Pawn

by Aimee Carter

  Lila glared at me, and I returned the look. Running her fingers through her hair, she sighed heavily. “You’re both going to make me do this, aren’t you?”

  “No, we’re not,” said Knox. “But I’m hoping that you will for Greyson. Once it’s over, I’ll do everything I can to help you get away from them. If we did it once, we can do it again.”

  She closed her eyes, and suddenly I felt like an intruder on a private conversation. I glanced at the door, wishing Knox wasn’t leaning up against it so I could slip out, but he probably wouldn’t let me anyhow.

  “All right,” she said. “I’ll do it—for Greyson, not for either of you.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you,” I said, and she gave me a strange look.

  “Why do you care?”

  “Because he’s my friend,” I said. “And I really don’t want to be prime minister.”

  “No one does except Daxton.” She looked at Knox. “He doesn’t know you know, does he?”

  Knox shook his head, and I frowned. “He doesn’t know you know what?” I said.

  To my surprise, Lila grinned viciously. “You want to know the real reason why Daxton wanted me dead?”

  “Because he tried to sleep with you and you didn’t want to?” I said, and that wiped the smile right off her face.

  “How do you know about that?”

  “He tried the same thing on me. Said you refused him, too.”

  Her mouth twisted into a dangerous smirk. “Yeah, well, turns out that Daxton isn’t really Daxton after all.”

  She watched me, as if she expected me to faint at what she clearly thought was an earth-shattering revelation, but I shrugged. “Yeah, he’s a V. I know that already.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Knox! You told her?”

  “Of course not,” he said, uncrossing his arms and straightening. “How the hell did you find out?”

  “I felt it on the back of his neck,” I said. “You know, too?”

  “I felt it when he went after me,” said Lila. “I mean, my uncle was rotten, but he’d never do that, you know? The next day, Knox told me Daxton’s replacement was going to have me killed. If you know, too, then how are you still alive?”

  I shrugged. “Because I stuck a syringe in his neck and tried to kill him.”

  “Ah, so you’re the reason he’s in a coma instead of a coffin.”

  I bristled. “Does anyone else know who he really is? Celia? Greyson?”

  “Just Augusta, as far as we can tell,” said Knox.

  “Why not let them know?” I said.

  “Because Greyson’s lost enough family already, and Celia’s too much of a loose cannon right now. There’s no telling what she would do if she knew.” Knox set his hand on the door. “Come on, both of you. If we’re going to do this, we need to do it quickly.”

  Lila slipped on a pair of shoes and snatched a leather jacket hanging from a hook. “It’s Kitty, right? He’s going to kill you when he wakes up.”

  “Then I guess I should make sure he never does,” I said.

  Lila smirked. “I like her,” she said, and as she skipped out the door, Knox and I followed.

  * * *

  Lila led the way back to Somerset. She knew every twist and turn through the alleyways, and once we were deep inside the dirt tunnel, I asked how she knew the route as well as Knox did.

  “Who do you think showed him?” she said cheekily, nudging Knox in the side. He grimaced and shrank back. I didn’t blame him.

  Once we returned to Knox’s room, he disappeared out the door, leaving me and Lila alone. I was too nervous to sit down. Instead, as Lila stretched across the sofa like she owned it, I stood in the corner, insignificant and afraid. I tried to reassure myself that Augusta still needed me, but I didn’t know for sure. Now that they had the real Lila, they could do whatever they wanted with her, and chances were good that I would be dead within hours if I stayed. I couldn’t run away and let Celia kill Greyson, though, despite what it could cost me.

  No, I thought as Benjy entered the room. He was the one price I wasn’t willing to pay. No matter what Augusta did to me, I trusted Knox to watch his back. Benjy was a VI in his own right. With me dead, there would be no reason for Augusta to threaten him anymore.

  “You’re back,” he said, not yet spotting Lila lying down on the couch.

