The Lawless

by Dylan Steel

  As she neared the cell, she could hear two men’s voices coming from inside the room. She stiffened. They were too low to make out, so she approached cautiously, unsure what she’d find inside.

  This door was cracked open like the others. Peering around its edge, Sage could only glimpse one of the men. A prisoner, by all appearances, just like the others in the hall. But he was arguing with someone she couldn’t see.

  Holding her breath, she nudged the door open a bit more. Familiar shoulders came into view, sending a rush of relief through her body. Without a second thought, she slammed the door open the rest of the way and practically jumped inside the room.

  “Weston!”

  He turned in surprise, barely managing to open his arms before she collided with him, nearly knocking him over.

  “I wasn’t sure I’d find you.” Her lip trembled as her voice came out as little more than a whisper. She buried her face against his chest, inhaling deeply.

  “It’s ok. I’m here.” He stroked her hair tenderly as they embraced, but she could tell his next words weren’t directed at her. “It’s not a trick.”

  “I’m not leaving on the word of a benefactor,” the other prisoner spat.

  Frowning, Sage drew back abruptly and grabbed Weston’s hand, ignoring the hostility oozing from the other man. “We need to go.”

  He glanced down at her, then looked back at the other man. “We can’t leave yet.”

  Her brow furrowed. “You don’t under—”

  “I follow the rules, and they leave me alone,” the prisoner said gruffly, shaking his head. “I’m not letting you get me in trouble.”

  “Do whatever you want,” she snapped at him, then tugged on Weston’s hand, drawing his attention back to her. There wasn’t time to try gently coaxing him to leave the other prisoner behind. The truth spilled out of her mouth before she could think to soften the blow. “Wes, your father’s alive—and he’s set charges to blow up most of the city.”

  Weston winced. “I know.”

  “You—know?” She blinked.

  He shifted his weight. The other prisoner’s eyes widened, and without another word of argument, he stepped wide past the pair, leaving them alone in the cell.

  “How do you know?”

  His lips twitched. “This isn’t the—”

  “Weston…” her eyes narrowed in suspicion, “how did you get out of your cell?”

  “Sage,” he began slowly, “I’m not the only Lawless down here. Most of the prisoners are too—I’m trying to get them out while there’s still time.”

  “There isn’t much time.” She bit the inside of her cheek, an uneasy feeling sinking deep in her bones. “And that wasn’t an answer.”

  Weston hesitated, glancing over her shoulder. “There’s something you should—”

  “Time to—”

  Sage spun around, fists raised at the sound of Kai’s voice coming from the doorway. He stilled. His brow wrinkled as he looked back and forth between her and Weston.

  “You shouldn’t be down here.”

  She glared back at him wordlessly, allowing her absolute hatred of the man in front of her to seep inside and crawl around deep under her skin. Mr. Gaztok was dead, the Quorum dissolved. She didn’t have to take orders from Kai or the Kunbriat or any of Eprah’s other leaders. Not anymore.

  The knife still stained with Mr. Gaztok’s blood weighed heavily in her pocket. Charles might be trying to bring down Eprah’s leadership, but the man in front of her didn’t have to be on the Quorum to be one of the vilest human beings she’d ever known. Kai was responsible for the deaths of too many people she cared about. He was once her friend—her mentor—but his life was nothing more than a promise of revenge now.

  And now, there was nothing standing in her way.

  With a loud cry, she slipped the blade from her side and surged forward, plunging it straight toward Kai’s heart.

  19. ENCODED

  Kai’s eyes widened, but for some inexplicable reason, he froze, not taking so much as a half step backward as she launched herself at him.

  “Sage, no!” Weston threw his arms around her waist, stopping her just before she could reach Kai.

  She gritted her teeth, digging in her heels against him. He was still surprisingly strong, even with all his injuries. “Let me go, Weston.”

  He grunted with effort as she squirmed against his hold. “You don’t want to do this.”

  “I can think of a thousand reasons why I want to do this,” she shot back, eyes locked on Kai as he stood there unmoving, cautiously observing the two of them.

