The Line

by K J Southworth

  He never place me, either. Eventually, he just gave up, muttering that his brain was fried. It felt too weird for me to tell him outright.

  This particular memory has always been a favourite of mine. I’ve done a lot of things that I’m not proud of; becoming a Criminal means crossing the line that shelters you from all the things you thought you weren’t capable of. Remembering that I didn’t kill Frenzy is a comforting thought for someone like me.

  Frenzy has zoned out, which usually happens to him a few times a day. It’s probably from early damage, having been jacked in at such a young age. You just have to let him leave for a while. I watch the tears spill from his unblinking eyes and feel my own water with compassion. It never occurred to me until now how strong Frenzy really is. Eight years of torture at his father’s hands, followed by six years of torture at Cremin’s hands, but he hasn’t let it destroy him. He struggles and sometimes he falters, but he’s survived. Inspired, I suddenly feel honoured that he considers me his friend.

  A low rumble makes the hideout shake. Frenzy snaps out of his trance.

  “That’s the lift,” he says as he scans the room. It takes him a moment to fully recover from his space-out. Wiping his sleeve on his moist cheeks, he shoots me a confused look. “I must have dozed off?”

  I don’t tell him he was crying. No one ever does. Forcing my own tears back, I shoot him an encouraging smile.

  A sharp buzzing noise invades the hideout: the traps have been deactivated. Frenzy pushes a button on his wall. A black panel slides to the side to reveal the monitors linked to the cameras. The metal front door swings open.

  “Get out of bed, Ash!” Wulff’s heavy boots echo down the hallway and stop at Frenzy’s cubby door. There’s a pause when Wulff realizes that his friend isn’t in there. “Damn it, Ash, are you in Copper’s cubby again?”

  I shoot Frenzy a questioning look. He avoids it but his face turns bright red.

  “Not in here, either. You’re going to love this one. I mean it. Our little Copper is back in business. She’s going to find a line into Cop Sector!”

  Wulff strides into the common room—my heart jumps into my throat.

  He doesn’t look any different, as though I’ve only been gone for a day instead of two years. My arms and legs go numb with anticipation as he throws a bag onto the table. Casually acknowledging me with a small wave, he unzips his jacket and pulls a bottle of his mint shaving cream from an inside pocket. He must have been running errands today.

  Grinning wickedly at Frenzy, he nods towards me. “Does Heath know you brought a woman down here, Ash?”

  “Wulff…” Frenzy shoots him a significant look.

  I shakily get to my feet, not knowing what kind of reaction I want from my closest friend. The tall, muscular man takes a moment to look me over. It isn’t until he searches my eyes that his mouth drops open in both amazement and horror.

  Quaking with emotion, I find the courage to greet him. “Hey, loudmouth.”

  The shock doesn’t keep him quiet for long. Nothing ever does. That enthralling, nothing-held-back, exploding-with-joy, you’d-forgive-him-anything grin bursts over his face. Before I can react, he whoops excitedly, crosses the room and catches me in a bone-crunching hug. I groan in discomfort but Wulff has no intention of letting me go. Lifting me off the floor, he dances around the hideout.

  I can hear myself laughing—Wulff’s natural enthusiasm is as infectious as ever.

  Dizzy from the exhilaration of being held by him again, I cling to his arms so that I don’t fall over. Steadying me with a hand on the small of my back, Wulff studies my uncertainty.

  The excitement in his eyes lends me a little strength. Bolstered, I open my mouth to say hello. Wulff puts his hands on either side of my face and presses his lips against mine. I sputter at first, but the fierce kiss is sending waves of buzzing energy through my limbs. My exhaustion melts away and my greeting is completely swallowed. Next thing I know, he puts me in a friendly headlock and drags me back to the table. Grabbing me by the legs he throws me over his shoulder. I struggle playfully without any real intention of getting out of his grip. I love it when he throws me around like this.

  “Ash, we’re going out!”

  He slides me down his chest and puts my feet back down on the floor. Looking me over, he playfully flicks me on the forehead.

