Backs Against the Wall (Survival Series)

by Tracey Ward

“Not a good time, El. I’m here to see the Boss tonight.”

  “What about after? You might want a midnight snack.”

  He jerks his head toward Trent and I. “I packed a lunch.”

  I want to punch him, but I remind myself that being a trick was my idea.

  Elise smiles happily. “Ryan, finally taking a taste! It’s about time.” She glances over at me, frowning. “She’s scrawny, though. Where’d she come from?”

  “I don’t know. She’s on loan from the Pikes.”

  The girl scrunches her nose in disgust at me. “Geez, Ryan, are you that hard up? There are girls here that would give it up to you for free and you wouldn’t have to check them for fleas.”

  “Just crabs,” I say sharply.

  “What did you say?” she shrieks.

  “I said you’re a dock walker,” I enunciate slowly. Loudly. “No doubt you’re crawling with crabs.”

  “You’re dead,” she breathes, taking several steps toward me.

  I’m itching for her to come closer. Just a little bit closer. Even with Trent destroying my good hand and my other arm on the mend, I could beat this chick into the ground. She won’t remember her own name when I’m done with her.

  “You’re just mad because she’s right, Elise,” a voice flows down from the rafters, a soft southern drawl making her bitter words sound sweet.

  We all look up to see a woman with long dark hair making her way toward the stairs. She’s beautifully pale and dressed almost the same way I am, only her bra, if she had one on, would be working a lot harder than mine.

  “Now get away from Ry before I remove you myself.”

  Elise backs away, glaring.

  The dark haired woman stops at the bottom of the stairs, staring expectantly at Elise.

  “Disappear.”

  I’m disappointed when she does.

  “Thanks, Freedom,” Ryan says, walking up to the woman to give her a hug.

  It doesn’t bother me the way Elise’s hands on him did. My veins don’t run hot, my hands itching for a fight. For a knife.

  “No problem,” Freedom tells him warmly. “Your brother would never want to see you around a girl like Elise and neither do I. But what are you doing here? You’re not fighting tonight are you?”

  “No, I got called in to see the Boss.”

  Freedom looks at him long and hard. “That’s never good.”

  Ryan shrugs. It looks stiff. “I think he just wants to talk about the fights I was in recently. I’m not signing on with him. Don’t worry.”

  “Anytime anyone goes in to see the Boss, I always worry. Be careful, alright?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Freedom!”

  She closes her eyes briefly. I imagine her counting to ten in her head. When she opens them, she turns to face a tall, shirtless bald guy stalking toward her.

  “What do you want, Dante?”

  “Are you seriously giving me attitude right now? You’re supposed to be in the Arena at the table full of Westies. The other girls are already there but they’re asking for you.”

  Freedom rolls her eyes at this hulking man covered in tats, towering at least six inches over her. “Why are you even doing business with them? I told you, they’re idiots.”

  “Idiots with deep pockets. Get in there.”

  “I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “Freedom, I’m not dealing with you tonight. Get in there now.”

  I hold my breath as I watch his hands, worried he’ll hit her soon. I’ve seen women treated worse than that and this one is pushing the limits. Inside, I’m begging her to just go.

  “Dante,” she says quietly, her accent becoming more pronounced. Less sweet. “If you tell me to get in there one more time, I will cut you. Do you understand me? I will cut you so deep your grandma in the grave will feel it. Now, I said I’ll be there in a minute and I meant it.”

  Dante shakes his head, a harsh breath coming out his nose, but I see his mouth twitch at the corners. “One minute.”

  “Isn’t that what I said?”

  “You’re insane.”

  “Get out of here.”

  He turns to leave, shouting over his shoulder, “Fifty seconds!”

  “Unbelievable,” Freedom mutters. She turns to Ryan. “You better get to that meeting. You know where to go?”

  “Yeah, unfortunately.”

  She pats him affectionately on the shoulder as she steps past him. “You need anything, you come find me, alright?”

  “Thanks, Freedom.”

  “Thirty seconds!”

