I narrow my eyes at him. “You don’t get to tell me what to do any more than I can tell you what to do.”
“Listen to me, Joss,” he says harshly, taking my arm in his iron grip. “You will stay as far away from Marlow as possible, do you understand? If you go near him, you’ll ruin everything. You’ll not only get me killed, but your boy as well. Do you understand me?”
“No,” I growl, trying in vain to pull away. “I don’t understand your plans at all, which is why I don’t trust them and it’s why I won’t listen to you. I think you’re using Ryan. I think you’re going to let him do your dirty work for you and then you’ll betray him. You’ll get him killed.”
He lets go of my arm, nearly shoving me away as he does it. “You don’t know that.”
“I do, because I know what you’re capable of.”
“No one knows what I’m capable of. Least of all me.”
“But you’re not denying it, which is the scary thing. You’re not even trying to lie to me.”
“Would it make you feel better if I did?”
“I will kill you,” I warn him, my voice laced with venom. “If Ryan dies in there, I will kill you myself. I will do it slowly with a smile on my face and I will dance in your blood as you die.”
Vin smiles slowly. “I think you mean that, Kitten.”
“I will live it if you make me. It’s up to you.”
His smile fades as another explosion erupts in the streets.
Captain Hook approaches.
“I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen today,” he tells me seriously. “But I swear to you, if I can help it, I won’t give you a reason to kill me.”
I sigh, offering him my hand. “That’s crap, but I’ll take it. Only because I honestly believe that’s the best I can expect from you.”
He takes my hand in his, but instead of shaking it he squeezes it once firmly. Affectionately. “It’s more than I’ve ever given anyone.”
***
Vin called it: just over twenty minutes later and The Hive is outside the gates. They’re smart and at least a little patient because they don’t break the gates entirely, even though they’ve shown that they could have blown the old empty shipping containers to pieces the same way they did to the outer barriers. But they don’t want this place swarming with zombies—not when they plan to take ownership of it.
Vin takes his six remaining Guard members with him to the gate. Ryan and I, one of us extremely sour-faced and annoyed at the other for not leaving when they were told to, stay inside and watch the arrival from the massive windows of the main sleeping area. Vin thought it was better Marlow didn’t see us right away, just in case he’s angry with us—though I think if anyone should be angry, it should be us. And I am. I’ve clenched my hands so tightly my fingernails are leaving red crescents in my palms. If I press much harder I’ll draw blood.
“You should have gone.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t start.”
“You’ll never be safe if he’s alive,” Ryan continues, his voice tight. “You or any other woman in the wild. You can’t tell me with what we know about him and his deal with the Colonies that you don’t think he deserves to die.”
“Who are you trying to convince, Ryan? Me or yourself?”
He doesn’t answer and when I look over at him he refuses to meet my eyes.
“You don’t have to do this,” I tell him softly. “You’ll hate yourself if you do.”
“If I don’t do it, who will?”
I look back to the gate as it swings open with a long, grating shriek. Men step through the container, moving into the open space inside the gates like they already own the place. Like it was theirs before it was even built. Like the world belongs to them, along with everything and anyone in it.
“I’m sure if you asked nicely you’d find a few takers,” I mutter.
“Vincent!” a familiar voice cries, carrying across the gardens to the building.
When Marlow steps into the early morning light with his arms spread wide, I want to sprint to him. I want to leap into his arms and drive my knife so deep into his back it passes through his body and pierces me on the other side. I will gladly bleed with him if it means I can watch the light drain from his eyes up close and extremely personal. I will suck his last breath from his lungs and hold it in my mine until his life is burned out in the angry ash of my heart.
I don’t like murder, I’m not a killer at heart, but this man is a now a threat to the only thing in the world I can even vaguely call mine, and if killing him with my bare hands keeps that safe, I’ll gladly live with his ghost for the rest of my life.
Vin approaches Marlow without hesitation. They hug each other warmly, and that right there speaks volumes. There are no searches, no patting down to look for weapons. There’s so much trust here, so much tried-and-true history that they don’t consider each other the least bit of a threat. Not an immediate one anyway. It makes me more and more convinced that Vin plans to use Ryan. Even if he’s given an “opening,” I wonder if Ryan will be allowed to kill Marlow.
“Here they come,” Ryan mumbles.
Marlow is walking with Vin across the gardens, happily surveying the area with a grin on his face. He points to plants as they pass them, gestures to the roof, asking Vin questions as they go. Vin looks like he’s answering, a similar grin on his face, but as they get closer I can see a tightness around his eyes. Maybe it’s the glare from the sun, but more than likely it’s Marlow. It’s too many cooks in the kitchen. His kitchen.
“It’s impressive,” Marlow says as they step inside, the doors being yanked open by a mix of Hive and Guard.
All six of Vin’s men are with him, the only followers he has left in the building, while Marlow has brought eight of his army. The rest are outside in the gardens milling around, checking out the grounds. I can see a few wandering toward the water, some others looking at the animals. Slowly but surely they’re circling the building. It’s a not-so-subtle message to Vin that Daddy is here and he’d better not forget it.
“They did a great job setting it up, but that’s what they do,” Vin agrees.
“And where are they now? How many workers are there?”
“They’re locked safely away,” Vin lies. “I didn’t want itchy trigger fingers to kick off a war. They’re not a strong group, not when it comes to fighting.”
“More farmers and bakers, eh? That was to be expected. We’ll split them down the middle. Send half to The Hive, leave half here. We could use skilled farmers at home. Could cut our dependence on other resources.”
I bristle at the vague reference to his deal with the Colonies.
“So what else is here? Are there many women? Have you started training?”
Vin shrugs carelessly. “Haven’t had the time. We only just took control of the building.”
“Good, good. We’ll want to get on that quickly. A lot of our inventory is aging, looking tired. You could start fresh here. Get all new girls. Speaking of…” Marlow turns to face me, a wicked smile on his ugly face. “Hello, my dear.”
“Fuck you,” I tell him coolly.
Marlow throws his head back, laughing full from the gut. My knife hand itches.
“Oh, I do like you,” he finally says, crossing the room slowly. Ryan moves closer as well. “I’m so glad you’re still alive. I was worried about you.”
“You sent me to die.”
“I sent you on an errand. If you had died on that errand you would have showed me you’re weak, but here you stand—alive and well and beautiful as ever. Vincent, what are your plans for this one?”
I glare at Vin over Marlow’s shoulder, just waiting for one of them to give me a reason.
“I hadn’t decided yet,” he says simply.
Marlow nods thoughtfully, turning to head back toward Vin. “I think we’ll keep her as a bargaining chip. She still a Benjy?”
“Far as I know.”
“Good. If we’re going to keep this place we’ll either have to fight for it or pay for it. I’d rather not lose any men right now, not with things as tense as they are, and Westbrook has expensive tastes. She could be just what we need.”