“They deserved it,” River says.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s not how I was raised to handle things. I’m not looking to turn into one of them.”
“Never,” I say firmly. “You’ll never turn into one of them. We all know that. Do you think that Caden is in Denver by now?”
Josh stands up and wipes his palms on his pants. “They should have gotten there yesterday.” He takes a chair and sits close to River, reaching for his hand. “I couldn’t remember Unity’s frequency, so I haven’t contacted Dino yet.”
“We spoke with him,” I say, appreciating the warmth coming from the fireplace. “He doesn’t want us to do anything rushed, and I agree with him. We can’t take down Denver without a well-thought-out plan, and being reckless will put Caden in more danger.”
Josh nods. “Our key is Hector—finding out who he is and what he has planned. Buck knows something that can maybe help us.”
Before I can ask for more information, the front door opens and Buck walks in, holding a tray with food. He puts it on the table and asks, “Anybody want beer? We make it here.”
“I’ll take the light one,” Josh says. “River will prefer the strong one. Finn?”
I know I’ll hate the taste, but I still say, “The light one, please.”
Buck goes to bring the beers, and I reach for a piece of meat from the tray.
“Can we speak freely with him?” Timothy asks quietly.
Josh nods. “He was going to leave Colorado after we escaped Vegas, but he heard about this town and decided to give it a try. They asked him to be their leader once he took out the Raiders who were making their lives difficult.”
“We should speak with Unity tomorrow morning,” I say. “Dino needs to know that you’re okay, Josh.”
He nods. “First thing tomorrow.”
Buck returns with glasses of beer and puts them on the table. They even have ice cubes in them. I take a sip of mine, liking the fruity taste, though I mostly enjoy the coldness of the drink in the warm room.
Buck sits on an armchair that seems to be made for his size. “None of you have ever met Hector, right?”
“We haven’t,” I say, “but we sort of spoke with him through an iguana after we escaped High Hope.”
“You… spoke with an iguana?” Josh asks with a frown.
“Yes, and I had to kill it,” River says. “It was spying on us.”
“Have you ever met Hector?” I ask Buck.
“A few times, but he wasn’t the governor back then. He had a small gang that was gaining a reputation, and that got him noticed by the ruling houses of the city. They ended up surprising everyone by appointing him as governor. Nobody held that position for years. You’d expect at least some bloodshed with how things are usually handled there, but he managed to reach the top peacefully.”
“I don’t buy it,” I say. “It means he used something scarier than violence.”
“Could be.” Buck downs his drink in a single gulp. “Once he became governor, people got angry at the idea of a single ruler who came out of nowhere. He needed to make them happy.”
“How did he do that?” I ask.
“The arena. Each of the previous ruling houses began training fighters, and it turned into what everybody was talking about. The more violent the game, the better.”
“Did you know Hector was a mutant?” Timothy asks.
“Isensedhe was, but I couldn’t tell for sure. As far as I know, it’s close to common knowledge these days in Denver, but he hasn’t officially acknowledged that.”
“And what about humanoid lizards?” I ask.
Buck nods. “Word of them travels fast, but you’re unlikely to meet one and live to tell about it. I’ve heard of many types of mutations out there, but nothing like that. Josh told me you guys think Hector is controlling them, but I don’t know if that’s true.”
“He could be controlling them the way Father controlled his New-Humans,” River says. “By giving them purpose and an enemy.”
