by Nova Drake
The crowd started to disperse, far less than half of them were off to claim their winnings. And still, Jess stood there. Staring at the slow rise and fall of Jett’s chest, until a different chest blocked her view. The giant released her arm and her eyes moved up to the doorman in front of her. Though it no longer felt right calling him that.
“You are done here,” he said plainly.
“I’ve got her,” a familiar gruff voice intervened.
Archer stepped up and wrapped an arm around Jess, guiding her back to the locker room. Without a word, he stood her next to a sink and wet a cloth. Her body grew cold now that she’d stopped moving and she began to shiver. And hurt. Now that she was shaking, every injury she’d accrued made itself known. Jess fell back against the wall and slid down to the floor. Her body was done. After three days of nearly non-stop walking and fighting, plus the emotional toll of the fight with Jett, she had nothing left.
She’d gotten the answers she’d been looking for so long, but it brought with it more questions. Why had the Disciples targeted her family in the first place? Why had they sent Jett? Did it all go back to Colt? What the hell had he done? Was it his fault her parents were dead?
No. She couldn’t even blame him for her father’s death. That one was entirely on her.
Archer crouched down in front of her, his green eyes watched with concern as he began cleaning her up. She had no clue why he was helping her. Or why she was accepting his help. But for the life of her, she couldn’t muster up the energy to speak, let alone put an end to it. So she sat there while he worked, and she said nothing when he pulled her trembling body up and led her to her locker. He gathered her gear in her boots and then carried them as he pulled her away to a room far off the usual path.
“Wrong way,” she mumbled.
“No, it’s not.” He pulled her into a generic room and locked the door before sitting her on the bed.
Jess didn’t move, staring blankly at the door, but not seeing anything. Exhaustion made her body heavy. It sank into her bones in a way that physical exhaustion alone never could. No, this was much deeper. Beyond anything that a solid night’s rest could fix.
“What happened, Justice? I’ve never seen a fight get to you. I’ve never seen you fight like that. Who was that?”
“An ex,” she murmured. “He set up my family.”
Archer frowned. “He sold them out?”
Jess closed her eyes. And Archer didn’t ask any other questions.
“Lay back. You’re in shock, you need to get some sleep.”
Jess shook her head slightly, her eyes were still closed, too heavy to pry open again. She couldn’t sleep here. Archer couldn’t be trusted. Hell, he probably had a contract for her life. But really, what did it matter?
She had to take on the Devil’s Disciples to get answers about Ryker. One woman, taking on a gang. A powerful one, if rumors were to be believed, potentially connected to one of the corporations that essentially owned the government. It was a death sentence if ever she heard one, much too big for one person to take on. But she would do it. She owed them that.
Maybe it didn’t matter if Archer killed her in her sleep, her life was on a countdown anyway. But as quickly as the thought came to her, she dismissed it. She had to get answers before her time was up. She would go down fighting.
Decision made, her internal argument ended and Jess tried to lift her eyelids. They didn’t cooperate. Nor did her still trembling limbs. Somehow, she’d ended up lying down, she noticed that now, and she distantly realized she was warmer. The fight went out of her, maybe for the first time in her life, and Justice let go.
Chapter 32
Justice came awake all at once, immediately realizing that something wasn’t right. She was on her feet before she even recognized what it was, and her body instantly provided a painful reminder. Wincing at her sore, stiff muscles and injuries, she lowered herself to the bed again. The rest of the memories came rushing back, and she almost wished they hadn’t.
“How ya feeling?”
Jess jumped at the unexpected voice, but she didn’t turn to face him. The questions she had were better asked without eye contact.
“Why did you help me?”
She heard Archer shift in his seat somewhere behind her. “I like to think you would have done the same for me.”
She wanted to deny it, but after everything that had happened, she just didn’t know anymore. She doubted she would have left him to fend for himself. After Ezra and the kid, she seemed to have developed a bit of a habit. She didn’t even know who she was anymore, so she said nothing.
“You wanna talk about it?” his gravelly voice sounded softer than usual. She must have been a real mess after that fight to bring out a softer side of this surly man.
Jess snorted. “No. It doesn’t matter.” And it wouldn’t. She knew what she had to do.
“Doesn’t it?”
“Not unless you’re friends with someone in the Devil’s Disciples.”
“I can get you a dealer if that’s what you’re after.”
“It’s not.” Jess spotted her boots and started sliding weapons into their slots on her pants. Her shirt was gone but that was the least of her issues. “I appreciate your help. Thanks for not killing me in my sleep. I’ll see ya around, Arch.” Jess jammed her feet into her boots and stood.
“Justice, why do I have a feeling you’re about to go get yourself neck-deep in shit?”
