Masked (12 page)

He smirked, his mouth pulled up on just one side. That look never failed to capture her. Then his lips crashed into hers in a kiss that stole her breath away, like so many of his kisses did. Pete kissed her like she was the air he needed to breathe, his mouth demanding and hard, coaxing her to give him everything she had. Her hands rose up on their own accord to grip his shoulders, trying desperately to find some sort of balance as he completely knocked her off her feet. His hands were braced on the wall either side of her head, separating her from the rest of the world.

When he pulled back, Charlotte took huge gulps of air, trying her best to calm the rapid beat of her heart. Her cheeks felt flushed, and that now familiar feeling of desire pooled in her belly as each breath just brought more of his scent that surrounded her.

“You’re not laughing now, are you?” he said smugly. Charlotte narrowed her eyes, one hand resting over her pounding heart. Pete chuckled, dropping another quick kiss on the corner of her mouth. He dropped his hands, grabbing one of hers in the process and pulling her along after him. “Come on, we’ve got things to do, people to see.”

“You are a terrible man sometimes, you know that right?” she said, shaking her head at how quickly he had spun the tables around.

The western ghetto was very similar to the eastern. The buildings and streets were obviously different, but the overall feel was just like the other side – depressing and dreary. Not very many people remained out in the streets, aside from those walking from one destination to the next. They kept their heads down, not even glancing in their direction. Charlotte wondered if seeing such a large group of people walking around together made them nervous. Probably, she decided. There was so much crime in the poorer sections, she was sure most people were purposely keeping their distance.

She looked around at the men who surrounded her. All of them were fit, capable looking men, their faces currently void of emotion as they made their way through an unknown part of the city. She could see them all looking around inconspicuously for New World soldiers. Yup, she thought, they looked kind of scary. She smiled to herself.

“What’s so funny now?” Pete asked in a low voice.

“I was just thinking how mean you all look,” she replied.

Tyler grunted in amusement beside her, his mouth pulling up only slightly on one side. He met her eyes and gave her a quick wink that had her smiling broadly. There was something extremely intimidating about Tyler especially. His beard and tattoos gave him the look of a man you wouldn’t want to mess with. Charlotte could imagine what people would think of him if they didn’t know how nice he really was.

There were seven of them in total on this trip. The others who had retracted from her father’s camp were coming on the next truck, which wasn’t scheduled for another month. One can only fit so many coffins in a truck at a time, apparently. She was learning a new thing every day. Right now, there was only herself, Pete, Trent, Garrett, Seamus, Tyler, and Michael. Matt would be returning with the truck to the eastern ghetto.

They rounded a corner and came to a place that seemed to be busier than the other streets. Charlotte could see vendors set-up further down in a crude, makeshift market square. She scanned the area quickly, but saw no sign of soldiers. The area, although livelier than other streets, was pretty rough looking. A group of prostitutes called out to men as they passed by. Another group, of guys this time, stood huddled together, their raucous laughter adding to the sounds around them. Women called after children, vendors yelled out to passersby. It almost felt normal, except the buildings were all but crumbling, and the people were all poor looking and some rather filthy.

“Nice neighbourhood,” Garrett muttered.

“The scenery’s not that bad,” Seamus said, eyeing the group of prostitutes. One caught his eye, smiling suggestively as she stepped forward toward them.

“Well look what we have here ladies,” she said, grabbing the others’ attention. Her hair was cut short in a bright red bob that reached just to her chin, with blunt bangs just over her eyes. Heavily lined caramel eyes zeroed in on them as she stepped out, effectively blocking their path.

Trent, who was leading the group, stopped abruptly, his shoulders stiff with irritation. The rest of the girls filled in behind the red head, all of them standing with hands on their hips, flaunting their curves. Charlotte heard the thoughts of one like she was practically yelling them in her ear. Anger rose quickly, as she heard the woman’s comments about Pete.

“We’re not interested, ladies,” Trent said in deadpan voice.

“Speak for yourself, brother,” Garrett said, winking at a tiny girl with bright purple hair. She giggled in that way that annoyed Charlotte instantly.

