Salvation

by Stephanie Tyler

  “Thanks, Luna,” he murmured against her ear.

  When the water got warm, she turned it off and grabbed a couple of towels, wound them around him. And he began to take her clothes off, and she decided that there was nothing he did that wasn’t seductive. It was in the way he moved, the way his fingers traced the hem of her shirt before lifting it over her head. It landed on the floor with a wet slap and he wound the towel around her shoulders.

  But he did look at her, appreciatively. Smiled a little and then pulled off her wet pants and placed another towel around her. And then they got into the big, ornate bed under the warm, fluffy comforter with the mirrors above them and they ditched the towels and wound around each other.

  “Does this happen to you every time you go out?” she asked him.

  “Sometimes it’s worse than others.”

  She stroked his shoulder, feeling the tattoos under the scars. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I’m not. I chose it.” He sounded so serious—he truly meant it.

  “Is there really no way out?”

  “Yeah, in less than eight months. And I’m taking you with me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  While they lay in bed, Luna told Bishop what she and Keller had discussed. He stared at her and realized how deep in all of this they both were.

  “Keller said we’d still be part of Defiance. We’d be liaisons. At least that’s how he made it sound.” She shook her head. “And that would benefit Defiance, but it would also be the MC’s undoing.”

  “I haven’t seen him making alliances with any other MCs. We’re the right fit,” he mused.

  “I don’t understand why he wouldn’t just take Defiance by force. Or why...”

  “Or why he’d want me?”

  “I never underestimated you, Bishop,” she said softly. “But I meant it when I told Keller that we’re nothing like him.”

  The fact that she believed that—or at least pretended to—meant everything to him. “What are you worried about?”

  “I think we’re not going to be given a choice, no matter how much he’s making it feel like one. I get the feeling that it’s like, we agree with him or Defiance is wiped off the map, no matter what kind of deal Jessa struck. And even if that is the choice we make, the choice we agree to, we’re supposed to be okay that people are going to be exterminated by the hand that feeds us?”

  Bishop stared at her. “You’ve been okay with it for three and a half years. Before that...fuck, Luna, think there’s anything we can do to stop it? The government’s condoning it. If we do want to help end it, the only way we can actually do that is to be alive at the end. Last man standing.”

  “You’ve had nothing but time to think on this.”

  “I don’t want power. Don’t want it or need it or even give a fuck about it. But Mathias pledged his loyalty to Defiance. I pledged mine to Mathias and to you, which is the same thing. So now, all I can do is make arrangements to keep my new home safe. And if Defiance is safe, there are a lot of other people who’ll remain that way, because we’ll still have the tube protection.”

  “God, I can’t stand that Keller gets away with not playing by the rules.”

  “Are there rules left, Luna?”

  “No, and that’s the problem.”

  “Ah fuck, babe, I don’t think there ever were. And I’d have been dead if Mathias’s parents had played by the rules. Basically, justice could only have been done if I was dead.” Bishop didn’t look angry as much as resigned. “That’s why playing by the rules sucks. You need to make sure someone’s there to help the people who can’t get help anyplace else.”

  “And Keller does that?”

  “Not at all. But Defiance does. So we deal with assholes like Keller.” He paused. “Declan doesn’t seem that bad.”

  “No, he doesn’t.”

  “Do you trust him?”

  “Well, I’m still alive.”

  She sighed. He pulled her in tight. “I don’t want to talk anymore. Not now.”

  Instead of disagreeing, she kissed him.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Bishop had walked her to the garage a couple of days later—she’d taken time off to be with him, to make sure he was really okay—or as okay as he could be. It was cold, with a light drizzle, but Keller was expecting the car to be done soon. She’d started to work and the time passed quickly, and Bishop had promised to come by for lunch.

  And so, when she found the papers—five pages stuffed inside the door of Victor’s car, she figured it was just junk. Just in case it wasn’t, she glanced down at it and felt the blood rush from her face.

  With a deep breath, and her back to the cameras, she folder the paper, tucked it into her jeans and continued working. Until Bishop got there.

  He looked happy to see her—she used that, let him kiss her, pick her up and lay her on the backseat of the car.

  All of this could be a trap, but she had to show the papers to Bishop. She worked them out of her pocket while they kissed, unfolded them with one hand and put them on the floor, where Bishop could read them while kissing her. Because Keller was used to these make-out sessions.

  Bishop pulled back to stroke her hair, then looked down at the papers, because of course he’d noticed what she’d been doing. And he froze after reading them, then murmured, “Does he know you found them?”

  “Maybe?” She knew from Bishop that the cameras weren’t rolling 24/7—that was the only thing she had in her favor.

  “Shit.” He kissed her, hard enough to make her groan echo through the garage. Pulled back, scanned them then tucked them back and lay there.

  “You’re not that surprised.”

  “Not really, no,” he agreed. “You shouldn’t be either.”

  There were rumors. Always rumors, and yes, she’d known that Jessa had confirmed them. But still... “All I know was that Defiance was crossed off the list,” she said, and whether that was a direct order from the government or Keller himself, who knew? Ultimately, knowing where the directive had come from would matter.

