CHAPTER 20 – Ink
Slink was gone, outside the compound and on his way to find help. David, Niall, and Ace had been able to distract the guards long enough for Slink to find the same break in the fence Hadley had used to get out to Skye. We just needed to hang in there a little longer. If Slink kept up a good pace, he’d be in town in three days. Then, depending on how far away Harrigan and his forces were, it could be anything from a day or two to maybe a week before we had our help. I wasn’t sure we could wait that long. My next NIM run was scheduled for two weeks, and if I was on that truck with Jeze again, I’d kill the bitch. There was also the fact that Slink might not make it to town. Even though he was our only solid chance of getting out of this cluster-fuck of a situation without losing too many innocents, I needed another plan in case Slink didn’t get through.
Leaning against the corner of the wide, open garage I watched as Trigger, Max and a couple of Jebediah’s soldiers unloaded barrels and boxes from the back of the same truck I’d been in on the NIM run. Just glancing at the damn thing made me want to puke my guts up. A heavy fall of snow had descended on the compound overnight, covering everything in pillowed white.
“More supplies?” came a gruff voice from beside me.
Fury was standing with his big arms crossed over his chest. The bruising from the beating he took trying to protect Gracie while I was out of the compound was fading fast. The fact he’d taken a beating for my girl meant I owed him, not that he’d expect that. I wouldn’t forget the fact he’d tried to protect her when I couldn’t.
“Yep, came in this morning. They’re unloading into the basement of the barracks.”
Fury grunted, but kept quiet, one hand playing with his short beard.
Trigger stood and arched his back, laughing at something Max said. He looked so much like the old, carefree Trigger in that moment, but as soon as he glanced my way, the smile disappeared, and his face became a blank mask. He was wearing a shiner from my punch, and it gave me no satisfaction to know I’d left a mark on him.
“What’s his problem?” Fury asked, nodding his head in Trigger’s direction.
“No idea, but he’s not privy to our inner circle at the moment.”
The inner circle was myself, Fury, Max, Henry, Charlie, and Niall. Five men I knew couldn’t be swayed by Jebediah or his addictive drugs.
“From what Slink saw, they’re storin’ weapons down there, too.”
As expected, Fury didn’t comment on the fact my best friend and a trusted Liberty soldier had been excluded from the inner circle. Either he didn’t care and trusted my judgment or had his own reservations about Trigger.
“They’ve kept everything in one place. That works in our favor,” I thought out loud. “How long do you think it would take to move our people in there?”
“Few hours,” Fury answered after a short pause.
“He’s doing his gladiator thing in a few nights,” I continued.
“The barracks won’t be as heavily guarded.” Fury seemed to be catching on to what I was thinking. “We could use a diversion on the other side of the compound, pull them further away, somethin’ that goes boom, maybe.”
“Things that go boom are great diversions. Do we have something like that?”
“We can make somethin’ like that. We’ll still need to take out the guards that will remain back at the barracks.”
My mind continued to race over scenarios and probabilities. “A small team, Axel, Charlie, Isaac and Ethan, they can take the weapons we already have and secure the barracks. Then they can help Gracie, Ashlynn, Hadley, and Skye get our people inside while we create the diversion. We can make some noise and keep the militia on the run for a while.”
Fury didn’t say anything else, his thoughts obviously in the same place as mine. It was time to fight back. Hadley approached us, her eyes cautiously watching Fury. “H-H-How’s your r-r-ribs,” she stuttered, her delicate hand rising to her throat as if to somehow soothe the words out.
“Good,” was Fury’s curt reply.
“How’s Skye?” I asked.
It seemed to take some effort for Hadley to drag her gaze from Fury, a slight tinge of color filling her cheeks. “She’s u-u-up and about. D-D-D-Doing much b-b-b-b… ” Her eyes clenched together, and a line of frustration pressed her lips closed. Before she could try and speak again, Fury reached out and tugged her none-to-gently behind his hulking form.
“Better? Is that the word you’re looking for?” Jebediah asked as he strolled toward us, two armed soldiers standing close at his back. He was dressed in black leather pants and a black skivvy, wearing a shoulder harness that crossed at the back and held two guns on either side of his ribs. They were big, shiny, fancy fuckers and if I hadn’t known for a fact that they worked, I’d have thought them simply for decoration.
“You like?” Jebediah asked, drawing one of the guns and sliding his fingers reverently over the steel. “They were a gift from one of my buyers a few years back. They are pretty, aren’t they?”
They were both heavily embellished, and the one he was currently fawning over had the words ‘Pale Death’ in a scroll down the barrel. Suddenly Jebediah raised the gun, pointed it directly between my eyes and mimicked the sound of a gun firing, lifting his hand as if the recoil had jerked the weapon. My pulse hammered like an out of control beast, but I kept perfectly still, my arms folded across my chest as if his games didn’t bother me in the least.
