Candle brought his boot down on the militia’s head, cracking his skull open and killing him. Candle spat on his corpse.
Behind him, the cell door slammed shut.
Comprehension dawned, and Candle spun, throwing himself at the bars just as he heard the lock click. A militia — a young girl, she must have been hiding in one of the other cells — leapt back from the door, dropping the keys as she did. They landed just out of Candle’s reach.
“You fucker!” Candle screamed as he tried to tear the bars open. The last of his light was quickly fading, and his second heartbeat was distant. Still, he had enough strength to bend the bars, but not enough to force an opening wide enough to fit through.
The girl turned and fled, leaving the key lying on the floor, and Candle trapped in the cell.
Fucking idiot! he cursed himself. How could I fall for that?
But it was too late to do anything about it now. So he went still, and he waited, cradling his arm.
He hadn’t failed yet. He still had one hope.
He had to trust that Roman would come for him.
44
Roman pressed the barrel of his pistol against the Adrenalite’s forehead. The man stared up at him with his sunken eyes. His hands shook in their bonds.
“I want you to swear to me,” Roman said to Juliette, slowly, carefully. “That if I do this, you’ll let the boy live.”
“That’s what I said.”
“I want you to swear it.”
Juliette sighed. “If it’ll make you happy.”
“Not even close. But it’ll do.”
Sparks was shaking his head ever so slightly. Roman noticed that he had stuck out his index fingers and was pointing at Roman. Accusing him? It didn’t matter. The boy would thank him soon enough.
Juliette looked Roman dead in the eyes. “I swear.”
Her voice was sincere, so damn earnest. Just like it had been when she told him Spencer was working on a serum. He had believed her. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.
Roman motioned to Sparks. “And I expect compensation for the damage you’ve done to him.”
“Ha! The damage I’ve done? Think about how many of my men you’ve killed. The boy will live, that’s enough.”
“Barely. He’ll freeze to death if you keep him like that.” Roman shrugged off his coat and tossed it in front of Sparks. The boy didn’t even glance at it.
Juliette snorted. “Don’t even pretend you care about him that much.”
“He’s part of my team. I look after my men.”
“But not the ones that you let die?”
Roman was tempted to shoot her right then, consequences be damned. But he couldn’t. Not while her gun was still aimed at Sparks.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” she asked.
“It’s been three years. I’m going to take my time and enjoy this.” Roman cocked back the hammer of his pistol. The Adrenalite flinched.
“Goodbye, fucker.”
Roman fired.
The Adrenalite’s head burst open. The blue light faded and everything slipped into darkness.
That was it. If that was really him, then I finally got revenge for both myself and Ruby. It’s over. Roman had hoped it would make him feel better, somehow. But it didn’t. He stood in the darkness, feeling as angry and bitter as he ever had. Maybe he always would. After all, Ruby was right: he was a stubborn bastard.
There was a hiss as a match flared to life. Juliette lit a lantern that she had conjured up from somewhere, placing it on the floor between them. The flickering light danced across her face, reflecting in her hazel eyes. “I’m glad you finally got your head out of your arse long enough to be reasonable. You’ve finally remembered the truth: Adrenalites are the enemy. Not me.”
“Not every Adrenalite.” Roman gestured to Sparks. “He spared my life when he had every reason to kill me.”
“I’m sure he’s an absolute model citizen.”
“No. Not even close. But there are worse monsters out there.” Roman raised his pistol and pointed it at Juliette. “People like you.”
“Wait!” Juliette took a step back. “I’m just doing what’s best for Legacy!”
Roman cocked the hammer. “Maybe so. However, truth be told, this city is one hell of a shit-hole, and I don’t give a damn about it. But Tan was my friend, and you killed him.”
Roman pulled the trigger.
As he did, someone slammed into him from behind. He was thrown forward. The bullet caught Juliette in the cheek, spraying blood, but it wasn’t a fatal shot.
On instinct, Roman turned his stumble into a dash to the side, then spun and faced his aggressor.
Fucking hell… It was a huge bastard. He must have been hiding in the shadows behind Roman. That’s why Sparks was trying to speak! He was trying to warn me. And he wasn’t pointing at me, he was pointing behind me!
The militia charged. Roman did the same. And a second gunshot echoed.
Sparks threw himself forward just as Juliette fired. The bullet grazed the top of his head as it passed. He rolled to the side, dodging the next shot that pinged off the floor. On his back, he kicked with both legs, catching Juliette in the shin and buckling her leg. He twisted away, not staying still long enough for her to get a clean shot, and leapt to his feet.
Juliette retreated and Sparks charged at her. He was a split second too late avoiding her third shot; a sudden explosion of pain came from his right ear as the bullet took if off.
With his hands bound, there was no point trying for a clean fight, so Sparks slammed into Juliette, shoulder first, and sent her flying. She landed on her back. Sparks stepped over her. She fired. This time he was ready and he ducked aside and the bullet went wide.
He leapt onto her. Grasping her by the forearm, Sparks put all his strength into snapping her bone in half. Even though he was deactivated, she was frail enough that he knew he could do it. With a sickening crunch, he succeeded. Juliette screamed and her pistol fell from limp fingers.
Sparks punched her in the face. “I told you you’d regret bringing me here!” he yelled. “Death to the fucking Captain!”
Juliette’s other arm flew forward. Suddenly she was holding a knife, and that knife was deep in Sparks’ stomach. A moment later, the pain came.
Roman heard Sparks scream.
He ducked a punch and retreated two steps, disengaging from the fight to glance at the boy. Sparks was doubled over. Juliette twisted out from beneath him as he clutched his stomach. Blood poured through the boy’s fingers.
Fucking damn it. He needs to—
The militia lunged, and Roman didn’t have time to finish his thought as he spun to the side. He slammed his elbow into the militia’s ribs. The brute didn’t even flinch. Roman had to side-step again as the knife flew past. This time it sliced a gash across Roman’s chest. He staggered back, gasping, switching to a defensive stance.
The militia didn’t give him a chance to recover. Roman barely avoided the next two swipes, quickly losing ground. He was faster, but the militia had the advantage in size, strength and reach. Another step backwards. Then two more.
He needed time to think. Roman dashed past his opponent, dived to the ground and rolled under the steel table. Once on the other side, he stood and spun around. The militia charged around the table. Roman darted the other way, keeping the table separating them.