muscles corded in his neck. Alex is gone, and so is Peter, and this asshole deserves everything he gets.
Nathan’s knees buckled, but Weller was still on him, drunkwalking him back, muscling the other man across the room. The old men of the Council scattered in a startled flutter and swirl of black robes, like a murder of crows. Nathan had his hands up now, and he was tucking, protecting his face, not even trying to fight back. Cursing, Weller aimed a vicious kick at Nathan’s groin. Nathan gargled a breathless screech, and then he was folding in two, retching, still trying to dance away, butting against a small display table, going down in a crash of wood and porcelain figurines. The dogs, still sequestered in the kitchen, began to bark.
“Enough, enough !” Yeager shouted. Plum-colored splotches splashed the old man’s withered cheeks. “Weller, stop! We need answers first, and then you can do what you like, but stop now. ”
“Rev, you . . . you don’t understand.” Huffing, Weller staggered to his feet. On the floor, Nathan was curled into a tight, unmoving ball. “The guys guarding the Zone, John and Randy and Dale— they got to be in on it, too. Ain’t that right, Nathan? Huh?” Weller let fly another kick to Nathan’s middle, and the other man grunted out a gurgled moan. “ Ain’t it?”
“Kill him now, and he’s of no use to us,” Yeager said. “You’ll get your chance, I promise you.”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” Weller spat, then armed blood from his face. “Rev, we got to get those other men before they run, too. And I’d post a couple guys on Jess, if I was you.”
“She’s no threat,” Kincaid said. “The woman’s in a coma. Without equipment or power, it’s hard enough to keep her stable as it is. I barely have enough of the right medicine.”
“Yeah, like the little girl said, that’s real convenient,” Weller said. “How do we know you aren’t keeping her in a coma with all these drugs of yours?”
Kincaid’s face flooded with genuine shock. “What are you saying? I took an oath .”
“Yeah, only maybe not to Rule,” Weller said. To Yeager: “That girl’s right about another thing, too. Kincaid and Jess, they’re real tight. I think we got to keep an eye on her. Maybe if Kincaid’s not allowed near her, she’ll wake up.”
“Or she might not,” Kincaid said. “Rev, you keep me from doing my job, you might kill her.”
“Perhaps she deserves nothing less. Go, Weller. Do whatever you think is best,” Yeager said, and then turned to Chris as Weller ducked out. “You will also reap what you sow. You do understand that?”
“Yes,” Chris said. He thought his voice was steady, but he felt the sweat pearls on his upper lip. The world as he knew it was again coming to an end. He’d seen it happen, with his own eyes, right in this room. Nathan and Jess and . . . and Kincaid ?
They killed Alex. They sent her out of Rule and into the Zone. They murdered her just as surely as if they’d put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger.
“Good,” Yeager said. “I would hate to think that any blood kin of mine, however tainted, is a fool. You have defied me; you have sided with those who would ruin me, the Council, Rule. You have chosen a girl over me, and that will not stand. Alex is done, too. If she returns, I will not give her sanctuary.”
“She wouldn’t crawl back to you. She’s survived before, without our help, and she’ll do it again.” God, he wished he believed that.
“You know her that well?”
“I know how I feel about her.” He willed his gaze not to waver. She would fight this old man. She would never back down, and neither would he. As soon as he saw his opportunity, he would go after her, because, maybe, there was still a chance. “You can’t take that away.”
“True. But I will take you.” Yeager’s eyes drifted to Kincaid and Lena, and then locked, once more, on him. “I will take you all.”
18
It was what Crusher Karl
Nathan’s knees buckled, but Weller was still on him, drunkwalking him back, muscling the other man across the room. The old men of the Council scattered in a startled flutter and swirl of black robes, like a murder of crows. Nathan had his hands up now, and he was tucking, protecting his face, not even trying to fight back. Cursing, Weller aimed a vicious kick at Nathan’s groin. Nathan gargled a breathless screech, and then he was folding in two, retching, still trying to dance away, butting against a small display table, going down in a crash of wood and porcelain figurines. The dogs, still sequestered in the kitchen, began to bark.
“Enough, enough !” Yeager shouted. Plum-colored splotches splashed the old man’s withered cheeks. “Weller, stop! We need answers first, and then you can do what you like, but stop now. ”
“Rev, you . . . you don’t understand.” Huffing, Weller staggered to his feet. On the floor, Nathan was curled into a tight, unmoving ball. “The guys guarding the Zone, John and Randy and Dale— they got to be in on it, too. Ain’t that right, Nathan? Huh?” Weller let fly another kick to Nathan’s middle, and the other man grunted out a gurgled moan. “ Ain’t it?”
“Kill him now, and he’s of no use to us,” Yeager said. “You’ll get your chance, I promise you.”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” Weller spat, then armed blood from his face. “Rev, we got to get those other men before they run, too. And I’d post a couple guys on Jess, if I was you.”
“She’s no threat,” Kincaid said. “The woman’s in a coma. Without equipment or power, it’s hard enough to keep her stable as it is. I barely have enough of the right medicine.”
“Yeah, like the little girl said, that’s real convenient,” Weller said. “How do we know you aren’t keeping her in a coma with all these drugs of yours?”
Kincaid’s face flooded with genuine shock. “What are you saying? I took an oath .”
“Yeah, only maybe not to Rule,” Weller said. To Yeager: “That girl’s right about another thing, too. Kincaid and Jess, they’re real tight. I think we got to keep an eye on her. Maybe if Kincaid’s not allowed near her, she’ll wake up.”
“Or she might not,” Kincaid said. “Rev, you keep me from doing my job, you might kill her.”
“Perhaps she deserves nothing less. Go, Weller. Do whatever you think is best,” Yeager said, and then turned to Chris as Weller ducked out. “You will also reap what you sow. You do understand that?”
“Yes,” Chris said. He thought his voice was steady, but he felt the sweat pearls on his upper lip. The world as he knew it was again coming to an end. He’d seen it happen, with his own eyes, right in this room. Nathan and Jess and . . . and Kincaid ?
They killed Alex. They sent her out of Rule and into the Zone. They murdered her just as surely as if they’d put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger.
“Good,” Yeager said. “I would hate to think that any blood kin of mine, however tainted, is a fool. You have defied me; you have sided with those who would ruin me, the Council, Rule. You have chosen a girl over me, and that will not stand. Alex is done, too. If she returns, I will not give her sanctuary.”
“She wouldn’t crawl back to you. She’s survived before, without our help, and she’ll do it again.” God, he wished he believed that.
“You know her that well?”
“I know how I feel about her.” He willed his gaze not to waver. She would fight this old man. She would never back down, and neither would he. As soon as he saw his opportunity, he would go after her, because, maybe, there was still a chance. “You can’t take that away.”
“True. But I will take you.” Yeager’s eyes drifted to Kincaid and Lena, and then locked, once more, on him. “I will take you all.”
18
It was what Crusher Karl
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