  “Still in one piece,” he decides. Pulling me into his arms he holds me in a warm embrace. It feels so good to be in his arms; I nuzzle right in and close my eyes. Wulff rests his cheek on my head. “Do me a favour, Copper,” he whispers into my hair. “Never disappear like that again.”

  16

  I’ve had a total of two lovers in my life. Wulff was my first.

  I met him in a small pub in E when I was seventeen. He and I would go there for drinks. Theodora was a bartender who’d hired me to sit with her on her breaks so that the men wouldn’t automatically assume she wanted company. That neighbourhood’s entire male population would go down there every night to watch her pour alcohol. She wouldn’t choose to become a prostitute for another year or so, but the men were always looking for a few minutes of her time. I liked it there because it wasn’t a Criminal hangout. There was no repressed violence in the atmosphere, just Accountants unwinding from long days. Theo didn’t pay well, but it was an easy job that didn’t require too much effort.

  Wulff is an Accountant turned Criminal who used to visit old friends. If you’re born in the Bank you become an Accountant. Just like if you’re born in N Sector, the Hospital, you become a Doctor. It’s just the way the City works. Wulff hated the Bank; his passions were vehicles and art. He had to become a Criminal to do what he loved.

  One night, the first night of many, his friends didn’t make it to the pub, so he introduced himself and offered to keep me company. It’s very hard to say no to Wulff when he turns on the charm. I was captivated from the beginning.

  I was crushing on him for a few months before I worked up the nerve to pounce. Wulff is ten years older than me. Generally, it’s considered taboo for a man to proposition a woman that much younger. If anything were going to happen I would have to seduce him. And I wanted to. Sweet Sky, how I wanted to! It got to the point where just knowing he was somewhere near made me weak in the knees. So, one night I followed him to his box.

  The two years I spent as his lover feel like a separate life. They’re sacred and incorruptible. In the end, I fucked it up. But I suppose that was inevitable. You don’t become a killer without carrying a certain amount of baggage around.

  What confused Wulff was my total lack of remorse. I never went looking for fights, but I didn’t prevent them either. If someone died at my hands, I didn’t go over the details wondering how I might have prevented it. It didn’t take long for Wulff to realize that I had a bit of a death wish. I must have driven him crazy. When he ended it, I was wrecked, but I couldn’t lose him. I swallowed my disillusionment and concentrated on being his friend. My broken heart healed eventually. Despite the pain and confusion, there isn’t anyone in the City I trust more than Wulff.

  Walking into the pub with him, I don’t feel raw and exposed anymore. His presence allows me to sink back into who I used to be. It’s so natural. I feel so confident that I barely realize it’s happened.

  Wulff grabs a petite waitress around the waist and pulls her towards us. “We need beer, Astrid!”

  “First you have to promise me a dance later.” The pretty blonde pouts flirtatiously. “Otherwise, I’m ignoring you all night.”

  “You could never ignore me,” Wulff returns. He picks her up with one arm and carries her to an empty booth.

  Shrieking with laughter, she playfully hits him with her tray. “Careful or I’ll tell Jules to shave off your hair! You want a blistered head?”

  “She’d never do it. She loves me too much.” Wulff sets the waitress back on her feet as I slip into the booth.

  “Where is she anyway?” Astrid asks, fixing her hair. “I’ve got news for h
er.”

  “Haven’t seen her,” Frenzy answers.

  “She was out testing her new ride yesterday,” Wulff offers, “but I haven’t seen her since she took off.”

  “If you do see her, let her know that Liam has a huge crush on her. With a little flirtation, he might give her free drinks.”

  “I’ll flirt with him if it means free drinks,” Wulff avows.

  “Take a seat, you lush!” Astrid pushes him into the booth and leaves to fill our order. “I’ll buy your first round.”

  “You’re beautiful, sweetheart.”

  “Anyone who buys you beer is beautiful,” she tosses playfully over her shoulder.

  “She knows you too well,” I say.

  “Astrid’s a good sort,” he replies. “Sit down, Ash!”

  “What’s Locket doing here?” Frenzy asks. “I thought he rooted in the Hospital.”

