Sinners 01 - Branded (32 page)

He smiles at me while he scoops my fruit onto his plate with his fork. “It’s because
your stomach shrank from not eating right. But I’m proud of you. You almost finished
your plate and refrained from feeding Zeus.”

“Ha, I just did it without you knowing.” I wink as I reach under the table, and Zeus’s
warm tongue runs up my hand. We laugh as Zeus swallows a piece of pork chop whole.
He never seems to enjoy his meals.

Keegan examines us with a raised eyebrow and I clear my throat, trying to distract
him. “So, when did you shave your head and cover yourself with all those tattoos?”
I say.

The bright lights make his multiple tattoos more visible. They interlace the whole
way down both his arms, and of course, I can’t miss the cobra wrapped around his head.
I almost want to reach out and touch them.

He laughs. “The first thing I did when I got here was shave my head. My curls would’ve
given me away, don’t you think?”

“Yes. I can relate.”

“Anyway, they didn’t hurt. You should think about getting one,” he says. “I know a
fantastic tattoo artist sitting right over there.” He points three tables away, but
I don’t bother looking.

“No way.” I rub my neck self-consciously. “I’ll never get a tattoo. I hate them.”

“So you hate mine?” Keegan says, drooping his eyes in mock disappointment.

“No, not exactly. Since they’re on you and not me, they’re fine.” I wave my fork at
him before stabbing another piece of food for Zeus.

“Believe it or not, the girls dig it.”

“I’m sure they do.  A cobra on a guy’s head is completely irresistible.”

“Tell me about it.” Keegan stands and stretches for a minute. “I have a meeting I
need to run to. It’s probably best if you come with me. Then afterward, I’ll walk
you to your room and the showers so you can clean off your nastiness.”

I glance at Cole, who shrugs, and then back at Keegan. “What about them?” I ask, referring
to Cole, Bruno, and Zeus. “Shouldn’t they come with us?”

Keegan’s eyes narrow, but he nods. “I guess.”

After another long series of tunnels and some creepy stairs down, Keegan leads us
into a dark room. “Welcome to the nerve center of the revolt. Here we keep track of
the guards’ operations and our planned attacks. It’s really genius of Sutton, if you
ask me. He procured the whole map himself.” Keegan presses a button, and a table in
the middle lights up. “The red markers represent the guard bases we’re aware of, and
the red lines are the routes they patrol and the training in our sector. The green
represent the rebel bases and their routes. At this point in the game, we’re ready
for a fight!” He turns it off before I can look twice. His face is proud, like my
father.

“What do you mean by our sector?” I say.

“Since the Hole is so large, we have to divide it into sectors. A single leader runs
each sector. The one we’re in now is mine to maintain.”

“Now we’re in trouble,” I say.

“Very funny,” Keegan says.

“So there’s an entire network?” Bruno asks, shifting on his feet.

“Let’s just say we’re a lot stronger, larger, and more prepared than the commander
thinks.” Keegan holds his head high and even sounds a little cocky.

“So does the commander ever leave his headquarters?” I say.

Keegan squints his eyes and clenches his fists while glancing at Bruno and Cole. “I’m
sure your guard could tell you that one,” he says with his eyes pinpointed on Cole.

His response renders me speechless.
Why the hatred?

“So you know the guards’ routes?” Bruno says.

“We do. We’ve been watching them for years now. Of all people, I’d think you’d know
that.” Keegan looks around the room, his eyes settling on my ring again.

I have to redirect him. “Wow, that’s impressive, Keegan. So… who built these tunnels?”
My hands fidget as Keegan’s stare makes me uncomfortable.

“They were here before I came—we just needed to finish them off. And we added some
others.”

“Sounds like a lot of work,” I say.

“And a lot of lives lost,” Keegan replies. “Anyway, we’re out of time and I’m sure
you want to shower and sleep. Give me a minute to find someone to accompany you to
your rooms.”

His words catch me by surprise since he originally said he’d take me to his meeting,
but I nod in agreement and hug him one last time before he abruptly leaves through
another door.

“That was strange,” I say.

“I thought so too. Something’s not right.” Cole pulls me to him and hugs me. “But
at least you’re safe—that’s all I care about.”