  “Oh, Grandma Jean is gonna be in a world of hurt, I swear to you!” Freedom shouts as she saunters off in the direction Dante is disappearing.

  Ryan looks at me, his face tense. “You could wait out here. Trent could stay with you.”

  “You shouldn’t go in there alone,” Trent tells him.

  “She can’t stay out here alone.”

  “So she won’t stay out here at all,” I snap.

  I’m grateful for the rage I felt toward Elise. The excitement at the idea of dismantling her has chased the shakes away. I don’t feel any braver, but I’m not outwardly pissing myself in fear either. Progress.

  “We do this together or we don’t do it at all,” I say, my voice a little softer.

  Ryan sighs, but he nods reluctantly. Trent and I follow him toward the reception desk where we cut right down a dark hallway. Another bouncer with dark almond eyes and perfect mocha skin stops us, gives Ryan the runaround about fighting just like everyone else, then finally leads us to a closed white door. I’m surprised that he doesn’t knock. Just opens it up and sends us right in.

  The office isn’t much, but it is large. There are small square tables arranged in every corner, all of them occupied by a few people speaking in hushed voices, but at the far end of the room there’s a large half circle of couches arranged on a platform. There are several men of all ages seated on the couches, all of them talking loudly and laughing. Not too loudly to miss our entrance, though.

  “Ryan!” a tall man with long, shaggy hair graying around the temples exclaims. He sits forward in his seat, his eyes landing on Ryan and looking excited. I don’t like that look.

  Ryan nods slightly. “Marlow.”

  So this is Captain Hook in the flesh.

  “Good of you to join us. I sent for you hours ago.”

  “I came when I got the message.”

  Marlow leans to the side dramatically, eyeing Trent with mock suspicion. “Maybe I sent the wrong messenger.”

  “No, I was… unreachable for a while.” Ryan gestures over his shoulder to me.

  I can feel every eye at the circle of couches fall on me. I’m acutely aware of the clothes I’m wearing but I’m more aware of what I’m not wearing. I long for the jacket draped over my arm but to put it on now would be to hide. To show weakness. So I square my shoulders, raise my chin, and even though the shakes are coming back, I keep my eyes locked on Marlow’s.

  “Now that,” he says softly, eyeing me, “I can most certainly forgive. Where did she come from?”

  Ryan shrugs, casually scanning the room. “I don’t know. She’s a loaner from the Elevens.”

  I thought I was from the Pikes, I think.

  I nearly scowl, nearly pinch my brow in confusion, but I lock it down. Marlow is still watching me closely.

  He grins, sitting back in his seat. Finally his eyes fall to Ryan again and I can breathe.

  “I’ll have to get in touch with them. They have better inventory than I thought. But I’m glad you’re finally here. You and I need to talk. It’s come to my attention that you’ve come out of retirement.”

  “You’ve been lied to. I’m not fighting for anyone.”

  Marlow’s eyes go round in surprise. “Really? I saw you fight with my own eyes.”

  Ryan shakes his head. “I was dealing with Kevin’s death. I needed an outlet. I worked it out in the ring. I’m over it now.”

  “Just like tha
t, eh?”

  “It wasn’t so easy.”

  “No, I doubt it was. So you’re not fighting under the Hyperions?”

  “No. I’m not fighting for anyone.”

  “Not even for the right price?”

  “I’m not as good as he was. I’ll die sooner rather than later.”

  Marlow nods slowly, his eyes drifting around the room. “You’re right about that. You’re not as good as your brother was, but you’re still one of the best out there. And I do hate to see talent go to waste.” His eyes land on me again. “A sure fire money maker is so hard to find.”

  “I’m not in the market,” Ryan tells him firmly.

  “A shame. Well, then be on your way, I guess. If we have nothing else to say to each other.”

  Ryan nods again, then starts to back out of the room. His hand grips mine gently, careful of my injured arm. I go willingly when he pulls on it.

  “Hold on,” Marlow calls. “Leave the girl. I’ll return her to the Elevens.”

  Ryan freezes, his grip tightening painfully. “I can’t. She’s checked out in my name.”