  “Yeah, it didn’t take long.” I walked over to Benjy and tucked myself underneath his arm. He turned to give me a kiss, but before his lips met mine, he stopped.

  “Is that—” he said, staring at Lila. She grinned and waggled her fingers at him.

  “It is. Turns out she’s alive,” I said, forcing a small smile. “She’s not exactly what I expected.”

  “Can you leave now?” he said, and the hope in his voice nearly killed me. I gave him a quick kiss.

  “Not yet. Knox is trying to get Greyson back by using Lila as bait. Augusta is going to need one of us to stay, and Lila doesn’t want to.”

  “Oh.” Benjy frowned, worry clear in his eyes. I rubbed his back.

  “Aren’t you going to introduce me?” said Lila, flashing him a coy smile, and I scowled.

  “Lila, this is Benjy, my boyfriend,” I said, and her eyebrows shot up the same way Knox’s did when he was surprised.

  “Boyfriend? Is this a recent thing? Did Daxton let you break up with Knox? Lucky.” She sighed. “Not that I don’t adore him, but we’re, you know. Just friends.”

  I shook my head. “You and Knox are still engaged, but Benjy and I’ve been together for a few years. We grew up in the same group home.”

  “And he followed you here?” she said.

  “I earned a VI,” said Benjy. “I’m Knox’s assistant.”

  Lila let out a low whistle. “Congratulations. That makes you the smartest person in Somerset. Only two percent of the population gets a VI, you know.”

  Benjy cracked a smile. “I know.”

  He stayed with me as we waited for Knox to return, neither of us bothering to make ourselves comfortable. He must have known what was coming, but at least he didn’t try to reassure me that everything would be all right. I held on to him tightly, not willing to let go. Especially not with Lila looking at him the way she was.

  After what felt like hours, Knox returned. By then Lila was dozing on the sofa, but the moment the door opened, she sat up, suddenly wide-awake. When I saw who entered behind Knox, I understood why.

  “I see you’re not dead after all,” said Augusta. “Pity. We paid all that money for your empty crypt.”

  “I’m sure you’ll find use for it eventually,” said Lila, all traces of playfulness gone. “Did Knox fill you in?”

  “Yes. It is a horrendous idea with more holes in it than I care to count.” Augusta glanced in my direction. “The servants will help you both clean up and even out your appearances before we do this. Cooperate.” She looked at Knox. “Make sure they’re both ready in an hour.”

  “Of course,” he said, and without another word, Augusta left.

  “Does this mean I have to bathe?” said Lila, and she was lucky Benjy had a grip on me, because I itched to wrap my hands around her throat and squeeze. Greyson could have been dying at that very moment.

  “Yes,” said Knox. “And it’s about damn time. You’re disgusting.”

  “No worse than you on an average day.”

  She stood and flashed him an impish smile, and then she skipped into his bathroom like it was her own. Knox exhaled and turned his attention to me. “I’m sorry about this.”

  “Don’t apologize,” I said. “It’s not your fault.”

  “Yes, it is,” said Benjy, and I squeezed his hand.

  “He’s right,” said Knox. “And I promise I’ll do everything humanly possible to make su
re you both remain safe.”

  So I wasn’t imagining the risks after all. The game had changed, and my time was limited. “If—” I swallowed, unable to look at Benjy. “If they decide to get rid of me, don’t let them send me Elsewhere, okay? Even if you have to pull the trigger yourself.”

  Beside me, Benjy stiffened, but I tightened my grip on his hand. I would rather have died here than be hunted like an animal.

  Pain clouded Knox’s expression. “Kitty, I can’t—”

  “Yes, you can,” I said. “You can and you will. Say it.”

  He closed his eyes, and after a long moment, he nodded. “I won’t let them send you Elsewhere,” he said. “Even if I have to pull the trigger myself.”

  Benjy made a strange choking noise, and before I realized what he was doing, he let go of me and stormed into the hallway. I stood paralyzed, wanting to follow, but I couldn’t. As much as it hurt, letting him go now was the kindest thing I could do for him. At least then he would have time to prepare.