“I hope our rooms are close.” I kiss his lips once, then twice. My hormones race and
all I want to do is be with him.

“Yeah, um, I’m still here—standing right next to you,” Bruno says.

I laugh as Cole loosens his hands around my waist and then I see seriousness in his
eyes. “I don’t know if we can trust Keegan yet… I think we should hold off on telling
him.”

“It’s not hard to guess. I’d be willing to bet he already knows,” Bruno says with
sarcasm.

I step away from Cole, feeling hesitant. Just in time too, because the door opens
and Steven beckons us to follow him to the showers and our rooms.

My room is small and plain like Keegan’s. A lamp hangs on a hook in the wall and a
cot protrudes from the right side of the room with a large wool blanket folded on
the end. On the left side, I notice a tall chest where I can put my clothes, which
I don’t have.

The showers are at the end of the hall. One entrance is for the men and one for the
women. We’re limited to five minutes, but it’s the best five minutes I’ve had in days.
The warm water running down my skin melts away the goose bumps.

Someone sets rugged clothes for me to wear on the sink for afterward. I pull on olive-colored
cargo pants, thick wool socks, and a tight cotton T-shirt. I fluff my curls and put
my ring back on. I peek out the door.

“Wow. You look incredible,” Cole says.

I jump back, hitting the back of my head on the tiles.

“You all right?” He laughs as he leans against the wall in the dimly lit hallway.
His plain T-shirt matches mine, but he has black cargo pants. It doesn’t take much
for him to drive me insane.

“Yes.” I rub the back of my head furiously. “And thanks. You’re not too shabby yourself.”

He pinches my cheek and gives me a smile that melts my insides. I love how he looks
dressed, but I wish I had time to undress him too.

“A pair of shoes would be nice, although I’ve been wearing those worthless slippers
for so long I think my feet are permanently flat,” I say while showing him my stocking
feet.

“I’m pretty sure these might help,” Keegan interrupts, giving Cole a dirty look. “Here,
these are the best I could do.” He hands me a sturdy pair of black leather lace-up
boots. “Hand me your scrubs. We can rip them and use them as rags.”

“Oh, by all means! Please take them.” I slide my feet into the boots and lace them
up. “They’re perfect! My feet thank you.”

“You’re still weird, you know that?” He grins while shaking his head.

“Yup,” I say.

“They’re pretty durable and they have steel toes, which you’ll find useful.”

I look at my new boots with pride and then glance up at him. His face fluctuates between
anger and fear.

“Really—how?” I ask.

He turns away from me with agitation. “Just go lie down and get some sleep. We’ve
got a strict schedule to keep and you’ll start training in the morning.”

“Training?”

“If you’re living here, then you adhere to the rules. Make yourself useful. Train
with us, eat with us, and so on.”

“Should we train while we’re here?” Cole asks.

“No need. I’d expect you’ve had enough.” Keegan’s stiff posture and authoritative
voice give me the impression that he doesn’t want us to ask any more questions. “Why
don’t you get some rest? You’ll need it.” Keegan steers me toward my door, signaling
the end of the conversation. And truthfully, I am tired. I haven’t slept in almost
forty-eight hours. I just wish I could have Cole’s arms wrapped around me while I
sleep. But the Sandman comes and my eyelids drop with ease.

*   *   *

I search for Cole and see him in the corner with a knife pressed against his throat.
A man dressed in all black emerges from the shadows.

“Don’t move an inch or I’ll slice him to shreds right now,” he shouts at me.

My fingers flex around the trigger, ready to pull.

“Drop the gun!” The tip of his knife jabs into Cole’s throat as he clenches his jaw.
“Don’t move!” he commands.

Cole’s jaw shakes and a growl escapes his lips. He swallows hard as blood trickles
onto his chest.

I freeze in place, lower my gun to the floor, and slowly raise both hands in the air
for him to see without breaking eye contact.

“What do you want?” I ask.

“His life,” he says in a detached, icy voice. He starts to press the knife deeper
into Cole’s skin, cutting into the muscle. Panic chokes me.

“NO! NO! NO! Kill me! Not him. I’m begging you. Take me instead,” I plead.