  Marlow waves his hand. “I’ll return her for you. I’ll even pay your fee on top of my own. I’d like a taste of what they’ve got up there.”

  Ryan is breathing fast and hard, his grip not loosening.

  Marlow’s eyes shift to Ryan slowly. “Is there a problem?”

  “She’s not staying.”

  Marlow smiles. “Either she’s staying or we have a problem. Do you want to have a problem with me, Ryan?”

  “She knows Vin,” Trent speaks up calmly. All eyes dart to him. “She has a message from him.”

  Marlow doesn’t miss a beat, though his smile disappears. “Vin is no longer with us.”

  “Not with you here, but he is alive.”

  That’s a big maybe, I think, but I keep it to myself.

  Trent looks at me with his intense eyes. They speak volumes, all of them saying don’t mess this up.

  “Show him the ring.”

  I look at Ryan meaningfully. He releases my hand but his eyes are tight, full of worry and regret. I smile faintly at him before I turn to Marlow, hoping it’s reassuring. I raise my hand, showing Marlow the large ring on my finger.

  He eyes it without emotion, his face completely placid. I can’t tell if he actually recognizes it. Then he speaks and the entire room freezes from the chill of his tone. I know immediately I’ve struck a chord with the ring but the tension rolling through the room makes me worry it’s one I shouldn’t have hit. It makes me wonder if I’m making it out of this room with all my fingers.

  “Out,” he says coldly, his eyes hard on mine. “Everyone out. Now.”

  Chapter Ten

  “When did you steal that ring from him?” Marlow asks, his voice so low I barely hear it.

  My heart is in my throat. I have to swallow to speak, but I hold his eye because I know to look away is to admit something. Guilt, lies, theft, murder. None of these will get us out of this room unscathed. It’s emptied out except for the three of us, Marlow and a few men scattered around the room guarding all the exits. Guarding the Boss.

  “He gave it to me.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “It’s not. I was in the Colony with him. I was in the van with him when he, Nats and Breanne were taken.”

  Marlow watches me closely, debating. The fact that I know the girls’ names might give me some credibility. Or I might just be a pro with good listening skills on market day.

  “You were in a Colony with him.”

  It’s not a question. It’s a dubious statement. Like saying ‘So, you’re the tooth fairy’.

  “Yes.”

  “But you’re standing here now.”

  “Yes.”

  “Try again. How’d you get that ring?”

  “He gave it to me,” I insist firmly, sticking to my story. “He told me to bring it to you. That you’d recognize it because he said it was his old man’s and it’s the only thing that’s ever meant anything to him.”

  I’m spinning the ring nervously on my finger the way Vin did when he was thinking. I stop when I notice Marlow watching me do it.

  “Why would he give it to you to bring to me?”

  I breathe deeply.

  Here we go.

  “Because the people in the Colony, they want to make a deal. They want your help. Vin was supposed to be the one standing here telling you all of this. The Colonists were going to break him out with the promise that he’d come back with help.”

  “What do Colonists need help with?” he snarls.

  “Getting out. Not all of them are happy. They’re trapped just like I was. Just like Vin is. Slaves in their own home. They want to overthrow the leaders, take control of the building and get their freedoms back.”

  “And Vin promised to help with this?”

  “He said he’d try,” I reply weakly.

  Marlow chuckles, shaking his head. “Now I know you’re lying. You never knew Vin. You may have met him, you certainly robbed him, which is impressive in and of itself, but if you knew him you’d know you’re talking crazy. That man wouldn’t lift a finger to save his own mother even if it wouldn’t cost him anything. He’s not what you call altruistic.”

  I shake my head, feeling foolish.

  “It means selfless,” Trent says quietly behind me.

  My face burns with embarrassment, my temper flaring.

  “He wasn’t going to come back to help us,” I say sharply to Marlow. “He was going to betray us all. He knew it, Nats knew it, I knew it. You seem to know it. But he messed up. He started sleeping with a crazy bitch who stabbed him, maybe killed him.”

