“I dunno, Ax,” he says, and I can tell he’s trying to sound calm and steady. “She just walked right into the quarantine cage and buzzed out.”
I nod in understanding, pacing the head of the table.
“Emilio,” I say, not bothering to turn to the man who has been in here even longer than me. “How could the guards know Ana was a woman before they came in here?”
Everyone pauses, glances exchanged across the room as the overlooked question is brought to light.
Emilio frowns for a minute. “I don’t know. There haven’t been working cameras in here in years, we smashed them all early, and I’ve never seen drones or anything overhead. Someone must have told them.”
I let a smile hit my lips as I turn to him, snapping my fingers.
“Correct.”
I continue my pacing and out of the corner of my eye I see the smirk on Ethan’s face. As anxious as we both are to get to our women, this is like fucking Christmas and I want to savor my presents for a little bit longer. I haven’t felt like this, like myself, in what feels like a long time.
“Theo,” I ask, “how could someone possibly speak to the guards?”
The old man doesn’t look impressed, and I’m pretty sure he’s figured this all out. Smart fucker. He wisely plays along anyway. “Weekly drops,” he says bluntly.
I smile again. “Correct. Luis, how could that work? Ethan is the one who manages the drops for us or me. No one else has any contact with the guards. Is that correct?”
Luis looks utterly baffled right now, poor kid, and looks up at Ethan, confused.
“Ax, Ethan would never give Ana up!” he exclaims and I resist the urge to smack the naive fucker. Then his eyes light up. “Oh! Someone else has contact with the guards, don’t they?”
I stop pacing, this time turning to John.
“John?” The man’s face is white as a sheet right and all eyes at the table are now looking at him with suspicion. “Is this correct?”
John jumps up, trying to push back from the table to turn and run. Before he can, good ol’ Clarence—er, Brutus—steps in front of the door. His giant frame blocks him and John all but bumps off his chest.
“Are you saying John had something to do with the guards?” Emilio says, standing and narrowing his eyes at John, who looks like he’s about to piss himself.
“Axle, how did you find this out?” Theo asks, “Are you sure?”
I turn to Ethan who shrugs and nods. “A man with nails under his fingernails usually tells the truth, so yeah, we’re sure.”
John’s eyes widen in understanding and I snarl, stepping forward and grabbing his shirt.
“Now, why don’t you tell me a true story?”
Twenty Five
Ana
There’s one slit like window at the top of the shitty room that we’re in, just enough to tell me it’s nighttime now. My body hurts in a lot of places and I’m trying not to freak out but it’s getting harder and harder. The fact that my lover’s ex-whore is in here with me is just the icing on the cake.
Fuck, what I wouldn’t give for a cake right now.
My stomach grumbles, loudly, and a quickly covered giggle comes from across the room. Of course, once Sammi figured out I knew her name I had to explain who I was, remind her of when we met before. I gave her the short version and other than a few long blinks she seemed to accept my story for what it is.
I really want to hate her. I don’t know why, some girlish jealousy principle I suppose, but I can’t quite get there. The fact that I know Ethan’s been pining after her just makes me more intrigued.
John was a cocksucking-two-faced asshole, but he was right about one thing. You certainly cannot judge someone based on their appearance. I’m being subtle about it, but I’ve been reading Sammi’s posture. She’s trying to sit up straight, act like she has it together, but I see the slight tremble in her hands.
We both coped with men taking over the world in different ways. Me by covering up and hiding, her by taking off and exposing. I suppose we don’t seem so different now.
I kind of wish I hadn’t started talking to her. Then I could still hate her, but alas.