“How you doing, Fury? You look a trifle worse for wear,” he asked while holstering his weapon.
Fury, of course, didn’t answer.
“You know, big fella, you really need to learn your place.”
It sounded like a threat and Fury tensed, also hearing the underlying message in the innocuous words. Before I could wrap my head around it any further, Jebediah dipped down low and set his crazy grin on Hadley who was still tucked behind Fury’s back. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure. I’m Jebediah, but pretty girls like you can call me Jeb.” Lifting out his hand, he held it forward presumably for Hadley to shake. Fury looked down his nose at the offensive limb, his body strung tight, the vein in his neck pulsing which told me he was a hairsbreadth away from losing his shit.
“Who’s fighting this week?” I asked, trying to divert Jebediah’s attention away from Hadley. It worked.
“No idea yet,” he confessed with an excited gleam in his eyes. “But I’m working on something big. Which reminds me, I was thinking we need to brighten up spirits around here. Everyone is walking about so mopey and miserable. When The Arena is happy, I’m happy. All this depression is making me twitchy.” Clapping his hands together and rubbing them almost gleefully, Jebediah paused. “We’re going to have a motherfucking party.”
Fury grunted, and I knew he wanted to take this shit-stain out, maybe even tear off an arm and beat the ever-loving shit out of him with it.
“At the fight this week we’re going to have a bonfire, and I want food, and that wicked moonshine I know you’ve got stored in the shed behind the kitchen.”
“You’ve got food restrictions in place,” I was quick to point out, not in the least bit interested in having a fucking party.
Jebediah waved away my observation. “I want food at the fight, and lots of it.” He then moved fast, ducking around Fury’s back and cupping Hadley’s soft cheek. Fury was also quick to respond, tearing her away from his grasp and wrapping his paw like hand around Jebediah’s wrist.
“You should let go,” Jebediah calmly suggested.
Fury didn’t, and one of the soldiers stepped forward, pressing the barrel of his gun not to Fury’s head, but Hadley’s.
“Stand down, Fury,” I murmured, my own fists clenched as I quickly assessed the situation. A few of Jebediah’s men who had been unloading the truck were now watching the interaction, their trigger fingers twitchy as they slowly reached for their weapons. Jebediah just grinned, his wrist clamped in Fury’s mighty grip.
With a frustrated grunt, Fury pushed the offensive arm away. “Touch her again, and I’ll rip your heart from your pale fuckin’ chest,” he seethed, pulling Hadley back behind the protection of his body.
Jebediah laughed loudly, drawing even more attention to our little standoff. “I’d have to have a heart for you to do that,” he chuckled. “Put them away, you idiots,” he then scoffed, noticing the guns his men had drawn. “I want my party. Ink, get it sorted.” Jebediah took a few steps away, trying to peek over my shoulder and get another glimpse of Hadley. “I’ll b-b-b-be seeing you later, H-H-H-Hadley.” The bastard laughed again, before turning his back on us and strolling away.
“I’m gonna kill that fucker,” Fury growled.
Turning, I took in Hadley who leaned into Fury’s back, her curious gaze watching Jebediah and his men. “You stay in tonight, Hadley. Stay with Ashlynn in the infirmary.”
Jebediah’s interest in her disturbed me, and now he knew Fury had a soft spot for the girl, I could only imagine the thoughts racing through the psychotic man’s mind. Hadley nodded and blushed furiously when Fury stepped away, causing her to stumble forward. Raising a hand he was quick to steady her. I knew he cared for Hadley, but he didn’t have a clue how to show her. He was all brusque alpha male, and Hadley was soft and submissive. There was no doubt she cared for him too, as her lips pursed in frustration when Fury turned to walk away. There was only so much of Fury’s shit the girl would tolerate before she’d dismiss him completely.
“What’s happening?” asked Trigger as he and Max approached.
“Jebediah wants a party at this week’s fight. Max, will you go to the kitchen and let them know he wants food… and lots of it,” I quoted. “We’ll need more firewood, too. He wants another fucking bonfire.”
“Last time he had a bonfire he burned our dead,” Max pointed out.
The irony wasn’t lost on me, and I could only assume he planned to burn some more. We needed to act before that happened.
“I’ll walk you back to the infirmary,” I told Hadley.
“Trigger… barracks, now!” Jebediah yelled from several feet away.
Trigger didn’t hesitate to move when called and it fucked me off. Either the man had him scared spitless, or he was using drugs to gain his compliance. Max disappeared to do as I’d asked, and Hadley walked quietly at my side. With the sun giving us a moment’s reprieve from the winter, there were plenty of people outside soaking up the warmth. And they were sullen and frightened, which they had every right to be under the circumstances. It was a far cry from the usual happiness that filled the compound before Jebediah, and his men, took it over. And no fucking party was going to help make it any better. No. The only thing that would return Liberty to its former glory was Jebediah buried six feet under and his men gone.