Page 77 of Lucie
“Or is your motive to ultimately get rid of everyMutahyou can find?” Lucien probed.
“You never figured on us discovering your ruse. You never thought your fake battle lord would come across us, either, did you? That’s why you acted so indignant when you cameunannounced into my tent and demanded we keep moving west. It was so we’d miss each other in passing. But because we’d pitched camp, you realized we might encounter each other, and you started to panic,”Yulensurmised. “There are no survivors in Green River, are there? Are you evenfromGreen River?”
“Is there even a Green River compound at all?”Mastinadded.
Anotherthought from out of nowhere struck him, and Lucien took a step closer to the emissary. “That man who escapedWhiterockto let us know the Bloods were there.Durrow. He was part of this scheme, too, wasn’t he? But you had him ordered killed to prevent him from saying anything, didn’t you? So who slit his throat? You or one of your guards?”
Pechardcast a hateful look at Lucien, whichanswered at least some of their questions.Yulenstepped back in disgust.
“You cast your die with us when your fake friend tried to make a run from the Bloods, and ended up on their dinner table instead. You never anticipated the shit would get this deep. You were thinking your friend and his men would be able to overcome us, or at least provide enough of a diversion to allow youto get away and join up with him later, didn’t you?
“So what’s your plan now,Pechard? In the event I chose to keep going because I’d given my word to help out your fake compound, what were you going to do when we supposedly got there and didn’t find anything?”
“There’s a compound there,” the man finally admitted.
“And probably in the same state of abandonmentand decay as this one,” Lucien surmised.
Pechardwent silent again, confirming the young man’s guess.
Yulengave a wave of dismissal. “Bind him and his two henchmen. They’ll be our prisoners until we return home.”
The emissary was lifted to his feet and almost dragged out of the dining hall, when he yelled back over his shoulder, “At least thatMutahbitchof yours got what was coming to her!”The soldiers hurried him outside before he could say more, butYulenknew the man would be informed that ifAttydied, or ended up Damaged, he’d sealed his death warrant.
Mastingrunted, then turned toYulen. “Are we going to check out Green River, just to be certain?”
“I haven’t decided,” he admitted.
“Don’t forgetboom, boom, boom,” Lucien mentioned. “What did he say? There were nine of them in a row?”
“I say it was all a ploy,” the second remarked. “If they couldn’t get rid of you here in Schutz Ridge, then he hoped for better luck when we reached Green River. If not Green River, he’d play on your sympathy to go on to the next compound. Then the next, if thereareany. He’d keep playing onyour good will to make you push onward until we caved or got wiped out.”
“Sir!” A soldier ran into the room from the main doors. Pausing briefly, he waved an arm and pointed outside. “They’re back!”
