Lie to Me (42 page)

“This is suicide,” James bitched, a Glock in his right hand and a short sword in his left.

Stone would’ve preferred a different plan of action, but he expected Kella to trust him, so he showed her the same courtesy. She vouched for these people, and he gave her the benefit of the doubt. He would remain on high alert though. And if he hadn’t heard the verbal permission to enter, he would’ve been less excited about this move.

With flat terrain in all directions, Kella stopped the vehicle, slid her pack on, and hopped out, leaving the conveyance running. “We’re here.”

James unfolded from his seat and stood in the back of the buggy, shielding his eyes with the hand holding the Glock, and surveyed the area. “Where’s the silo?” He lowered his arm and glared at Kella. “Or’d you bring us out here to kill us quietly since you don’t want Stone part of this?”

“Paranoid much?” Reaper laughed. “I vote the latter, Mack, for the mouthy one, anyway.” He nudged Kella with his shoulder. “Not sure why you call him Satan when Diva Queen would be a better fit.”

“Ha-ha...everyone’s full of belly-laughs until their throats are slit.”

Ignoring James’s grumbling, Stone followed Kella to a log. Now that he thought about it, the wood
was
out of place. She nudged it aside with her foot, squatted, and clicked a button. A
whoosh
sounded like air hydraulics being activated. A loud
boom
had James scrambling to cover Stone, but before his buddy could save the day, a hatch to Stone’s right opened up, exposing a ramp that descended into the earth. James reacted by pointing his gun in the direction of the opening and adjusting the sword in his left hand, readying for an assault.

“That’s the parking deck, Diva Queen.” Reaper’s chuckles almost made him indecipherable.

“I promise there are no house dragons inside either.” Kella nodded at Reaper, and he hopped behind the wheel of the buggy and drove the vehicle into the darkness.

“Mock me—”

Kella cut James off. “Shut up. You
are
being a diva. I know these people—”

“I
don’t
.” James crowded Kella’s space.

Stone elected not to arbitrate unless his bodyguard became too aggressive, especially since she could hold her own.

“Like you, I don’t trust anyone who hasn’t earned it. They might not believe you. Might think a Regent compromised you, shoot Stone in the head, and call it a good fucking day. He’s all the family I have, so I’ll fucking protect him until they’ve earned
my
trust.”

“All right.” Kella conceded with a shrug. “You win. That’s a valid point.”

“Finally someone with some common sense.” James glared at Stone.

Stone lifted his hands in capitulation. “I didn’t say you weren’t right, I said I had to trust Kella the way she trusted me with her secret.”

“If Creed decides we’re compromised,” Reaper joined them as the hatch closed. “He’ll likely kill us all.”

Deciding James was right to have his gun handy, Stone pulled his own weapon. “What aren’t you telling us about Creed?”

“A lot, but does that matter now?” It very much did to Stone, but he wasn’t about to hash it out with Reaper when anyone could be watching. He figured a united front was better than a divided one.

Another
whooshing
noise, a popping sound, and a door slid open revealing stairs that descended.

“They know we’re here,” Kella said, and Stone peered about looking for cameras, but saw none. “Satellites.” She pointed toward the sky. “They wanted us dead, we’d all be dead already.”

“Motherfuck,” James grumbled. “We get out of this alive, I’m defecting to their side. They have the coolest toys.”

“I have a drone.” In Stone’s opinion, that was way cooler than a satellite.

“But you rarely use it,” his buddy mocked. “So what’s the point in having it?”

“Really?” Kella eyed him. “Can I play with it?”

James laughed. “Yeah, because giving the holy terror access to a killing machine can’t end badly.”

She poked her tongue out at his bodyguard.

“Oh, was I wrong?” James gave her a shocked expression that was so overdone it came across as ridiculous. “Did I misunderstand you? Did you want to play with something else?”

“Keep it in the bedroom please.” Reaper rolled his eyes, but Stone caught his small smile.

“You two are perverts. We need to get them laid,” Kella whispered to Stone as she clicked the button on his bracelet. “James, turn your bio-shield on. It’s a hot zone below.”

The film coated Stone. Only she remained without the protective gear. ‘
I love you,’
he mouthed to her.

