The desire in Gracie’s eyes was unmistakable, but I lowered my hand, and she took a small step away, finding the space she needed to sort through all the words and feelings I’d confessed today.
“I saw Robbie talking to Jebediah earlier.”
The change in conversation was a reprieve for the both of us, and I went about finding some clean, dry cargos while I listened. “What were they talking about?”
Gracie shrugged, her fingers working the messy knot of hair on top of her head free. “I don’t know. It was weird.”
“Weird how?”
“I approached them and asked Robbie if he was okay.”
She looked nervous, and I knew why. I’d told her to stay away from Jebediah. She would never have walked away from a situation where one of Liberty’s people could have been in trouble, though. I couldn’t fault that compassion because it was one of the things I loved about her.
“What did he say?” I asked.
“He was angry at me. Said he was fine and said I should mind my own business.”
Gracie turned her back to me when she noticed my hands dropping to the button on my pants. I quickly tugged them off along with my boxer briefs and pulled on a clean set. Gracie’s interaction with Robbie did sound unusual. Sure, he was a brooding shit from time to time, he was nineteen and still shaking off the hormonal teenage years that made boys mope, and girls chuck a fit for no reason at all. Up until recently, Robbie had one hell of a crush on Gracie, and the only way I’d coped was knowing Gracie didn’t return his affection. Jealousy wasn’t something I was accustomed to but seeing Robbie follow Grace around like a little-lost puppy had tested my limits. Robbie was now dating Prudence though, and as far as I was aware, he was blissfully happy. I hadn’t heard or witnessed any ill feelings he might have had toward Grace.
“I’m dressed, you can turn around. How did Jebediah seem?”
Gracie cast a quick look over her shoulder before turning back to face me. “Just the same smug asshole he’s been since he arrived,” she said with a grimace. “He called Robbie… ‘Robbie the Rumbler’ and said they had business to discuss.”
Business to discuss? Was it possible Robbie was the informant feeding Jebediah information about Liberty? I couldn’t really see how, because Robbie didn’t have access to the outside world. Only soldiers who had completed training went on supply trips. Robbie had only recently shown an interest in joining my team, and had started training a few short months ago.
“You think it was Robbie who told Jebediah about Liberty, don’t you?”
“I can’t see how he would get information out of Liberty, but right now we can’t discount anything.” Jebediah’s admission that he had a ‘source’ within Liberty had cast a shadow of doubt over everyone. It had to be someone who had access to the nearest town, Nelson, which meant it was one of my men. Only the soldiers did runs into town. I needed to talk to Max or Fury about it, they’d both been involved in Robbie’s training and knew him as well, if not better, than me.
“Where are you going?” Gracie asked.
Without conscious thought, I had drifted toward the door of the cabin. “I want to talk to Max and Fury about Robbie, and I need to make sure Charlie, Ace, Axel, and Niall are good for tonight’s patrol. Why don’t I go get something to eat from the kitchen, and we can eat in tonight. Just you and me?”
“That sounds nice,” she admitted in a voice little more than a whisper.
“Lock up behind me.”
Regaining Gracie’s trust in me and repairing the damage I’d done was going to take time and patience, something I felt I might not have with Jebediah’s presence in Liberty. I would still take every scant moment I could of making her feel special and reinforcing the bond between us which I had broken.
I’d only taken half a dozen steps when a wide, looming figure appeared on the path before me. Even in the low light I knew it was Fury. His bulk was unlike any other inside Liberty, something akin to a hulking giant. He was as heavily tattooed as me, most of his ink being dark, angry tribal designs. His brow was creased with anger and his dark eyes full of rage, his lips set in a tight and flat line. It was nothing unusual, for Fury harbored plenty of rage, hence his moniker.
“Somethin’s going on in the field,” he said by way of greeting.
“What kind of something?” I asked, as Fury turned and slipped into an easy gait at my side.
“Not sure. But there’s hammerin’ and buildin’ going on.”
