Diamond (21 page)

“You haven’t aged a bit. I was just a boy, living in the Outer Rim, close to the Mainland border.”

“Maybe it was someone who looks like me because I haven’t been to the Outer Rim.”

Diamond interrupted. He wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t like where the conversation was going.

“Not possible. You’ve mistaken her for someone else.”

“Yeah. Maybe. Anyway, never thought I’d run into supporters of the Sovereign.”

“We’re not,” Nadya cut in again. “Everyone is entitled to their own thoughts on the matter. Here,” she thrust some medical supplies at them. “For your help. I’m going to patch my group up. I hope you guys are able to get what you need out of that hole.”

“Thanks.” Cas grabbed the supplies, and Diamond saw the way he was looking at her. He didn’t like it.

Diamond limped in their direction, making sure to put his arm around Nadya’s shoulder. She stiffened slightly but then relaxed.

“I need you to work on my leg, doll,” he whispered into her ear, loud enough for Cas to hear.

“Yup, on it. Lip, you want to give me a hand? Then I’ll patch you and Lins up.”

The rebels in the group watched as she went to work on Diamond’s leg. She hadn’t been lying when she’d said she could help. She cleaned his wound, packed it full of some ointment, and wrapped him up tight. There was a slight sting, but other than that, he was ready to move again. He helped her with Lip and Lindy, and by the time they were ready to go, so were the rebels.

“Thank you for your help. What’s your name?” Diamond asked the leader of the group.

“Corpus, but everyone calls me Core. Where you guys headed?”

“Inwood.”

“Not much left of the place. You have people there?”

Nadya perked up at his information.

“Yes, why do you say there’s not much there?”

“Attia and her goons. They were looking for some girl. Attia practically tore the place apart yesterday. We’re west of the marsh, by the subway yard. Saw the whole thing go down.”

Nadya’s form started shaking. Her hands clenched and her eyes were bright with tears.

“Anyone left alive?”

Core shook his head.

The strength drained from her body. Diamond watched as her limbs went liquid and she collapsed to the ground.

“Did I say something wrong?” Core asked.

“Her family was there. We were on our way to get them,” Lip said.

Diamond was on his knees in an instant. Even though it hurt, he was down on the ground, holding an inconsolable Nadya in his lap as soundless sobs racked her body. Her body temperature rose as she continued to shake, or at least he thought it was her body heat. He couldn’t say for sure, but it felt like the air around him had gone up by a couple of degrees.

“Don’t expect so. They went through the entire camp, took people, and killed the rest. Nothing left there but bodies. And that’s if the Ragers haven’t gone through and picked up the dead.”

V

They were not dead. Had to be alive. Attia would have taken them captive to prove a point. She wouldn’t kill them.
No. No. No. No. No.
Nadya chanted the word over and over in her head until her body started rocking. Only she wasn’t the one rocking. Strong arms were wrapped around her shoulders, a firm chest caked with mud and the scent of something warm and spicy pressed to her back. She could smell sweat, mud, earth, and man.

Diamond was comforting her. Or was he? His large hands rubbed soothing circles on her back. Nadya wasn’t weak. But accepting his comfort made her feel that way. She wasn’t going to fall for his false charm.

“She gonna be okay?” Cas asked.

“Of course, she is. She needs time. We’ll be moving on.”

Lindy grabbed her pack off the ground.

“Lip, help them. We need to head back.”

“No! We can’t. Attia has to have them.”

“Why would you think Attia has them?”

“It’s because of me. Attia wants me.” She looked up into Diamond’s face, could see the anger swirling in the depths of his now light brown eyes.

“You didn’t say anything to me about Attia coming for you. That bitch is crazy.”

Everyone knew Attia was crazy. She wrote the manual on insanity. It was the reason no one ever bothered her on her island.

“We head back now.”

“We can’t.”

“Oh, yes the fuck we can.”

Diamond stood, pulling her up by the arm. He was rough. Barely gave her a chance to pull herself together. She’d tried. Her skin hurt. Below the surface, she could feel her bones shifting, gearing up for battle. For the first time, Nadya felt real physical pain. Incapable of movement, she stood still. It didn’t stop Diamond from lifting her up into his arms and carrying her with Lip and Lindy following. The effects of what she was feeling were crippling. Her heart banged painfully against her now sore ribcage. The tempo too fast for her to control with simple breathing. She’d promised to protect them. Now they were gone. Taken by Attia. Diamond’s hand gripped the back of her thigh to keep her in place.

“She’s overreacting and you’re hurt,” Lindy complained. “Put her down, let her walk. We can make it back to the house
and stay the night before we go back to the Quarry.

Cas heard the entire conversation.

“You guys going to the Quarry?

Lindy turned, eyeing Cas. “It’s none of your fucking business where we’re going.”

Cas held a stick in his mouth, moved it a few times before taking it out and spitting on the ground at his feet. He looked down at the dirt, seemed to think about what to say next before he spoke again.

“Hope you folks are just passing through. We overheard some of Attia’s people talking. They’re headed to the Quarry in a few days. Said something about joining up with the Ibanez brothers. Diamond’s a dick, and if we were more organized we’d probably take him on ourselves. But even still, we ain’t that stupid.”

She felt Diamond stiffen. Nadya held her breath. Attia was coming with the Ibanez brothers?

V

He didn’t care if Cas thought he was a dick, because he was. It wasn’t his job to coddle the people of the city. It was his job to see to their survival. But mostly his. He did as much as he could with what he had. What he was given. What he
took
. Diamond wasn’t going to tolerate even the possibility of a hostile takeover. He’d be ready when Attia and the Ibanez brothers showed on the Quarry’s doorstep.