I startle awake, feeling the sweat pour off my forehead and stick to the blanket wrapped
around me.
What an intense dream.
My hands shake and I roll onto my back, staring into the shadows above me. I have
no idea what time it is or how long I’ve slept, but there’s no way I can go back to
sleep after that.

Sitting up, I pull on my new boots and stand. My legs feel a little shaky as I squint
outside my room. Cole practically smacks into me and I panic.

“It’s okay. It’s okay, babe. It’s just me.” He puts his hands on my shoulders to calm
me before I scream.

“God, you scared me. I had a bad dream and—”

“I know. I could hear you screaming from my room. I knew it was you. I’d recognize
your scream anywhere.” He pulls me into his arms and I relish the warmth of his chest,
his arms, and his body against mine.

“I screamed? That loud?”

“Scared the crap out of me. I thought… I thought something was happening to you. I
was terrified.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” He kisses my forehead and I melt. There’s something about his lips
touching my forehead that sends me over the deep end.

“What were you dreaming about?”

“Can we talk about it later? It’s too much right now.” I look up into his face, admiring
his strong jawline and dark eyes.
When was the last time we were alone?
I run my hands over his chest and then pull his head down to meet mine. “Please,
I need you right now.”

His lips touch mine and electricity surges through every vein in my body. I need him
to erase all the bad images from my dream. My hormones take over and next thing I
know, we’re stumbling to my cot and kissing passionately as he lays me down and positions
himself on top. His hands grab at me, desiring more and more. They wander up my shirt
and rip it over my head so my bare skin rubs against his. Then he unhooks my bra and
I let him ravish me with his mouth.

He moans when I kiss his neck and run my fingernails down his back, pulling his hips
into mine. His closeness intoxicates me to the point of irrationality. It’s a race
to the finish and neither of us wants to slow down. His hands fumble with the button
on my pants.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispers in my ear. “I want you. I want you so bad.”

“I’ve missed you more.”

“I doubt that.” He kisses my lips and goes back to my ear.

“Please, come here.”

Just then, the lights in the hallway brighten and Cole jumps off my cot with alarm.
We scramble to pull our shirts back on, and I button my pants, feeling frustrated.

“Damn it! You’ve got to be kidding me! Do they have a sex radar or something? I mean
seriously, are we ever going to have time alone?”

Just as I put my hair into a ponytail, Keegan storms in. His expression tells me he’s
not happy to see Cole in my room. “What are you doing here?” he says.

“She was screaming. I came to make sure she was all right.”

Keegan squints his eyes and clenches his jaw while deciding whether to believe Cole.

“I had a nightmare. Apparently I scream during them.” I put my hand on his chest and
force him to look into my face. “Seriously, he’s being honest, Keegan.”

He scrutinizes me and exhales. “From now on, I’ll be the one looking after my sister,
not you. Stay out of her room.”

At first, I want to punch Keegan for treating me like a child.
He hasn’t been around for years and now he thinks he can just waltz back into my life
and tell me who I can talk to?
But then I see the anger flashing through Cole’s eyes and know I have to deflate
the situation.

“Please, don’t be angry, okay? He was just doing his job.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet he was.”

“Look, man, I don’t want to cause any problems… but I’m still her guard.” Cole relaxes
his fists and tries to placate me. He knows I wouldn’t want them to fight.

“Yeah, her guard up there. Not here. She doesn’t need your protection when she’s with
me, and I can assure you no one down here will lay a hand on her.”

“Okay, enough. You were coming here for me—what for?” I say to distract Keegan from
blowing a fuse.

His stiff jaw loosens and he breathes deep, trying to calm down. He reminds me of
a caged cat, wild and unpredictable with his moods. “It’s training time.”

“Okay, then let’s go.” I gently tug at his arm to break his trance.

“Can I ask why she’s training? I mean, it’s not like she’s going to fight, right?”
Cole asks.

The expression on Keegan’s face turns livid. I just got him somewhat calmed down and
then Cole had to stick his foot in his mouth.

“Of course she’ll fight. We all are.” Keegan steps closer to Cole, and the air thickens
with hate. I come between them, sensing the tension rising twofold.