  “He’s one of us!” Weston’s grip on her tightened. “He’s Lawless.”

  “No,” she ground out, not lowering the knife as she arched her back against him. “That’s not possible.”

  “It’s true,” Kai said softly. His eyes flicked over her shoulder. “Weston’s one of the only ones who knew.”

  “You’re a murderer,” she spat.

  Pain flashed across Kai’s face for less than a second before his expression returned to its usual stony mask. “And you? What were you about to do?”

  Her lips twitched. “Justice.”

  “Looks more like revenge to me,” Kai said simply.

  Sage’s shoulders sagged. That was exactly what she’d been thinking a moment ago. She hated that he had a point.

  “Let me go, Weston,” she repeated, this time without the rage behind it.

  “Not until you drop the knife.”

  She chewed her lip, still debating. “You can’t seriously tell me you trust him.”

  “With my life,” Weston said firmly. “And of all people, you can too.”

  Still unsure what to think, Sage exhaled slowly and dropped the knife, forcing herself to stop fighting Weston’s hold. He loosened his grip just enough for her to pivot slightly. Keeping Kai in her peripheral vision, she eyed Weston warily. “What do you mean, ‘of all people’?”

  “I—” Weston stopped, tossing an uncertain glance at Kai.

  “He means I’d never do anything to hurt you, Sage.”

  “Oh, really.” She snorted, returning her full attention to the supposedly-Lawless man in the doorway. “Why’s that, exactly?”

  Kai hesitated. “Because you’re my sister.”

  She took a step back, bumping into Weston’s chest.

  “I wanted to tell you, but it would’ve been too dangerous.” An unspoken apology flickered behind Kai’s green eyes. Eyes that matched her own, she realized with a growing horror.

  “No.” The word barely made a sound as it escaped her lips. “You can’t…” She tilted her head back, looking at Weston accusingly. “You knew,” she said faintly. “You knew, and you didn’t tell me.”

  His brows bunched together in pain. “I couldn’t. It was safer for you both if you didn’t know.”

  She glared at Weston, then swung toward Kai with the same anger. “You’re not an Indarra.”

  “No. But you’re an Abeldra. Our parents changed their name when they went into hiding.” Kai smiled wryly. “It’s not like it was hard—you don’t need many official records underground.”

  Sage shook her head, overcome with a sudden dizziness. Her world was spinning out of control. Her parents were alive. She had a brother—one who was responsible for untold heartache in Eprah, not the least of which was her own.

  Everything she knew was a lie.

  She swallowed hard, rubbing her hands on her pants to get the sweat off her palms. “Did you know they were alive?”

  “I—” Kai grimaced. “I suspected they were. I hoped. But I had no way to confirm it—not without blowing my cover.”

  She stared at him in disbelief.

  Weston shifted his weight behind her, clearing his throat. “I hate to be the one to point out the obvious, but this isn’t the best time for a family reunion.”

  “You’re right.” Kai paused for a moment before breaking eye contact with Sage. He nodded at Weston and stepped forwar
d, slipping his arm under his shoulder so the benefactor could keep up despite his injuries. “The last of the cell doors are open.” He shot a sideways look at Sage. “We can talk more on the way. I’m sure you have questions.”

  Sage clenched her jaw, following closely behind them. “That doesn’t begin to cover it,” she muttered. Then, louder, “On the way where?”

  “The control panel for the explosions Charles set. It’s hidden in one of the old tunnels below us.”

  “One of the Lawless tunnels?” Sage asked, roughly brushing past one of the freed prisoners in her attempt to keep up.

  Kai nodded. “It was under a false wall. He wanted to make sure it wouldn’t be found.”

  Weston swore. “Of course, he did,” he said under his breath.

  They came to the end of the hall and stopped in front of the same false floor Sage and Weston had used to escape earlier, easing their way down to the lower level.

