Charlotte sat up straighter. “Do you know it was my father who tried to kidnap her for sure?”
Phoenix shrugged. “Who else could it be? We’re the only other rebel group in the city. And if it wasn’t us…that only leaves one option.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Pete said, his hand dropping to draw lazy circles on Charlotte’s shoulder. “He’s the one that put her there. Why would he try to get her out?”
“Maybe he knew it was only a matter of time before Bridge learned he didn’t have Charlotte anymore,” Seamus suggested. “If she did, she would have backed out of their plan.”
“So he gets her back, and what?” Trent asked.
“He uses Bridgette as leverage to get Charlotte back too,” Lake said. Charlotte liked the Archer girls, especially Lake. There was something calm and reassuring about the mocha skinned beauty. Her wild, curly hair was pulled up into a messy bun this morning, accentuating her delicate features.
“That’s definitely a possibility,” Pete said, “which means he’s likely to try again. Douglas doesn’t do well with failure.”
“We need to get her before he does,” Charlotte said.
“Now that she knows you’re safe, it’s likely she’ll try to find us first,” Seamus pointed out.
“What makes you so sure?” Lake questioned. “She had the opportunity to leave with us, and didn’t.”
This was true, Charlotte thought. She still wasn’t sure what to make of her sister’s resistance, but that couldn’t stop them from trying to get her out of there again. Bridgette wasn’t safe behind enemy lines. The sooner they got her and figured out where they were headed to next, the better. Charlotte could feel the tension in the city climbing higher to a breaking point. It was only a matter of time before Ludwig took drastic measures against her father and his resistance. She knew Ludwig better than anyone sitting here.
“We need to move fast,” she said, looking at all of them. “Ludwig will think the bombing was the work of my father. With Sal and the others coming into town, he’ll be even more pissed that he was made to look like a fool in front of them. There’s nothing more irritating to Ludwig than feeling like he doesn’t have control over a situation.”
“What does that mean then?” Sam asked.
“It means he’ll plan an attack against them.”
“How, when he doesn’t know where to find them?” Pete said.
“If I know Ludwig as well as I think I do, he’ll burn down the whole eastern ghetto just to find him. Things could start to get really violent around here,” Charlotte replied honestly.
“Well, shoot,” Lake said, sitting back. “If he doesn’t find him there, he’s bound to look our way next.”
“We can’t let that happen,” Phoenix said firmly. “These are our streets, I’m not going to sit back and let him destroy them.”
“If that’s what he plans, there’s not much we can do to stop him,” Charlotte said.
“Bullshit,” Sam said, “we can fight back.”
“With what?” Trent said, supporting Charlotte. “We don’t have nearly enough manpower or weapons.”
“And there’s no way we’re joining forces with Douglas on this,” Phoenix said. Everyone seconded that.
“We need to take this a step at a time,” Pete said. “First things first, we get Bridge. Then we figure out how to defuse the situation between the rebels and Ludwig.”
“Why defuse it?” Sam said. “Isn’t the point of this rebellion to take Ludwig down?”
“That won’t happen just yet,” Pete answered. “Douglas doesn’t have the necessary resources either. All he’ll accomplish is getting himself killed, and a lot of other innocent bystanders. If we don’t squash this now, the whole city could end up being destroyed.”
“And Ludwig would do it too,” Charlotte added. “Just to prove a point, if nothing else.”
“What does that mean for us?” Phoenix asked.
“It means we lay low until we can figure out a smart way of bringing him and his government down,” replied Pete.
“Maybe we need to start looking into the possibility of some sympathetic Uppers,” Trent suggested. “We get enough people on our side who have a broader reach, we might stand a chance.”
“A broader reach to where, hot shot?” Phoenix argued. “There’s no outside help to reach out to.”
Trent leaned forward. “You bring down Ludwig, and then what?” The table fell into a heavy silence.
“It’s the same thing we’d ask the General when we worked for him,” Pete continued. “Sure, we all want to see the current leader gone, but we get rid of him, and what? Who takes his place? How do we rebuild? With what?”
No one could answer those questions. Charlotte knew it was hard for these women to hear the truth, but that’s exactly what it was. It was one thing to want Ludwig gone, but they still needed to figure out who they would put in his place. It would need to be someone that could take control of a city that was bound to go into a frenzy when they were no longer living under the thumb of a tyrant that made them live in utter fear for the last seven years. She could only image the chaos that would ensue. Charlotte had an idea who would make a good leader, but she’d yet to discuss it with anyone.
“Well now that you’ve officially rained on our little parade,” Vi said, speaking for the first time that morning, “how do we get Bridgette out of there?”
“I’m going to have to say, no more explosives,” Seamus said, looking toward Pixie who’d sat eating quietly the entire time. “Sorry munchkin.”
She shrugged indifferently.
“Well that’s no fun,” Sam said with a pout.
“You know, there really is a simple answer for all this,” someone said, grabbing everyone’s attention. Missy stood in the doorway to the kitchen, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. She looked pale and nervous, but didn’t back down when everyone looked her way.
“And what’s that, baby doll?” Phoenix asked.
