her fangs the moment Raze had spoken. She retracted them
and fought the urge to shoot out her claws. “To feed?”
Will kept his hands loosely at his sides. “I’m here to join
Shiv Crew.”
“You know you can’t,” she replied. “I told you before it’s not happening.”
“Once I was your enemy. I’m not your enemy now. I can add
value to your crew.”
That wasn’t a lie. The assassin was almost magical in his
abilities. But…
“The answer is no. I can’t trust you at my back, and I can’t
trust you with my people.” She pointed her chin at the door. “Let him through,
Jack.”
Jack moved to the side. “Let’s go, buddy.”
“Wait,” Will said .
With two long steps, Denim was at Will’s back. He wrapped
his arm around the assassin’s neck and pushed the tip of his blade into Will’s
throat. “You’re pushing us.”
“I can help you.” Will didn’t move. He surely knew that
Denim wouldn’t need much of an excuse to drive the blade home.
“Nothing will make me fight at your side, Blackthorne,” Rune
told him.
“Try me out.” He stared over her head. “Please.”
She stepped closer. “Why do you want to be Shiv Crew so
badly?”
“To get close to us,” Jack said. “To get
close to you.”
“Someone has hired him to get inside,” Levi agreed.
Rune nodded. For Will the Assassin to suddenly show up and
practically beg to be one of them, yeah. That was suspicious. Still…
“He tried to kill you, Rune,” Denim said, pushing his blade
further into the assassin’s throat. “Either I kill him or he leaves. We’re not
letting him in.”
“Listen to what I have to tell you,” Will said ,
“before you decide.”
“Can’t hurt,” Rune said. “Let him go, Denim.”
She thought for a moment Denim would argue. He was so filled
with anger and bitterness at Lex’s abandonment—as well as fear for her
safety—that he wasn’t thinking straight.
Finally, with a frown and a glare, he stepped away from Will
and wiped his blade on his jeans.
Will didn’t touch his seeping wound. He didn’t acknowledge
it at all. But then, Will was used to much worse than a little stick with the
tip of a blade.
“Okay,” Rune said. “Talk.”
He glanced at the gaping doorway. “Close the door.”
Jack kicked the door shut.
All the crew gathered around, interested despite their
distrust of the assassin.
“You’re being pressured to recruit for your crew,” Will said , looking at no one. “I can help you get fighters with
skills you wouldn’t believe.”
“Are you fucking serious?” Rune asked. “That’s what you’ve
got? Recruits?”
“I’m not finished,” he said, and into the silence went on
with his story. “I know Killing Land. The people there are…different.
Unwelcome in society. Nearly all of them are criminals. Some are simply hiding,
but most are stone cold killers. Each of them has a story.” He paused. “Like
me. They are like me. I have a place there, and I can get you in.”
No one said a word.
Killing Land.
“You could hide in Killing Land, if the need ever arose. You
could disappear there. Law enforcement does not bother those inside the camp.
They’re afraid, and they’re right to be afraid.”
“ We are law enforcement,” Jack said.
Will nodded. “It would be dangerous for you, at first.
Killing Land wouldn’t welcome you. But you could find your place there. You
could find your people there.”
“How the fuck,” Rune asked, “do you know I was
ordered to recruit for Shiv Crew?”
“I know things. Another reason you need me.”
“Dude. What’s the real reason
you’re doing this?”
Will hesitated.
“The truth,” Rune told him. “Or you can get the fuck out of
here right now.”
He looked at the floor. “The Shop and the Next are after me.
My father wants me, and he will have me. Not even Killing Land can keep my
father out. I need protection.”
Orson Blackthorne had resurfaced, and that was a very bad
thing for the
and fought the urge to shoot out her claws. “To feed?”
Will kept his hands loosely at his sides. “I’m here to join
Shiv Crew.”
“You know you can’t,” she replied. “I told you before it’s not happening.”
“Once I was your enemy. I’m not your enemy now. I can add
value to your crew.”
That wasn’t a lie. The assassin was almost magical in his
abilities. But…
“The answer is no. I can’t trust you at my back, and I can’t
trust you with my people.” She pointed her chin at the door. “Let him through,
Jack.”
Jack moved to the side. “Let’s go, buddy.”
“Wait,” Will said .
With two long steps, Denim was at Will’s back. He wrapped
his arm around the assassin’s neck and pushed the tip of his blade into Will’s
throat. “You’re pushing us.”
“I can help you.” Will didn’t move. He surely knew that
Denim wouldn’t need much of an excuse to drive the blade home.
“Nothing will make me fight at your side, Blackthorne,” Rune
told him.
“Try me out.” He stared over her head. “Please.”
She stepped closer. “Why do you want to be Shiv Crew so
badly?”
“To get close to us,” Jack said. “To get
close to you.”
“Someone has hired him to get inside,” Levi agreed.
Rune nodded. For Will the Assassin to suddenly show up and
practically beg to be one of them, yeah. That was suspicious. Still…
“He tried to kill you, Rune,” Denim said, pushing his blade
further into the assassin’s throat. “Either I kill him or he leaves. We’re not
letting him in.”
“Listen to what I have to tell you,” Will said ,
“before you decide.”
“Can’t hurt,” Rune said. “Let him go, Denim.”
She thought for a moment Denim would argue. He was so filled
with anger and bitterness at Lex’s abandonment—as well as fear for her
safety—that he wasn’t thinking straight.
Finally, with a frown and a glare, he stepped away from Will
and wiped his blade on his jeans.
Will didn’t touch his seeping wound. He didn’t acknowledge
it at all. But then, Will was used to much worse than a little stick with the
tip of a blade.
“Okay,” Rune said. “Talk.”
He glanced at the gaping doorway. “Close the door.”
Jack kicked the door shut.
All the crew gathered around, interested despite their
distrust of the assassin.
“You’re being pressured to recruit for your crew,” Will said , looking at no one. “I can help you get fighters with
skills you wouldn’t believe.”
“Are you fucking serious?” Rune asked. “That’s what you’ve
got? Recruits?”
“I’m not finished,” he said, and into the silence went on
with his story. “I know Killing Land. The people there are…different.
Unwelcome in society. Nearly all of them are criminals. Some are simply hiding,
but most are stone cold killers. Each of them has a story.” He paused. “Like
me. They are like me. I have a place there, and I can get you in.”
No one said a word.
Killing Land.
“You could hide in Killing Land, if the need ever arose. You
could disappear there. Law enforcement does not bother those inside the camp.
They’re afraid, and they’re right to be afraid.”
“ We are law enforcement,” Jack said.
Will nodded. “It would be dangerous for you, at first.
Killing Land wouldn’t welcome you. But you could find your place there. You
could find your people there.”
“How the fuck,” Rune asked, “do you know I was
ordered to recruit for Shiv Crew?”
“I know things. Another reason you need me.”
“Dude. What’s the real reason
you’re doing this?”
Will hesitated.
“The truth,” Rune told him. “Or you can get the fuck out of
here right now.”
He looked at the floor. “The Shop and the Next are after me.
My father wants me, and he will have me. Not even Killing Land can keep my
father out. I need protection.”
Orson Blackthorne had resurfaced, and that was a very bad
thing for the
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