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Do I long for more?
Yeah. Of course, I do.
But I’m at home in my simple life, laboring away with my hands and honing muscle with mechanical tasks.
Whenever I crave more, I read.
Even after Denver finished my homeschooling, I went on to learn more, poring over every subject that interests me. Mainly distilling vodka. It seems I love vodka more than I love people.
Even so, Frankie’s stories ensnare me, taunting me with aspects of life I’m missing. I know nothing personally of the world outside of Hoss.
Nothing I remember, anyway.
It’s late when she and Wolf exchange yawns. Somehow, they managed to discuss every topic under the sun without acknowledging the enormous glaring elephant in the room.
She knows there’s something amiss in our relationship with Denver. Hell, she’s known something is off since she arrived. But tonight, she witnessed the deep fractures in our family’s brittle truce. Won’t be long before it all falls down.
The air shifts as I push to my feet, wordlessly calling it a night.
I stagger, still weak and dizzy, but no one moves to help me. They know better. Even Frankie knows she’s done enough for one evening.
Doesn’t stop her from addressing that elephant before I reach the door.
“There are two sides.” Standing, she crosses the room to pace beside me. “I couldn’t see it at first. I didn’t know if you were Team Denver or every man for himself. But after that vile display of authoritarianism in the kitchen…I mean, kin punishment? Really?” She pinches the bridge of her nose. “He’s on one side. The tyrant. His sons are on the other. The tyrannized.”
Leo leaps to his feet. “That’s not—”
“You said there are no laws in Hoss, yet you’re controlled by a man who brutally punishes you when you don’t abide by his law.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“What’s your problem with me, Leonid? The real problem? What threat do I pose to you?” Hands on her hips, she heaves a breath. When he doesn’t respond, she looks each of us in the eye. “The sides are drawn, and I’m standing right here, with you, on your side.”
“It’s not that simple.” I flex my good hand, ready to shut this down.
“Okay, then explain it to me. I need to know what we’re up against. I need you to tell me.” At our silence, she makes a sound of frustration. “Doesn’t have to be tonight. But the four of us need to have a come-to-Jesus before Denver returns.”
“I’m down.” Wolf lies back on the bed and lights a cigarette. “But only if I’m Jesus, and you’re the one coming.”
“We’re not doing this.” Leo strides out the door, on the same page as me.
“Don’t walk away.” She throws up her hands, calling after him. “We’re in this together.”
She doesn’t get it, and there’s no way to explain it to her without making it worse. We’ve been down this road before. The more she knows, the faster it will end. And not in a good way.
I move toward the door.
“You can’t change the future.” Wolf releases a stream of smoke, back to his devil-may-care disposition.
A hush blankets the room as Frankie stares at him.
Then she shouts, “That’s not true.”
“You’re going to die.”
“How?”
“Well…” He takes a slow drag and blows it out. “Eventually, you’re going to fail at living, and you’ll be dead. Can’t change that, sweet cherry pie.”
“I can stay healthy, reduce risks. But that’s not what you mean. Tell me what’s going to happen, Wolf.”
“I already did.”
“No. You don’t tell me shit. Everything out of your mouth is deliberately vague.”
“Vague book is the best book.”
“Still waiting.” She crosses her arms. “Is this a game to you? How long are you going to keep me in suspense?”
“It’s not a game.” I step into the hallway and glance back, capturing her stubborn gaze. “It’s inevitable. You will die.”
They always do.
23
Frankie
—
Watching Kodiak retreat from the room enrages me almost as much as their cryptic non-answers.
“Yeah, I’m going to die.” I cough at the billow of black vapor curling from Wolf’s nose. “Probably from second-hand smoke. But in the meantime, I need to understand what Denver has planned for me.”
At the mention of his father’s plans, his expression empties, and he rolls to his side, giving me his back.
Fucking great. Denver returns in two or three days, and before that happens, I need to uncover what the fuck they’re hiding.
I need to get close to them. If I can befriend them and earn their trust, we can work together to escape.
Us against Denver.
Four against one.
The odds would no longer be against me.
But how do I convince them to accept me into their circle of trust?
What do they want?
At their core, they’re just like everyone else, right? And people really only want three things.
They want to eat. They want to fuck. And they want to be heard.
