Sinners 01 - Branded (29 page)

“If you fail, you’re all mine… and trust me—I will take it slow. Really slow.” His
eyes undress me. Then he pulls back sharply and lets go. “Oh, and don’t forget. If
you die, Cole dies. If it happens again, you’ll both die. Together—on stage!”

I slide down the wall, shock overtaking me. My heart thunders with adrenaline, and
my brain feels like it’s bleeding from the inside. I put my hands on my face, feeling
the swelling where the gun connected with my skull. Worst of all, he knows about Cole…
but how? And I just want to disappear into a tiny million pieces. My worst fear, of
all fears, has come to fruition.

“Okay.” As I reply, my eyes meet Bruno’s. He stands still as a statue in the doorway.
He just witnessed the deal being made and my humiliation with it. I bow my head into
my arms in defeat.

“See, Bruno, that’s how you get things done.” Wilson turns on his heel and smacks
Bruno on the back, pulling him into Cole’s room.

I’ve got to get out of here.
I’ve got to protect Keegan and warn Cole that Wilson knows. I’ve got to make Bruno
promise he won’t tell a soul about what just happened. My brain feels overloaded and
I sit, pressed against the wall, for what feels like hours. All I want is for Cole
to wrap his arms around me and tell me it’s going to be okay.
This is so confusing.
My head swirls, feeling foggy from the impact of his gun.

Bruno storms into my room, practically sending me into cardiac arrest. “He’s gone.
You’re coming with me.”

“Wh…what?” I blink, feeling the pain shoot across my jaw from where Wilson pistol-whipped
me. My hand runs over my cheek, feeling the swelling get worse by the minute.

“Screw the lockdown. We’re going to Sutton—now!” Bruno starts throwing his stuff into
his bag and pulling on his boots.

“No! He could kill you.” I stand up, teetering against the wall.

“Lexi, stand up and start walking—now!” He opens my door to the dark hallway and gestures
me to follow him.

“What about the checkpoint?” I ask.

“Shh.” He whispers, “We’re not going out that way. Try to keep up.”

I stumble along behind him as he leads me in another direction, past an empty guard
station, and down a pitch-black staircase. At the bottom, he checks both ways before
leading me along the back of the building.

I never noticed the shantytown behind it before. Thousands of tarps hang in a subdued
array of colors, along with hundreds of tin shacks, forming a poverty-ridden community.
It’s no wonder the car bombings have been staged out of here.
It’s too hard to pinpoint from whom or where they came when surveying the possible
hiding places.

Bruno whistles, low and slow, to get my attention. My head snaps forward, creeping
behind him through some of the flimsy houses with corrugated metal roofs. It brings
back memories of learning about third-world countries in school, except even they
had it good compared to the desecration in the Hole.

The thick smell of fetid garbage and hollow, angry glares greet me as we pass through
four to five huts. I can’t breathe. Their skeletal appearances shock me into silence
and I put my right hand on Bruno for support.

After we pass through, we make our way back into the streets. My head injury begins
to weigh on me, making me feel dizzy in the blistering heat. The sun beats down overhead
and the slight breeze kicks dirt into our eyes.

Bruno slows for a moment and glances back at me. “You never saw those people before,
have you?”

I shake my head. “No.”

“That’s where sinners go when they don’t have a job. All of them are starving to death.”

“I…I thought everyone had a job.”

“Nope. Once you outlive your usefulness, they find another body to take your place,”
he whispers over his shoulder, keeping an eye out for danger.

The image of their emaciated bodies repulses me.
How can anyone be so cruel?
It just becomes one more thing to fuel my anger. With each step, I feel more and
more determined to survive and maybe even conquer. The reminder of Wilson’s hands,
his words, his cocky behavior…
I won’t let him get the best of me.
Then I stumble and fall to my hands and knees.

Bruno gently picks me up and throws me over his shoulder. He jogs to the hospital,
doing his best to stay out of sight. When we arrive, he takes me in a side entrance,
forcing me to walk on my own two heavy feet. No one even bothers looking at me because
of how insanely busy it is.

He takes out a key and opens a window along the base of the building. He picks me
up by my waist and I climb inside, dropping to the floor and almost crashing into
an old rickety chair below. Bruno climbs in right after me. When my eyes adjust, I
realize where I am. The basement.