Finally, Jess turned to face him. “Because that’s exactly what I’m about to do.”
***
Jess seriously considered hitting the apartment closest to the Underground simply because it was the shortest walk, but her place near the diner had the most supplies and she was going to need them. Coffee, bandages, clothes, food, a bath, she needed all of it. So she dragged her body all the way across town, knowing that once she dropped, she wouldn’t be getting back up for a while.
By the time she let herself into her apartment, she was miserable. Sweat dripped into her cuts and scratches, adding a lovely burning to her discomfort. There was a wicked bruise on her calf where she’d been bitten that made itself known with every step. She was so dehydrated that her lip kept splitting back open and dripping blood down her chin and she wasn’t sure if her ribs were bruised or broken, but by the end of the walk, every deep breath was slicing pain through her side.
She peeled her clothes off and dropped into a bath, barely mustering up the energy to wash. When she was done, it took several long moments to find the will to pull herself out rather than doze off right there. She carefully dragged on shorts and a shirt and forced a glass of water down. Just looking at the meal bars turned her stomach so she opted for a cup of coffee instead. The contraption had just started to drip into her cup when she sensed a presence.
Jess turned to see Ezra and Kat standing in her doorway. She didn’t react, just crossed her arms over her chest, waiting on an explanation for their arrival. They weren’t exactly on good terms. Sure, it was her fault, but she wasn’t in a position to make any amends.
Ezra’s cold gaze raked over her new injuries, leaving frostbite in their wake, but he didn’t comment on her condition. “Kat needed you.”
Jess’s eyes landed on Kat for the first time, noting that she looked awful. Her eyes were bloodshot and dull and her hands trembled. “What happened?” Jess demanded.
All at once, the fire returned to Kat’s eyes, and not in a good way. “Now you care what happened?” Kat demanded back. “Where the fuck have you been, Jess? You just disappear whenever you feel like it and fuck anyone who actually cares about you!”
“I told you not to care about me,” Jess mumbled.
It was the wrong thing to say. Kat’s eyes flashed and she stomped another step forward. “Well congratulations, you were fucking right! I was worried fucking sick about you and Zain tried to do something about it!”
Kat had never uttered so many swear words in all the time Jess knew her. “What happen
ed to Zain?” Jess whispered, her stomach already dropping.
Kat’s voice had risen to nearly hysterical and Jess’s panic was raising with it. “He went looking for you! Days ago. He hasn’t come back, Jess! Where the fuck were you? I needed you!” With tears pouring down her face, Kat shook her head and turned to make a quick escape with Ezra on her tail.
Jess was paralyzed. This was too familiar, too close to home. She’d been avoiding Kat. Avoiding all of them. Now Zain was missing, and she hadn’t been there to stop it. Again. Her eyes burned and her veins heated with rage. In her fit of anger, she hurled her stupid coffee device across the room and it burst apart in a splashing mess against the wall.
For a long time, she merely stood there, watching the brown drips make their way down the wall, working through what needed to be done. She would go after the Disciples, but it would have to wait. There would be nothing left of her by the time that was done.
When Ryker was taken, he’d had no one but a stupid, inexperienced sixteen-year-old sister on his side. It wasn’t enough - not even close. And now it was happening again. She hadn’t been able to protect her own brother, but maybe she could do better for Zain. This time she would make someone pay.
***
Exhaustion pulled at her but she forced herself to stay awake. She’d crossed into dangerous territory and was crouched on a roof over an area she’d never dared to stalk before, watching as officers wandered in and out of the building. She’d sat there through a couple of shifts already, and her concentration was starting to fail her. A full-on internal debate on how much longer to wait had just taken over her thoughts when Cash finally showed up.
He pulled his car to a stop on the street and jogged toward the building, slapping a buddy on the back as he went. A jovial grin lit his face as he joked and greeted his cop friends. The sight was a painful reminder of what Cash really was.
Most of these guys were not good men, everyone had a story of being victimized by a cop in one way or another, none of them deserved the benefit of the doubt. Yet there he stood, winking at the dispatcher as she walked by and teasing the rookie that followed on his heels. His sharp eyes turned to dart up and down the street when he felt her eyes on him and then just as quickly he turned to clasp his friend's shoulder with another easy grin before heading into the building. Another fast reminder of the chameleon the man was.
Jess climbed down from her spot and dropped to the street, sticking to the shadows until Cash re-appeared. Her movement into the mouth of the alley drew his eyes up and she was almost impressed by the way he climbed into his car without reaction. Sinking back into the shadows, Jess waited while the car took off down the street and turned a few blocks down.
She was relieved to move away from the building, back toward her more familiar streets. By the time she reached the opposite street, a car pulled up, blocking her way. Jess didn’t pause, she didn’t have a choice this time. She slipped into the back seat and ducking down so she wouldn’t be seen.
