by K. A Knight
“I have a job for you.” His voice is a growl. It breaks whatever spell I’m under and I stagger back to the table and sit down heavily.
“I’m on a job.” My voice is steady which I’m proud of. He nods.
“When you are done, come to my clan. You are guaranteed safe passage.” Then he turns and walks away, taking his crazy with him. It’s like the world rushes back. If he had stayed, I think I might have jumped his sexy ass. I turn back to the table and grab the bottle, leaving a bloody handprint on it. Dray has a job for me? That is not good. I down as much as I can. I can feel the looks been thrown at me. I have no time to worry though as I see my current target walking through the crowd. Just the distraction I need.
“There he is,” I say to the others with a nod at the lowlife we are hunting. He’s wearing an eye patch and all leather. Seriously, what’s with the leather?
“So, are you going to take the job?” Drax asks. I sip the bottle and watch him.
“Maybe” I mutter. Honestly, I’m curious, but not curious enough to venture into Dray’s territory, even with his blessing.
“You saw what he did in the ring, right?” He asks. I nod.
“It was a warning, a message.” I drop the bottle back to the table and scan the crowd for my mark.
“To whom?” Jax asks. I tilt my head to make sure I was right. Yep, it was definitely Jax.
“I don’t know, Dray doesn’t usually go in the ring. It’s beneath him. That brutal way of killing the men was a warning to whichever clan they were part of.” I mutter distractedly as I watch the man with the patch.
“That doesn’t bother you?” Thorn asks I turn back to him in confusion.
“Why would it? There are always fights between the clans. It has nothing to do with me.” Thorn looks at Maxen for a minute.
“Are you taking the job?” Maxen asks, making me lean back with a sigh.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I’m not stupid enough to walk into his territory, but if I don’t, he will just hunt me down. That would be worse.” I think about it, then wave my hand. “It doesn’t matter at the moment, he doesn’t know how long my current job will take, so I have some leeway.” I run my eyes over the crowd again, easily spotting the eye patch man.
He’s drinking alone at a table in the far corner. I turn back to our table to see the guys leaning over, muttering between themselves. I don’t bother listening. Instead, I watch the guy out of the corner of my eye. I read the bill on him, it even mentioned what he did to get it, which is unusual. Apparently, our one-eyed friend over there walked into a house in one of the outposts. He tied the family up. He made the kids watch as he tortured and killed their mom and dad. The son took his eye and so he took the son’s life. When he walked out, none of the family had survived. I might kill for survival like the others in the Waste, but purposely killing and torturing for pleasure? It’s a problem for us all. I don't bother telling the guys, I caught them reading the bill from my bag earlier, so they know what he did. I'm going to use that to my advantage.
I watch him for a while, thinking of a plan. A whore approaches him and he doesn’t even look at her. I tilt my head when his eye sharpens. He’s watching a scav is beating the shit out of another. A tremor runs through his body and he licks his lips. Violence, that’s the way to get him to drop his guard enough to knock him down. This isn’t a return mission after all - this a kill order. Usually, I wouldn’t take a hit, but Nan knows my feelings about kids. Didn’t help that it described what he did to the little girl in detail. Even I have a heart. No, he’s got to die before he does it again, and he will, as I watch him now, I know he will. The need for bloodshed and violence is in his blood. He’s had a taste and now he wants more.
I have to knock him out. I can’t kill him on The Ring land. That means somehow transporting him out into the neutral zone. Luckily, I have four big men with me. Rumour has it the mark has a car as well. A rough plan forms in my head as I turn back to the guys.
“Do not move from this table, when I knock him out I need you to carry him out of here while I watch our back.”
Jax raises his eyebrow at me. “How do you plan on knocking him out?”
I wink at him. “Leave that to me.” They are all staring at me again.
“Then what?” Maxen asks. I turn to him, my face hardening, and my mask slipping into place. The one that makes nearly every man scared, they all know what it means. Death. I know my eyes have gone cold, but he doesn’t react.
“Then I kill him.” With that, I stand from the table and make my way through the crowd slowly, my eyes on the target. I snag a bottle off a nearby table. The scav it belonged to stands, infuriated, but takes one look at me and sits back down. Smart.
I add a sway to my steps as I get closer to his table to make it look like I’m drunk. Flopping down on his table, I grab on to the edge for stability. I smile a glazed smile at the man and take a swig of my bottle, leaning forward.
“You alone?” I slur. He leans back, disgust clear on his face.
“Fuck off. I’m not interested whore,” He says looking around, clearly dismissing me.
“Hey, I’m not a whore,” I slur at him indignantly. I lean forward again, admiring the blades strapped to his chest.
“Nice knife.” I lean farther forward, balancing precariously on the edge of the table.