  For now though... “Should I show him what I found? He’s got to know already, because he knows Defiance has Jessa.”

  He nodded. “Play it cool.”

  She stared at him, things coming together in that moment for her. “Bishop...your last job...”

  “Don’t ask me that, Luna. Don’t fucking ask me that,” he told her, before pushing off her and leaving.

  He’d be back for her as soon as she finished with Keller. She knew that. But God, if Bishop was involved in the extermination efforts...how would he live with himself?

  He was carrying the weight of Defiance on his shoulders. That was how. And she wouldn’t screw anything up for him. She got up and asked the guards to tell Keller she needed to speak with him. Better to make that first move, she decided.

  About twenty minutes later, Keller strolled in and checkmated her by saying, “I think you found something I’ve been looking for.”

  She walked over and showed him the papers. “A good hiding spot. If that window didn’t have trouble closing, I’d never look there. No one would.”

  “Did you look at it?”

  “Briefly. I thought maybe it was an owner’s manual. Or cash,” she added.

  “And when you saw it wasn’t?”

  She crossed her arms and forced herself calm. “It’s nothing I haven’t known for months.”

  He folded the papers, stuck them inside his jacket pocket.

  After he left, she stayed in the garage, even though all she wanted to do was run back to Bishop. She worked on the car as if the papers and her interaction with Keller hadn’t fazed her in the least, but she literally waited for Keller’s men to come and spirit her away. Forever.

 
By the time Bishop came to get her, she was a little calmer—working on cars always had that effect on her. But the single paper she’d hidden in her jeans—the one that had the most important information on it—made her feel completely conspicuous.

  The first ones she’d shown to Bishop were contracts between Victor, Keller and the LoV. Things that had come to pass already. There were also extermination orders. But the one she’d hidden, the one Bishop had pointed to and then rubbed her pocket to indicate she should take it, that one had no date on it, but as far as Luna could see, it hadn’t happened. But Keller had to know about it—his signature was on the bottom.

  She forced herself to do what she and Bishop had been doing nightly here at Keller’s, when there wasn’t a storm or a tear gas raid. They took a walk. Danced a little before going underground for dinner.

  While he accepted the food, she went to the night table and picked up his book. Dropped it. Bent down and shoved the paper inside of it.

  During dinner, she made sure to mention the page number casually. He’d raised a brow and said, “Now you’re reading my books?”

  “I couldn’t help it. You were so engrossed.”

  She hoped he could tell she was lying.

  An hour later, she saw him cleaning his gun, staring down at the long rifle...and past it to a paper half hidden under his feet. When he was done, she joined him in bed and he simply held her, the two of them now privy to a potential upcoming plan of Keller’s...

  Or privy to a trap Keller had set for them. “Do you really think Keller would let the LoV exterminate the hangers-on here?”

  “Nothing surprises me, Luna. But that might,” Bishop admitted.

  “I just don’t understand what he’d gain. He seems to love making it fun around here—it’s like his version of a street drug.”

  “Maybe it’s not in line with what the military wants? Maybe the LoV wants to practice exterminations?” Bishop said, throwing out scenarios, but still sounding disbelieving. But there was no denying that contract...and that, even thought the LoV had been kicked off campus, the extermination could happen at any time.”

  “Why does the military show so often?” she asked finally.

  “I’m guessing for protection for Keller. If Keller’s goes down, so does Defiance,” Bishop reminded her. “This is where we get the majority of our supplies. Unless we find another mafia—and at this point, I have no idea if the military’s invading them too—we’re screwed.”

  Defiance had been growing their own food. Mining their own water supply and finding new ways to use fuel, but they needed Keller. The only upside to that was that Keller also needed Defiance.

  “What did you do last night, when you went on the job with Declan?” she asked.

  He sighed and confirmed, “What the government asked of us.”

  “Do you think it’s a setup?”

  “They’d be setting Keller up, not me,” he said. “And that seems pretty fucking foolish, since he’s doing their secret dirty work. Who’s going to miss those guys anyway?”

  No one. Luna knew that on every level, had no remorse for them. But she didn’t like the fact that Bishop was a pawn in this, because her man was no one’s pawn.

  God, I really am a Defiance woman. All that bitching and moaning that she wasn’t one for nothing...

  Rebel

  “You all right?” Declan asked him.

  Rebel stuck his hands in his pocket as he looked around Declan’s tube. “M’fine. Is Luna okay?”

  “She’s with Bishop. So as long as Bishop stays okay, she’s okay.”

  “So there’s really no way to get her out.”

  Declan shook his head. “There’s no way. It’s what Bishop agreed to.”

  “Fuck. She’s so goddamned stubborn.”

  “Join the club,” Declan told him. “Is that all you needed to know?”

  “Guess so. Fuck, I can’t believe she did that.”

