Washington to capture Fisher, or when she’d let him destroy a train full of innocent passengers without even trying to clean up the mess.
Theo moved closer until Cassius could feel the kid’s breath on his neck. He paused for a moment, staring up at him with wild, dangerous eyes before turning abruptly and strolling to the far side of the room. Cassius noticed the glint of metal beside his back pocket again. A knife. How antiquated.
“Even after you go and get her killed,” Theo mumbled, talking to himself. “Took awhile to get her walking again, you know? The brick crushed her left tibialis.” He turned. “Do you know what a tibialis is? I’ve memorized every muscle in the human body. It’s good to know where to aim your bullets.”
“Are you trying to impress me?”
“No,” Theo said. “No one can impress the great Cassius Stevenson.”
“Stop calling me that.”
Theo grinned, clearly enjoying himself. “Even after you betray her, she’s still obsessed with you. I can’t figure it out.”
Cassius grit his teeth. Like this kid knew anything about what it meant to be the object of Madame’s obsession. “Is that why you strolled in here? You wanna find out why she’s got me tied up?”
“I know why she’s got you tied up, stupid.” Theo reached up and patted the side of Cassius’s head—the way a parent would, or an older brother. If he hadn’t been restrained, Cassius would’ve punched the kid just for that. “Harnessing.” Theo emphasized the word like it was some imaginary voodoo curse. “It’s gonna be funny watching you toddle around the Lodge like an obedient little android.”
“You’ve got quite the vocabulary.”
Theo grinned, that same twisted, unnatural smile he’d worn when he’d first entered the room. He lowered his hand to the side, fingers playing with an empty belt loop. “I don’t like you, Cassius Stevenson. I don’t like you coming in here after all you’ve done and playing around with Madame’s head.”
Cassius sighed. “You wanna set me free, then? I’d be happy to leave.”
“Not really.” His eyes settled on Cassius’s wrist. “What’s this?” He ran his fingers along the surface of the black bracelet. “Did Madame give you this?”
Cassius remembered when the bracelet had been a simple black box, presented to him by Madame’s hands. That was before it had transformed and clamped around his wrist like a shackle. “You could say that.”
Theo’s eyes locked onto the shiny darkness, analyzing it. “Does it come off?”
“What do you care?”
“I’ll pry it off your dead arm when she decides to kill you.” He reached behind him and pulled out the knife, thrusting it into the air and slamming it into the metal inches from Cassius’s ear. “It’s inevitable, you know, with the way you’ve behaved. But it probably won’t be for a long time.” The tip of the blade screeched along the wall as he dragged it downward in line with the contours of Cassius’s face. “Wouldn’t it be easier to get rid of you now?”
Cassius tried to control his expression, though the scream of metal on metal rattled his ears. “Madame wouldn’t like that.”
“No.” Theo’s expression froze. “She wouldn’t.” He lifted the knife from the wall, then ran his fingers along the blade, nonchalant. Cassius grit his teeth. Someone his age shouldn’t be this comfortable with violence. Had he been the same before Seattle? Was this what Madame did to kids?
Theo shrugged. “But you know what? She’d get over it. She’s still too close to you to see that you’ll betray us again. Even harnessed, you can’t be trusted. Not fully.” He pricked the end of his index finger with the blade’s tip. “She’d be proud of me after she realized.”
Cassius pulled at the restraints. He should think of something. He always thought of something. But his mind wasn’t strong. Fifteen hours hanging against the wall and he was starting to lose it.
Theo neared
Theo moved closer until Cassius could feel the kid’s breath on his neck. He paused for a moment, staring up at him with wild, dangerous eyes before turning abruptly and strolling to the far side of the room. Cassius noticed the glint of metal beside his back pocket again. A knife. How antiquated.
“Even after you go and get her killed,” Theo mumbled, talking to himself. “Took awhile to get her walking again, you know? The brick crushed her left tibialis.” He turned. “Do you know what a tibialis is? I’ve memorized every muscle in the human body. It’s good to know where to aim your bullets.”
“Are you trying to impress me?”
“No,” Theo said. “No one can impress the great Cassius Stevenson.”
“Stop calling me that.”
Theo grinned, clearly enjoying himself. “Even after you betray her, she’s still obsessed with you. I can’t figure it out.”
Cassius grit his teeth. Like this kid knew anything about what it meant to be the object of Madame’s obsession. “Is that why you strolled in here? You wanna find out why she’s got me tied up?”
“I know why she’s got you tied up, stupid.” Theo reached up and patted the side of Cassius’s head—the way a parent would, or an older brother. If he hadn’t been restrained, Cassius would’ve punched the kid just for that. “Harnessing.” Theo emphasized the word like it was some imaginary voodoo curse. “It’s gonna be funny watching you toddle around the Lodge like an obedient little android.”
“You’ve got quite the vocabulary.”
Theo grinned, that same twisted, unnatural smile he’d worn when he’d first entered the room. He lowered his hand to the side, fingers playing with an empty belt loop. “I don’t like you, Cassius Stevenson. I don’t like you coming in here after all you’ve done and playing around with Madame’s head.”
Cassius sighed. “You wanna set me free, then? I’d be happy to leave.”
“Not really.” His eyes settled on Cassius’s wrist. “What’s this?” He ran his fingers along the surface of the black bracelet. “Did Madame give you this?”
Cassius remembered when the bracelet had been a simple black box, presented to him by Madame’s hands. That was before it had transformed and clamped around his wrist like a shackle. “You could say that.”
Theo’s eyes locked onto the shiny darkness, analyzing it. “Does it come off?”
“What do you care?”
“I’ll pry it off your dead arm when she decides to kill you.” He reached behind him and pulled out the knife, thrusting it into the air and slamming it into the metal inches from Cassius’s ear. “It’s inevitable, you know, with the way you’ve behaved. But it probably won’t be for a long time.” The tip of the blade screeched along the wall as he dragged it downward in line with the contours of Cassius’s face. “Wouldn’t it be easier to get rid of you now?”
Cassius tried to control his expression, though the scream of metal on metal rattled his ears. “Madame wouldn’t like that.”
“No.” Theo’s expression froze. “She wouldn’t.” He lifted the knife from the wall, then ran his fingers along the blade, nonchalant. Cassius grit his teeth. Someone his age shouldn’t be this comfortable with violence. Had he been the same before Seattle? Was this what Madame did to kids?
Theo shrugged. “But you know what? She’d get over it. She’s still too close to you to see that you’ll betray us again. Even harnessed, you can’t be trusted. Not fully.” He pricked the end of his index finger with the blade’s tip. “She’d be proud of me after she realized.”
Cassius pulled at the restraints. He should think of something. He always thought of something. But his mind wasn’t strong. Fifteen hours hanging against the wall and he was starting to lose it.
Theo neared
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