The red head tilted her head to the side, her eyes never leaving Trent’s. “Who said
I
was interested?” Her eyes raked him from top to bottom and back up again, an unimpressed look on her face. Charlotte saw Trent stiffen more.

“Look, we have things to do, so why don’t you girls go back to your corner,” Trent said.

Charlotte winced at the condescending tone of his voice. The anger that sparked in the red head’s eyes said she wasn’t happy about it either.

“I’ll go anywhere you want me to, so long as I can take the tattooed one with the shaved head,” another girl said. Charlotte swung her gaze to her, noting how incredibly tall this one was. Her hair was black and shaggy, with bright blonde streaks throughout. Brown eyes burned into Pete with obvious appraisal. It appeared Charlotte had found the one with the infuriating thoughts.

Charlotte stepped in front of Pete, even though she was way too tiny to block him from her vision completely. “You’d better stop those thoughts running through your head right this minute, or I’m going to have to stop them for you,” Charlotte said darkly.

The amazon laughed. “What thoughts?” she asked, playing dumb. “I’m simply offering the man a good time.”

Charlotte went to take another step, but an arm banded around her chest, pulling her back into a strong body.

“Easy now,” Pete said.

Charlotte ignored him, her sight set on this two-bit skank trying to get her hands on
her
man. “I know exactly what you’re thinking,” she said, “
exactly
,” she emphasized, giving her a pointed look. “And if you don’t stop, you’d best be sure we’ll be having a problem.”

The tall girl looked confused for a second, her eyes glancing at the red head.

“Where are you lot from?” the red head asked.

“What makes you think we’re not from here?” Trent countered.

She folded her arms across her chest. “I know every person in this area, and I certainly don’t know you, so that makes you new in my books.”

“Maybe you don’t know as many people as you think,” Trent said.

She narrowed her eyes at him then looked over the rest of them slowly. “Not one of you is getting by here until I start hearing some names,” she said.

“Look, princess,” Trent said, huffing in annoyance. “Some of us have better things to do than stand around in the streets all day, so how about you go back to doing your thing, and we’ll just be on our way.”

“No can do, hot shot,” she replied with a cheeky grin. “I get to decide who passes this point and who doesn’t, and right now I’ve decided that you fall into the latter category.”

Charlotte heard someone snickering, and turned her head to see Michael covering his mouth in a weak attempt to hide the fact that it was him laughing.

“Listen, ladies,” Pete said, his voice gentle in an attempt to defuse the situation, probably before Trent ended up hitting the girl. “I understand you’re trying to protect your neighbourhood here, but we’re not a threat. We need to go and meet some people, and we’d really appreciate it if you just let us be on our way.”

“Oh, he even sounds sexy,” the tall girl purred.

Charlotte took a step forward, but was restrained again before she could even take a full step. “You’re getting on my last nerve,” she said, pointing a finger at the other girl.

“Sam, give it a rest,” the red head ordered. She looked at Trent, even though it had been Pete who’d spoken. “What kind of important people are you looking for exactly?”

Trent leaned forward so his face was closer to hers. “The kind we don’t talk about out in the open,” he said.

She seemed to mull this over, her eyes coasting over the group again. Her head tilted to the side as she looked back at Trent. “Would this have to do with the resistance?”

“What resistance?” Trent asked with a smile.

They stared at each other. “You looking for the Archers?” she asked.

Charlotte froze, her eyes instinctively looking around.

“Maybe,” Trent said carefully.

She smiled broadly, stepping back so she fell in line with the other girls. “Then look no further.”

Garrett groaned; whether it was a good groan or a bad one, Charlotte wasn’t sure. She could tell from Trent’s expression he wasn’t happy about this revelation.

“The Archers are a bunch of girls?” Seamus said.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing, sugar,” the purpled hair girl said.

Charlotte watched as the red head looked passed Trent and smiled a genuine smile. “Hi, Michael,” she called out. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Always a pleasure, darling,” he said happily. “And, as usual, always entertaining.”

Pete and Charlotte looked back at his father at the same time.