“You guys don’t have to find a way to get to her, you simply need her to come to you. Like you said, she knows now that Charlotte got away, she just doesn’t know where. All you need to do is let her know where to find you, and she’ll get out herself.” She glanced at Charlotte nervously. “Don’t you think? Weapon X isn’t held prisoner there, is she? You could come and go as you please. If Bridgette walked out one day, no one would say anything to stop her.”
“You know, I think she might have hit the nail right on the head,” Pete said, gripping Charlotte’s shoulder.
“You so smart, baby girl,” Phoenix said, grinning at her sister.
A light blush spread over Missy’s cheeks. She looked down now, not meeting anyone’s eyes. Charlotte actually liked this plan. It was simple, and most of the best plans were. There was just one problem.
“Okay, then how do we let her know where we are?” she asked.
Charlotte fell down onto the bed face first. The mattress dipped on her left, letting her know Pete had followed her into the room they were sharing. She turned to face him as he stroked her back gently.
“If your brother suggests messenger pigeons one more time, I might kill him,” she said.
Pete grinned. “Ignore Garrett. He’s an idiot.”
Charlotte lifted one eyebrow. “You asked him if they still have those.”
He chuckled. “I was joking…for the most part.”
Charlotte shook her head, burying it in the mattress again.
“Hey,” he said softly, fighting back a smile. “I know how frustrating this is, but we’re going to get her. I want Bridge back and safe just as much as you do. We’ll figure out a way to get a message to her, and pray to God she shows up where we tell her.”
“Someone’s going to need to keep an eye on headquarters for when she leaves,” Charlotte said, rolling over onto her back. “Just in case she gets followed.”
Pete nodded. “I already thought of that.”
Charlotte snorted. “Y
ou think you’re so smart.”
“I am,” he said with a cocky grin.
“Who told you that? Messenger pigeons?”
Her breath whooshed out of her as his body pinned her to the bed. He moved so fast she barely had time to register it, yet alone stop him. His face was only inches away from her, his eyes bright with mischief. God she loved this man. Charlotte often wondered what her life would have been like if she’d never met him. She couldn’t imagine being anywhere else than right here with Pete.
“You’re giving me that look again,” he said teasingly.
“What look?” She schooled her features.
“That one where you’re thinking about how much you love me,” he said, his smile growing.
“Careful, smile any wider and you might crack that beautiful face.”
He chuckled.
“Which is the only reason I’m with you, so don’t ruin it,” she added.
“Sure, sure,” he said, rubbing the tip of his nose against hers before dipping down to bury his face in the crook of her neck. His mouth tasted her skin in small, wet, distracting kisses that had her breath changing immediately.
“You know,” she said while he was distracted by her skin, “there’s still the option of me walking in there myself. As long as no one sees Bridge and I together, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
He froze against her neck for a second, before lifting his head to look down at her, that stubborn crease already set between his eyes. “Absolutely not,” he said.
“We should at least consider it. I’m sure if I tell the girls –”
“Don’t you dare,” he warned, cutting her off.
“Why?”
“Because they’re crazy enough to go along with it. I thought I was bad, but those girls make me look boring.”
Charlotte laughed. “They’re not that bad.”
He made a face that left no doubt he disagreed with that statement. “I half expect them just to storm into headquarters one day, guns blazing, thinking they can actually take the whole army on. Those girls have misguided ideas of grandeur.”
Charlotte tapped her finger on her chin. “Hmmm, reminds me of someone.”
Pete laughed, dropping his head again so his breath washed over the bare skin of her neck. “I was never that bad.”
“I highly doubt that,” she replied. Her thoughts were starting to grow fuzzier the more his mouth worked at her. He made a path up to her mouth, hovering there, just out of reach. “We should be going back out there,” she whispered, her lips rubbing against his when she spoke.
“We will in a minute.”
She grinned, raising her eyebrows. “Just a minute?”
“Maybe a bit longer than that,” he said before covering her mouth with his.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
He was avoiding her, she just knew it. It was probably for the better, but it still irked her. Bridgette walked down to the gym, having stayed in her room for the entire day yesterday. She still felt sore, but she couldn’t stand lying in bed anymore. She felt the need to move and figured training for a bit would be just the thing.
No one was inside when she got there. Dragging one of the large kicking bags into the middle of the mats, she started to warm up with some punches. There was no technique involved, since she’d never been professionally trained, but her hits landed solidly regardless. Adding some kicks and other combinations, she was sweating and tired a good hour later.
She was just taking a drink of water when she heard the door to the gym slam shut. Fixing the mask over her face again, she turned to see the man Sal walking toward her with a lazy grin on his face. Her body tensed at the sight of him, as though it intuitively recognized a predator approaching. Unease slithered into her belly.
“Looking good,” he said, his voice echoing in the empty space.
“Thanks,” she croaked, clearing her throat.
“I’ve never seen you train. I didn’t realize you were such an experienced fighter.”
She wasn’t, she thought, but didn’t say it out loud. If she was any good, it was purely coincidence. “I manage,” was her reply.
