by Ellie Aiden
And with that, my ovaries are purring. Purring like a kitten, I tell ya.
I can’t help the grin or the blush that’s no doubt spreading across my cheeks as I tell him, “Thank you.”
I look to my drink once again, and then back to Luke before attempting to speak but he cuts me off.
“Let me get you something else to drink. They have nonalcoholic choices at the other end of the tables. Come on.” Reaching for my hand, he turns to go but I pull him back.
I turn over my shoulder and see Camila and Brea both have glass jars filled with the same liquid as mine. They’re surrounded by a circle of men, everyone drinking and having a good time. Turning back to Luke, I look to my drink once more. I’ve never had alcohol before. They don’t have it inside the compound, so the only time I’ve ever really had the opportunity was at the hotel in Bonham. Sure, Mateo and the others have had alcohol at dinner every night since we arrived, but that was different. I didn’t feel inclined to join, but this is a party. Maybe I should take the opportunity to live a little, after all, I’m always preaching you never know if today will be your last day.
“No, it’s okay. This one is fine,” I say, lifting the drink to my lips, but before I can take the first sip, Luke stops me with his hand on my wrist.
“Little Minx, I feel like this is peer pressure. Are you only drinking it because everyone else is?” I shake my head, but he goes on. “You’re old enough to do whatever you want, but only if you want. I’ll get us both something else to drink, and we can be sober together. I really don’t mind. I just want you to be comfortable.”
Down girl!
In these heels, I barely have to stretch to brush my lips across his. When I step back, he turns to go grab us something different to drink, but I stop him. “I want to try it first. If I don’t like it, then I’ll get something else, but you don’t need to stay sober for me, although I’m pretty sure my heart exploded over the offer,” I giggle.
He chuckles in return, and I take my first sip and oh my gawd, where have you been all my life? I’m not sure what’s in this but the flavors are explosive. I can definitely taste the alcohol, but it’s mostly masked by orange juice and something else fruity and sweet.
Luke laughs again as my eyes go wide, and I go in for a second swig. “Whoa, whoa, slow down, Little Minx. These may taste sweet, but you’ll be drunk before that glass is empty.”
I nod my head in understanding, but that doesn’t stop me from taking another sip as I hear Mateo slurring my name.
“Annn-aaaa!” He throws his arm around my shoulders, nodding at Luke as the rest of our group joins us.
Before long Luke and I sit at a table with Cody and Chase on my left, Tommy and Easton on Luke’s other side, and then Mateo, Brea, Daniel, and Camila across the table from us. Everyone has had quite a bit to drink and now we’re all laughing at Easton’s expense. He just asked a very cute girl if she wanted to go out with him, and she promptly turned him down, flipping her hair over her shoulder, calling him something most likely mean in Spanish, and walking away. Everyone had immediately busted out in a full fit of laughter while Luke had to explain to me what going out meant, and then I too laughed so hard my eyes filled with tears. I almost feel sorry for Easton as he sits a few spaces down, rolling his eyes at our antics.
“Okay, okay. Seriously, that was the best thing that’s ever happened,” Mateo bellows, slamming his drink back down on the table after taking a big swig. “But let’s get serious.”
Brea tries to put her serious face on, but then she and I both lose it, keeling over once again. Did I mention I’m getting drunk every night? This is the shit!
“Girls,” he reprimands, turning to both of us before continuing, “Now let’s talk about the Church of The Way.”
Well, that sobered me right up, and as I will my head to clear of the giggles and the alcohol, I immediately feel bad. Here I am, having one of the best nights of my life and my best friend is probably being beaten and tortured. God, I’m a horrible person.
Luke seems to notice my change in mood as he scoots closer, slipping his hand under my sweater on my lower back and rubbing soothing circles with his thumb. Leaning into his side, I look back to Mateo and wait for him to continue.
“There was another attack today, on the supply run between Titan territory and Bonham.”
With Mateo’s claim, Luke sucks in a deep breath through clenched teeth, his hand flinching on my back. I move my hand over and squeeze his thigh, letting him know I’m here.
“I’ve tried to stay out of this, but they’re leaving me no choice. Something has to be done, damn it.” Mateo’s last words are said on a yell as he slams his fist on the table, and the people at the surrounding tables turn to look.
“What do you suggest?” Luke asks, leaning in closer as the rest of the group follows suit.
“I think we need to call a meeting of the council,” he says much lower.
I assumed it would be Luke who responded first, but instead its Easton. “You can’t be serious. The council hasn’t met in ten years, and you know what happened last time.”
I look back and forth between the two, hoping one of them will elaborate but neither do. Instead, it’s Brea who stands, leaning across the table filling me in as the men continue to talk in rushed voices.
“Mateo’s uncle led Diablo before him. He was the last one to call a meeting of the council,” she whispers.
She opens her mouth to continue but I have way too many questions so I interrupt. “Wait, start from the beginning and dumb it down for me. Who’s the council?”
Leaning back and picking up her drink, she scoots her chair back and nods for me to follow. The two of us make our way a couple tables over from the group where it’s a little quieter and we won’t interrupt the boys heated discussion. We take two empty seats, settling in.