I can’t move. “Bruno… I—can’t.”

“It’s the only way we can get in without being noticed. Don’t worry. I’ll be with
you the whole time. I won’t leave your side.”

With resignation and fear, I step into the darkness. And then I freeze in panic.

He picks me up and carries me through the crowded basement and up eight floors while
I keep my eyes closed. Bruno barely huffs as he steadies himself on the concrete steps.
At the final door, he uses his key and unlocks it.
I made it.

The light blinds us as the door swings open, and I squint at the massacre that’s become
Sutton’s usually well-organized floor. Bodies lay everywhere, some alive and some
dead. Nurses sprint from room to room with bloodied scrubs. I don’t think anyone even
notices us as we wait outside Sutton’s door.

“What happened to her? Are you all right?” Sutton’s voice sounds concerned, yet frightened.

“She’s fine—needs some care, but overall okay. We need to talk,” Bruno says.

“Hurry, come in.” Sutton opens the door to his office and locks it behind him. He
doesn’t even bother sitting as he smears his gory hands on his jacket and attempts
to clean his glasses.

As Bruno explains what happened, Sutton doesn’t react. His face remains stoic. As
he listens, I notice how exhausted he looks. His hair looks a shade whiter than it
used to and his hands shake while holding his glasses. He examines the cut on my cheek,
swabs it, and hands me a bottle of water to hold against it.

“I knew it would come to this,” he says. He steps away from me, looking pensive and
edgy. Then he picks up the phone and next thing I know, Cole stands outside the door.

I brace myself for his reaction.

When Sutton lets him in, I can see pure rage on his face. He immediately wraps me
into his arms as Bruno and Sutton watch. My lungs feel crushed and my heart rips apart
with fear for him.

“Did he touch you?” Cole demands.

I can’t bear to look him in the eyes as he grimaces. He puts his hands on my shoulders
and insists. “I swear to God if he hurt you—I’ll kill him!”

When I look into his face, he knows immediately that Wilson didn’t just hit me. He
launches his fist into the wall, forcing a hole through it, and starts yelling.

I begin to cry. “Cole, I’m okay, really.”

“No, you’re not okay! Don’t lie to me! I know you—you’re not okay!” Cole’s face looks
like it’s going to explode with fury. The vein in his forehead pulses and his fiery
eyes look possessed. He paces around when Sutton stops him.

“That’s it. I’ve had enough,” Sutton says. All traces of compassion leave his expression.
“It’s apparent you two have failed to listen to me. Now, I have no choice.” He motions
to me. “Too many people’s lives are at stake here and the two of you are going to
get us all killed. I have no other choice until things settle down. Lexi, you’re going
to your brother.”

“The hell she is!” Cole says.

“This isn’t your call and you know it! I’m doing what needs to be done here. You couldn’t
stop whatever it is you two have going on—so I am! It’s over and she’s going to Keegan.
I don’t want to hear another word about it.”

I give him a questioning look. “You know where he is?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand. Why would you know where—?”

“There’s no time to explain. I’m calling for transport now.” Sutton mashes a button
on his phone. “Cole, Bruno, please make sure she gets there safely.” He squints as
he reads something on his phone. “Oh, good. There’s a black van waiting for you outside
the side entrance.” He pulls a drawer open and reaches out his hand toward me. I take
the book. “I saved this for you. Thought you might like to have it.”

“Thank you,” I say.

I take the book from him and press it against my chest.
The Last Silk Dress
, the book that Alyssa loved so dearly and wanted me to read to her every night. My
heart crumbles thinking about her. “See you soon… I hope.”

Sutton nods as he opens his door and sends us away without a good-bye. “Hurry!” At
that, he briskly walks away and I meet the eyes of Amber, standing, staring at all
of us in the hall.

Her murderous glare gives me goose bumps, and immediately I know we need to move or
she’ll be the one to report us.

Bruno, Cole, Zeus, and I hop into the rusted black van idling outside the side entrance.
There’s no joking around as we drive, just anxious glances through the filthy tinted
windows. Zeus whines so I pull his head into my lap.

