Chapter 9
Eventually, Asha had to admit that she was still injured and exhausted.
Cade led her down the short hallway by the kitchen, which led to a small bathroom with a dry toilet and cracked bathtub, a small bedroom with dumbbells and a homemade punching bag hanging from the ceiling, and a larger master bedroom with a big, squishy-looking bed, covered in animal furs.
Asha balked. “There’s…only one bed?”
Cade chuckled. “Considering I lived alone until a couple hours ago, yeah. That a problem, darling?”
She bit her lip. It was a problem, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how uncomfortable it made her. She was nothing if not stubborn.
“No,” she replied, tossing her head. “Not at all. Hope you like loud snoring, though, because that’s all I do all night, every night.”
He laughed. “Looking forward to it. It’ll be a nice break from the sound, peaceful sleep I usually get.”
There was obvious irony in his tone, making her wonder if he rarely slept. It wouldn’t surprise her; he always seemed hyper-aware of everything happening around him, those grey eyes always surveying. That level of vigilance would keep anyone awake.
Cade had briefly shown her the backyard, which contained more dumbbells and weights, as well as a small archery range with a homemade target and two arrows sticking out of it, both in the bullseye position.
There was also a workbench in the corner with what looked like more arrows, in various stages of the creation process.
Most impressive, however, was the makeshift obstacle course set up in a circle around the yard, using random everyday objects.
“For training,” Cade said, catching her staring at it. “We have a better course at the training yard, but I like to have my own, too.”
“And the arrows?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
He shrugged. “Can’t waste valuable ammo on hunting, so we use bows. Ammo is for conflict only.”
She wasn’t sure why he’d hunt for himself, seeing that the gang had its own team of hunters. When she asked, he smiled.
“I’m sure you’ve noticed that the rations are nothing to write home about,” he answered, “and maintaining this physique for combat—” he gestured at his muscular form, “—requires a lot more protein and calories than our rations provide. Same for the rest of the Blackguard. So, we hunt to meet our needs.”
Asha’s eyes flicked over that high-maintenance physique one more time, unable to help herself.
His body was like a feat of engineering; it was so precisely built.
He wasn’t like the bodybuilders of the Old World.
He probably didn’t have a six-pack, or muscles so well-defined that you could see every quiver they made.
But he was big, and solid, and his every movement exuded the strength, power, and sheer effortlessness that only came from years of daily training.
Thinking about how disciplined he must be shouldn’t have made her admire him, but damn it, it did. He was a smartass when he wanted to be, but he was also always completely in control, and it was hotter than she wanted to admit.
Eager to distract herself from her confusing feelings, she asked, probably more aggressively than necessary, “So, how does this work, day to day? Am I your prisoner now, instead of Angel’s? Are there going to be shackles? Chains? Or will you just force me to do your laundry?”
Cade rolled his eyes, but he looked like he was holding in a laugh. “You’re free to come and go as you like, but I wouldn’t recommend roaming the Nest alone. I don’t trust any of the men beyond Leo and Dom, and neither should you.”
“Mission accomplished, I hate all of you,” Asha replied blithely, and this time, he did laugh. She liked the sound of it—deep, full, and gravelly—though she’d never admit it. “So, I should stay at the house? What do you do with your days?”
“Training, in between missions,” he replied, moving to the workbench and picking up a half-finished arrow. “When I’m on a mission, I’m usually gone for a few days to a few weeks at a time. During that time, you’ll be free to do what you want, but some chores would be—”
“You’ll just leave me here?” she said, panic seeping into her voice.
He stopped short, frowning. His gaze pierced through her again in that revealing way she didn’t like, and he made a hmph sound.
“I thought you’d be pleased,” Cade said with a shrug. “A minute ago, you said you hated us all. You’ll be provided for, the same as before, with gang rations. You can spend time with Lana, or the other women. You seem to like them more.”
Did she imagine it, or was there the tiniest hint of hurt in his voice?
Fuck your feelings. This is about survival.
“You can’t leave me here,” Asha spat out, folding her arms. Anger was her veneer over the terror that now pulsed hideously in every part of her body.
“You just got back, and what happened while you were gone? I’ll give you a hint: Angel raped me with a broken bottle, and I nearly passed out on the infirmary doorstep before Leo even knew I was there. ”
Cade flinched as if she’d struck him. His jaw clenched, and his whole body seemed suddenly tense.
“I’ve claimed you now,” he answered tightly. “He’ll leave you alone.”
She laughed bitterly. “If you believe that, you’re more na?ve than I thought. Angel has no moral code, even within his own ranks. If he wants me, and you’re not here as a deterrent, he won’t care.”
She took a step towards him, trying to look braver than she felt. “You got me into this. You can’t just abandon me now.”
Cade glowered at her. “If I wanted to abandon you, I wouldn’t have bothered speaking up for you at the slave market.”
She could tell he was irritated now, but she wouldn’t back down.
“You could’ve let me go,” she gritted out. “We had a bargain. I give you my body, and you give me your protection. Leaving me here is not protection, Cade.”