His brain shorted for a few seconds when a thought surfaced.
Nadya.
All of this had happened because of her. Possibly the bomb, her fake fucking family… Maybe even their run-in with the group now.
Her lies can’t be that far-reaching.
She’d played him. He was sure of it. How deep of a chord, he wasn’t sure.

“We’re leaving. Now.” The order was sharp. Nadya wiggled in his grasp and he let her.

“What about my family?”

“They aren’t your family, you told me so yourself. Your game ends here.”

“I told you the truth!” she yelled.

“No, bitch. You didn’t. If I find out you’re one of Attia’s girls, I’ll remove your traitorous spine through your asshole.”

“Fuck this bitch. Let’s just leave her here. We need to get back to the Quarry,” Lip seethed.

“As of this moment, contract is on my terms. You hear me, Nadya, you don’t get a say, there is no negotiating” Diamond’s voice was a menacing growl. He was in control of this situation. For all he knew, her entire plan was to get him out so that Attia could get in.

Diamond locked eyes with Cas, who stepped back. The other male knew who he was now, and the stench of fear rose between their group and his. Only it was one-sided.

“You’re certain Attia and the Ibanez brothers are headed towards the Quarry?”

“Heard them say so myself. So did Villa.”

Attia wanted to go head-to-head? Fine. He’d bring the helmets.

“Lip, when we get to the house, arrange for pick-up and have Phyr and Emerald come with some of the guards from the Quarry. I want to be ready.”

Lip nodded, and the four of them returned the way they’d come. He didn’t sit Nadya down even as she squirmed in his arms. He had a feeling if he did, she’d take off.

They were back at the house. It had taken them no time at all. Diamond locked her in his room. Nadya would have tried to leave if not for the deadly vines clinging to the walls outside the window. He’d put her in a room she couldn’t escape. Emerald and another male she hadn’t met yet named Phyr, had shown not twenty minutes after she, Lip, Lindy, and Diamond arrived. They’d come in vehicles. Actual working vehicles. If they’d used those or even a drifter earlier, they would have reached Inwood in a matter of hours. Anna and her daughter would still be where she’d left them. Her plan was fucked. Things weren’t going the way she’d hoped.
What the hell do I do now?
Nadya thought about attacking the first person to walk through the door, but that would be no good. She was still healing from her gunshot wound.

Yeah, the bitch at the bakery had hit her despite what she’d said to Diamond afterwards. The bullet had grazed her shoulder. The scar already smooth. She healed fast. Unnaturally so. To others, she knew her scar would look more like a bruise.

The pain she’d experienced earlier had been replaced by determination. When they’d gotten back to the house, Diamond had tried to interrogate her, and although his methods had resulted in a split lip and cracked rib, she had allowed it. It was all about conserving her strength. Diamond was not a gentle man; he more than lived up to his monstrous reputation.

The door opened, and Emerald walked in with Phyr. The male eyed her from head to toe. Recognition swept across his gaze for a moment before his eyes went blank. Phyr’s irises were a fathomless blue. His eyes bored into her, peeling away layer upon layer of her emotions. The stare was too intense, and she was the first to break eye contact.

“Hey there, pretty lady. I’m here to check you for any wounds needing attention, and Phyr here is going to give you some items to keep you safe as we make our way back to the Quarry.”

“I’m Sapphyrus, but everyone calls me Phyr.”

Interesting.

It wasn’t lost on her that his chosen name was ‘fear.’

“I’m just going to see what kind of steel will fit your hand. We need to get back to the Quarry fast, and because we drove in, well, the entire city is now wide-awake. I don’t have to tell you Diamond is a target. It’s one of the reasons he doesn’t go out much. People want him dead. He says you know how to handle a weapon, and although I like the knuckle knives, don’t need the merch getting too close to danger.”

“Merch?”

Phyr shrugged.

“Sorry, it’s a bad habit. I don’t think before I speak.”

“Come over here, let me take a look at your back and stomach,” Emerald rumbled. She liked him. Didn’t want to see anything bad happen to him. Emerald could easily become collateral damage when the walls finally came tumbling down. He and all the others that were under Diamond’s hand didn’t see things the way others did. They had it good; better than most. If anything, he’d die trying to protect his Sovereign; she couldn’t see him stepping aside.

Reluctant to walk over, Nadya stared at the giant male. Emerald was larger than life with eyes so unreal she thought they were implants. She moved when his eyes warmed and his lips tilted into a calming smile.

“I won’t hurt you,
aroha,
” Emerald held out his large hand, beckoning her to come closer.

He checked her cuts from the leeches that were already scabbing over. He didn’t say anything about her lack of fresh wounds. He simply left, leaving her behind with Phyr.

Phyr was tall, almost as tall as Diamond. It put him well over six feet. His black hair was long and wavy. Full, sensual lips and a pierced, aquiline nose rounded out a handsome and manly face with a touch of softness. He didn’t say much at first, only stared. He walked a full circle around her, his eyes roaming over her body from head to toe. She was mostly covered in dry mud, but she felt he was sizing her up.

“Is there a reason you’re staring at me so hard?”

“You really untouched?”

“If you mean have I ever slept with a man, the answer is no, I haven’t.”

“Asking price?”

“Excuse me?”

“What’s the asking price?”

Who even cared?

“Diamond hasn’t discussed pricing with me.”

Phyr shook his head before clicking his tongue.

“He won’t either. The bastard is probably asking for pure Wave if I know him.” She heard him curse under his breath.

“Possibly.” Nadya turned with him, or she tried to, but he placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Getting your measurements just now, hun. Try not to move so much.” As he circled her, he whispered words in a foreign language. Words that sounded familiar but she couldn’t place.