I rub my watering eyes and see a dead body lying alongside a building. It’s a younger
man. Even through the heavily tinted windows, I can make out the vivid colors of death.
His long blond hair partially covers his face, and his clothes are a dusty, faded
blue color. Blood pools around his midsection, seeping from gunshot wounds. I turn
away, feeling sick.

I feel suffocated. The world is crashing around me, taking everything away that I
ever cared about. Now I’m going to lose the only person I want more than anything—the
man I love.

My chest tightens with fear of the unknown. I twist my ring around on my left finger
while waiting. It’s a turbulent ride. The lack of a seatbelt makes it hard to sit
in one spot, and I keep sliding into Cole. He finally wraps his arm around me to console
me, but I can see in his eyes that he’s afraid too.

Suddenly, the sound of bullets tinging off metal rings my ears. Cole pulls me onto
the floor as the van swerves left and right. All of our bodies lie jumbled in the
middle, and we cover our heads with our arms, as if that’ll help.

“Stay down. Stay down!” The driver shouts from the front seat.

Cole puts his arm over me and I begin screaming with fright. I just can’t handle any
more in one day. I can’t breathe, think, or begin to digest what’s happening. I peek
over and Bruno lies against Cole. His eyes meet mine for a second and he smiles. Zeus
huddles against me, barking and whining.

The van hits a ditch and the driver begins cussing furiously. Cole crawls to the front
and checks on him as blood pours from his arm.

“Let me drive,” Cole yells.

We hit another pothole and lurch into the air, slamming back down. My brain collides
with my skull, rattling my senses, and darkening my vision momentarily.

“It’s just my one arm. I can still drive,” the driver yells.

Cole hunkers back down, startled each time the bullets pierce the body of the van.

My screaming turns to whimpering as my face throbs. I check Alyssa’s book under my
stomach to make sure I didn’t damage it and groan with each bump. The shooting gradually
fades into the distance and Bruno sits up with Cole. They count fifty bullet holes,
which miraculously didn’t kill any of us.

Finally, some freaking luck in this forsaken place.

Cole grabs my arm and gently pulls me against him. I collapse in his arms, feeling
fragile and emotionally exhausted. He brushes my matted hair away from my eyes and
grips my arm tightly. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost him. Or Zeus. Or Bruno.
Even he’s become part of our inner circle.

But there’s no rest, even for the very, very weary.

The driver hits the brakes and I slam into Cole with enough force that he stumbles
onto the floor. Tires squeal, smelling of burned rubber, while male voices scream
all sorts of profanity outside. Cole’s arm wraps around my waist, pulling me back
to my seat, and Zeus starts barking wildly.

“Your stop’s here. Keep low to the ground. Head five blocks east and they’ll find
you.”

I want to ask what he means, but next thing I know, the sunlight blinds me and we
step into the unfamiliar street.

The landscape looks like a concrete jungle with tin shacks shoved between large buildings.
The contrast of the gray dust and the faded red of a nearby tarp draw my attention.
It captivates me for no other reason than the fact that it looks like art. We had
all kinds of paintings and photos hanging on the walls in our High Society condo.
They were all names of famous artists that I can’t recollect, but I know beauty when
I see it, even if it is in the slums.

Overhead, clouds roll in like waves and cover the sun’s brilliant rays. Not a soul
occupies these streets, but we move carefully to avoid the cameras.

I spy a bouncy ball and know somewhere there’s a child missing it. The thought makes
me ache inside.
Another child whose life is riddled with violence.
I can’t change what happened to me at my stepfather’s hands, but maybe—just maybe—if
I ever escape from the Hole, I can make a positive difference for the sake of another
child.

The intensity on Cole’s face keeps me from speaking. I can tell the surrounding area
has him and Bruno on eggshells as they check each corner, alley, and street that we
pass. Their hands tightly wind around their weapons and their eyes widen, surveying
the area for any suspicious movements. First Bruno moves and then motions us with
his hands to follow. The dull thud of our footsteps echoes through an otherwise ominously
quiet block.

One block down. We follow Bruno into a narrow alley and stop to gather our thoughts
for a minute before moving on. “Hey.” Bruno motions from the front and Cole comes
around me with his gun cocked and ready. “We’ve got four blocks to go. You want me
to stay point?”