He glares at me. “We’re not the Colonies.”
“You know what I mean. The size of your gang compared to the others is huge. You don’t have to hide like a lot of us do. In fact, you pretty much advertise your location. We all know where you are but none of us are dumb enough to come at you. I can’t light fires half the time because someone is bound to see the smoke and in case you haven’t noticed, this is the Pacific Northwest. It tends to rain a bit. So yeah, I’m cold and wet a lot.”
He shakes his head, looking annoyed. “You should join The Hive. You’re a beautiful girl. You’re high currency.” He looks me up and down, taking in every curve of my body. “You’re a hundred dollar bill, Kitten. An item would have to be pretty rare for The Hive to be willing to burn a Benjamin like you.”
I scowl at him. “Is that supposed to be flattering?”
“It’s supposed to be honest. And it is. I’m not stroking your ego, I’m being real. You’d hardly have to work. You’d be a trophy piece more than anything else. You’d be warm and dry, better fed.”
“Why is everyone trying to save me lately? Ryan, the Colonists, you. I can take care of myself just fine.”
“Who’s Ryan?”
“No one.” I grumble.
Vin grins wickedly. He nudges my shoulder as we walk. “You got yourself a guy, Kitten?”
“No.”
He watches me and waits.
“Maybe.” I admit grudgingly. “I don’t know. Kind of.”
He shakes his head sadly. “Giving it away for free.”
“You’re warped.”
“Is he an independent too?”
“No, he’s got a crew.”
“And they don’t know about you, do they?”
I shake my head fiercely.
“What crew does he run with?”
“I don’t actually know their name. I just know where they are.”
“Really? Where are they?”
I give him a long, blank stare. What am I? New? Ryan didn’t sell me out, I won’t sell him out. I owe him that much.
Vin chuckles. I nearly stumble forward when he suddenly slings his arm around my shoulders, pulling me in close beside him.
“Good girl.” he murmurs, giving me a squeeze.
Chapter Twelve
They keep us fat and happy for another two weeks. Every meal is delicious, hot and filling, every night is spent in a soft bed with a warm blanket, and we’re allowed a hot shower once per week. It is Heaven and it is Hell.
I’m not doing well with all these people. I’m barely sleeping and Vin is sometimes all the company I can handle at meals. They tried to make it easier for me initially by putting me in outdoor jobs. First it was the greenhouse and the gardens where I learned to pull weeds and water plants. Not much is growing right now but they say we have to make sure we have seeds to plant for next year and prep the soil for the spring. There is still broccoli, kale and even a few hearty pumpkins that have outlasted the drop in temperature that are growing and need tending. Other than that, though, gardening is as boring as I’ve always imagined it. I “accidentally” break two clay pots in the greenhouse and I’m promptly kicked out.
Now I’m on guard duty which is a good change but a total joke. I’m tied to a guy named Phil up here on top of the wall of shipping containers with no weapon and no real purpose. We start walking back and forth, he and I starting at one end, another guy at another end. I can see three more people walking the chain link fences surrounding the rest of the property, dutifully keeping the Kraken out. I asked why we needed fences against the water. Phil’s response was priceless.
“For safety.”
They never acknowledge that we’re captives here. It’s always ‘Thank goodness we found you!’ and ‘You’ll get used to it. You’ve been away too long.” Away where? Out living my life on my own terms? They act like they’re CPS and we’re runaways or victims of Stockholm’s Syndrome. They will heal us! It’s unreal.
“Joss, you’re looking the wrong way.” Phil barks.
I look at him, confused. “How? I’m looking out there. I’m watching for… stuff.”
“What stuff? What are you talking about?”
“Well, I assume I’m not watching for Risen because,” I throw my arms wide across the city. This area is absolutely swarming with Risen. It’s far worse out here than it is in my part of town. Their moaning is a constant hum in my ears up here. “There they are, pretty much everywhere. And we’re not killing them, which is weird, but ok. So I’m watching for whatever else. Gangs, I guess?”
Phil shakes his head, ignoring my sarcasm. “No, you’re watching the inner courtyard.”
“Why? What’s the threat there?”
“Look, the outside is fine. Just worry about what’s going on inside.”
I stop following him. “You mean we’re not watching to keep anything out, we’re making sure everyone stays in?”
“The people need to be kept safe.”
“From what? The cows?”
“Themselves.” he says firmly. “Now walk.”
I follow him but I want to shove him off the structure. I daydream about it for the rest of my shift. Getting out of here was going to be tough but now that I’ve seen all of this, the Risen outside and the guards watching every corner, it feels impossible.
“That’s why they showed it to you.” Vin tells me.
We’re standing in the back of the common room after dinner with some of the people in our rotation. The Colony is divided into three groups who live on three different schedules. It ensures that someone is awake, on watch and working at all times. It’s like a 7-Eleven; it’s always open.
“Well, it worked. I’m worried.”
“Don’t be. I’m working on something.”
“Oh yeah? What?”
“That.”
He nods in the direction of a group of women sitting on the floor across the room. They’re watching a movie playing on the television, some bubble gum 90s romance monstrosity that makes me ache for the brilliance that is John Hughes, and I can see Barbie sitting in the center of it. Breanne is with her looking every bit the team player. I’ve already counted her as one of them.
“Breanne?” I ask incredulously. “What? Is she doing an inside job?”
I can’t believe it could be true. Breanne is a sweet girl but she is simple. She would find the layers of an onion confusing.
“No, I am. On her.” He points to my nemesis.
“Barbie?”
“Caroline.”
“Whatever. How are you working an inside job on her?”
He looks at me pointedly but doesn’t say a word. I stare back at him, not getting it, not until—
“Oh, God, gross.”
He grins. “There it is.”
“But you hate her.”
“Violently, yeah. Girl’s dead inside. But when a woman offers to get naked for you, you don’t pass that up. Not in this economy.”
“I would think in your line of work that you’d be at the point where a naked woman is not that exciting.”
He snorts. “If I ever get to that point, I better be dead.”
“So are you just sleeping with her or are you getting something out of her?”
“Oh, I get something out of her. Every time. I’m very thorough.”
“Again, gross. Are you getting anything useful to the rest of us?”
“Not yet, but give me time. Right now she’s slumming but once she starts falling in love with me she’ll start spilling her secrets. Pillow talk is very important.”
“Once she’s in love with you? So this is a long con. The kind of plan that has no hope of getting off the ground before I’m old and gray like you.”
“Ouch.” he chuckles. “Do you have so little faith in my charms?”
I shrug, not looking at him. I have no doubt about his charms. In fact, if I was a ten years older…