  “Yeah you can,” Declan told him. “She doesn’t seem to be too upset being here with Bishop, by the way. I’m telling you, your girl’s fine. Really.” Dec tugged Rebel to him, and Rebel didn’t bother to resist. “But I’m more interested in making sure you’re okay.”

  He wanted to tell Declan that the only time he was all right lately was when they were together. Instead, he let Declan stroke his hair. He imbibed Declan’s live-for-the-moment attitude and tried to pretend that he wasn’t falling hard for the guy, that he kept coming back when anyone in their right mind would stay away.

  There was nothing stopping Declan from telling Defiance about Rebel. Rebel figured Caspar would be way more pissed about the fact that Rebel was fucking a Keller guy versus the fact that Rebel was fucking a guy.

  “You’re thinking too hard,” Declan told him.

  Rebel sighed. “Can’t help it.”

  “It’s not that complicated. Just go with it.”

  “What the fuck do you think I’ve been doing?”

  “White knuckling it.”

  “I owe her everything, Dec.”

  “I know. Which is why she’ll be fine. Whatever I have to do, all right?”

  “You don’t have that kind of power.”

  Declan smiled a little. “You gotta trust me, Reb. Otherwise, this is just fucking. And that’s cool—and I’ll keep checking on your friends, but I’ll tell you to go fuck someone else. I can’t get much deeper into this...and we’ve gotten in pretty deep, pretty quickly.”

  Declan told the truth. It might not have counted pre-Chaos but now? It was a hell of a commitment. “It’s not, Dec. Wish it was. Would make everything a hell of a lot easier.”

  “Nothing good is ever easy.”

  “You get that off a fortune cookie?” Rebel teased him and Declan shot him the finger before sliding a hand around the back of Rebel’s neck and tugging him close.

  “I trust you enough for both of us. At least for now,” Declan told him.

  Declan’s hand twined in his hair, palmed his cock. If Rebel asked, he’d strip and let Rebel have his way. And Rebel would ask, especially after Declan’s mouth landed on his with a hard, demanding kiss. Because as much as Declan would let him take, the man was always demanding.

  “Can you stay?”

  “Thought you had jobs tonight.”

  “Then why’d you come?” Declan asked and Rebel shrugged. “Yeah. I pushed them later for you.”

  Declan smiled, and Rebel’s stomach flipped.

  “Tallying my favors?” Rebel asked.

  “Hell yeah,” was Declan’s response before he let Rebel push him back onto the bed. “And I’m collecting tonight.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The next afternoon, Bishop had meetings with Declan. Luna went to work on Victor’s car, taking small satisfaction in getting the engine to turn over.

  Yesterday, before finding the papers, she would’ve been thrilled.

  When she was done, she waited outside for Bishop. She didn’t want to go underground until it was absolutely necessary, and she didn’t know why tonight, the feeling was so strong, because lately, being with Bishop was taking the edge off any claustrophobia. It seemed to be less of an issue for him as well.

  But tonight...maybe she was just worried because lightning fired up an hour ago. Or maybe because she knew that Bishop was with Declan.

  Bishop had been right—sometimes it was better to live in ignorance, but that horse was long out of the barn and running wild.

  She stayed in the garage as long as she could, until the alarms began to ring, which meant it was time to go underground. And still, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Bishop had promised to pick her up here, and she stood in the doorway as the rain began to pelt, and watched the people calmly go to their safe places. It was almost old hat at this poi
nt, which made things even weirder, and the pit in her stomach grew deeper. She gnawed on her bottom lip and considered going to Bishop’s place after another half an hour passed. The ground was flooded, and even though she’d probably be fine in this garage, which had outlasted many a storm...

  “Luna!”

  She glanced out the door and saw a lone, tall figure waving under one of the emergency lights. She walked out, began to pull the door locked behind her and Bishop was behind her, pulling against the wind, locking it down. And then he picked her up and began to run with her.

  The wind whipped her hair against her cheeks. The downpour made it almost impossible to see, but Bishop carried her like she didn’t weigh anything.

  And finally, they were underground and soaked, and it was just like last time, except Bishop put the soundproofing on much more quickly to drown out the yelling.

  “Something’s wrong,” he said, echoing her inner monologue of the entire evening.

  “I know.”

  He took her hand and walked her into his place, locking the door and grabbing towels. They stripped and dried and redressed rather than falling into bed to pass the time, because neither could shake their feelings of dread.

  There was a knock at the door a few minutes later that made her jump. Bishop opened it and she caught sight of Declan. He didn’t come inside, spoke to Bishop in quiet tones for a few minutes before leaving.

  Bishop closed the door then said, “No word from Defiance.”

  “That’s not uncommon during the storms though,” she said.

  “That’s true.”

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “I’ve got to go out there and do something. Declan can’t—so you’ll stay with him.”

  “No.”

  “Luna, please—”

  “You lied. You lied to me once about leaving Defiance. You said you’d never leave me because of what happened to Mia.”

  “I didn’t leave you alone in Defiance—I left you with a man I trust more than myself,” he said through clenched teeth.

  “And now, you’re leaving me with one of Keller’s men, a guy you barely know?”