Page 35 of Harmless
“I get it, Devin. I really do.” I brought both hands up now, palms out toward him. “She’s hurt you, and you want revenge. I completely understand, and I’m willing to let you have it.” My heart kicked a furious beat in my chest while I tried to focus on Devin’s face instead of his knives. I knew exactly how deadly he was with those. “But I’m asking you to look at the big picture here. If she dies, more women just like her will continue to mistreat innocent men, just like you two. It won’t stop with her, Devin. Do you understand?”
He didn’t answer, but there was a tiny flicker in his expression. I would have missed it if I blinked. Devin wasn’t a dumb guy, he wouldn’t have survived being a gladiator this long if he was. He had to see my reasoning, and I could only hope that some thread of rational thinking was breaking through all the hurt and aggression clouding his judgment.
Finally, his dark eyes lifted to meet those of the man standing behind me. “You in favor of this?” he asked Santos.
“I trust Rori.” Well, if that didn’t make me swell with satisfaction. “I agree that Nella needs to be questioned. But once Rori has the information she needs...maybe we can work out a deal.”
Devin’s gaze returned to me, snide and resentful. “So I’ll have your permission to kill her after you’re done? Should I be grateful for this?”
“You can feel however you want,” I told him. “But yes, I’m in charge, so you’ll need my permission. And I’m willing to make a promise to you now, with conditions.”
“Of course,” Devin scoffed.
“If you give me your word that you’ll give her a swift death—no torture or rape—I’ll hand her over to you after I’m done with her.”
“Torture or rape?” Devin’s lip curled like those words were the most distasteful he’d ever heard. “What kind of person do you think I am?”
“I have no idea. All I know is you’re a gladiator. But I’m willing to make a bargain with you, Devin. So there’s my offer.” I folded my arms, relaxing now that I’d gotten him to think a little more rationally. “You can have your kill, a clean kill, if you can wait for me to question her. What do you say?”
There was a long silence, during which Devin’s eyes went Santos again. After an eternity, he said, “Fine. I agree.”
I sagged with relief and felt Santos do the same behind me. “Thank you. Now how would you like to leave this place?”
Devin holstered his knives into his belt. “What was your name again?”
“Aurora. But I go by Rori.”
“Like the aurora borealis,” Santos chimed in, hoisting Nella up by her arms so she could walk—or rather, limp—out of the cavern with us.
“The what-now?” Devin fell in behind Santos and Nella while I led the way out.
“You know, the northern lights. They light up the sky way up north where it’s fucking cold all the time.”
Devin made a scoffing sound. Then he muttered something that sounded like, “The light and the guard.”
“What was that?” I glanced over my shoulder as we came up to the tunnel’s exit.
“Nothing,” Devin called back. “Just something I heard once.”
13
SANTOS
After getting her stab wound treated, Nella was hogtied and thrown in the bed of a pickup truck, which was damn satisfying to see. She wouldn’t be tortured or abused, but nobody gave a shit about making her ride comfortable.
Once the canyon was ransacked and everyone’s injuries patched up, we loaded up and headed for the safe houses. And for the first time in my life, I rode a motorcycle.
Well, hung on the back of one, rather. I got paired up with Torr while Devin rode with Rori’s cousin, Carter. Rori led the pack, her ride occupied only by her. When everyone figured out where they were sitting or riding, Rori raised her arm straight in the air, whistled so loudly that it echoed across the landscape, stomped her foot down against the side of her bike, then tore off with a roar.
Everyone followed in a steady procession. Torr’s bike jolted forward, prompting me to tighten my hold around his waist. He gave me a little pat on my hand and I laughed, flipping him off.
Once I got used to the speed at which we were moving, felt the wind racing across my skin, it hit me like a brick wall.
We were out. Fucking out. We were free.
The thought was just as overwhelming as it was liberating. I hadn’t seen the outside world in years. Hadn’t just…done whatever the hell I wanted in years. I felt like a child surrounded by toys, not knowing which one to pick. The fact that I was completely free now left me paralyzed.
I didn’t even knowwhatI could do anymore. How much had the world changed since I’d been captured? I’d been a criminal before. It was all I knew. One thing was certain—there was always a living to be made as a mercenary. But I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do that anymore, not that it’d been much of a want in the first place but a necessity. I needed to survive, and my first job fell into my lap at 19. Turned out, I was good at it. So I kept doing it.