She blew him a kiss and followed Reaper down the stairs. Stone went next, and James brought up the rear. He heard Reaper mutter, “Stay sharp, Mack.”

That didn’t ease Stone’s worries. Judging by James’s uttered, “I hate that bastard,” Reaper’s command had amped up his nerves too.

They traversed the dark hallway, dull light bulbs providing illumination every forty or so feet. The dimly-lit passage made for poor defenses, but a great offense on the dregs’ part.

“Tell me about this Creed, Reaper,” Stone prodded, staying tight on Kella’s heels. “Is he the leader here?”

“You could say that. He’s their unofficial leader.” Reaper stopped at a rusty door. A yellow light burned above. “I think he’s elitist, like you, but he keeps his past close to his chest.”

“What makes you think that?” Stone had already pegged him as one of his own, with Reaper’s suspicions he considered the theory confirmed.

“Gut feeling mostly. And the way he carries himself. Not to mention the beef he has with spooners seems personal, but he’s saved my ass more times than I can count.”

“So you trust him?” James had his back to them, his gun trained in the direction they’d just navigated.

“To an extent. I only trust Mack totally.” Reaper flattened his palm on the panel next to the door. The lock disengaged with a series of clacks before the door slid open with a hiss.

They stepped inside what looked like a common area. It wasn’t huge, but it was by no means small. And there were probably a good fifty people milling about.

“To your right,” James said.

Creed approached, arms out in a welcoming gesture. Stone got a little closer to Kella so they wouldn’t get separated if she required his protection.

Reaper and Creed executed a weird shoulder bump-hug, and then the leader of the dregs examined Stone’s girl. “You’re looking especially scrumptious, Mack.”

Stone had never seen Reaper move so fast, not even when he disarmed James, but he pressed the barrel of his pistol against Creed’s temple a split-second after the compliment left the man’s mouth.

“Easy, Reaper.” Creed’s hands trembled as he elevated them in the universal sign of surrender.

“Don’t fucking move,” Reaper’s voice was hard, and his finger was already on the trigger, a move all assassins were taught not to do unless they were prepared to make the shot.

“How’d you know it’s me?” By all outward appearances, Kella seemed calm, glancing about the cavern. Stone couldn’t decide if it was an act, or she really wasn’t alarmed. Either way, they’d garnered the attention of everyone present. Somehow, the silence seemed louder than when folks had been talking.

“
Dutch
! Jesus, Reaper, that’s what this is about?” Creed sent Kella’s friend a sidelong glance. A
nervous
glance. “Dutch arrived two hours ago. She posted Mack’s new do so everyone would recognize her. We’re on the same side here.”

“And his quickness is why they call him Reaper,” James said, as if the puzzle pieces he’d been worrying over finally fell into place.

Reaper grimaced at James’s comment, but lowered his hand. His weapon remained in his possession. “Was recruited as an assassin for Jones before I was fourteen.”

“And by ‘recruited’,” James said, “you mean
forced
to work for him as an assassin.”

“Yeah.”

“So you, better than anyone, know how evil Jones is?” Stone guessed.

“More evil than you realize.”

“I knew you weren’t a blacksmith.” When he hired Reaper, he’d told him as much, had known the way the man carried himself wasn’t the skillset of a blacksmith.

“That was my cover.” Reaper confirmed, and Stone vowed they’d discuss this topic further, but later. “The blood on my hands won’t rest until I have vengeance. Creed, you remember Stone and his man, James?”

“You’re Lawless Creed.” With formalities unnecessary, maybe Stone should’ve utilized diplomacy, but he wasn’t here to play games, and it’d just struck him why Creed seemed familiar. The other man’s father was none other than Regent to Quad5. “Seems we come from the same circle of friends.”

“None of them are friends of mine.” Creed motioned to Reaper and Kella. “They’re my friends. My only family. All that matters to me. Our
same circle of friends
is the cancer in our society.”

James leaned closer to Stone as if to impart a secret, but he spoke using his normal voice. “The puppy added just the right amount of bitterness to his voice to sound convincing, don’t you think, Stone?”

