C6 Meeting The Wolversons

I sit watching as Bear disappears through the door, the rage still building - but more at myself for this stupid move. Some of the rage is directed at my mother too, for lying over what the party is for. She wouldn’t have told me; no, she would have let me go and just waved me off at the end of the fucking night! I stand and walk towards the door, and I don’t even know why because I can see the lift needs a card, and I don’t have one. The door to the stairs clearly needs a key too. Walking back through, I go into the same room as before, my eyes on the windows. I glance out. It’s a balcony. Opening the door, I step out and glance down.

It’s at least a 20ft drop. Maybe a bit less if I can use the balcony and dangle from the bottom? I grab my bag, deciding to try to call someone, anyone. I glance at my phone and quickly give in. I can’t, how can I? No one is going to go against two fucking cities to rescue me. I scream slightly and kick the railing.

“Who the fuck are you?”

I jump and spin to face a man. My mouth opens, but all that comes out is stammers and confusion because I have no idea who the hell this guy is, or who I am anymore. Not really.

“Well?” he growls, stepping forward.

“I’m Emmi.” His eyes widen, and if I thought he was angry before, I was mistaken because now he looks like he could really just give me a nudge and push me over this railing.

“Who the fuck brought you here?”

I stand looking at him, confused. He isn’t like Gunner and Bear. They are so eager to have me here but this guy, no, he looks like me been here is the worst thing in the world. “Bear brought me,” I say, hoping he takes my answer and leaves me the hell alone. I was scared of Gunner because something about him screams crazy. This guy, though, is different. His eyes are dark, and all they show is hatred, pure rage and hate. I breathe a sigh of relief as he walks off towards the kitchen just as the door opens.

I watch Gunner and Bear walk out with another man, all carrying plates.

“Why the fuck is she here?” The guy points back at me.

“She has a name!” I glare at him.

“Don’t fucking push me, Princess, because I’m not as welcoming as this moron.” His words are venomous.

Bear simply places the plates down and sits, which only seems to push the guy into a more anger-filled rage. “Bear? What the fuck did I say about the deal?”

I step into the room now, and they all turn to look at me.

“Sit, little lamb and eat.” I glance between them all. I don’t want to. That guy seems to hate the idea of me being here, and the other guy who came from the kitchen? I can’t read him. He is quiet, just staying out of their argument. “Now!” I jump at the loudness of Bear’s voice and walk forward to take the seat next to him.

“Bear.” I hear the ragged voice from behind us. Is Bear really going to ignore him?

“Sit, Dante. I think we should sit and talk rather than start a war between ourselves with our own rage.” Finally, the other guy speaks up. Is he the calm one among the crazies? It seems that way, I hear Dante shifting, and slowly he sits opposite us. Yet his eyes are still full of hatred, nothing but pure hate. Great, so I’m hated and yet expected to live here?

“Okay, little lamb. You know Gunner and me. That is Dante, and that is Zane. The other two brothers.” Bear points out who the two men are calmly, as if Dante isn’t trying to kill him with his eyes.

“It’s nice to meet you, Emmi.” I turn and look towards Zane. He is the first person to call me by name, no little lamb, Princess, or something else. He says it like I am a person, an equal, which I like. He says it like I’m not tied to my family or to the city.

“I said not to bring her here and forget the deal.” The words of Dante have me turning from Zane to look at him. His eyes are still fixed on Bear.

“The deal needed to be upheld. People would ask why it wasn’t.” Bear says back while eating his food. His eyes now looking at me. “Eat.” Does he order everyone around like that? I decide not to argue and eat because, well, Dante is already taking up enough of the room with his anger and argument.

“Don’t get attached, Bear. I said it over and over, this deal is stupid. No woman is coming here. No woman is living here, and no woman is marrying any of us in this way.” I look at Dante.

Part of me wants to smile because he’s trying to stop this happen. But it isn’t for me. It isn’t because he doesn’t believe in it, or he thinks it is cruel. He just hates women. That much is clear by the way he snarls the word every time it leaves his lips.

So, I sit and eat quietly and listen to them arguing over this agreement. Dante is standing his ground in that he wants no woman here, ever. Bear is standing his ground that the deal was made and should be upheld, or they take Jamie but, well, Dante’s shocked look at that is far worse than having me here. I keep my eyes on Dante at the mention of him, his eyes locked on Bear’s.