“The council is made up of all the legitimate gang lords. And when I say legitimate, I just mean pretty much any gang that’s established with more than fifty members who takes care of their territory rather than terrorizing the people in it. Trust me, there’ve been a few over the years that were an issue.” She pauses to take a drink. “One of those gangs is actually the reason the council met last time. There was a group, less than fifty people, led by a psychopath. I don’t remember what they called themselves, I was pretty young then. Anyway, Mateo’s uncle who led Diablo at the time, found out this group had been running around north of here, attacking towns. They were stealing anything they could get their hands on, raping the woman, beating or killing anyone who tried to stop them. It was bad.” She shakes her head, letting out a pained sigh. “This group had a lot of guns, that was their preferred weapon, so Ben, that’s his Uncle, he called the council to a meeting. Eight gang lords showed, but it ended in a blood bath. They couldn’t agree on anything, everyone wanted to be in charge. The fighting and killing went on for two days before they finally put an end to it. Eventually the Titans agreed to help Ben, and they went after and took down the rogue gang, but the council hasn’t met since.” She finishes, leaning back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other before casting a quick glance over her shoulder at Mateo. She looks worried.
“You’re worried about him,” I comment. It isn’t a question, because the look on her face is very clear, and with her nod, that confirms it. “Should I be worried? About Luke, I mean.”
Her eyes drift up to meet mine, and it takes her a while to speak, seemingly collecting her thoughts. “Council meetings happened a lot in the beginning, mostly in the five or six years after the world’s governments collapsed. There’s actually a set of documents that lines out all the rules surrounding the council, and the guidelines for holding a meeting. I read it once…” Her words fade off and her eyes go distant before she finally speaks again. “Each Lord is allowed to have three of their gang members in the room with them. Those men or women will serve in both an advisory capacity, as well as handle security should an issue come up. Daniel is his broth
er and second in command, so there’s no question he’ll be one of the three. There are no rules about who he has to pick from there though. He could go with seniority, or family, or any number of things, but Anna…”
I suck in a breath because I just know that none of those things matter. The last week in The Castle has shown me a lot of things, and one of those things is how close Luke and Mateo are.
When Brea finishes her thought I’m shaking. “He’ll take Luke. There’s no doubt in my mind. Not only is Luke in charge of one of the largest areas within Diablo’s territory, but Mateo trusts and loves Luke like a brother. He’ll want him there. He trusts Luke to watch his back, and he’ll want his advice too.”
Shitake Mushroom.
chapter 8 - I Just Peed A Little
ANNA
When I woke up this morning I felt like absolute shit, no doubt a combination of the alcohol and everything I learned last night. Not long after Brea had filled me in and dropped the truth bomb on me about Luke most likely having to attend the council meeting, the party had sort of died out, and Luke and I had walked back to The Castle. Both of us had lied awake late into the night, neither of us speaking but unable to rest. And this morning has been no different. I want to know what happened after Brea and I left the group so she could catch me up. What did Mateo decide? Based on Luke’s demeanor, I’d say the council meeting is on.
After at least an hour of lying awake in bed, I decide I’m going to have to get up or risk peeing on Luke. That would be awkward. With an attitude, I roll from my warm spot and make my way to the bathroom, looking over my shoulder to see Luke watching me as I go. I try to give him a smile, and he at least attempts to return it, but its clear neither of our hearts are in it.
After my trip to the bathroom, I make my way back to the bed, plopping down and rolling until I land across Luke’s chest. I might have been trying to be sexy, but I failed miserably. He at least lets out a brief chuckle, so it was totally worth it.
“Luke, Brea told me about the last council meeting last night,” I say, rolling over to lay facing him with my cheek propped on my hand.
He nods, rolling to face me before brushing a lose curl behind my ear. “He will have sent curriers out this morning, Little Minx. It’s already in the works. There are dozens of gangs all over the country, but Mateo is mostly focused on dealing with local compounds. Specifically, yours near Bonham, but the one north of here is a problem too. If I was to guess, instead of calling a full council meeting, he’ll most likely reach out to the lords closest to us. That’ll definitely cut down on the chance of an all-out blood bath.”
A shiver racks my body with his flippant use of the term blood bath as I move to rest my head in the crook of his neck. “Who do you think?”
“Well for sure the Titans. They are just east of here but that could end two ways. Either they don’t show at all because Mateo chose not to back their attack last week, or they could show up only to start a fight over it.” His hand strokes through the hair trailing down my back as he continues. “If Mateo is considering dealing with the compound north of here at the same time, he’ll definitely call on the Osage. They’re a little different though. They aren’t a gang really but an Indian tribe. And…” He pauses to think through who else Mateo could call on as I lean into his soft ministrations on the back of my scalp. “The Republic, I think. Yeah, that makes sense.”
“Who are they?” I ask, leaning back to look in to his eyes as they process all the possibilities.
