Page 45 of Awry
She darts past me without another look.Which is good, because Reck isn’t totally wrong about Zaya being dangerous.
She always was … unpredictable.But the necklace she now wears is an uber-powerful essence artifact masquerading as a piece of art.Its golden threads stream down from around her neck to twist around a massive raw diamond.Even rough-cut, the pinkish stone must be worth … what?Ten million?Twenty million?
But it’s not the diamond that makes the artifact ultimately priceless.
None of us have laid eyes on the necklace for thirteen years.Not since that night.And it wasn’t hanging around Zaya’s neck then.
“Her aunt’s dead,” Rought murmurs.
Zaya said as much to Grinder.
I’m not functioning.Not going to be able to function.
“She’s come into her inheritance.”Rought touches Zaya’s cheek reverently.
“No.”I manage to make my brain, my mouth work.“That wasn’t supposed to happen for at least another century.Her aunt told her —”
“You aren’t fucking believing this shit?”Reck howls.“Him, I understand.He’s been fucked in the head since she died!Living like some monk, like she was a fucking saint to worship in the afterlife.Like she was worth —”
“Enough,” I say quietly.The undertone of violence in the air is solidifying, mostly around Reck.“The three of us fighting isn’t going to sort it out.”
“I have a team coming,” Reck says, pulling out his phone.“I needed to call in a specialist to contain her.”
Rought bares his teeth.“You believe what you want, Reck.You’ve always made up shit to suit your needs, to justify your actions.But your team will have to go through me to get to her.”
“Don’t be a fucking idiot.”
“You don’t have any grounds to detain her, Reck,” I say, trying to keep calm.The Authority’s presence is barely tolerated in Outcast territory.I don’t want to get into yet another pissing contest.We don’t need our uncle intervening.Dealing with the sperm donor regarding Presh and the very dead Breaker is going to be charged enough.Especially if Chains doesn’t surface soon, hopefully in my custody.
“I’ll label it a preemptive collection.We can sort out her diplomatic immunity …” — he sneers that last part with utter disdain and disbelief — “… in a containment cell.”
Rought laughs again.
But it’s not really a laugh.It’s more of a declaration of pending destruction.I haven’t heard anything that biting and forthright from him since the last time he stood between Zaya and —
“I’d like to see you try to hold her, asshole,” Rought snarls.
“Then watch me.”Reck doesn’t bother looking up from the text he’s sending.
Rought shakes his head, just once, utterly dismissive.Then he settles his gaze on Zaya’s face again.
The violence I can taste thickening in the small room instantly fades by fifty percent.
“Never again,” Rought says, quietly but firmly.“I’ll never give her any reason to doubt me, or my ability to protect her, again.”
“You’re fucking deluded,” Reck huffs.“Just as much as you were back then.”
“Leave it,” I say, rubbing my face.I’m ridiculously weary, even though it’s barely past sunset, and it’s still going to take days to sort all this shit out.
Reck abruptly lunges, as if he’s actually going to make a grab for Zaya.And this time, he’s pulled a handheld weapon.
Muta reacts.The snake uncoils, rising four feet straight up off Zaya’s lap with his wickedly sharp fangs bared.
Reck’s hand slashes toward Muta — the weapon is some sort of Taser, sparking with ignited essence-fueled energy.Rought, still holding Zaya in his lap, is going to get caught in the backlash.
I lunge too, grabbing for Reck’s shoulder.
But though we’re all fast on our feet, Reck started moving before I noticed.So I already know I’m not going to get hold of him in time.