  As the drum of their footsteps thumped steadily beneath them, Sage felt anger rising up in her chest again. She couldn’t believe she was standing next to the man who she’d once trusted—the man who’d killed so many people. She swallowed back bile as she scanned his hardened face.

  Brother or not, he had a lot to answer for.

  “You killed Penelope.”

  “Penelope…” A muscle jumped in Kai’s jaw. “Of course, you want to know about that.”

  “What is there to know?” she snarled. “She was my friend—she was even Lawless—and you killed her. You can’t honestly tell me—”

  “It was her or you. I made a choice. Maybe not the one you would’ve, but it was mine to make, not yours.”

  She shook her head, ignoring the pitying look Weston shot her direction as he hobbled between them as best as he could. “I don’t under—”

  “I did it to keep you safe. Enough people still had a grudge against you after you were kidnapped,” he cut in quickly. “Their freedoms were restricted, and some of them believed they got worse assignments because they couldn’t be in the right Interest Societies—couldn’t make the connections they needed to make.”

  Her fists clenched and unclenched at her side as they turned the corner. “That doesn’t explain anything.”

  He hesitated. “They wanted you dead, Sage. Almost everyone. I knew you wouldn’t be safe unless they thought you’d paid for causing their misery—that you’d suffered like they had.”

  “And it wasn’t enough that I’d been kidnapped?” she asked incredulously.

  He tilted his head, half shrugging despite supporting most of Weston’s weight. “People are selfish.”

  “But I was Kunbriat,” she argued. “I was protected. There was no reason to think I was in danger.”

  “Don’t be so naive. How do you think someone as hated as you was chosen to be Kunbriat in the first place?” he snapped.

  Her eyes widened. “It wasn’t you. Darren was the one who—” She stopped. The truth was written on his face.

  “I made a deal with Darren to use his nomination and make sure you were selected—it was the only way I could protect you without being directly tied to you. He liked you, and he felt guilty for not stopping the man who took you. He wasn’t hard to convince. He even believed it was his idea.”

  Kai blew out a breath. “Kunbriat are never used as the example right after graduation, but I knew I wouldn’t be around to stop every threat. Sooner or later, someone would’ve wanted to make you suffer, and I couldn’t let that happen. And—” he stole a quick glance at her, “—they knew you and Penelope were friends. Losing someone you love and having to live with it—that pain lasts a lot longer than death, and everyone knows it.”

  “So you killed Penelope to save me?” Her eyes flashed in anger. “You had no right.”

  “You don’t have to agree with me,” he growled. “But like I told you before, I’d do it again. You’re my sister, Sage. Like it or not, yes, I chose to protect you over someone else.”

  Her brow furrowed. Maybe he hadn’t meant it that way, but Kai was basically resting the blame for Penelope’s death on her. Resentment bubbled up in her chest. “And Everett? What about him?”

  His shoulders heaved. “The other Kunbriat heads saw the footage with him before I could delete it. There was nothing I could do.”

  “Nothing? Really?” She narrowed her eyes. “I find that hard to believe.”

  “Showing my true colors wouldn’t have done any good. I only had one vote, and it would’ve raised questions I couldn’t answer if I’d voted different than everyone else.”

  Her cheeks burned crimson. “You could’ve at least tried to—”

  “To what?”

  “I don’t know! Warn him—sneak him out of the city or something.”

  “And he would’ve left, just like that?”

  “Maybe…” She bit the inside of her lip, unwilling to admit the truth. No, he wouldn’t have. Everett wanted to stay and fight.

  Kai’s jaw tightened. “I’ve spent most of my life trying to get on the Quorum so that I could change things from inside. No other Lawless has ever been able to do that, and I made more sacrifices than you can imagine to get to that point. So, no. Even if I could’ve helped him by throwing all that work away, I wouldn’t. Not for one person.”

  Sage fell quiet as they turned another corner. If everything he’d said was true, he’d been in an impossible position—one she didn’t envy. But still, she hated him for what he’d done.

  Her stomach turned, threatening to empty itself in the middle of the tunnel. How many other people had Kai had a hand in killing? And all just for the chance of someday helping the Lawless cause?