“Looks like you’re trusting me more these days.”
Not even close. “More like I’m desperate these days. You heard about Kat’s brother?”
“Yeah. I stopped out there yesterday. Kat’s a mess.”
“What do you know?” She pressed.
“That he wasn’t the only one. We’ve had a few reports of missing teens over the past few months, there’s probably plenty more that haven’t been reported. It’s all being ignored by the higher-ups at the station. Captain says its just punks running off to join gangs. I went against orders and looked into it after your friend got me in touch with Kat. I’m not getting the same idea. In fact, I’m not liking the dots that are connecting.”
“What did you come up with?”
“Rumors, nothing solid. There’s a guy maybe twenty blocks east of the diner. Spends every day on his porch, says he’s seen a vehicle passing by more than usual.”
“The guy swears it’s some conspiracy so he started tracking the days he saw it. He’s not exactly a reliable source considering some of the crazy things he said, but the days he tracked matched up with some of the reports. Too many to be ignored. The vehicle comes in from the east somewhere around once or twice a month. Anywhere between an hour and four hours later, it heads back the way it came.”
“Take me to this guy,” Jess demanded.
“Jess, he’s not all there. He won’t be able to tell you anything you can trust.
“I need something more. A general direction of east is a little too much ground to cover.” Cash was silent long enough for her to know there was more. “What are you leaving out?”
He sighed heavily. “Like I said, its all rumor, but there’s talk about a research lab out on the east side. It’s seemingly in the middle of nowhere because it's zoned for unstable chemical research, but there have been jokes made that they specialize in cleaning chemicals.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“It’s assholes implying that they’re cleaning up the streets.”
A persistent ache formed in her chest. “That’s disgusting. Kids being stolen from their families is a joke to them?”
“I wish I had a better answer to that. Truth is, it disgusts me too.”
Yeah, so disgusted he joked around with them like they were buddies. “How close can you get me?”
“No way. It’s far too dangerous for you alone and I can’t touch this. Everyone in the district has been ordered to stay the hell away.”
“I wasn’t asking for your help,” she snapped.
Cash snorted. “Of course not, but I’m not dropping you off on the east side alone. We’re a few blocks from the diner. I’ll drop you off there so you can track down your friend to go with you.”
“What friend?”
“The one with the freaky eyes. That guy is dangerous, don’t tell me he’s not. Take him with you, don’t go alone.”
“Fine, okay. Just drop me off behind the building, I can’t be seen with a fucking cop.”
“Be careful, Jess,” he warned as he pulled to a stop.
Without another word, Jess jumped from the car. She waited until he was gone, then a few beats longer. Once the path was clear, she made her way out to the street, heading east.
Chapter 33
Jess walked twenty blocks and then started weaving in and out of every street, making small talk with anyone out on their porch. On the far end of the neighborhood, where Cash had underestimated by quite a bit, she felt eyes on her long before she came upon the man tracking her progress. He watched as she approached and gestured to the sagging steps.
“Mind if I sit for a minute?”
The man’s blue eyes narrowed as they took her in, making the wrinkles at the outside corners even more pronounced. His hair was dark blonde with just a couple of silver streaks at the temples. She guessed him to be in his late forties, which was pretty old in her experience. She’d never known anyone that made it past mid-fifties. By the time his eyes returned to hers, he’d made his judgment about her and motioned for her to sit.
“You’re looking for the lost,” he guessed.
Jess lowered herself to the top step and turned to face him. “A friend of mine is missing,” she confirmed.
He nodded thoughtfully. “Yes. Too many have been lost. The ghost told me. He only just escaped.”
“The ghost?”
“The ghost. He got away from the man with the magic wand, but the others were not so lucky.”
She was starting to see what Cash was talking about, but just because he was confused, didn’t mean he was wrong. Like most that made it to his age, the guy was starting to crack around the edges a bit. Their world tended to get you one way or another, but Jess knew not to dismiss people so easily.
“Do you know where the man with the magic wand is?”
The man nodded slowly and looked to the east. “His magic works better on the young. Better, but not well. The ghost was sixteen when he died. Too young.” The man’s voice
was so mournful. There was no doubt he believed what he was telling her. She just had to pull out the pieces of truth.
“Can you tell me where to find the lost?”
His eyes ran her over again. “You are young, but not like them.” His head tilted in contemplation. “Strong though. You don’t want to join the others. They are never the same.”
Damn it. She needed him to give her answers not riddles. “I can help them.”
“Hope is a dangerous thing.”
No shit. Jess stood. “So is giving up. My friend has only been gone a couple of days. There’s still hope for him.”
