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My pride bleeds. I’ve had that card since I was a damn teenager. I never thought for a second that anyone would notice it and I sure as hell didn’t think about it leaving a trail for anyone to find.
Fuck.
I take a deep breath. “I’m begging you, Archer—”
“Beg all you like, Lilah,” he says, grabbing his book again. “I’ve waited a long time to get you in chains… and I won’t let you go.”
I seethe, feeling an overwhelming urge to crush his skull beneath my heel. “You look like a fucking idiot with that thing in your nose.”
He tugs the tampon out and looks at it. “By the way, what brand is this? I want to stock up.”
“Oh, fuck off.”
I turn away from him and lay my head back down.
Chapter 12
Archer
Nine o’clock comes quickly.
Lilah spent the entire evening with her head down on that table. She hasn’t said a word. She just stared off into the wall as if there was something staring right back at her. I wish I could say I felt nothing for her but the more time I spend with Lilah Hart, the more her human-like she seems. I almost feel sorry for her.
Almost.
I drive us to the silos just north of Chicago where Enzo plans to meet us. We arrive several minutes early. There’s no sign of Enzo or his people or even civilization. Just shadowed darkness amongst old rusted equipment on forgotten lands.
I fetch the handcuff key from my pocket and kneel beside her at the table. “Ready?” I ask.
She glares silently and shifts her wrists toward me.
I pause, suspecting a trick, but her eyes are as cold and dead as the earth outside. Did I really break her? Where’s the fighter I’ve heard so much about? The brutal and deadly Lilah Hart?
I slip one wrist free and stand her up. She moves with me, easing around to let me cuff her hands behind her back. No sudden moves. No snarky quips.
No Lilah Hart.
I open the trailer door and lead her outside.
Lilah shuffles her feet in the dirt. I peek behind her once more, just to be double sure her hands are empty. I’ve seen her pick and slip out of handcuffs in the blink of an eye — twice — and I’m determined not to make that mistake again with her.
The silos cast a deep shadow over us. This place was abandoned years ago, now covered with decayed wildlife. The light posts are broken, surrounded by shattered glass. It’s just dark enough that I can barely make out the stars above our heads.
I look at Lilah to see that she’s doing the same, gazing up into the sky. Her chest rises and falls, as calm as the moment I caught her. If she’s got a plan, then it’s a good one. If she doesn’t, then maybe I do feel sorry for her.
“How long have you been in Snake Eyes?” I ask, trying to kill the pang in my chest.
She blinks once but doesn’t move. “A while.”
“Give me a number.”
“What does it matter to you?”
“Personal curiosity.” I smirk. “Oh, come on. Who knows what Enzo’s gonna do to you? Might as well pass on your legacy now.”
Lilah wets her lips and presses them together for a moment of thought. “The day I was recruited, a man walked up to me in a parking garage,” she begins, softly sighing. “He told me his name was Mercer Black and that my big brother worked for him. I knew the name, but I also knew that I wasn’t supposed to know him, so I pretended like I didn’t. He pulled a knife on me and told me not to scream.” She pauses and laughs to herself. “I remember thinking that this was it. This was how I would die.”
“What happened?”
