He jumps at her touch like she’s shocked him. “No one knows.” He reaches around to the back of his head, one eye squeezed closed. “We’re not one big, happy family, if that’s what you think. If anything, the Society pits us against each other. Foley and I were the exceptions. So, no. I don’t know where Marcus is; he forgot to send his forwarding address.”
“How do they pit you against each other?” I ask.
There’s something vulnerable about him right at this moment, his mask is down. I step closer, narrowing my eyes, afraid that if I blink, he’ll return to normal.
“There are incentives...for live births, male children...orgies,” he says, looking at me.
I blush.
“So we choose a personality and we run with it. The End Men are just characters for your personal enjoyment,” he says.
“So you’re not the asshole I think you are?”
Jackal’s lips pucker as he looks at me, head cocked to the side.
“I’m exactly the asshole you think I am, just with a softer side.”
We’re staring at each other, and I can’t look away.
“Jackal…?” Gwen’s voice snaps me back to the present; Jackal clears his throat, shaking his head as if he’s coming out of a trance.
“Do you know anything...do you know if Folsom…?”
“No,” he says, his voice raspy. “He made contact a few weeks ago, through some—I don’t know—shady ass guy. He wanted me to find where they had you.”
Gwen’s eyes fill with tears. She looks away.
“Well, as it turns out, you didn’t need our help,” Jackal says. “Wish I could say I’m surprised, but there’s something about tiny, angry women on a mission…”
She manages half a smile, but her mind is far from this room.
“We need to get you to safety,” he says. “They’re looking everywhere for you. They see you as a danger to their way of life. I’m afraid they won’t stop until they find you.”
“First things first,” she says softly.
“What do you need from me?” he asks, looking at both of us.
“Stay off of the Society’s radar. It goes against everything in me, but I don’t really know where you stand with the End Men, Jackal.” She studies him and then looks at me, and I feel like she can see right through me. “I don’t even know if you want out…” Jackal doesn’t say anything, just stares back, jaw clenched. “I hate asking this of you, but I think you need to do exactly what they expect of you. At least until we can get everyone safely across,” she says.
I feel a chill and grab a blanket, wrapping it around my shoulders.
“How did you get mixed up in this shitshow?” he asks. “Did the rebellion find you?”
“I steal things. Might as well steal for a purpose.” I shrug. “And it’s called the Revolution.”
“Oh, pardon me. TheRevolution,” he mocks. “Come on, little thief, stop trying to pretend you don’t have a heart.”
I’m thirsty, but I don’t move for the glass cabinet because he’ll think he’s rattled me.
“I like stealing as much as you like fucking.” I smirk. “We both contribute in our own way.”
He laughs, arms folded across his chest, eyes wrinkling in amusement.
“I care about the lower end,” I admit. “The End Men have never been my fight, but it seems it’s all tied together.”
“And now?” he asks. “Do you care about us now?”
“Still don’t.”