He chuckled, stopping just a few feet away from her. Bridgette kept her gaze on his every movement. The fact that they were in here alone didn’t sit well with her. She didn’t know this man, but her instincts said he wasn’t a friend.
“Ludwig always keeps you so close. I hardly ever get a chance to speak with you when I visit.”
Bridgette shrugged. “Yeah, well, Ludwig can be a bit overprotective.”
He nodded. “I gathered. You know, if you’re ever interested in getting away, I think you’d fit in nicely with my men. You could see more of the world; spread your wings a bit.”
What? Bridgette looked at him, sure that her confusion was evident in her eyes. Was he offering her a job? What would Ludwig think of this?
“I’m happy where I am,” she said.
“You sure? It must get pretty boring staying inside this building all the time,” he said, looking around the gym. “A woman like yourself should be able to put her talents to real use, instead of dealing with such mundane tasks as searching the minds of lowly rebels.”
His gaze was on her again, challenging. She didn’t like it, or the feeling he gave off. “I have no complaints,” she replied. “What I do for Ludwig serves a purpose.”
Sal snorted. “What purpose would that be? The only service is to Ludwig. What do you get out of it?”
“Ludwig has done a lot for me over the years,” she argued. “If I can help him, I will.” Great, now she was actually defending Ludwig.
“I think you’ve repaid your debts tenfold by now. You don’t owe him.”
“Says you.”
He smiled. “Yes, says me. I always tell the truth, and I also always say what’s on my mind.” His eyes slowly travelled down the front of her and back up. “There is just something about you, X. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but every time I’m in your presence, I can’t help but wonder what’s beneath all that black.”
Bridgette swallowed against the dryness in her mouth.
“Those eyes are captivating. I can only imagine what the rest is like.” He took a step forward, Bridgette instinctively stepping back. “Rumours are you’re so beautiful, Roman insists on the mask strictly to keep others at bay.”
Bridgette laughed, trying to sound like she was simply laughing it off, but it came out forced sounding. “You should never believe rumours,” she said, taking another step back. Her back hit the wall. She hadn’t realized she was that close to it, and now she had nowhere else to go.
Sal advanced on her slowly, his movements calculated. Bridgette couldn’t look away from him, fear building in the pit of her stomach. He stopped just inches from her. She held her breath so she wouldn’t touch his chest. He placed a hand on either side of her head, blocking her in.
“What do you want?” she whispered.
“I want you,” he said. “I should think that was obvious.”
“Why?”
His mouth twitched. “I guess you could say I’m attracted to all things deadly and powerful. You are something special, X. Ludwig likes to keep you all to himself, but I think now is the time for change. I want you by my side when I work, and in my bed when it’s time to play.”
Bridgette fought back the urge to gag right in front of him. She’d never had a man give her the creeps like this before, even working at the Red Lounge, where there were plenty of questionable men who frequently attended her shows.
“There you are.”
Bridgette let out the air she’d been holding at the sound of his voice. She looked over Sal’s shoulder to see Roman storming over to them, his face not matching the calmness of his voice. He looked livid, his eyes solely focused on her.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” he continued, as if the situation in front of him was perfectly normal. Sal had yet to back off of her, his hands still caging her in.
Livid, furious, enraged – all of those weren’t strong enough to describe what he was feeling right now. Roman had been walking past the gym on his way out of the building when he happened to glance through the glass of the doors. His heart had literally stopped when he saw Sal in here with Bridgette. He couldn’t see her face behind the mask, but he could tell from the way she held herself that she was terrified. It had taken all his self-control not to run in here and tear into the other man.
“I need you to come with me,” he said, stopping just behind them. Sal finally stepped back slowly, turning to face him with a knowing grin. He knew Roman was breaking this up on purpose. Roman had no intention of bringing Bridgette along with him, but it looked like his plans were about to change. He thought putting some space between them was the smart move. Clearly he was wrong. He couldn’t leave her alone for more than a day without her finding herself in some sort of trouble. Not that this was her fault, but he definitely wasn’t going to be able to walk away knowing she’d garnered the attention of Sal.
“Sounds good,” she said, all too quickly. She walked over to him, keeping her body close. Every male instinct in him stood in pride at the show of trust that simple gesture made. Bridgette saw him as someone who would keep her safe, and by God that’s exactly what he planned to do.
“I think Ludwig was looking for you,” Roman said, turning his attention to Sal. He moved his body, angling it slightly so he was strategically placed between them. Bridgette’s hand gripped his shirt at the base of his spine, causing him to stand up straighter. Even the slightest touch from her did strange things to his mind and body.
“I was just on my way to his office,” Sal replied, his demeanour calm and relaxed, as though there was nothing wrong with what he’d just been doing. “You two be safe now,” he said with a grin. “I’ll see you later.” His eyes went to Bridgette over Roman’s shoulder when he said that last line, and Roman could have sworn he felt her shiver in response.
Roman watched Sal walk away, his eyes never leaving him until the door to the gym slammed shut behind him. He spun around to face her the second they were alone, pulling her into his embrace. She came willingly, burying her face into his chest.
02 Masked-New World Page 15