  My heart immediately starts banging against my chest. Madman’s General is casually sitting at the bar and we all know this isn’t a chance encounter. He’s reminding us that he’s watching, patiently waiting for the clock to run down.

  Unnerved, but also annoyed, I refuse to give him the satisfaction of staring at him. Frenzy adopts a protective stance but Wulff is unconcerned. At first, I don’t question his composure. One of the reasons Jack hired Wulff is because he always knows everything. It’s a natural talent—one of the side benefits of being charming. If he isn’t worried then he must know something that I don’t.

  After a moment of quiet contemplation, he gives Frenzy an answer. “He moved here a few months ago.”

  “And you didn’t tell Jackson?” Frenzy’s mouth drops open in shock.

  “Why would he have cared?” Wulff shoots me a teasing glance. “Heath and Locket never had a problem with each other.”

  I reply by sticking out my tongue at him.

  “I think Jackson would have wanted to know that one of Madman’s Generals is rooting in B,” Frenzy insists.

  Wulff concedes the point with a shrug. “You’re right. Locket is one bad motherfucker. Heath would have wanted to know.”

  “I need to pee,” Frenzy says. He shoots me a worried glance. “You okay with him here?”

  “I’m not going somewhere else just because he’s sitting at the bar,” I reply. Sure, every nerve is screaming at me to get out of here, but he’ll just follow me wherever we go. “I still have a couple of days before he’s allowed to touch me.”

  Frenzy sees through my bravado but he can’t force me to leave. One eye on Locket, he retreats to the washrooms.

  Wulff continues to watch Locket, making it impossible for me to ignore my stalker. Getting to his feet, Locket walks over to our booth. Without warning, he pushes me out of the way and slides in beside me. Outraged, I push back. He retaliates by squashing me into the wall. I look to Wulff for help but he’s grinning mischievously. Hurt and confused, I watch him greet my long time nemesis with a handshake.

  I growl at Locket, wondering what the heck he thinks he’s doing. “Do you mind?”

  “Not really,” Madman’s General replies.

  “What’s the news?” Wulff asks Locket.

  “McNally wants me to tell you that she was more than satisfied with your work on the last job,” Locket says.

  “It was a pleasure doing business with her,” Wulff returns.

  “First round!” Astrid arrives with our beers. Scanning the muscular man squashing me into the wall, she graces him with a flirtatious smile. Looking to Wulff, she waits for an introduction.

  Wulff obliges with a wide grin. “Astrid, this is Jace Locket.”

  “Jace Locket?” The awe in her voice is enough to make me gag. She leans closer. “I’ll let Liam know you’re here. Obviously, you drink for free.” Locket barely acknowledges her presence. Undaunted, the cute little waitress tosses her hair suggestively. Wulff chuckles openly at the show. “Just call if you need anything.”

  “McNally is a nice woman,” Wulff continues once she’s gone. “Anyone would want to work in her shop.”

  “She’ll be glad to hear that,” Locket answers.

  “I won’t be able to work for her anymore,” Wulff admits, searching Locket’s stony expression. “She’s with Madman now. My loyalty is to my crew.”

  “McNally works for Madman…?” I nearly tip over my beer in surprise. Locket finally gives me more room so I shove my elbow into his ribs. Next thing I know, his fingers have found a pressure point in my wrist. Sharp pain shoots through my arm. “Ow! I give!” Shooting him a menacing look, I twist my hand under the table until he releases me. I rub at the sore spot he created. “I thought McNally was a legitimate Fix-it. She cornered the collector truck business years ago. Why would she work for a Criminal?”

  Neither of them gives me an answer. Locket nods thoughtfully at Wulff before sliding out of the booth. Before he leaves, his cold gaze settles on me. We don’t speak; we don’t have to. He’s already heard I’m going to try and get into Cop Sector.

  Fronting a confidence I don’t own, I silently challenge his smug expression. Something I can’t identify flashes through his eyes. It retreats as quickly as it surfaced, however, and he walks away.

  “Lovers quarrel?” Wulff asks.

  Confounded, I shoot my friend an angry glare. “What?”

  “News travels fast, Copper. Everyone knows you guys are an item. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about it. When did you two hook up, anyway?”

