“Uhm, Ariel kind of told us we needed to be gentle around the new girls,” Sophy pointed out.
Gentle hadn’t worked on Sosa and wouldn’t.
Kenzie strode up to the younger woman, who had a look of general annoyance on her face. Like she didn’t believe for a second Kenzie could take her.
“Do you seriously think you can take me out, Bratz doll?” Sosa asked.
“I think I have at least twenty pounds of muscle and six inches on you, petite baby doll. I think you like to shoot people and blow them up and you keep your distance. You kill people from afar. I’ve done it up close. Do you know what it feels like to slide a stiletto between the third and fourth ribs? It requires far more pressure than you would think. The movies make that shit look easy. But you have to go through skin and tissue and muscle to get to that heart. Which I did. It’s funny because if you leave the knife in, there’s no blood. I know exactly when to step back so I don’t get blood on my clothes because when that dumb motherfucker pulls it out—and he always pulls it out—it’s a fountain that washes everything red.”
“Are we sure she’s not Kala?” Sophy whispered.
Vivi nodded. “Kala wouldn’t be talking. She would stab her and get it over with. Also, I don’t think she’d care about her clothes.”
“That’s why I got Devi making me a new set of killing clothes. Easy to clean,” Kala agreed. “No, this is my sister when she’s been pushed way too far. I’m betting they don’t train Sosa in anything but what she’s supposed to be good at. If she was able to fight, she might be able to get away. So this isn’t even a contest.”
Sosa’s chin went firm and she stood, like she wasn’t intimidated at all. Like she could handle this.
Her arm pulled back slightly and Kenzie sighed. She was terrible. She projected her moves. Completely untrained. Kenzie caught the fist that was going for her face. That would have ruined her carefully done makeup. She simply caught it and didn’t let it go.
Sosa’s eyes went wide and she tried to pull back, but Kenz had a point to make. She squeezed slightly, not enough to hurt the otherwoman but enough to let her know she wasn’t going anywhere.
Sosa cursed under her breath. She had quite the potty mouth. She kicked out, which gave Kenz the perfect chance to sweep her legs out from under her and set Sosa on her ass.
Kenzie straddled her, wrapping a hand around her throat. “So, this is how it’s going to go. You get to make the decision. I can be your friend and we can start training because I think my sister is correct and they keep you weak in everything but the one thing they need you to do. You only snipe people and blow them up.”
“I am good with poison, too,” Sosa spat back.
She probably wouldn’t be eating anything Sosa gave her. “Again, not very physically difficult to do. You are brutal with that mouth of yours. Wouldn’t it be good to know how to defend yourself? So you can take the fight to the fuckers who did this to you. Or you’re here because someone sent you and you’ll do their bidding and slink back into your cage because you’re too much of a coward to turn yourself into what you need to become.”
Sosa’s eyes were bright with unshed tears. “I did not want to be this thing they made me.”
“Then be something else.” Kenz stood, looming over the young woman on the floor. “Fight. You’re not eight years old anymore. You’re strong and you’ve survived, and now it’s time to let them know what a fucking mistake they made when they took you. Now it’s time to burn it all to the ground and dance in the ashes.”
“That is what he say. I hear him when he talks to the boss. He say he will rule the ashes,” Sosa replied.
“Not the same thing.” Kala was suddenly at her side. “Huisman wants to burn the world down. All you want to do is torch the place that tortured you and will torture other girls in the future. He’s an asshole, and you’re doing the world a major favor. But you do need training. That was pathetic.”
Sosa lay there for a moment and then held up a hand. Kala reached down but Sosa shook her head. “This is between me and her.”
Kenzie helped her up.
Sosa straightened her clothes. “When they take me, I only have one toy. It is still at the base. It was Bratz doll. Sometime she was my only friend, the only piece of me from before. I’ll take your training. I think you might be good person to have on my side. So you shouldknow, I have seen your man before. Not in person. He doesn’t come to the castle. But when the bad man comes, he has a room. They set it up for him. One of the things he keeps with him is a picture of your man. The girls he abuses say he always sets up the picture like he wants the man to watch what he does.”
The thought sent a chill through Kenzie.
She knew Ben had an obsession with Huisman and it was wrapped in guilt and fear and anger, but somehow she’d thought it was one sided. Like Ben was nothing more than a fly to swat in Huisman’s eyes.
But there was something sick and twisted, like a love affair with the darkest intentions, and she was either Ben’s way out or perhaps his final sacrifice to the relationship that had truly defined his life.
Or Sosa was lying.
There was only one way to find out. Spend time with her. Train her. Analyze her.
All while watching her back.
Sosa started to walk toward the door. “I think I’ll go and check on Gabby. She’s having trouble being away from home. Isn’t it weird? I feel like I can breathe for first time and she’s crying.”
Kenzie looked to Vivi, who usually loved to spend her time explaining how feelings were normal and we should accept them.
