moment. “I’ll go to one meeting,” he finally said, “but that’s it. I don’t have time to dick around. I need to get to California.”
“Fair enough,” Kale said, turning to grab a duffle bag.
“And you owe us supplies.”
“How do you figure that?”
“We’re not taking you with us for free, man. This is still a trade.”
“I am trading. I’m about to give you something you want more than anything.”
“Oh, what? A little tour to one of your loony-bin rebel meetings?”
“No. Revenge. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
Jet looked to me and I nodded silently.
“Yeah, that’s what I want,” he said. “Show me where to sign up.”
SIX
“She all right?” Kale asked as he walked next to Jet, referring to me. They were only a few feet in front of me, but for some reason, he thought I was deaf or something.
“Yeah, why?”
Kale stole what he thought was a sly glance over his shoulder. “I don’t know, she seems out of it or something. On edge.”
“She’s had a rough couple of days. Just let her be.”
“She spoken for?”
“Huh?”
“By you, I mean. Are you two…?”
“Why? No.”
“No she isn’t spoken for, or no you two aren’t together?”
Jet’s irritation flared; his broad shoulders rose as he shook his head. “Both. I don’t know. It doesn’t matter, man, just leave her be, all right?”
Kale’s gaze briefly slid to mine again. “She’s hot. Just tryin’ my luck, man.”
“Don’t bother. Leave her alone, I mean it.”
Kale raised his hands innocently, and went quiet.
It was around noon when we reached the Black Hole Kale had directed us to. He’d been coming to this location for the past six weeks, deeming it the go-to spot for locals who wanted to meet up with other rebels.
Jet stepped aside when Kale stomped three times on the ground, before bending down to dig his fingers into the dirt for the Hole’s entry latch. “So if you needed protection and ammo so bad, why not ask your little rebel buddies to help you out?” Jet asked, preparing to fire.
“Dude,” Kale eyed the gun and placed his hand over the barrel, “come on. Lower that thing, will you? That’s not exactly the way to greet these people.”
“You can forget this bullshit right now if you think you’re going to tell me how and when to fire.”
Kale shook his head in frustration. “Whatever. No, I don’t ask for their help because that’s not what they’re there for. We all belong to the same organization, but we don’t run the streets together. That’s not how these movements work. If we all stuck together all the time like that, the enemy would start to identify and associate us with one another. Would make us easier targets. I still need my own protection.” He turned to face me, his lips curling into a charming grin. “Ladies first.”
“Thanks,” I said, taking the lead down the stone stairwell. I made a show of placing my finger on the trigger, just for Jet’s benefit.
Jet stepped in after me. “So you all meet up in this Black Hole but you don’t back each other up on the streets? You don’t stick together? Sounds counterproductive to me.”
“Like I said, it’s not about that. It’s about maintaining secrecy. We spread out, make sure we’re never in the same place together for too long. It’s just a part of our strategy. Besides, most Black Holes have rigid policies against rebel groups living inside their walls. They don’t want any trouble. We’re lucky to stay in a Hole for a few days at the most. It keeps us on the move.”
Jet stopped his bickering with Kale long enough to saddle up to my side when we entered the Hole. As we approached the main walkway, Kale maneuvered his way in front of us. “This way,” he said, gesturing to a metal door on the far side of the space, near the central trading counter. We reached the door and he pounded his fist three times, then shuffled back, waiting.
“What’s that sound?” Jet asked. A low hum
“Fair enough,” Kale said, turning to grab a duffle bag.
“And you owe us supplies.”
“How do you figure that?”
“We’re not taking you with us for free, man. This is still a trade.”
“I am trading. I’m about to give you something you want more than anything.”
“Oh, what? A little tour to one of your loony-bin rebel meetings?”
“No. Revenge. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
Jet looked to me and I nodded silently.
“Yeah, that’s what I want,” he said. “Show me where to sign up.”
SIX
“She all right?” Kale asked as he walked next to Jet, referring to me. They were only a few feet in front of me, but for some reason, he thought I was deaf or something.
“Yeah, why?”
Kale stole what he thought was a sly glance over his shoulder. “I don’t know, she seems out of it or something. On edge.”
“She’s had a rough couple of days. Just let her be.”
“She spoken for?”
“Huh?”
“By you, I mean. Are you two…?”
“Why? No.”
“No she isn’t spoken for, or no you two aren’t together?”
Jet’s irritation flared; his broad shoulders rose as he shook his head. “Both. I don’t know. It doesn’t matter, man, just leave her be, all right?”
Kale’s gaze briefly slid to mine again. “She’s hot. Just tryin’ my luck, man.”
“Don’t bother. Leave her alone, I mean it.”
Kale raised his hands innocently, and went quiet.
It was around noon when we reached the Black Hole Kale had directed us to. He’d been coming to this location for the past six weeks, deeming it the go-to spot for locals who wanted to meet up with other rebels.
Jet stepped aside when Kale stomped three times on the ground, before bending down to dig his fingers into the dirt for the Hole’s entry latch. “So if you needed protection and ammo so bad, why not ask your little rebel buddies to help you out?” Jet asked, preparing to fire.
“Dude,” Kale eyed the gun and placed his hand over the barrel, “come on. Lower that thing, will you? That’s not exactly the way to greet these people.”
“You can forget this bullshit right now if you think you’re going to tell me how and when to fire.”
Kale shook his head in frustration. “Whatever. No, I don’t ask for their help because that’s not what they’re there for. We all belong to the same organization, but we don’t run the streets together. That’s not how these movements work. If we all stuck together all the time like that, the enemy would start to identify and associate us with one another. Would make us easier targets. I still need my own protection.” He turned to face me, his lips curling into a charming grin. “Ladies first.”
“Thanks,” I said, taking the lead down the stone stairwell. I made a show of placing my finger on the trigger, just for Jet’s benefit.
Jet stepped in after me. “So you all meet up in this Black Hole but you don’t back each other up on the streets? You don’t stick together? Sounds counterproductive to me.”
“Like I said, it’s not about that. It’s about maintaining secrecy. We spread out, make sure we’re never in the same place together for too long. It’s just a part of our strategy. Besides, most Black Holes have rigid policies against rebel groups living inside their walls. They don’t want any trouble. We’re lucky to stay in a Hole for a few days at the most. It keeps us on the move.”
Jet stopped his bickering with Kale long enough to saddle up to my side when we entered the Hole. As we approached the main walkway, Kale maneuvered his way in front of us. “This way,” he said, gesturing to a metal door on the far side of the space, near the central trading counter. We reached the door and he pounded his fist three times, then shuffled back, waiting.
“What’s that sound?” Jet asked. A low hum
Similar Books
