Page 92 of Awry
Doc opens her mouth, then looks to Rath, her eyes widening almost comically.
Presh’s cellphone pings.Squealing again, but happily this time, she tugs it out of her hoodie pocket.“It’s Zaya!She says I can come by this afternoon!”
Rath mutters under his breath, reaching for his discarded T-shirt, then realizing it’s still soaking wet.
“Under no fucking circumstances,” Reck snaps, “will you —”
“I’ll drive you,” I say, cutting off my bossy fucking brother’s rant.
“Absolutely fucking not,” Reck snarls.“Even if she’s who she says she is —”
“She is,” Rath says wearily.
“She’s fucking poison —”
“That’s why you were hiding the photo?”I ask, being a complete asshole about it.
Reck snaps his mouth shut, eyeing Doc and Presh.Taking the hint, Doc tugs Presh with her through the door.Presh is still grinning at her phone, texting back to Zaya.She glances up at me after hitting send.“You’ll drive?”
I nod.“I’ll come up to the house for breakfast and sort out the timing.Then I’ll grab a couple of hours of sleep.”
“You don’t leave the property, the main house, Presh,” Rath says wearily.“Again.Not without a guard.”
Presh juts her chin out, but then smartly takes her win and keeps her mouth shut.
We all wait until the door closes behind Presh and Doc.Then Rath very deliberately leans over to my keyboard and sends the picture of Zaya to his phone.It pings, and he accepts it.I had no idea he knew my systems well enough to do such a thing.But the picture is pretty fucking motivating.
Reck appears to be imagining what it would be like to murder the both of us.“Start talking,” he snarls.
Rath just looks back at him, all detached and in control again.“It’s you who has things to tell us.”
“It’s just a fucking memento,” Reck spits.“It means nothing.”
Rath folds his arms across his bare chest, ignoring that the bullet wound has got to hurt when pulled like that.He leans back against my workstation.It groans under his weight.“The unaffiliated bikers you just illegally interrogated?Start talking.”
Lip curled in a vicious snarl, Reck makes it up onto his feet, then leans over to open the upended pizza box and swipe a slice.He mows through it, speaking around bites.“The Cataclysm is making all sorts of promises to locals, most of whom have recently relocated, and who’ve either been rejected by the Outcast or are still pending review.”
“To what end?”Rath asks.
Reck sneers at our brother, always so fucking superior.“Looking for a foothold in Cascadia, of course.”
“That’s obvious,” Rath says coolly.“To what end.”
“Why don’t you ask your little Tempest?”Reck mocks.
I snort.“There is no way Zaya is involved with the Cataclysm.”
Reck shrugs, snagging the last piece of pizza.“Lots of movement on the board.”
“The Conduit is above the game,” I say.
Reck shakes his head at me.“You’re as deluded as ever.”
“I don’t think he is.”Rath’s tone is still cool.But much deadlier.“I expect your full report on your conversation in an hour.Did you leave them alive?”
“I don’t fucking answer to you.”
“It’s either me or the Outcast.You pick.”Rath turns his back on Reck, picking up the overturned stool and settling down beside me.“Now get the fuck out.Because we certainly don’t owe you anything.”He runs a hand over his face and speaks to me, all even-keeled again.“Run me through what happened to Presh, Rought.All of it, in order.”