“No.”

Is that all he can say? No? What does he have so against Jamie?

“It is your choice, Dante. Her, or him. Choose.” Bear looks at him, waiting.

“You really want me to choose one?” Dante glares over at Bear, and all Bear does is nod back. “Fine, her. A warning though, sugar, stay the fuck away from me.” He stands up, pushing away from the table, and storms out. I want to ask why he hates women, but I decide against it and ask another question.

“Why do you all hate Jamie?” I glance around, and Gunner laughs.

He slams down a dagger, and my eyes widen. One, because it is beautiful and two, because why has he put a dagger on the table?

“You like daggers, little kitten?” He grins at me.

Shuffling, I feel up my leg for mine, and it isn’t there? I look down, trying to find it, but it has gone. How and when?

“Looking for this, little lamb?” I turn to Bear, and he holds up my dagger. I go to snatch it back, but he pulls it away. “Tomorrow, you can have it back when I know you won’t attack us with it. Now onto your question.” He places my dagger next to him on the side furthest away from me, and Gunner seems to have a glimmer of interest in his eyes.

“Jamie is well known, Emmi. He thinks everyone believes he passes out punishments, but everyone knows he is too scared to. If we won’t do it ourselves in our city, we won’t ask anyone else to. Jamie, though, pretends he is beating someone and torturing them for information, for payback, all those things, but in fact, he gets someone else to do it and walks away. Then he pretends it was him. He would die over here within an hour.”

I stare at Zane. He has that wrong. Sure, the city punishes people and things but not that far. Never have I heard anyone go that far. Surely, they are wrong, and surely Jamie isn’t that weak? When I saw him chase away guys, was it really show and then he got someone else to threaten them?

“Look, little lamb. Your city does things hidden. Your city tries to portray it as good, and everyone follows the rules, and no major punishments are needed. Ask Jamie, what you saw me do is no secret in our cities. I guarantee in your own city, others are dealt the same fate. The difference is, we don’t hide it. We don’t pretend to do it and get someone else to. That is his weakness, and one day someone will use it. Someone will confront him when he is alone, and then what? He won’t do it, and the city will turn on him.” I listen to Bear’s words. I knew people were warned off. Hell, I knew people were killed, but I just assumed they were killed quickly, not tortured slowly and painfully like Mich was at Bear’s hands.

I don’t even know what to say other than I want Jamie to stay on that side. But, if everyone knows, then one foot over that line, and he is dead. Then what? What will happen to my mother? Sure, I hate her, but I still love her.

“You seem to know how to fight, to stand up to people. Yet you had no idea what really went on in your own city? So, tell me, little lamb, how far did your freedom go?”

“I didn’t have freedom. I was only allowed in one bar and one store without my parents. Even as I got older, that rule stayed. If I tried going into others, the workers and even customers would freak out and tell my parents that I’d been there. They limited where I could go, and who I could meet and be near. If a guy showed interest, he would disappear. Those who didn’t disappear just avoided me. Friends didn’t stay long. The rules my parents had for me rolled onto them when they were with me, and it was always too much. Twenty-four years, and while I snuck into places, I was never free. I’d try to kiss a guy, and everyone would freak out and tell them.”

And when Paul had offered me a way out, I’d said I would give him money to escape. He flies a few smaller planes for deals the city makes between others. So that was my escape. He could fly us away from these two goddamn awful cities and give me freedom.

“You’re telling me you have never kissed a guy?” I hear Gunner’s words, and I laugh.

“Oh, I have.” Then they run because, well, who really sees anything like kissing worthy of death? No one.

“But you’re a virgin still? The strict rules, the lack of freedom, the fact people knew who you were, and the deal with us made people refuse.” Gunner’s words are all true, but I want to lie. I want to say I’m not, but how can I? They will ask who and no doubt kill the person, but I am not that cruel to send an innocent man to death. All three pairs of eyes are on me in interest, and I feel eyes on the back of me Dante is stood in the hall, looking at me with pure interest and lust? He meets my gaze and quickly he turns back to that cold, hateful guy. But everyone else is looking at me in wonder. I feel my face heat up. I don’t know where to look in the silence of the room.