  “Thank you,” I said to Knox. “Really.”

  “Don’t thank me for promising to kill you. Thank me for doing everything I can to make sure it doesn’t come to that.”

  I forced a small smile. “I will when all of this is over.”

  Any hope I had left was fading fast, though, and I needed to start preparing myself for the inevitable as well, no matter how many promises Knox made. He couldn’t control the outcome, and neither could I. But we could both control the way I died.

  * * *

  Sometime during the month she’d been away, Lila had cut her hair above her shoulders, and the woman Augusta sent to even out our appearances cut mine to match. I’d never had it that short before, and my head felt strangely weightless. I could barely stop touching it long enough for her to put on what little makeup was supposedly necessary to hide any other differences between us. I couldn’t see them, and I doubted the public would, either, but Augusta was adamant. We had to look identical.

  By the time a guard led us to the drawing room, Augusta was there with a small camera crew. As we entered side by side, dressed in the same soft gray sweaters and black pants, the reporters gawked at us. I kept my head down, too worried about everything else that was going on to bother with them. Would Augusta get rid of me as soon as the cameras stopped rolling, or would she make sure Greyson was safe first? Or did she know she could never control Lila and I was her only shot?

  Was I going to die today or not?

  I swallowed my questions as a member of the crew positioned Lila and me on either side of Augusta. The same crew member told me to cross my legs, and Augusta agreed. There had to be some differences between us so Celia didn’t think it was some kind of camera trick.

  Once we were settled, Augusta handed us both cue cards to read. I stared at mine blankly, unable to sort out the words, but Knox knelt down next to me before the cameras started rolling.

  “It says, ‘My name is Madison, and I have been working as Lila’s body double for the past three years,’” he said. “That’s all. Got it?”

  I nodded, and he patted me on the shoulder. A cameraman called for him to get out of the way, and he moved to the side, still within my range of vision. He gave me a small smile, but I couldn’t return it.

  Bright light flooded the room, and I flinched. The same cameraman counted down, and I threaded my fingers together and struggled to keep from fidgeting. Beside me, Augusta sat up straighter and lifted her chin, and as the countdown reached one, she took a breath.

  And then we were live to the entire nation, and there was no going back.

  XVII

  Standoff

  The plea lasted less than two minutes. Augusta didn’t say a word about Lila’s supposed death, nor the fact that I’d been masquerading as her for weeks. I awkwardly said my only line when the cameraman pointed at me, and that was that. No member of the public had enough pieces of the puzzle to figure out why I had to be there, but it wouldn’t save me. They knew now that there was someone out there who looked exactly like Lila, and she would be scrutinized for months until they were sure it was her.

  Once it was over, Lila and I returned to her suite to wait for Celia to respond, and Knox trailed after us.

  “This better work,” said Lila.

  “It will,” said Knox, and he set his hand on my back. “You did a good job.”

  I started to reply, but Lila beat me to it. “It wasn’t exactly hard.”

  He squeezed my shoulder, and I said nothing. Whether or not half the country was convinced Lila was some kind of divine savior, she was still a Hart.

  Once we entered the suite, the guards shut the door behind us, and Lila stretched and cracked her back. “I claim the big bed,” she said, heading toward her bedroom. She tugged on the knob, but it didn’t budge. “Please tell me someone has the key.”

  Right. I’d locked it to make the guards think I was asleep while Knox and I had sneaked out. I slipped past her, and using the necklace Greyson had given me, I unlocked it for her. As soon as it opened, she waltzed inside and closed the door behind her, and I heard the click of the lock once more.

  “Is she always like this?” I said when I returned to the living room.

  “This is one of her good days,” said Knox. “Try to get some sleep while you can.”

  I curled up on the couch instead of heading into her second bedroom, but after a few fitful attempts to nap, I gave up. Knox sat nearby, staring into the crackling fire. Occasionally he stood and tended to it with one of the pokers, but we spent several hours in silence.