Stone wondered how much of Creed’s past Kella and Reaper knew. Neither appeared surprised, but they might not recognize the name and Creed’s connections or they were both experts at hiding their emotions. And Reaper said he suspected Creed was elitist, not that he knew. “Your dad said you were dead, had a grand funeral, invited all the Regents. Slaughtered five dregs for your murder over three days.” There was a story behind his defection, but Stone let it go for the moment. That tell-all could come later. “With your permission, Regent Lachlan Creed will be the first to fall after Jones.”

“My father’s already dead to me, so permission granted.” Creed extended his hand. “I understand from Reaper you’re interested in joining the X-Diplomats.”

Kella’s sharp glare told him he had some explaining to do. “I object to that. Stone and Reaper both know it too.”

Stone took the other man’s hand and gripped hard. “Just so you know, Kella is all that matters to me. Willfully put her in danger, and I’ll have as big a problem with you as I do society’s cancer.”

“Mack,” Reaper clarified when Creed’s confusion became evident. “He call’s Mack Kella because her real name is Mackella.”

“Ah...thanks for clarifying.” Creed released Stone’s hand. “Mack, you know how this works. We vote to let people in. Reaper vouched for him already, so we’ll put it to a vote.”

“Goddamn you, Reaper. I trusted you.”

“I trusted you to put the cause above your own fears. Guess we were both wrong.”

She gave her friend a long, nasty glare, before facing off against Creed. “Why would you trust him, Creed? We trust no one this quickly. Doesn’t matter who vouches for him.”

Lawless Creed smiled. “Four reasons. One, the changes he’s made to his Quad in three years verify he’s serious about granting freedom to Xenos and equality to people. Two, you trusted him with your secret and brought him here. Three, that’s as good as a vouch from you. And four, Reaper trusts him, and he doesn’t totally trust me.”

Kella twisted her fingers together. “I don’t want him involved.”

“You can make your case, and I’ll listen,” Creed gave her a brief hug. “I know your story, babe, and I can tell you care for him, so if your only objection is related to protecting him, don’t waste your breath.”

Frustration bled from her like a vein had been opened up. Instead of arguing further, she unzipped her pack and withdrew Retro. The moment the creature’s feet hit the floor, kippy bolted into a throng of children, who squealed their delight.

“Take your time, Mack.” Reaper motioned for James to follow him, but Stone’s buddy shook his head. “We’ll meet you at Creed’s.”

He watched as Creed and Reaper strode off. James put some space between him and Stone and Kella, giving them a moment of privacy.

Kella slid the pack back on and tightened the straps. She didn’t look at him, as she said, “Come on.”

If Stone didn’t understand the good intentions behind her argument, he’d have been hurt. She struggled with how to manage a life torn between love and hate, but he aimed to show her there could be a middle ground. He halted her by grasping her upper arm and turning her to face him. “Sunshine, I know you’re worried about me getting involved, but this isn’t the way to go to about undermining me.”

“You promised,” she said, her voice tense as if she gritted her teeth. “I thought I could trust you.”

“I never promised.” He threaded his fingers through her hair, cringing over her trust comment. “I said I understood your position. I didn’t agree. I promised to fight for you, that your choices are my choices, and your demons are my demons. As kids we planned this revolution together,
promised
to create a different world, and that we’d see it through together. You don’t have the right to take that from me.”

“We were kids. It’s ridiculous to think we could hold each other to that vow any longer.”

“We’ve both already held each other to it, Kella.” He kneaded the back of her neck, her muscles stressed and inflexible, and her gaze unyielding. “I bucked the system and altered the way my Quad runs. Odds against you, you helped create a rebellion that has Regents terrified of your next move. Can’t you see, we both made good on our promises even though we weren’t together. We have the chance to finish it together, and I won’t allow you to renege on our deal at the eleventh hour just because you’re worried.”

Kella looked away, blinking quickly, and the tenor of her accent came out a touch raspy. She lifted her hand and placed it over his heart. “I’m terrified you’ll end up dead. I can’t bear the thought.”

“Now you know how I feel.” He covered her hand with his palm. “Worrying about another is what happens when you love them.”

“I want to help you get to Jones, and then for you to move on. That’s not too much to ask.”

“You know it is, sunshine.” He placed the fingers of his other hand beneath her chin and nudged her head back enough their stares connected. “Honoring our childhood pact has nothing to do with the promises we made. Honor it because you love me and respect my choices.”