“So, what am I supposed to do?” he burst out, throwing down the unfinished arrow on the table. “Take you with me into dangerous situations, with half the Wasteland’s most wanted? That’s not protection either, but those are my only options.”
Asha walked right up to him, lifting herself to her full height.
He was still a head taller than her, but she didn’t care.
Their faces an inch apart, she stared directly into his intense, perceptive eyes, arms folded, and murmured, low and menacing, “Not my problem, soldier. Figure it the fuck out.”
His eyes lit up at her challenge. They stared at each other, neither willing to break eye contact.
A moment passed between them, then two. She could feel tension emanating off him in waves, could feel his warm breath tickle her face.
There was a strange pull between them, and she hated how good it felt.
Finally, Cade said, in a near-whisper, “I’ll handle it. But you may not like my solution, darling.”
The tension broke, and he moved back to his workbench, deliberately turning away from her. She let out a long breath, wondering at the sudden heat between them.
“Rest now,” he commanded. “I’ll wake you when it’s time for the meeting tonight.”
Asha napped fitfully in Cade’s bed that afternoon. The fur blankets were warm, but the worn linen sheets smelled like him, and it made her uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable? Is that what we’re calling it? she needled herself. You’re just mad that the guy you supposedly hate for trapping you here is fucking hot.
When Cade came to wake her, the light outside had dimmed, and the evening air was chilly on her skin. She shivered as she got up, and he wordlessly offered her a jacket from his closet.
“Oh,” she said, surprised. “Thank you.”
She slipped her arms into the sleeves, which were black wool and very warm.
“Where did you get this?” she asked.
“Made in the Settlements,” Cade replied, sounding distracted. “Like most of what we have at the Nest.”
He carried a black bag beside him. She could hear something rolling around inside when he moved.
“What’s in the bag?”
Cade smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “A message.”
She frowned. “What do you mean? What kind of message?”
“The only kind of message a guy like Angel understands,” he answered, and her blood chilled. “Don’t worry about it.”
That definitely means you should worry about it. Just so we’re clear.
“Are you ready?” he asked, heading for the door. “It’s time to go.”
She nodded nervously, pulling his jacket tighter around herself as she followed him out of the house and back toward the clubhouse.
As usual, the party was in the courtyard, and she bit her lip to keep flashbacks of the last meeting they’d had here.
The horror she’d felt, knowing Cade would leave her to the wolves that roamed this place.
The pain and humiliation she’d suffered in the aftermath.
She was afraid of what Angel might do.
The bonfire reached sky-high just as before, and there was music and dancing already in progress when they arrived.
Angel sat indulgently on his ugly throne, surveying his subjects with all the interest of a cat watching flies.
There was always something predatory in his gaze, no matter who he was looking at.
For a moment, she thought they would slip in unnoticed, and that Angel would ignore their presence. Instead, he slowly turned his head, and upon seeing them, his mouth curled into a small, sick little smile that turned Asha’s stomach.
As if Cade sensed her unease, he wrapped a hand around her elbow.
“Cade!” Angel boomed, his tone jubilant. “You made it back. And from what I hear, Rockland is mine now. That true?”
Cade tensed, and Asha tried to look anywhere but at Angel. The party fell silent.
“It’s true,” Cade finally replied. He sounded like the words caused him physical pain. “We took Rockland. We have a new weapons supplier, and a new source for product.”
Lana had informed her that product meant drugs. Asha grimaced. Filling the Settlements with drugs was probably one of the ways they kept them under control, if she had to guess.
“Impressive,” Angel said, eyebrows raised. “And you did it in the two-week timeframe. I guess Asha’s yours now…if you still want her.”
He looked to the men of his inner circle and gave a cruel laugh. “Now that she’s been rode hard and put back dirty.”
Asha cheeks flamed with a shame she knew she shouldn’t feel, but it crept up on her nonetheless, like the ivy that slowly but surely infiltrated the exposed nooks and crannies of every building in this place. It got into the soft, vulnerable parts of her that she didn’t know how to protect.
Cade froze, every muscle in his body taut. His jaw worked as he reached into his black bag and withdrew the object inside. In one smooth motion, he tossed it in a tall, wide arc. It landed just shy of Angel’s feet and bounced, then rolled until it just kissed the toe of Angel’s boot.
“She’s mine now,” Cade said, his voice smooth as silk, yet somehow more menacing than if he’d yelled. “Here’s a reminder of what happens to those who take what belongs to me. Consider it next time you want to come after her. Goodnight.”
He pulled on Asha’s elbow, leading her away from the spectacle, but not before she caught a glimpse of Angel’s face. He looked dumbfounded as his eyes traveled downward toward the thing at his feet. As he nudged it with his toe, there was a collective gasp.
On the shrivelled grass at Angel’s feet, there lay a severed head, its mouth hanging open uselessly, and its eyes half-closed. Yet even death could not erase the look of shock from the corpse’s features; its facial muscles were lax, yet somehow still frozen in alarm. A chill went down Asha’s spine.
The head belonged to Dax, Angel’s doorman.