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“You know about the gangs, right?”
“Some things, yeah. Not their secret handshakes or anything, but I’ve picked up some stuff.”
“Is it true about The Hive? Is it the largest gang?”
“By far, yeah.”
“Can the hornet be trusted?” she whispers.
“Vin?” I chuckle. “No.”
She frowns. “He’s your friend, though, right? You trust him.”
“Yes and no. It depends what you’re trusting him with.”
She squares her shoulders and sits back from me. “That’s between him and I.”
I laugh. I don’t mean to laugh in her face, but it’s fu
“Why are you laughing?” she asks indignantly.
I put my hand over my eyes briefly, shaking my head. “I don’t know. It’s not particularly fu
“Why not?”
I lower my hand and look her in the eyes. “I’ll ask you again; what do you want to talk to Vin about?”
She doesn’t answer.
“That right there is why.” I tell her. “I’m not going to take you to him. What if you say something ridiculous and he never lets me hear the end of it? I can’t live with that, Lexy.”
“It’s not ridiculous.” she says hotly. “It’s actually very important.”
I shake my head. “I have zero faith in humanity. You need to prove it or go to him yourself. Or are you scared to do that?”
When she looks away I know that’s what it is. All of the rumors they tell these people about the gangs has her terrified to speak to him alone. She won’t go near him without me and that’s a huge problem for her because I don’t trust her enough to take her anywhere near him with ‘very important’ topics.
***
“You cock blocking me, Kitten?”
I sigh. “Given the chance, yes I would. But I don’t think she wants that kind of conversation with you.”
“One never knows what lies in the interiors of a woman’s heart.” he muses, swirling his hand elegantly through the air, looking at me with half-lidded eyes. “What desires reside within.”
I look at Nats. She’s smiling and shaking her head over her eggs.
“What is this?” I ask her. “What is he doing?”
“Pressing your buttons.” she chuckles. “Give her a break, Vin.”
“Fine.” he groans, sitting forward. “What do you think she wants?”
“I don’t know yet, but whatever it is, she wants it from you and only you.”
“Gotta be something to do with The Hive. We’re all from the outside but if she’s looking for me specifically, it’s the only thing that sets me apart.”
“Is there anything she could want that they’d actually be willing to give her?”
“Not likely.” he laughs. “And it doesn’t matter. Once I’m outta here, I’m never coming back so whatever she wants, I’m not the guy to deliver.”
“We’re never coming back.” Nats corrects, glaring at him.
“Right, yeah. Sorry. Once we’re out, we’re never coming back.”
I look to Nats. “Is he going to…”
“Double cross us? Probably.”
I shake my head at him. “Nice.”
“Nothing’s been decided yet.” he says dismissively.
“That’s your defense?”
Nats shrugs. “At least he’s honest.”
“Don’t give him points for that.” I jab my finger in his gri
“Is there a problem here?”
Caroline. That woman’s voice could give me a cavity. She’s standing directly behind me and tell me that’s not intentional on her part. She knows about my issues with personal space and right now she’s crowding it hard, her hands taking hold of the back of my chair and brushing my back. I suppress a shiver.
“We’re fine, Caroline.” Vin says, looking at her hard.
“Are you sure?” She leans her weight on her hands on the back of my chair. I can feel her body closing in on mine. I have to grit my teeth to keep from screaming. “It was getting awful loud over here.”
“It was a lively discussion.” Vin stands and comes around the table to face her. He pushes into her space, forcing her off my back. “It’s nothing to worry about.”
Caroline laughs falsely. “I never worry about you.”
“Good. I think your girls are looking for you.”
“Hmm. Will you be looking for me later?”
“Ugh.” I groan.
Vin puts his hand on my shoulder and squeezes hard. I shut my trap.
“No.” he says firmly.
The silence coming from behind me is deafening. I look to Nats but she’s carefully pretending she doesn’t hear or see any of this so I try to do the same. It’s hard though with Vin’s Kung Fu grip on my shoulder.
“Are you sure about that?”
Vin doesn’t answer.
“Interesting choice.” Caroline whispers.
I feel fingers thread through my hair, pulling it gently. Vin’s hand tightens on my shoulder. It would probably hurt if I weren’t a statue made of solid stone, frozen in place. Seconds pass and I feel it when Caroline leaves, even before Vin loosens his hold on me. I take a deep breath. Some of the tension leaves me but there’s so much, too much, and I don’t know how long it will be until I come down entirely.
“Vin.” Nats says softly.
“I know.” He puts his free hand on my other shoulder so he’s holding both of them. He rubs them gently like a massage but I don’t even think he knows he’s doing it. “I made a mistake.”
“Sleeping with Satan?” I mumble.
“For starters.” Nats answers. “You should probably take your hands off her. You’ll only make it worse.”
Vin jerks his hands off my shoulders as though I’d burned him. “You’re right. Hell. Sorry, Kitten.”
“It’s alright.” I turn around to look up at him. His face is dark, troubled. “What mistake did you make?”
“I touched you to shut you up but she took it wrong.”
“She thinks you’re the reason she won’t be seeing him tonight. You’re back on her radar.”
“Oh come on.” I moan.
“I said I was sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Fat lot of good that will do me when there’s a knife in my neck.”
His troubled expression shifts to angry. “If you’d kept your mouth shut it wouldn’t have happened.”
“That chick makes me ill, okay? I couldn’t keep quiet. You’re lucky I didn’t lose my di
“She’s right, Vin.”
“Shut up, both of you.” he barks. “I apologized twice already, what do you want?”
“No,” I correct him. “You said you were sorry and you referenced the sorry, but you did not apologize twice. I’ll take extra groveling. Let’s have it.”
“Not go
“No points!”
Chapter Fifteen
A week goes by and I have no problems with Caroline. That actually bothers me. She’s sitting back, waiting for something, but for what I’m not sure. If she’s waiting for me to drop my guard, she’s testing the wrong girl. I’ve lived the majority of my life on the outside where everyone and everything is trying to kill me all day every day. My guard doesn’t know how to drop.
Lexy starts avoiding me so I work with some of the other women in the sewing room. They’re alright, but Lexy bothers me. I guess whatever she wanted wasn’t so important or she’d be pushing the issue. I’m left feeling kind of disappointed and very a
“Joss.”
I hear my name whispered as I’m leaving the cafeteria to start my work shift. When I glance around, I find Amber in a dark doorway to the kitchen waving me to her.
“Hey, what’s up?” I say, walking over.
“Shh.” she whispers, glancing around. “Come on, hurry. Before someone sees.”
I follow obediently into the kitchen to find the whole crew there tucked in the back corner around a small table. The previous work crew is still buzzing around like their shift isn’t ending.