  Marlow blinks. “See, now that I believe.”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time,” the bouncer who brought us in mutters.

  “I was there when it happened. I was with him. She came at me and… and I killed her. Vin was injured, he couldn’t go and I had just killed one of their leaders so I couldn’t stay. We traded places. He gave me this ring, told me to come to you, told me that it would never work and then I left him there on the ground, bleeding.” My throat is closing again but it’s not from anxiety or fear. It’s from wondering. Worrying. Caring. “I didn’t leave him alone. One of the rebels from inside took the keys from the dead woman and got me out. He stayed with Vin. But I don’t know if he survived. I—I hope he did.”

  “What do the Colonists want?” Marlow asks. He sounds genuinely curious but something else too. Distant somehow. Like he’s asking about things that have no bearing on his life in any way. Like I’m telling him an entertaining story. “What deal was Vin bringing?”

  “They want you to storm the Colony in the north.”

  “There is no Colony in the north.”

  “Yes, there is. It’s in the old MOHAI building. The museum.”

  “That Colony went down mo—“ someone begins.

  “Shut up!” Marlow calls out at them, his eyes never leaving me. I struggle not to jump. He tells me softly, “Continue.”

  I take a calming breath. It doesn’t help.

  “The people will overthrow it from inside. It’ll be easy for you to take it down from the outside. They’ll give it to you in return. They don’t want it. All of them were brought there from other Colonies. From the stadiums and the south. They want to go home, they just need you to get them out. Then they’ll let you have the MOHAI.”

  “Oh, they’ll let me have it? And they’ll just go home. Everyone will get what they want, no problem?” Marlow asks sarcastically.

  “Yes,” I say, but I know it’s a lie.

  “Here’s how that plays out in the real world. I send men to help overthrow the MOHAI. It goes down easy, just as you said. We take it over, the Colonists leave. Brilliant. Perfect. But here’s where it goes wrong. The people who leave, they go back to their homes. To the other Colonies. They show up, wanting to come in and suddenly the people running the big show are wondering what the hell happened t
o the MOHAI. So they come looking and find us there. Then they wipe us out. It’s happened before. Do you think they were the only ones with the idea of taking the stadiums? They weren’t! I will not risk a David and Goliath war over a pimp’s promise that he would have broken the second he got out.”

  “David won,” Trent says, seemingly oblivious to the rage written all over Marlow’s face. To the wrath dripping from his tone.

  I try not to flinch, but I fail.

  Blood in the water.

  “I tried,” I say, trying to sound strong. To make up for my small mistake. “That’s all I told them I’d do. I understand why you won’t do it, but you have to understand why I had to try. We’ll find the help we need somewhere else.”

  “Where do you think you’ll find it? With the Hyperions?” Marlow asks bitingly. “They don’t even know these two traitors are here. They don’t know he’s been fighting. I can have him kicked out tomorrow with what’s happened here tonight. Where will you find help then?”

  My heart aches in my chest. I hadn’t thought of that. How had I not considered that? Ryan has betrayed his gang, Trent too. They’ll be banished if they’re found out. The gangs are insane about loyalty and the things they’ve been doing, the lying and fighting and the sneaking around, it’s all been for nothing. For me. And it will cost them everything.

  I want to turn to them, to apologize, but I can’t. I can’t leak more blood in this shark tank. I might not make it out alive as it is.

  “The Vashons,” I say, grasping at straws. “We’re going to the island.”

  Marlow doesn’t blink. He doesn’t breathe. He only stares at me with his burning eyes and a frown etched on his face. It’s been there since I brought up Vin and I recognize that symptom. Marlow has the same disease I do. He cares. He cares about Vin, about where he is and if he’s alive. That’s why he’s so angry at me. He had written him off, buried his body in the Sound, then I walked in and resurrected him before his eyes.

  I’ll pay for that. For the hope. For that dirtiest of dirty words.

  “The island, huh? That’s… something. What is that, Rex?” Marlow asks over his shoulder. “What would you call that?”

  “Stupid.”

  “Suicidal,” someone else agrees.