  “It’s right up there,” Kai said stiffly, changing the subject.

  Weston and Sage looked up, following his line of sight to a section of the wall that had been torn away. Her jaw dropped as they got close enough to see it better.

  This was far more involved than a vertical tech table like she’d expected. The sheer volume of tech hidden behind the wall was overwhelming. It would’ve taken several weeks—months, maybe—to build an infrastructure so complicated. Her gaze roamed over it with a level of horrified admiration. She’d never seen anything like it—and she had no idea where to begin in order to turn off the explosives set across the city.

  “He didn’t design it with a switch.” The color had drained from Weston’s face when he finally spoke. “He designed it with a series of coded puzzles.”

  “I know,” Kai said grimly. “I had to solve one before I came back to get you, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation now.”

  Sage glanced between them in confusion. “Coded puzzles?”

  Kai’s jaw clenched as he nodded. “It was a popular way to lock tech secrets a few decades ago. But that’s not the problem.”

  “Then, what is?” she asked hesitantly, worried she wouldn’t like the answer.

  “The way he set it up, there’s no way to shut it off for good. So every time a puzzle’s solved, the timer resets. And if I’m right, it’s for less time than the one before.” He pointed to a clock that she hadn’t noticed yet. It was counting down as they spoke. “I think I can delay it for a while. It should be long enough to evacuate the Institution and buy you both time to get out of the blast radius.”

  Her brows knit together. After everything he’d just told her, she couldn’t believe she felt a shred of concern for the man in front of her. And yet, if it really was all true… “But what about you?”

  The side of his mouth crept up in a small smile. “I’m not injured. I can see the countdown, and I can run a lot faster than either of you with the shape you’re in.” He tipped his head to the side, raising his eyebrows for emphasis. “Besides, it’s not like we have much of a choice. Someone has to stay behind to keep resetting the charge, or a lot of people will die.”

  “Then I’ll stay,” Sage said, shoulders tensing as she took a step toward the control panel. “I can figure it out. I’m good at tech, and you can
get Weston out faster.”

  Both men let out grunts of disapproval. She turned, glaring at each of them.

  “Sage—”

  “It’s not happening,” Kai interrupted, shaking his head. “If for no other reason, I’m better at tech than either of you are—” he held up a finger to stop Sage’s protest, “—and I’ve dealt with Charles. Mr. Gaztok even had me study him when—” He cut himself off, casting an apologetic glance at Weston before turning back to Sage. “I know more about him and how his mind works than you do, and I’ve dealt with this type of tech before. You may not want to admit it, but I’ll be able to solve more codes than you. That means buying more time for everyone.”

  “It’s true, Sage,” Weston said quietly. “I would stay, but I’m not familiar enough with this tech. Right now, he’s the best chance for the whole city. Arguing about it is just going to waste time we don’t have.”

  “And you just expect me to trust—”

  “You don’t have to trust him. Trust me,” Weston said firmly, allowing no more room for argument.

  He squeezed her shoulder, offering her a reassuring smile, then limped toward the bend in the tunnel, giving the two of them a moment alone.

  She turned back to Kai—her brother—a completely different person from the man she thought she knew all these years. Of all the questions running through her head in that moment, she only managed one. She swallowed hard against the lump forming in her throat. “Will you have enough time to get out?”

  He didn’t even glance at the timer. “It’ll be tight, but if they can get everyone out pretty fast, I’ve got a good chance.”

  She bit her lip, dropping her eyes. Her head was a total mess of conflicting emotions. She wasn’t sure whether she was hoping Kai would be stuck down there forever or hoping he would make it out alive so she could kill him herself for what he’d done or hoping he’d survive so they could all be some sort of bizarre family at the end of all this. Or maybe all of it.

  “Hey.” When she lifted her gaze, the corner of his mouth ticked up in a smile, one of the only genuine ones she’d ever seen from him. “I’m glad I finally got to tell you.”