“What the fuck could they be building?” I wondered out loud, scratching at the stitches above my eye. I’d have to get Grace or Trigger to cut them out, the deep cut had healed quite well.
“Looks like seatin’… a few platforms maybe.”
Pausing by Niall’s cabin, I turned to face Fury.
“Seating for what?” When he didn’t answer me right away, I could see the calculated way his eyes were set on the ground between us.
“What are you thinking?”
Even though Fury had lived his entire life in seclusion, he was a smart man. He liked to read, and he loved puzzles. I valued his opinion.
“He calls Liberty the Arena now.” I nodded, encouraging him to go on. “Maybe he’s thinkin’ of doing somethin’ like King did in the Underworld. An arena… a fightin’ arena.”
Fury’s idea had merit. If Jebediah was building seating, it was obviously to watch something.
“He’s definitely obsessed with Kingsley Duke and his fighting cage, he seems just as crazy, maybe more so. I wouldn’t put it past him.”
Curiosity had me wanting to take a walk to the center field and check it out myself. As if sensing my line of thought, Fury shook his head
“They’ve stopped workin’ now, and they’ve got guards set up, it’s tighter than a duck’s asshole. Just wanted you to know,” he said, turning to leave.
“Fury?”
Slowing, he glanced back over his shoulder.
“Need you to keep an eye on Robbie. Gracie saw him talking with Jebediah today, he seemed agitated.”
Fury didn’t say anything, only a slight nod confirmed he’d heard me before he turned and disappeared into the darkness. My stomach took that moment to make a loud grumbling noise, reminding me I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Making sure my men were discreetly armed and ready for a quiet night of stealthy patrols, I headed for the kitchen.
CHAPTER 7 - Grace
The air felt heavy with frost tonight, a cutting arctic chill told me snow would arrive soon. Rather than enjoying the warmth of my heated cabin, I was wrapped in layers with a red knitted beanie pulled down low over my ears and headed to the field in the center of the compound. Trigger walked at my side. Apparently, Ink would meet us there. We’d been “summoned” as Trigger put it. Nobody seemed to have any idea why, but I couldn’t imagine Jebediah’s summoning would be to tell us he’d changed his mind and was leaving.
Several braids pulled my hair away from my face, before being twisted into a tight bun at the base of my neck. If for any reason I needed to fight tonight, I wanted my hair away from my face. Again I wished I were tucked back safe and sound in my cabin, maybe with Ink tucked in with me. Just the thought of him had me feeling giddy with excitement. Things had changed between us, again. This time though, I found myself a little confused about his feelings. That he actually had feelings for me had come as quite a shock, and his reasons for denying those feelings made sense. But a year’s worth of cold-shoulders, and blatant flirting with women right in front of my heartbroken self, it wasn’t going to be forgotten overnight. I wanted to forget them every time his body innocently touched mine, and I would heat from the inside out. Or, every time he smiled my way or said something sweet, my world would tilt on its axis. I wanted desperately to ignore a year’s worth of pain and embrace this new version of Ink, but somewhere deep down inside my heart, I didn’t trust him not to hurt me again.
“Skye?” I asked Trigger. I’d been asking about her a lot the last few days, but it was near
ing two weeks since Jebediah took over Liberty, and we could only assume Skye had made it safely to the cave and was still there. Alone. She hated being alone. She was one of those people who could never sit quietly, she needed people and noise to make her feel safe.
When Trigger didn’t answer, I glanced his way. The few lanterns that lit the path cast a light over his strained features. He was a handsome man, but the stress of the last two weeks had aged him. His lips were drawn tight, his brow furrowed, the easy-going playfulness he exuded had waned.
“Trig?” I prompted, suddenly worried perhaps he knew something about Skye and it wasn’t good.
His gaze snapped to mine, and for a moment I saw something akin to panic within those usually mischievous orbs. He looked as though he’d been caught in his thoughts, and whatever they were they weren’t good.
“What?” he asked, sensing my concern.
“Has something happened to Skye?”
