Chapter 24

 

FREI DRAGGED HER body along the cold, wet floor. It stank of river water from outside. She shuddered, fighting the gag reflex the smell provoked, the fear of water. She was better than this. Jessie needed her to be better. She just needed to master her own body.

She gripped onto the divot in the stone, finding a hold with her fingers, and she pulled herself further. Jessie was asleep under her jacket. Frei needed to get them out before the kid’s inhaler ran out. It was the least she could do.

 

“You took longer than I expected.”

 

She heard Huber’s tone and tried to focus on her surroundings. The memories were getting harder to escape. There was nothing she wanted to relive in them. She didn’t have time to wander through useless thoughts. It was an irritation.

 

“Maybe that’s because I got you what you wanted?”

 

She groaned at the arrogant tone in her voice. Renee was crazy when in love but Frei, she’d been intolerable.

She blinked away the thoughts. What was this a shrink session?

She hauled herself closer to the door and pulled herself up to kneel in front of the lock. She pulled her picks from inside her waistband—the usual hiding place—and inserted them.

 

Fahrer was in the driver’s seat–as always–as Huber waited for her in the back. She couldn’t look at Fahrer. She didn’t want to think about how much he’d disappointed her. Her vision of a man being strong had been shattered. Maybe that was more the problem than his rebuttal. Fahrer didn’t care enough to push away the rules. She wasn’t important enough to him.

She sat next to Huber in the back. It was the same seat Megan usually sat in but Frei was holding up the gem so Huber could drool over it.

One attempt, one shiny gem.

“You got away cleanly?” Huber asked, his scope to his eye as he examined the chunk of rock.

“Easy. Their alarm system is older than me.” Her tone was for Fahrer. She wanted him to know she didn’t care. She didn’t need him. She wanted him to hurt like he’d hurt her.

“And the jackknife?” Huber looked at her, a smile in his greedy eyes as Fahrer drove them away.

“For slow people.” She saw Fahrer’s brow flinch at her words. He’d been hurt on it. He’d been quick enough to dodge it spearing through his head. A nasty trap but for people who were tall. At her height, or lack of it, it wasn’t a problem. But why tell him that?

“This little gem just ensured your request is granted.” Huber smiled at her then eyed Fahrer. “The doctor will see to your wounds when we arrive back.”

Fahrer frowned. “Excuse me, Mr. Huber?”

“She just guaranteed that shoulder will be as good as new.” He chuckled, his eyebrow raised at the frown. “Megan won’t be happy. I think she had plans for you.”

Frei tried to mask her smile. That made it even more sweeter.

“When you return to Caprock, you will continue as you were.” Huber’s tone was cold as if she hadn’t got him the gem. “Jäger has once again turned down my request for you to be moved into a more suitable role . . . which is exactly what I want.”

“It is?” She was still in Wood, the most pathetic group. She was short. They had issues with it. It didn’t matter that she could sneak around without a problem, steal food and drink from staff and skill captains, steal from the principal.

More and more she’d felt the need to do things like that. Not because she wanted to eat it or drink it herself. No, it was for the risk, to show that she was better than they thought. She fed the kids who were being starved for punishment. None of the staff could figure it out. They’d disciplined the whole of the silver group, the ones training to be locksmiths, because of it but they still had no answer.

Who would look at her? What could the weedy short kid do? What could a girl do?

“If you remain overlooked, I don’t have to pay extortionate fees and you don’t have that brute trying to fail you,” Huber grunted.

He meant Jäger. Brute wasn’t the word she’d use. Creepy, slimy, nasty, a bully maybe. Jäger had been watching her a lot. He kept talking about her hair. He’d done the same with Suz and now her sister. Creep.

“I think I may have found a name for you,” Huber said.

She stared at him. A name for her? She wasn’t that important. Her sister didn’t have a name and she was beautiful.

“You are a locksmith after all.”

“I am?” She felt a glow of pride. It was special to be a locksmith. The kids in the silver group didn’t realize that the staff were looking out for a potential in the field. It seemed locksmiths were more valuable than any other slave. Why, she didn’t really understand. There were kids who would make as much, if not more money, for their owners with legitimate skills.

“Yes,” Huber said, patting her knee. “So I think it only fitting that I call you Locks.”