“Thank fuck,” Cliff snorted. “Jon may be into the wholefeisty, winged girlthing, but I take different strokes.”
My nerves became so alight that I would have frozen the vehicle solid if not for the iron. If I got out of here, I was going to scratch that stupid, pretty face of his into ribbons.
But the air outside the glass case was strangely charged. Rhett’s eyes were flinty, studying Cliff.
“I kinda think you’re full of shit, Everett.”
Cliff blinked boredly. “That’s rich coming from you.”
“You didn’t see him at the outpost,” Rhett said, glancing toward Eros. The older man didn’t look particularly impressed by anything Rhett had to say, but then again, it seemed very little excited him. Rhett pointed at Cliff. “Just a couple of months ago, you fought tooth and nail to get her out of the Pit. Now you’re the captain of team‘yay, Daddy!’ Why the change of heart?”
The smallest flutter of hope stirred in my chest, though I hated that it was coming fromRhettof all people. Cliff, however, gave me nothing.
Bristling, Cliff met his glare with a patronizing chuckle. “It’s not obvious? She was damn useful, and she wasours. Of course I wasn’t gonna let you take her from us.”
Rhett whistled. “Well, color me impressed. You’ve got a brain to go with that pretty head after all, huh?”
A muscle in Cliff’s jaw ticked. “Eat shit.”
Rhett sauntered toward the other end of the truck, not sparing a glance toward the three armored guards seated along the left wall. He rummaged in a container of supplies, returning with something slender clasped in his hand.
“Well, why don’t you do the honors?” He held out the object to Cliff, and I realized in horror that he was offering a rod of pure iron.
Cliff didn’t take it. “What are you talking about?”
“Mark her,” Rhett said. “It’s okay, all fairies get the same treatment in case the wing clips are clawed out.” He tapped the bottom of the thin bar, which was unremarkable apart from an embossedEset at the base.
I whipped my head toward Zia and Rowan. The shuddered, hollow look seated at the back of their gazes told me everything. Maybe I couldn’t see their marks, but these psychos had branded them, and I was about to follow suit.
Cliff folded his arms over his chest. “You expect me to damage assets to prove my loyalty?”
“Unless you’re still soft on the redhead,” Rhett said, blinking in mock innocence.
Eros observed the exchange with a thoughtful frown. I got the sense that he played people like chess pieces often andwell.
“Lower your voice, Rhett. You’re not in a trailer park anymore,” Eros said coldly, barely acknowledging the way a flush crawled into Rhett’s cheeks.
Eros’ eyes slid to Cliff and hardened. “Go on, son.”
Cliff snatched the bar from Rhett. The unspoken test was overwhelming—brand me as Evercor’s asset, or deny loyalty to their cause.
As Cliff took a step closer, a whimper caught in my throat. I’d rather Rhett do it. A guard.
Nothim. Not my friend.
A hand brushed my shoulder, making me flinch. It was Ben. “Get back,” he murmured in a hollow voice. “You need to stop arguing with them. More than anything, people like them just need to let their frustration out. I—I can try to convince them to take it out on me instead.”
My jaw dropped. “Ben—”
He squeezed my shoulder, beaten resignation haunting his stare. “I’m used to it.”
“But—but he won’t do it,” I whispered helplessly.
“Shouldn’t she be unconscious or something first?” Cliff asked, glancing back at his father.
My heart squeezed. He wasstalling, at least.
The growing suspicion on Eros’ face made the tension in the air thicken. He rolled his eyes, voice dropping back into a snarl. “Oh, for fuck’s sake! All these stories about the blood on your hands and prowess with a rifle, but you can’t handle one little mark?”