  “Lily opened her big mouth!” I growl angrily. “I could kill her. You know Locket’s going to kill me if I don’t find a line into Cop Sector.”

  “As if he would. He’ll steal you away to a place where no one can find you.

  You’ll build a beautiful home together and raise violent children.”

  At a loss for words, I stare dumbly at Wulff. His eyes sparkle in roguish amusement. Frenzy returns from the bathroom and slides into the booth next to me. Taking in my shocked expression, he casually looks to Wulff for an explanation.

  “Ash, do you remember that time Daryl took that crazy Hospital job? Remember what happened when Locket found out about it?”

  “Yeah, how could I forget?” Frenzy laughs at the memory. “He had a manipulator change her clearance after she got in. She couldn’t get back out.”

  “She still made it, though,” Wulff says with pride. “Then there was Alison Diego’s enforcer, that big guy…what’s-his-name?”

  “You mean Hector?”

  “No, the big guy, the one who used to drink his victim’s blood…”

  “…oh… Sherman.” Frenzy shudders with revulsion.

  “Right, Quentin Sherman.”

  “Locket stole Sherman’s favourite knife and told him that he saw Daryl with it,” Frenzy recalls. “He challenged her to a fight.”

  “And she took him apart,” Wulff narrates, growing more excited. “That was an awesome battle. She did us all a favour when she broke his neck. There weren’t too many people who wanted him back in action. They say he used to eat his victims while they were still alive.”

  Suddenly moody, I grimace at the thought. “That asshole deserved to die.”

  “All those years of hating Locket must have been pretty good foreplay,” Wulff says.

  “Foreplay…?” Frenzy blinks in confusion. “Why are you talking about foreplay?”

  Wulff ignores Frenzy’s question. “For all his hatred, though, Locket did save Copper’s ass in the desert.”

  “What?” Fuming, I turn on Wulff. “What are you talking about? I saved myself out there.”

  “Nuh-uh.” Wulff disagrees with an annoyingly condescending grunt. “You took that crazy Scientist job even after I told you it was a mistake. You went to find those cacti with the special needles and got lost. How long did you wander around before Locket found you?”

  “First of all, I found those needles; second of all, I was never lost. I knew where I was the entire time. My problem was that somebody’s precious hover called it quits when
I was on my way back!”

  “There was nothing wrong with my hover vehicle. You just don’t know how to drive. The engine overheated when you pushed it too hard. I never got it back, by the way.”

  “I can’t believe you’re still whining about something that happened that long ago.”

  “That’s beside the point.” A superior look spreads across Wulff’s face. “Locket is the one who found you and brought you back in. He saved you. Is that when you two became lovers?”

  Horror-struck, Frenzy chokes on his beer. “Lovers…? You and Locket are lovers? That’s seriously fucked up.”

  “Locket was the one the Scientists contracted to bring the needles to K Sector! That’s why he went looking for me.” I’m ready to tear Wulff’s head off. “And just so you know, Locket had no idea I was the one the Scientists had hired. It’s not like he saved me out of the goodness of his heart.”

  “So you admit he saved you.”

  “Hold it!” Frenzy is ready to break bottles over our heads to get our attention. “Copper and Locket became lovers after he saved her?”

  “He didn’t save me!” I cry.

  “But you are lovers?”

  “No! I hate him. I wouldn’t sleep with him if somebody paid me.”

  “That’s not what Jen tells me,” Wulff interjects.

  “Who…?”

  “Jen saw you with Locket at Braggs Bar.” Wulff leans conspiratorially towards Frenzy. “She says they were having a little fun in a bathroom stall.”

  Frenzy shakes his head. “This isn’t making any sense.”

  “You mean that woman who saw me with Locket in the bathroom?” I ask.

  “So you were there!” Wulff lets out a whoop of triumph. “I wasn’t sure if I should believe her. Copper, you should have told me.”

  “There’s nothing to tell! Just get it out of your head, Wulff. I am not, never was, and never will be, Locket’s lover.”

  “Whatever you say, Copper, whatever you say. For whatever reason, you don’t want others to know. I won’t spread it around.”