Page 11 of The Hero Within
Two days down.
Twelve to go.
She just had to surmount this first hurdle. Once they found a guide, they'd be one step closer to a cure.
Even if Creepy Pants in front of her was giving her vibes. Bad vibes.
CJ will protect you. And if he can't, then you can make Black Tom realize you don't just know how to set bones.
Thanks to a certain protective older brother who'd taught her how to punch and shoot.
"My friend's waiting for me at the Blue Moon." CJ had wanted to come, but the whole damned town was rife with warg dogs. The enormous brindled beasts were bred for hunting the wargs and shadow cats that lurked in the Rim, and despite the fact CJ wore his amulet, they could smell the warg on him. The second they entered the town, the dogs had started barking and she didn't want anyone growing too curious about why.
Plus, she'd gotten a flat on her bike, and someone had to fix it.
"So why Cortez City? You trading with the Confederacy?" Black Tom sounded interested.
Sure, buddy. All the better for you to rob us when we try to cross back?The more he opened his mouth, the more he gave her the creeps.
But she'd spent two hours trawling this godforsaken town looking for a guide, and Black Tom was the only one who'd volunteered.
CJ could decide.
"Not exactly." Eden brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "They have something I want."
"Something you want...." Black Tom paused at an intersection, his murky green eyes raking the small shanties that surrounded them. "This way, sweet cakes. It's a shortcut to your friend."
Sweet cakes?Her eyes popped out of her head. No way. "It's Eden. Eden McClain. I'd prefer it if you used my name." She propped her hands on her hips. "And I think I'd rather stick to the main street."
Black Tom's grin seemed oily, but he held his hands up. "Sure. Sure. Just thought you was in a hurry."
I am.
He turned and strode on. Despite the name—Main Street—she couldn't help growing aware of how few people were out and about in the heat of the afternoon. A wizened old woman watched them with wary eyes as she clipped faded washing to a line, but there was no one else out. And if she cried out, Eden had the feeling no one would come running.
Eden's fingers grew damp, as she brushed them against the Taser at her hip. "So how much experience do you have? Have you ridden the Divide before?"
"Once or twice." He slammed to a halt as a pair of warg dogs burst into the street, fighting viciously over a bone.
The commotion caught her attention. Eden's head turned, tracking the dogs, and suddenly she was staggering back as Black Tom muscled her into a shadowy alley.
Shit. She staggered back into a wall—barely three sheets of tin nailed to a building—and reached for her hip, but Black Tom snatched her wrist.
He slammed his other hand against the wall beside her head, trapping her between his fleshy body and the hard tin. "I'm real fuckin' experienced, sugar tits, but the price suddenly changed." His gaze slid down to her cleavage. "I want the moneyandyou can warm me up of a night...."
Eden took a slow breath.
No point screaming.
No one was coming to help her.
Slipping the Taser from her belt with her other hand, she pressed it against his gut and smiled up at him sweetly. "I am not in the mood, trust me. I'm dealing with a town full of dying people, a niece who's just come down with the plague, and I got a flat on my bike just outside of town." She pushed the Taser in nice and hard, gritting her teeth unpleasantly. "My friends are dying. Mynieceis going to die, unless I get to Cortez City and find a cure, and so you wasting my time? That's really,reallyirritating. The last thing I would do is even look at your disgusting penis, so back off before I make you pee your pants. Deal's off the table."
Black Tom paled, glancing down at the Taser. Holding his hands in the air, he took a step back. "You fucking little bitch."
"And," she said, a little louder, taking a step forward, "if you call me sugar tits or sweet cakes orbitchone more time, then I think I might just zap you for the hell of it."
An enormous hand came up, backhanding her across the face.