“You knew who they were?” Pete asked incredulously.

Michael chuckled. “Of course. I didn’t want to ruin their fun though.”

“You’re the leader then?” Trent asked.

The red head smiled triumphantly, clearly aware how much that pissed Trent off. “So to speak,” she answered. “I’m Phoenix,” she declared. The rest introduced themselves as well. The purple haired one was Vi, the tall one Charlotte already knew was named Sam, then there was a bronze skinned girl with big curly hair who looked exotic and beautiful named Lake. The last girl was almost as petite as Charlotte was, her dark hair pulled back harshly from her face in a tight bun, named Pixie. Phoenix, Vi, Sam, Lake and Pixie exuded confidence as they let the knowledge of who they were sink in to the group.

“There’s just five of you?” Seamus asked.

“There’s one more, but she stays home,” Phoenix answered.

“Where exactly do you keep your weapons in those outfits?” Garrett asked as he looked each of them over slowly.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Vi said.

“Why do you pretend to be prostitutes if you’re working for the resistance?” Trent said.

“Because, hot shot, it gives us a reason to be standing out here watching our streets.”

Trent’s mouth was pressed in a thin line. Charlotte didn’t get the sense that he liked Phoenix very much. “And what happens when a man approaches you?”

“All the men here know who we are,” Lake answered. “Anyone who comes to us is just passing along intel.”

“What about soldiers?”

Lake and Phoenix shared a weighted look.

“We make sure we clear out if they come around,” Phoenix said. “They don’t bother us for the most part.”

Trent grunted, unimpressed.

Pete stepped forward just as Phoenix narrowed her gaze on Trent again. Charlotte was sure the girl had a slew of unfriendly things to say to Pete’s older brother. “Why don’t we go somewhere where we can talk a little more privately,” Pete suggested.

“Sure,” Phoenix said. “Follow me.” She turned, calling out over her shoulder, “try to keep up, hot shot.”

“I’m sure I’ll have no problem, princess,” Trent replied.

CHAPTER TEN

The house was a nondescript building hidden amongst others that were uninhabitable. The old bricks were worn, but surprisingly still in good condition considering the surrounding structures. When they entered, it was into a cozy sitting room filled with mismatched furniture and large rugs covering the damaged hardwood floors.

An older gentleman, who Charlotte assumed was Harvey, came out through one of the far doorways, a huge smile spreading across his face. He and Michael greeted each other affectionately before the man turned to observe the rest of the group who stood awkwardly just inside the room. The Archers had all taken seats, leaving the rest of them to stand. Pete stood behind her, his arms wrapped protectively around her chest and shoulders.

“Your boys sure have grown,” Harvey said.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Trent said, shaking the man’s hand.

“I hope my girl was welcoming,” he said, turning to smile warmly at Phoenix.

“Of course I was, Daddy,” she replied. Trent was smart enough to keep his mouth shut.

“And who is this little flower?”

Charlotte looked around for a second before she realized Harvey was referring to her. She wanted to laugh. Not once, in her entire life, had anyone called her a little flower. There was nothing flowery about her.

“This is my girlfriend,” Pete said, pride lacing his voice. She wanted to roll her eyes at the possessive tendencies of men, but truthfully it made her happy.

“For now,” she heard someone say. Her eyes immediately went to Sam, who was trying her best to appear innocent, but Charlotte knew her voice now. She also knew that she had thought those words, not spoken them out loud. Charlotte narrowed her gaze on the other woman.

“You are really testing my patience,” Charlotte said, leaving the rest of the group to look on in confusion at the sudden mood change in the room. “And I am not known for my patience, trust me.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Sam said, looking affronted, but Charlotte wasn’t buying it.

“Yes, you do. You’re all but screaming your thoughts at me, and I’ve had it.”

“Okay,” Pete said with a chuckle. “I think we all need to just take a breather, and relax. We need to work together, and that’s not going to happen if you two keep jumping down each other’s throats.”

“Well why don’t you tell that to your little
girlfriend
,” Sam all but sneered. “
I
wasn’t doing anything.”

“Bullshit,” Charlotte snapped.