“Can I-“ I cut my hand on purpose on his blade. I hiss and lean back, holding my hand up to the light where he can clearly see. The blood is slowly making its way down my hand, to my arm. His pupils dilate and blow, locked on the blood. He licks his lips. I smirk and grab my hand pretending to try and stop the blood. Instead I squeeze more and let him see. His eye follows it down my arm, to my bandage.
“You’re clumsy; what’s under there?” His voice is low and thick with lust. I look down like I just remembered it was there.
“Accident,” I say slowly. He grabs his blade and leans towards me. I hold my position, but drop my other hand to my blade at my side. He cuts the bandage away, cutting my skin as he does. My cuts are exposed, dry blood crusted around them. His breathing picks up.
“Give me your hand.” He demands as I protest half-heartedly. He snatches it and pulls it towards him, twisting my arm to a painful angle. Usually, I wouldn’t make a sound, but a pained noise escapes. Like I expected, he moans. He squeezes the cut on my hand and I let the little scream escape when pain shoots through me. He looks like he’s about to cum in his pants. Lovely. I let him distract himself with my hand. He touches the edges of the cut, prying it further open. I slowly inch my hand across the table. He doesn’t notice, too engrossed in playing with my wound. I grab the bottle I brought with me and lean forward with it clutched in my free hand.
“Hey, asshole,” I say, my words no longer slurred. He looks up and I smash it over his head. His eye widens in shock and then blanks as he slumps forward, unconscious.
“Sick bastard,” I mutter. I bind my new cut with my bandage. Great, another scar. I hear shuffling behind me and spin, my blade already out. I let my breath out when I see it’s just the guys. I jerk my head at the guy.
“Grab him and follow me,” They don’t move until Maxen nods. Drax and Jax go around the table and grab him under each arm. Maxen and Thorn just stand and stare at me. I don’t break eye contact. Maxen slowly blinks and then rips a bandage out of his bag. Still staring at me, he kneels before me and binds my hand and arm. I don’t speak, I barely move or breathe at the intensity in his eyes. It’s different than with Dray. This feels less sexual, more emotional. Like he’s seeing all my wounds, all my insecurities.
“Ready?” Drax mutters, the strain from holding the man clear in his voice. I blink and look around, realising I had just been staring at Maxen. I stand.
“Let’s go.”
I slowly make my way through the edge of the crowd and then down the path to the entrance. Once there, the guards take one look at me and open the gate. I stand at their back as the men make their way through.
“I know the rules.” I turn back to the others.
“What shall we do with him?” One of the twins grunts. I step up to them and search the man’s pockets. Finding what I was looking for, I click the key and then follow the beeping noise. His vehicle is at the end of the lot. The black frame is twisted and new metal is melted onto it in places. Spikes line the roof and also stick out of the tires. Spray paint swirls over the black, making it look like blood.
“I’ll drive, put him in the passenger side.” Drax and Jax nod and drag him. I turn back to Maxen.
“You can either stay here or follow me. Either way doesn’t matter.” I say casually. He steps up to me.
“We stick together, Mi Alma.” He heads over to his bike, Thorn following him. Drax and Jax look grim as they head over to me after putting the man in the car. Drax eventually smiles at me and heads over to his bike. Jax stops at my side and stares at the retreating back of his brother.
“You really going to kill him?” I don’t bother looking at him.
“I have to. What’s one more mark on my soul?” With that, I head to the man’s car and start it up with a rev. I wait for the others to pull up beside me and then slowly make my way out of The Ring. I head down the road, leading them to the other end of the territory. The side of The Worshippers. After all, they have fewer patrols. I use the time to harden myself, blocking out all emotions. I can’t kill someone otherwise, and in this, I can't afford to hesitate. The journey doesn’t take long. The man is starting to rouse when I pull the car over to the side of the path we are on. I get out slowly and make my way around to his side of the car. Opening the door, I watch as he falls out onto the ground, swearing.
“What do you want?” He slurs. He leans back against the car, ignoring the blood running down his head. His eye sharpens as he comes around; the monster in him awake. I shiver from that look, there’s nothing human in him.
“My job.” He smiles at me. “On your knees or stand?” I ask. He slowly pushes up from the ground. He laughs when he stands.
“You should join me, you obviously have a love for blood and death too.” I ignore his words, and the men I can feel at my back.
“We are very different,” I mutter, pulling my knife from my side. It’s times like this when I wish I had a gun.
“How so?” He asks casually.
“I kill only when I have to, you do it for the pleasure.” Not wanting to talk to him anymore, I step forward and jam the knife towards him.
He moves at the last minute and while it was supposed to pierce his chest, it now sticks from his stomach. He stands there, clutching the blade moaning like it’s the best sex he ever had. Lust is in his eyes again. I grab the knife and twist, trying to free it. He grunts and then moans again. Bile rises in me and I have to swallow hard; he’s enjoying this. I yank the blade out and he screams, but not from pain. Sands below.
