Page 18

Eden

You’re part of the pack,

or you’re part of their food chain.

Bristlebrook is a mosaic, frozen in place after the Reapers leave. Hard, chipped, and beautiful. I wonder if I should get up, maybe go inside to talk, but Jayk won’t let me up.

After a few minutes, Shelby calls from the hollowed-out music room window, “They’re gone.”

Jayk mutters to Ava to trail them, and she nods.

Right as the mosaic shatters.

“What the hell happened out there?” Emerson snaps, climbing down from her platform and storming over.

She’s not the only one. Kasey storms through the front door with a string of curse words I’m sure she shouldn’t have learned yet—and there’s no doubt in my mind where she learned them.

“You had me locked in a room ?” she shouts at Jayk.

“You did bring food, didn’t you?” Mary Beth asks, her hands knotting anxiously as she looks us over.

My fingers tighten in Jayk’s shirt as I open my mouth to reply... but nothing comes out. How on earth are we supposed to explain this? We’ve had a week, and I still don’t have a single thing to say for myself.

Jayk stands, dropping me on my feet, and Jasper unwinds himself from where he’s seated.

Beau rubs his forehead as he watches Jayk, then cuts a sideways look at Dom. When Dom just stares stubbornly back, Beau huffs in frustration.

Leaving Dom behind, Beau walks to the edge of the stage, his hands spread soothingly. “I know everyone has questions, but it will be easier to explain if we can all remain calm.”

“What the hell did you do?” someone spits.

Over the top of her someone else begs, “Is Madison dead?”

I flinch.

The mutterings are breaking into violent shouts. The civilians have swarmed from their positions and are pooling around the stage.

“No one died,” Jasper says, cool and a little too sharp to be soothing.

Lucky presses into his side, night and day beside one another, and he gives Jasper a nervous smile. “Hey, don’t lie. A whole bunch of Sinners got whacked. That was fun, remember?”

The distress painting the civilians’ faces says plainly that they’re not in the mood for jokes.

I put a restraining hand on Lucky’s arm. “We had some.. . issues.” Everyone keeps talking, shouting , so I raise my voice, hating the desperate edge to it. “Aaron betrayed us.”

“Where is Madison?” June yells back, drowning me out. Fierce and lithely muscular, she looks like she wants to take me out .

Deciding a little caution is never a bad thing, I edge backward into Jayk’s chest. He’s frowning, grim and unsettled.

“Heather was taken captive.” Dom’s deep voice carries over the shouts in a way mine never could, and I pivot to stare at him.

I didn’t expect him to speak up, not after his announcement in the forest.

He uncrosses his arms and looks heavily down at the civilians. “Aaron should never have been there. No one should have been able to break ranks after learning the plan. Cyanide was a failure of leadership at every step?—”

“Stop, Dom,” Beau snaps, ignoring the civilians as they shout questions and demands. “You couldn’t have stopped half of?—”

Dom cuts him off. “Cyanide was my op. Everything that happened— everything —can be traced back to my mistakes. Mine alone. ” A muscle ticks in his jaw. “Which is why I’ve stepped down as leader.”

Stars begin shyly peeking from the gloaming sky, and my throat closes over.

Dom doesn’t blame me for Cyanide. Not for any of it. I should have known he wouldn’t hate me for my mistakes. Dom is harder on himself than he is on anyone around him.

He blames himself .

Lucky’s hand finds mine, and he squeezes it hard. My stomach hollow, I squeeze it back fiercely.

“Heather is Alastair’s hostage and collateral,” Dom continues with brutal, even calm. “We didn’t rescue the targets. Weapons and explosives were confiscated. Bentley was taken hostage too, and Red Zone expects compensation. We also didn’t secure meds, supplies... or food. We lost.”

That draws a beat of deathly silence, and I close my eyes against the blow.

The panic around us is feverish now, and too loud, and they drag at one another like there’s somewhere else to go.

It makes them look different, this fear.

Defending Bristlebrook, they were warriors.

But with reality setting in and cold terror stealing the warmth from the air, it’s easier to see the shadows under their eyes and the hungry hollows in their cheeks.

God. I need to think of something. There has to be a way out of this.

The Sinners. The Reapers. Red Zone. Us . This is all one big chessboard, and we need to start playing a better game.

Jayk shakes his head, taking in the carnage, then stares at Dom with a dark scowl on his face. I can’t even tell if it’s in blame or concern.

The civilians grow louder.

“What are we supposed to do now?”

“You just left Madison there? You son of a bitch. She was our leader. Not you.”

Jasper raises one cutting hand. “She volunteered. We will of course do our best to?—”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“How do we get her back?”

“How far away is winter?”

Ida pats Mary Beth’s arm with a strong, weathered hand and says gravely, “I’m not sure we’ll until winter, dear.”

My gaze bounces from face to face, feeling the panic, the rage. It expands, plumes like the aftermath of a detonation. It clogs the air with choking fear and anger that batters us like stray debris. Kasey’s face is gaunt—all wide, accusing eyes.

We can’t make a deal. We can’t afford not to.

It’s hard to breathe.

A stone launches from the group. It falls short and skitters, clattering between Dom and Beau, who swerve apart, and then Lucky is pulling me back, all sympathy winking out from his face, his pulse hammering at his throat. Jasper grabs his rifle, backing up so he’s in front of both of us.

Jayk curses, and to my surprise, he rounds on us. “All of you, get the fuck out of here. You’re making it worse.”

Lucky stares at Jayk. “Did you just give us orders?” He gives me a doubtful look before Jayk can reply. “Can he do that?”

“No! He can’t,” Beau bursts out. His teeth snap together, and I can practically hear them grind. “He doesn’t get to just declare himself?—”

“He does,” Dom stops him impatiently. His golden eyes flash. “This isn’t a fight, Beau. I gave it up. Let it go.”

Frustration and worry steal over Beau’s features, darkening the glens in his pretty eyes as he looks at his friend.

As much as I’m concerned about Dom too, I have bigger concerns.

I nervously look at the enraged crowd. “Jayk, I don’t think.. .”

Jayk’s face softens, just a fraction. “Just go inside.”

He storms down the steps and Dom gives his back a grim look, then nods at Beau to move.

I hesitate, but Lucky is already herding me off the side of the stage. The others follow, coming up behind us right as Jayk is swallowed by the mass of furious, terrified women.