  Whatever happened, there was nothing I could do to stop it now. I’d agreed to this, and I had no choice but to see it through. I clung to the hope that everything would go according to plan and in the end, they would still need me, but I knew hope alone wouldn’t do it. Augusta had to see that I was more easily controlled than Lila. She had to recognize that this short life was better than the long one that waited for me on the streets as a fugitive III, and because of that, I would stay. But Lila wouldn’t, not for long. Not when she still had a choice.

  However, Augusta had also lost all of her family in one fell swoop, and I was sure that when she was given the choice between a real Hart and a fake, I would lose every time.

  “Can you make sure Lila gets this when it’s over?” I said to Knox, touching my necklace. It was rightfully Lila’s, but I couldn’t bring myself to give it up. Not yet. “Greyson gave it to me thinking I was her, and—she should have it.”

  “Of course,” he said. It was well past midnight, and the flames were dying. I glanced up at the air vent in the corner of the room. It would be easy to escape now, but without knowing where Benjy was or that Greyson was all right, I couldn’t bring myself to leave.

  “Knox?” I said softly. “I’m scared.”

  His jaw tensed, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “Yeah, me, too.”

  “What if Celia isn’t willing to make the trade? What if she decides Lila isn’t worth it?”

  “She will,” he said. “She loves Lila more than her own life. She made mistakes, manipulating Lila into being the face of her rebellion—”

  “Lila really didn’t believe in what she was saying?” I said. “Even after seeing what Elsewhere was really like?”

  “She did,” he said slowly. “But when you live the life of a Hart, it’s hard to see past your own privilege. After what happened to her father, Lila wanted to help her mother, and Celia is persuasive. It wasn’t worth dying for, though. The idea is to stop the murders, not to get more people killed.”

  “And you helped her fake her death?”

  He rubbed his face wearily. “I should have told Celia. I know that now, but Lila was so damn scared, and Celia would have gone after her if I’d told her the truth.”

  “It’s not your fault,�
�� I said. “Lila shouldn’t have run away in the first place.”

  “What should I have done instead?” said a voice behind me. Dressed in pajamas, Lila moved into the space between us, blocking Knox from my view. “Tell me, Kitty, since you seem to have it all figured out—what else was I supposed to do?”

  I sat up. “You should have stayed. If you didn’t want to talk to all those people, then you should have told your mother no. Then no one would have wanted you dead, and you wouldn’t have had to run away.”

  “And you wouldn’t have my face,” she said. “And Greyson wouldn’t be kidnapped.”

  “Exactly.”

  She took a step closer to me, and behind her, Knox stood, but he made no move to pull her away. “I love my people,” she said in a trembling voice. “Maybe I didn’t want to risk my life, but I wanted to help them. I just thought there were better ways to do it.”

  “How can you help them now?” I said. “What good are you holed up in a bunker?”

  Her jaw tightened, and anyone in their right mind would’ve backed off with that wild look in her eyes, but I didn’t care anymore. I was as good as dead anyway, and when that happened, I couldn’t think of anything worse than Lila running away again and abandoning all of the people who counted on her.

  “You’re no better than my mother,” she said, her eyes watering. “Not everyone’s prepared to die for the greater good, all right? We can’t all be heroes. I do my part down there, and no one has to know. I had no idea they were going to have someone Masked, and I’m sorry they put you through that, but that isn’t my fault. I thought if everyone believed I was dead, it would have made me a martyr. I thought it would fuel the rebellion. They know I’m alive now, though—the entire world does, and they also know their leader abandoned them and kidnapped Greyson. Some of them love him as much as they love me, you know. Do you really think they’re going to be happy about this?”

  “Wait,” I cut in, my head spinning with everything she wasn’t saying. “Who do you mean by they?”

  Lila rolled her eyes. “They had you giving speeches and everything, and they didn’t tell you?”