffling, to see Talia standing beside the security guards. There was a booth set further along the drive, housing another guard who had let her through the footpath.
Tia’s heart threw itself into an intense thump at the sight of her. Her hair was artfully swept away from her face, giving the moonlight full permission to play along the edges of her cheekbones, to gleam off deep eyes, to shadow the long lashes. Tia couldn’t remember that she was supposed to despise her when Talia looked so good. Even more surprising was the fact that she wasn’t wearing a dress at all, a fact that must have been burning Summer. Her tuxedo fit the curves of her body as if it had been painted onto her, showcasing sloping shoulders, a neat waist, lean legs. She wore heels with it. Tia had never seen Talia in heels - hadn’t known she even owned any. She looked...beautiful.
Talia met Tia’s eyes and raised her eyebrows in a quick and understated gesture. Tia forced herself to stop staring, shut her gaping jaw and wiped away her tears with as much dramatic flair as she could manage when her bones had turned to jelly. “Ms Archer?” she called, making sure to put a waver in her voice. Although it wasn’t hard because her heart had stopped twisting and had started to pound instead.
“Are you late for any real reason other than you hate employment?” Talia sneered. It was a fantastic performance. The guards were watching the exchange silently.
Alison gulped. “They won’t let us through!”
“Banner has been waiting all night for his appetisers!” Talia scowled, turning back to the guards. “Are you done here? Because if I have to deal with a furious Banner one more time, I’m sending him out here straight to you.”
The shorter guard visibly paled. “But Ms, they don’t have passes-”
“Appetisers!” Talia yelled.
The security guards waved the truck on, obviously terrified at the idea of having to face their boss. Tia didn’t hesitate and practically pushed the accelerator through the floor in her haste to get inside the gates. As the truck jerked forward, Tali hurried away down a dark pathway and back into the house.
“Holy fuck,” Jay muttered. “I thought I was going to shit myself.”
“Real nice,” Tanya grimaced but there was a hint of a tremor in her voice. She turned to glare at Tia. “I thought you said you had a plan.”
“That was the plan,” Tia laughed, almost delirious.
“No, I saw your face. You didn’t know Talia was going to be there! You were planning to wing it the entire time!”
Tia turned to the small girl and bared her teeth. “Are you going to bitch all night or do you want to go in there and make yourself useful?”
Jay was still laughing as they exited the truck.
They had parked around the back of the house where there was an abundance of trees and shrubbery, and a surprising lack of light. There was another small van but the doors were all closed and the seats were empty. It looked as though Tia’s luck had kicked in because they let the Rebels out with no issue. Everyone melted into the night and the trio turned to face the house, pulling on masks. They covered everything except their eyes but they were all wearing contacts anyway. From within, they could hear loud music, laughter, the clinking of glass. Tia could imagine their faces, the joy, the relaxation, as they enjoyed themselves. As they celebrated the fact that they had to do absolutely nothing to sustain this lifestyle. Her hand tightened into a fist.
“Let’s go.”
She could feel her friends around her, in the shadows, trailing them as they ran up the pathway to the garden door. Or, well, one of them; Banner’s garden was so big that there were four patio doors. Tia took one, Jay and Tanya chose another each.
Tia pulled her crossbow across her shoulders and gestured to the others to load up. Jay slammed ammo into one of the few guns the Rebellion owned and Tanya unsheathed a sword almost as long as her body. They weren’t planning to use any of them, but the scare factor was what Tia was going for.
They burst through the doors, skidding into a large ballroom. The doors slammed into the walls with enough force to smash the glass. As shards rained down on the floor, a large amount of people fell, screaming, backwards. And then the guests noticed the weapons, and everything became chaos as they began running, jostling each other, towards the exit. But there was no way out for them, as a handful of masked Rebels spread out at that end of the room too. It created a cattle effect as the guests found themselves herded into the centre of the room. Confusion spread fast, and women were tripping over their glamorous, floor-trailing dresses in the maelstrom.
