Love and Decay, Episode Nine Read online

  “I don’t want his story, Tyler. I want yours. How did you manage to get away from your daddy?” He said “daddy” like it was both the sickest word he’d ever said as well as the most amusing.

  “I ran away, asshole.”

  So obviously they weren’t childhood best friends or anything.

  “And you brought your brother with you?” Now he sounded completely disbelieving.

  “I wasn’t going anywhere without Miller. You should know that.”

  “Not Miller, Sweetheart. Your other brother.”

  Kane made a sound of disgust but it ended on a wince of pain. I glanced over at him, at the sickly green pallor of his skin and down at his thigh that had started to bleed again under the pressure he was helplessly putting on it.

  “Kane followed us,” she admitted in a defeated tone. “He caught up to us in Tulsa and was all banged up and about to be Feeder food. My traveling companions had mercy on him.”

  “And you let them?”

  “I’m not exactly the majority.”

  Gage seemed to take that in and then ask, “How did you meet up with them in the first place?”

  “They were… guests… of my daddy’s,” she said with obvious derisiveness.

  Gage chuckled along with his henchmen. “Must not have taken too kindly to your daddy’s way of welcoming his guests.”

  “Something like that,” she confirmed. “But they got me out. That’s all that matters.”

  “And then let Kane catch right back up to you,” Gage pointed out.

  To which we all groaned.

  “Believe me when I say they are equally as anxious to get rid of him.” She met Gage’s eyes and then I watched her gaze flicker to me.

  Gage seemed to take that in at the same time he took me in. I suddenly felt like I was up on an auction block. I leaned into Hendrix and laid my head on his shoulder. Hendrix took the cue and pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

  Gage snorted, “No harm, brother. Just trying to understand the situation.”

  Tyler let out a short laugh in reply to that and then said, “And now that you do, it’s about time you let us up off this hard ass ground and showed us some hospitality.”

  “Fine,” Gage agreed. “But you come in weaponless.” He motioned for us to stand and as a whole we struggled to our feet- all except for Kane who couldn’t seem to put pressure on his bad leg. Gage looked him over and said, “And I’m keeping him in lockdown. Injured or not, I don’t trust you, you slimy bastard.”

  Kane spit on Gage’s shoe and snarled at him. I gasped when Gage kicked out that same foot and caught Kane forcefully in his still-bare chest.

  Kane crumpled backward, wheezing for breath but not making another sound.

  “Come on y’all,” Gage called in a much more pleasant voice. “We won’t even make you strip naked in the middle of the road.”

  That was clearly a dig at Matthias’s system. Curiosity was blaring through my head. What was the relationship with Tyler and this guy? Between her father’s settlement and this one?

  At least they seemed to be somewhat friendly with Tyler.

  And now that there weren’t guns pointed at us, I started to feel a tiny bit of relief. I took my first full breath in over an hour and stomped out my tingling feet. Could this possibly be safe? They just had a gun at Page’s head.

  I looked over at Tyler and raised my eyebrows at her. She shrugged one shoulder and explained, “We’ll be fine for the night. I bet they’ll even feed us.”

  “How do you know them?” Vaughan asked immediately and with a stern edge to his voice. He walked over to Page and pulled her against him.

  “Gage is from my hometown. He split when my dad took over. He hates my dad,” she said all this casually and then threw in, “But sometimes they still do business. Come on, y’all. We really will be safe for tonight. He’s not going to hurt us as long as we’re not affiliated with The Colony. And we’re not.” She looked back at her brother who was still sprawled out on the ground. “Well, most of us aren’t.”

  She took Miller’s hand and led the way into the building. Everyone followed her except me, well and Hendrix how stayed back to watch me.

  I walked over to Kane and held out my hand to him. There were a lot of things I’d become in the last two years, but I was not callous enough to leave an injured man lying on the ground.

  He took my help and we both struggled until he was standing. He put his big hand on my shoulder and I helped him hobble toward the building.

  Just quietly enough so no one else could hear, he asked, “Is our deal still in place?”

  “What do you mean?” My heart thumped in my chest. I had this sense that I was making a deal with the devil, but maybe it was worth it this time. Maybe the payoff would be worth it.

  “Keep me alive and I’ll leave you alone.”

  “I can only keep you alive to the best of my ability, Kane,” I reminded him. “I don’t know what Gage is going to do to you.”

  “That’s exactly my deal, Reagan. I can only leave you alone to the best of my ability.”

  Silence fell between us. I didn’t dare respond to that and I didn’t agree to help him- although I knew I would. I wasn’t going to let him be executed by his father’s rival- no matter how much I hated him.

  Anyway, I was starting to hate my moral compass more than him or his dad.

  It was frustrating and debilitating to have ethics. Gah!

  I met Hendrix’s stare as we approached and then dumped Kane into him. “I’m going to need those flowers and candies ASAP,” I warned him.

  “Yeah?” he grinned at me. “I thought I watched you panic earlier. You sure you’re ready for all that?”

  “I’m ready to be reminded there is something good left in this world.” I sounded cynical even to my own ears.

  “Oh there’s something good left, Reagan.” Kane was still between us- which felt a little metaphorical, but I ignored that. Still, Hendrix’s words washed over me with promise and hope and I fell into them ready to embrace every feeling, thought and promise he had waiting for me. “And we’re just beginning to discover how good it is.”

  I smiled because I couldn’t stop it, because I couldn’t help myself. Hendrix was a good thing; he was my good thing. I needed a break, but maybe it could be emotional instead of physical.

  Maybe his confession would bring the soul-deep rest I craved.

  It was something to hope for. And I desperately needed help.

  And a good night’s sleep- which I might just get tonight.

  As bleak and terrible as my day started out, things were officially looking up.

  Even after all that death and decay, even after the blood, guts and gore, I had something to smile about, something to be excited for.

  No matter how ugly and deranged this world became, I had some of the best things left in life to hope for.

  And that was worth living for.

  Look for Episode 10 coming Friday, October 31th, 2013

  About the Author

  Rachel Higginson was born and raised in Nebraska, but spent her college years traveling the world. She married her high school sweetheart and spends her days raising their growing family. She is obsessed with bad reality TV and any and all Young Adult Fiction.

  Look for more from Rachel in 2013.

  The remaining episodes of this novella series will be released twice a month. Look for Episode 10 coming October 31st, 2013.

  Other books by Rachel to be released in 2013 are Sunburst, the second book in the Starbright Series, The Relentless Warrior, the sixth book in The Star-Crossed Series and The Fall, the second book in the Siren Series.

  Other Books Out Now by Rachel Higginson:

  Love and Decay, Episode One

  Love and Decay, Episode Two

  Love and Decay, Episode Three

  Love and Decay, Episode Four

  Love and Decay, Episode Five

  Love and Decay, Episode Six

  Love and
Decay, Episode Seven

  Love and Decay, Episode Eight

  Reckless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 1)

  Hopeless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 2)

  Fearless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 3)

  Endless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 4)

  The Reluctant King (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 5)

  Starbright (The Starbright Series, Book 1)

  Sunburst (The Starbright Series, Book2)

  The Rush (The Siren Series, Book 1)

  Bet in the Dark (An NA Contemporary Romance)

  Follow Rachel on her blog at:

  www.rachelhigginson.com

  Or on Twitter:

  @mywritesdntbite

  Or on her Facebook pages:

  Rachel Higginson

  Or

  Reckless Magic