Not waiting another minute, I jam the blade in his good eye and through to his brain. I step back as his body falls. I stand there, my breathing even as the blood leaves his body. The horror and guilt don’t surface, my soul so used to death that not even a little part of me is bothered. I thought something in me would cry out, but there's only silence. I don't know whether that's a good thing or not. When I remember who is behind me, my shoulders tighten. I know it had to be done, but the blackness in my soul will just keep growing at this rate. Something makes me hesitate to turn around. I don’t want to see the expression on the men's faces. I hesitate for another minute, no one saying a word. I brace myself for their horror and turn to see them. Their faces are blank. I run my eyes over everyone, searching for their disgust for me now. When I don’t see any, my shoulders slump, the tension leaving my body. I don’t want to examine why their opinions mean so much to me. Maxen steps forward and my eyes are drawn to him like a moth to a flame, my light in the darkness guiding me home.
“What are we doing with the body?” His voice is even. They want to help me? Even after what I just did?
“I need proof of his death.” My voice sounds odd to me, like it’s muffled.
Jax tilts his head at me in question. “How?” I consider it, but hell, they just saw me kill someone in cold blood so…
“I would usually take their head, but I don’t want that sick bastard near me.”
“You kill people a lot?” Thorn asks. I look at him, knowing this is an important question. They might be ok with me killing this bag of dicks, but I need them to know I’m not just a monster.
“Only if I have to. I don’t enjoy it like the sick bastard at my feet, but I will do it if it means someone else doesn’t have to.” He nods like that makes sense, and I turn back to the body.
“I’ll take his eye patch and that will have to be enough. The car, I’ll drive back to the ring and give to Major.” I nod as I list off what needs to be done.
“The body?” Maxen asks. I consider it, I would usually bury the rest of him. This bastard doesn’t deserve that. Who knows how many people he has tortured and killed? I’m not wasting my time on sending him to the sands below.
“Toss it over the border, let the ferals get him.”
CHAPTER TEN
The New Me
Driving the dead man’s car back to The Ring with the guy’s bikes rumbling behind me, I let the time and silence soothe my thoughts. The evil from the man feels like it is staining me, coating my skin, making me ache to scrub at it. I pull up right to the gate of The Ring and slip out of the car. The guards watch me as I approach.
“Get Major.”
One of them nods, I lean back against the hood of the car and wait. Jax joins me to my left and Drax to my right; Maxen and Thorn stand next to the car. We only have to wait five minutes before I see him. He strolls down the path with his guards flanking him, his suit still impeccable. It pisses me off that he still looks so put together when I feel like I have blood and death all over me. When he stops before me, I chuck the keys at him. He manages to snatch them before they hit his chest.
“It’s yours, but I want a room for the next month held under my name and someone to send word to Nan that the job is complete.”
He nods at me with a small smile. At least this way I don’t have to ride back to The Rim. I was planning on it but it would be pointless now. I figured the guys would have seen the Wastes and demanded to be taken back, but it looks like they are stronger than I gave them credit for. The fact that it will piss Nan off to see some courier rather than me is just an added bonus.
“Anything else?” He flicks some dust off his shoulder as he asks, before delicately passing the keys to the nearest guard. As I step closer to him and I can sense all the men tensing behind me.
“Yeah, a bottle of your best. Oh, and food sent up,” With that I walk around him, my men following.
I only stop because Major calls my name. I don’t bother to turn around. At this point, I am almost counting down the steps between here and my room, needing to be alone to try and push the feeling of the man away. The way his eyes lit up, the noise, all of it feels like a violation in my mind.
“I’m glad you killed that bastard, he was bad for business.” His voice rings out loud and clear.
I swallow down my protest, I know he doesn’t care what the man did. It took me a long time to realise everything he does is for the good of his business, so the times he stopped the abuse of me inside The Ring? It was because his customers couldn’t see it happening, After all, they are paying to see people hurt - what good would it do if we came into the pit already broken? I know this deep down but I still like to think a small part of him wanted to help. Breathing in deep, I force myself to start walking again, heading towards the back of the zoo, bypassing the pit.
Hidden behind the empty enclosures is a building. I don’t know what it was before, but now its room and lodging for the fighters and the clan leaders when ne
eded. A three-story white building covered in peeling paint. With large rounded windows, stone steps leading up to the building. Two guards with massive swords stand at either side of the wooden door to keep the slaves in and the rabble out. I don’t bother waiting for them to tell me which room is mine, I head to the one I always use. It’s at the back of the property, with only one way in or out. The best bit? It has an old balcony off the back window that overlooks the Waste. It always allowed me to lose myself in the view and made my problems seem small in comparison.