“The Republic?” he asks, and with my nod he says, “Well, they’re kind of unique too. They didn’t really start out as a gang. See, after the virus, when the U.S. federal government completely collapsed, the state of Texas was functioning better than any of the other states. So they deployed what was left of their military and closed their borders. They declared themselves the Republic of Texas, and for about two years they did a pretty good job of maintaining order; keeping the economy from a total collapse.”
He pauses, and I want to hear more so I encourage him to continue. “What happened then?”
“Well, what happened next is up for debate. Really depends on who you ask, but the story I’m inclined to believe is the one where the Church of The Way destroyed the Republic.”
I suck in a breath through clenched teeth, sitting up on the bed and waiting for him to go on. He sits up too, pulling me close and wrapping his arms around me.
“The way the story goes is the church had already completely built most of their compounds in North America at that point, including the one in north Texas. With the government of the Republic controlling all the food and supplies available to ensure all of their citizens had equal access, well I guess the church didn’t like that. They lobbied for more, and they were turned down, told they weren’t any better than anyone outside their walls. Supposedly the church started attacking the supply runs, stealing everything they could and killing anyone who got in their way. Eventually, people were starving and they rebelled causing the Republic to collapse. The founding members who survived became more of a society, and now they watch over a large area in south Texas.”
Wow, that’s a lot to process. Everything I’ve been taught for more than a decade has been a complete lie. If not for the church, the Republic of Texas might have survived. They might have been able to maintain order, and we might be living in a thriving state.
“I want to destroy them, Luke, like they did the Republic. I want them to suffer.”
Luke squeezes me tight, placing a kiss on the top of my head before he responds. “Me too, Little Minx. Me too.”
***
ANNA
It’s been two days since my first hangover and I still feel like shit. I know it’s not the alcohol, it’s the stress over the council meeting, my worry for Ash, and everything else I have learned in the last few weeks. I feel weak and insignificant. As if nothing is in my control. The only thing I have to look forward to is that our training starts today.
Luke and I had agreed I needed to be trained how to fight. When we go after Ash and try to take down the church, it most likely won’t happen with pretty words and a handshake. I need to be able to defend myself and my friends.
And that’s how I found myself bouncing on my toes, waiting for fight club to begin while Luke sits on a bucket a few feet away. Daniel, Chase, and Cody stand with me, and I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited. I had assumed it would be Luke or possibly Mateo teaching us how to fight, but instead Luke said there was no one on the planet better to teach us than the General.
The General is an allusive being. While he lives at The Castle, I have yet to meet him, even though we’ve been here for over a week. Luke said Rob McNeal is a former Green Barret, which apparently use to be a special operations group for the US Military, and according to him, the General is terrifying, albeit good at what he does. So while I couldn’t be more excited to learn how to kick ass, I’m also shaking with nerves. What if this guy doesn’t appreciate sarcasm? I am so screwed.
“I’m freaking out. I wish he would just get here already.”
No sooner than the words leave my mouth than the man in question appears around the side of The Castle.
He approaches with his arms crossed tight across his chest and circles our group, eyeing each one of us with the exception of Daniel. After he’s finished with his perusal, he takes up a wide stance about eight feet in front of us, and that’s when I see Brea and Olivia bounce out of the house, practically skipping over to where Luke is sitting. Both of the girls carry a bowl of popcorn, while Brea has an ice chest filled with bottles of lemonade.
I would bet that’s hard lemonade.
After the two get situated, she looks to me and responds to my raised brow. “What? There was no way I was gonna miss this. This’ll be the most entertaining thing I’ve seen all year.” And then with a hand flourish, she says, “Proceed.”
Daniel and Luke both let out a laugh, but I am so not amused.
The general
clears his throat, and then with a deep raspy voice he barks his first orders, “Drop and give me twenty!”
I’m pretty sure I just peed a little.
***
DAVID
The last few days have been hectic as we worked to rebuild our north wall and repair the damages to the main building. So much so that I haven’t even gotten to spend any quality time with Ash Booker. I let her eat for the first time last night when I shoved a slice of bread down her throat, but she’s going to have to be moved. That girl smells like shit.
I plan to move her tomorrow morning to a cell in the bunker, after I have a little fun with her tonight that is. Today though, I’m dealing with my other prisoners, Tom and Melanie Cress, Anna’s parents. They’ve been in a joint cell since the day after the attack, although they’ve had much better treatment given appearances need to be kept up for the council.
As I make my way down the three flights of stairs into the underground bunker where the original elders built a line of thirteen cells, I go over my line of questioning. The Vater wants to know if they knew, and if they may have aided Anna in the attack as well as her escape. I want to know where she is, and I know damn good and well they know.
I make my way across the stadium sized concrete room to the far end and through the metal door. Inside are the thirteen cells, seven on one side, six on the other. The latter side also houses an interrogation room. I’ll be using that today.
Eight of the cells are occupied right now. One with the Cress’s, and the other seven with prisoners from the attack on the compound. They claim to be with the Titan gang, and have no clue who Anna Cress is, but I know that’s a lie. I’ll get it out of them eventually. I don’t mind the wait. In fact, I enjoy it very much.
