Page 89 of Darkness I Become
She recovered quickly after the shot of Regenerex, the same miracle drug that Asha had once seen in Leo’s medical kit. Despite the wall of ice she’d built around herself, Asha had to admit to herself that Madigan’s sister was cute—the sort of girl she might’ve been attracted to, at a different time.
“What’s your name?” Asha asked her.
“Kimmy,” she replied with a small, warm smile. “I know that you’re Asha. Claire told me about you. I’m glad to see you’re alive and well.”
“Wellmight be stretching it,” Asha replied with a snort. “Evenalivemight be.”
To her surprise, Kimmy giggled. Her laugh was tinkly and sweet, exactly as she looked.
“It might be a stretch for me, too, after all this,” Kimmy said amiably. “But maybe we can help each other.”
Asha fixed Kimmy with a searching look, and to her surprise, Kimmy flushed a little in response and looked away.
She likes me,Asha thought, perplexed.She’s attracted to me.
She had no idea what to do with that information. The sounds of a terse argument between Claire and Madigan carried into the cottage from outside. Asha’s heart sped up in response. If they didn’t let her come along, where would she go?
And at that moment, in her ear, a familiar voice whispered,The only way to survive the darkness is to become its mistress, darling.
Well,hemay not want her along, Asha reflected, but maybe he wasn’t the only one who could make that decision. Maybe there was another person—someone far less bossy and domineering and obnoxious—who could.
So, Asha gave Kimmy her most dazzling smile. “Yeah, maybe we can.”
Chapter 29
Several weeks after Asha’s departure, Cade found himself sitting in a derelict house in the same place he’d first met her—Little River—talking to a rat-like man named Waters, who represented the residents there. Little River was weaker than ever under the leadership of the Skulls, and taking it from them had been easier than he’d expected, given that they were totally incompetent.
“So let me get this straight,” Cade said, murder in his eyes, “Asha was in Little River. And you let her go.”
Waters gulped. “N-not exactly, sir. Wetriedto capture her. But she was with friends who were well-armed.”
“Wait, you tried todetainher?” Cade shot back. A vein was popping in his temple; he was sure of it. “You attacked her?”
Waters backed up a step. “I’m…not sure what you wanted us to do differently, sir. We told her you were looking for her.”
“And what was her response?”
Waters gulped again, looking more uncomfortable than ever. Cade rolled his eyes. He didn’t have time for this weaselly little man.
“I…I believe her exact words were ‘go fuck yourself’, sir,” Waters replied, looking at the floor.
Well, I had that coming, I guess.
Cade massaged his temples. He’d been getting more migraines ever since Asha left. It wasn’t just losing her; it was the incredible stress of keeping the Order off his back, while trying to keep Angel’s small empire intact. Seizing Little River from the Skulls had been a huge headache, but it’d been an effective delaying tactic to avoid sendingslaves to the Order. He’d promised Clyde that after taking over Little River’s slave market—which was larger than any of the markets in the Settlements—they’d be able to supply a higher volume of slaves to meet the Order’s demands. Now that they’d taken it, however, Clyde was getting impatient.
“Where is she now?” he asked, dropping into a chair.
Waters gave him a confused look. “We don’t know, sir. Her friends killed our men, and then took off.”
Cade’s eyes snapped wide. “You’re telling me that two fucking yokels with hunting rifles took down six of your men without even blinking? How is that fucking possible? How thefuckdid you all survive before I turned up?”
By this point, Waters was practically shaking in his well-worn boots. Cade took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He wasn’t used to being so close to the end of his fuse all the time. Since Asha left, his temper had gotten worse. He’d flown off the handle again at Dom the other day over nothing. To Dom’s credit, he didn’t even speak; he merely turned on his heel and walked out, leaving Cade alone.
This is why she left you,he berated himself.Get a fucking grip, soldier.
Maybe that was the problem: he was a soldier, not a politician. Even though taking down Angel had been partly his idea, he’d really had no idea what he was getting himself into. The sheer logistical and ethical nightmare of dealing with five settlements and appeasing the Order’s constant demand for more bodies was undoing him. Trying to fix it wasn’t just difficult; it was proving impossible.
She was right,he thought miserably.Of course she was right. And now she’s gone.
