“V,” Cedar choked out, surprise and panic warring in her features as she uselessly tried to pull free. Bellamy was entirely still, silent, and Vesper could feel the shock radiating off her.
Vesper calmly looked at Cedar’s hand. She kept her face neutral as she watched the slow spread of poison. There must not have been very much left on the blade after Cedar stabbed Bellamy, but it would get there. It would be an agonizing death, one that Cedar deserved.
“Please,” Cedar begged uselessly, tears in her eyes. There wasn’t anything they could do now. Nothing would stop it except for the antidote, and she had a feeling Cedar was fresh out. Vesper closed her other hand around Cedar’s throat, squeezing tight to cut off her voice.
“You shouldn’t have tried to kill her,” Vesper whispered, a small sadness in her words. Shehadliked Cedar for a while. They’d had fun. Tears streamed freely down Cedar’s face now. Just because her begging had stopped didn't mean she’d accepted her fate, and she still fought against Vesper’s grip.
“Ves,” Bellamy’s weak voice pulled her away from Cedar. “We need to get out of here.”
Vesper nodded. Cedar was a dead woman, but it would have been satisfying to watch her die. Cedar coughed and spluttered, gasping for breath. Vesper raised her hand up?—
“Wait!” Cedar screamed, “Can you at least tell?—”
Vesper’s fist made contact with her face, and Cedar crumpled, blood pouring from her nose. Vesper punched her one more time for good measure. Her unconscious body fell to the floor, her head hitting the soft carpet with a thud.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Vesper
They were fucked. No matter what she tried to do now, they were completely and utterly fucked. Vesper didn’t even bother to look at the bodies. Their priority was getting out of there and back home before news of their failure made it to the Embunuh.
She didn’t know how much time they had, but she might be able to buy them a little longer if she cleared the bodies from the hallway. Locking them inside the room might keep them hidden, but she wasn’t willing to waste more time than that. The faster they got out, the better.
The trolley they’d taken in was set up by their employers, which meant they were tracking it. If Vesper and Bellamy took that trolley home early, they’d know something was wrong. It was automatically scheduled for the return trip; it would leave with or without them. If she got them an earlier trolley, there was a good chance they’d have at least a day lead.
“Can you walk yet?” Vesper asked, her breathing heavy from hauling the bodies. She knew the answer already, she’d have to carry her, the antidote didn’t work that fast. Predictably, Bellamy shook her head, staring dumbfounded at Vesper. “All right,” Vesper groaned.
She scooped Bellamy up and cradled her close while she stumbled to the service elevator. Her mind working on overdrive, running through a mental checklist of what to do. First thing was to get them back to the hotel, get their shit—i.e. their food—and get on the first trolley out of Soveba.
By the time she reached the wall and found the hidden panel that revealed the doors to the service elevator, her muscles were screaming. Vesper dropped Bellamy inside as soon as the doors were open, wincing when she smacked against the wall.
“Fuck, ow,” Bellamy hissed.
“Sorry,” Vesper murmured, jabbing the button for the first floor. The elevator doors closed and their descent began.
Slowest. Elevator. Ever.
Bellamy managed to pull herself up into an upright seated position. She hadn’t spoken since the doors shut, just sat there silently, watching Vesper. It set Vesper on edge, she couldn’t tell what Bellamy was thinking, if she was angry. But Vesper had just saved her fucking life so if Bellamy was angry she could fuck right off.
Vesper tapped her foot impatiently, shifting from side to side as she watched the floors countdown. They needed to get back to their hotel fast and this fucking elevator was in their way. The sooner they were out of this city, the better. Vesper didn’t know how quickly the Embunuh would find out but she wanted any head start on them they could get.
The doors finally opened with a ding that ricocheted off the quiet walls in the empty hallway in front of them. Vesper wordlessly hauled Bellamy to her feet. She couldn’t carry Bel the same way so they needed to work something better out.
“Still can’t walk?” Vesper asked, annoyance etched into her tone and Bellamy shot her a wary look.
“No.”
Vesper sighed, it wasn’t Bel’s fault she couldn’t walk yet. Fucking Cedar. Vesper half carried, half dragged Bellamy to a railing that ran against the wall.
“Hold yourself up, you’ve got your arms at least right?”
Bellamy scowled but then in a defeated voice said, “yeah.” She clutched the railing when Vesper let go to maneuver in front of Bellamy. Vesper squatted down to get Bellamy on her back, her hands slid under Bellamy’s thighs and lifted her up. Bellamy’s arms came to wrap tentatively around Vesper’s neck.
They’d need to be careful on the walk back, would have to stick with back alleys so they didn’t draw attention. Vesper ran through the blueprints in her mind again and made her way to a back exit that, in theory, should pop them out behind or beside the building instead of to the busy street out front.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Bellamy