His brow dipped in confusion and suddenly the panic was masked, and he glanced away, shaking his head. “There’s no way for us to get to her,” he snapped. “Step it up, Grace. We’re meant to be there already.”
Pulling ahead of me with his long stride, I jogged to keep up. Trigger had never been short with me before, his current behavior was odd, to say the least. But these were trying times, and he and Ink were doing everything they could to keep Liberty safe and deflect Jebediah’s manic personality from the innocent people. While I wanted to slap him and tell him he was being an ass, I could also respect he was struggling with our new leadership just like everyone else.
The glow of fire danced around the field as we stepped away from the buildings. A few of Jebediah’s men lingered, some of them directing the people of Liberty to crudely made wooden seats and platforms. Bright spotlights were positioned higher on the buildings, lighting the field before us. The entire scene was surreal, and not unlike the sport stadiums of the old America that I’d read about in books. Albeit far more archaic.
“What the fuck is going on?” Trigger murmured, moving toward Fury who had signaled him over with a flick of his head. “Don’t move, Grace, think you can follow that order?”
My fist clenched, and I sent him a burning glare to his retreating back.
“What’s all this about, Grace?” Edith, the seventy-year-old seamstress asked as she stepped up alongside me. Shaking off my irritation, I gave Edith a gentle smile.
“I’m not sure, Edi, maybe a party of some sort?”
One of Jebediah’s soldiers stepped forward, a frenzied grin on his face. I recognized him immediately as the man who had raised a gun to Trigger’s head when Jebediah first infiltrated Liberty.
“You’re about to see fight night like you’ve never seen it before,” he answered. “Get movin’, find a seat,” he continued, using the butt of his gun to give Edith a shove forward.
“You don’t need to use force on her. She isn’t a threat to you,” I snarled, daring to knock the butt of his rifle away. The soldier sneered at me and stepped right into my body, but I didn’t dare take a step back, I refused to show these men fear.
“You want me to use my gun on you?”
Thrusting his hips forward I knew he wasn’t talking about the rifle in his hands. This close I got a good look at the man as he smiled at me, splitting his lips and showing me his chipped and rotting teeth. His face was pockmarked with scars, his greasy hair hanging over his eyes. He looked like a hillbilly derelict, not a soldier.
“Touch me and I will gut you,” I hissed, my fingers itching to reach for the knife in my boot.
“Smiles, stop swinging your dick and move away from the little bird!” Jebediah’s voice was cool with an icy undertone. Smiles? For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why this disgusting human had picked up the nickname, Smiles.
Smiles took a small step away, but his leering grin never left his ugly face.
“I don’t like to be kept waiting, little bird,” Jebediah snapped. He was standing on a platform raised about ten feet from the ground. Jeze stood at his back, three brawny soldiers surrounding them, rifles held in sure, sturdy hands. Glancing around, I noticed the area was heavy with Jebediah’s militia, all armed, their weapons on display as if to show their power. I wondered how many stood protecting Liberty’s walls, or if they were all here for the party. If they were all here, it meant the compound walls were unprotected, which meant anybody could walk in, or out. Right after that thought, I recalled Ink telling me the rough count of Jebediah’s militia was sixty. He would never leave the compound walls unguarded. Although there seemed to be plenty of guards watching the crowds of Liberty, there would be more standing guard on the wall.
“Hurry up, Grace,” Jebediah growled from atop his platform.
“You want some help, sweetheart?” Smiles asked me, his arm waving toward a ladder which would give me access to the platform. His gaze lingered on my breasts, which were barely visible beneath my layers. The unwanted attention made me shudder as if it had been a physical caress.
“Fuck you,” I snapped.
“With pleasure.” He snickered, and I reluctantly turned my back on him, placing one foot on the bottom rung. Glancing up, a familiar face peered down at me. He had that look, one of determination, one that said ‘we got this,’ but I could see the worry behind that resolve. I was grateful that his sudden appearance had Smiles taking a few more steps away. Pulling myself up, I climbed the ladder which creaked and groaned under my weight, making me want to go straight back down again.
Reaching the top, Ink’s hand gripped under my elbow as he helped me onto the platform.
From this height, I could see over the entire field. There was seating erected directly across from us, currently filled with people. The large buildings around us sat in shadows like dark giants. Torches spread at intervals helped light up the edges of the field. People wandered about clearly confused and suspicious about what was happening. Their fear made my chest ache, but there was little I could offer them to relieve it because I had no idea what was going on.
In the middle of the brightly lit up field, a large post had been erected a short distance from our flagpole, and there appeared to be objects hanging from them both. Taking a step to one side to better see what the hell was going on, the timber under my feet groaned. Stilling, I glanced at Ink who was also watching the rickety base we were standing on. The structure seemed large enough for the seven bodies it currently occupied, but it by no means felt secure.
A heavy-set guard moved behind me to search for weapons, his clumsy hands inspecting my pockets, torso, and legs, once again missing the fact a knife was concealed inside my boot. As soon as he was finished, Ink pulled me into his body, my back to his front, one hand possessively gripping my hip. His touch made me feel safe.
Jebediah rolled his eyes while Jeze watched us closely, her standard nonchalant stare in place. “Let’s get this party started,” said Jebediah, impatience heavy in his tone. One of his men handed him a microphone and Jebediah raised it to his mouth.
I’d only ever seen pictures of the device in books, and my attention was stolen by the innocuous object. Was he going to sing? Maybe all this fuss with the seating and lights meant some sort of performance would take place.
“Thank you to all who gathered promptly when asked,” Jebediah began, casting me an irritated frown. His voice had been magnified by the microphone and sent to a black box, which I guessed was a speaker, sitting toward the front of the platform. “Tonight marks the Arena’s first fight.” A triumphant grin lit up his face as his voice rose in excitement.
My brow creased. Fight? Was this why he’d quizzed me about Kingsley Duke’s cage fighting arena?
“Gladiators!”
Resounding silence was met, but Ink’s hands tightened on my body, and a puff of air escaped his lips. I had no idea what Jebediah meant by gladiators, but from Ink’s response he did, and it wasn’t good.
“Gladiators were once the heroes of Rome, warriors who fac
ed off in giant arenas for the entertainment of the people.”
My back stiffened, and my fists curled as Jebediah explained to us what a Gladiator was. Ink was just as tense behind me, a soft curse spilling from his lips.
“They were more than entertainment, though. They were champions of the arena.”
My disbelieving gaze slowly moved to Jebediah, who stood with one arm proudly spread wide, his pale skin shining like a bright moon in the night. The metal on his face gleamed, his straight teeth unnaturally white like the rest of him.
“The men who died in the arena departed this life with honor and integrity.” Jebediah’s arm lowered. “Those who won, though, were compensated for their efforts with prizes, like money, jewels and… women.”
My pulse was racing making me nauseous and dizzy, and after the mention of women, my frantic gaze began searching the people around me. What women? As far as I knew Jebediah hadn’t brought any.
“For this first night of battle, I present two men who are willing to fight, two men who have a prize in mind.”
Oh my God, I couldn’t believe he was doing this. I continued searching the crowd before me, now wondering who was going to fight. Another curse fell from Ink’s lips, and I soon understood why.
Robbie was strolling out from between two buildings, right into the middle of the field. He was dressed in old worn jeans that hung low on his waist, his boots, and nothing more. He was tall and lanky, only slight muscle mass developed through his abdominals and biceps after the few months of training Ink had put him through. Standing as he was now, he didn’t look like a man, more like a young boy… too young. His shoulders were pressed proudly back as he turned to face the crowd before him who kept unnervingly quiet. Another man stepped into the open field, equally as tall as Robbie, but much wider and his body thick with muscle. He was bald, his chest and arms covered in tattoos. He too wore jeans, boots and nothing else. His size and presence seemed to dwarf Robbie in comparison.
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