Men, no matter how much of an asshole they were, had a tough time dealing with a crying, sniveling woman. She’d broken down in his living area. She knew the score but had hoped this time, things would be different. Turned out, Diamond was like any other man she’d encountered before. Her mind was definitely fractured somewhere because she knew this wasn’t her first time being overly dramatic in order to get what she wanted. Something for her to remember. Lip had helped her up, and foolishly, Nadya had looked over her shoulder to see if Diamond had even a little bit of kindness towards her in his eyes. What she saw was steely determination. And irritation at her outburst. She cursed inwardly for thinking he’d show a modicum of emotion. Her thinking he’d show anything other than irritation was stupid.
Nadya was in his room. A place he slept. It wasn’t what she’d expected, but then, nothing was ever what she expected. She was used to sleeping on the hard benches inside of a subway car. The entire park was littered with subway cars. Rundown and rusted out, she made do. The outsides were painted with graffiti and dried blood from the Rage Wars. The wars had been brutal, claiming more than half of the city’s inhabitants. If they didn’t die from the disease itself, they were consumed by rage. Anna had told her the story of the war. She had been alive during that time, but she didn’t have a single memory of it.
Diamond’s room was masculine and neat. Nadya was reluctant to take a seat, but at the urging of Emerald, she did. She looked around, peering out a large window. It took up an entire side wall. There were gold and brown curtains pulled back to show the view of outside. The bed she sat on was firm but comfortable. Some sort of leather covering on the wall with square patterns and gold circles supported the bed. Soft pillows were stacked and situated in a way that showed he was a man who didn’t like items out of place. In front of the bed was a bench, and across from that was a desk where Emerald stood, talking quietly to Lip. Adjacent to her was another mini-bed that only had one pillow, but long enough for her to sleep on. She remembered there was a word for the sleeper, but couldn’t recall what it was. Her brain catalogued everything. Her attention moved back to what was going on in front of her.
The man called Emerald was huge. But he had a gentle disposition. Nadya didn’t know how she knew, but she did. His face was covered with some sort of tribal markings. They were dark against his already deeply tanned skin. The markings traced his nose in a delicate but masculine pattern, sweeping down his cheeks and ending just beneath his jaw. There was a long scar on the left side of his face; however, it did not distract from his masculine beauty. His brows were furrowed as he looked her over. His eyes gave nothing away as he studied her. She couldn’t quite place the color of his eyes. They were a mixture. Gold swirls and bright blues mixed with a deep emerald green all came together to give off a color so stunning it stood out against his dark skin, drawing a person in. Nadya found herself leaning forward until she almost fell over. Hypnotizing eyes.
“You look tired, girl. You okay?”
“Yes…yes… I’m fine. Just hungry.” Her stomach rumbled as if to prove its point.
Emerald watched her a moment, his eyes searching hers. His stare seeking entrance. Nadya averted her gaze before he saw too much. She knew what was behind her eyes. Confusion. Emptiness. Anger. There were days when memories would float across her mind just beyond her reach, or days when she was content with what she didn’t know or remember, but today, just this once, she wanted to feel like her own self. Whoever that was.
“Get her some food out of the pantry, and have Lavarious put on a pot of hot water.”
Hearing the word “food” had her insides warming. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad, after all? Nadya needed to stay sharp. A little bit of kindness could lead to a whole lot of betrayal. It was one of the oldest tricks in the book. Diamond hadn’t agreed to anything. A tiny sliver of worry creased her forehead at the thought of having to travel outside the city walls. She didn’t worry for herself, but for her two traveling companions. Nadya didn’t know how she knew, but she knew she would be the only one to survive on the other side of the wall. Getting past the Mainlanders was one thing, crossing the dead zone was another thing entirely. And they’d have to cross the zone in order to get to… Where? Get to where? There it was again, a fleeting memory just out of reach.
“All right, Nadya. That’s your name, right?”
“Yes.”
A woman entered the room. She wore a see-through gauzy dress and sandals. Her hair was cut short, and her face was covered with the same material as her dress with only her nose and mouth showing. Black blood seeped into the gauze where her eyes were and ran down her chin into her dress; the material soaking up the fluid. A seer. Warning bells sounded in Nadya’s head. She couldn’t let the other woman touch her. She didn’t know how she knew, but she was sure if the woman even grazed her, all hell would break loose.
“Nadya, this is Marina, she’s Diamond’s seer. She’s here as a comfort.”
Marina didn’t say anything, and neither did Nadya. Seers could see into a person’s mind, but only through touch. Nadya wasn’t going anywhere near her, and if Diamond thought he could manipulate her this way, he was wrong.
Emerald turned his back to her, opened a bag he’d brought in with him, and rummaged through, setting items on the table. As he inspected the various items, he told her gently to take off her robe, lie back on the bed, and spread her legs. There wasn’t much else she could do but obey. She wanted this part to be over quickly. She took off the robe, got up on the bed, laid down, and spread her legs as directed. When he turned to look at her, it wasn’t with distaste or interest. It was cursory, like she was just another specimen under a microscope and it took him little to no effort or reflection to do what Diamond requested.
“The hot water is for me. I need to clean my hands, and this,” he held up a metal instrument that looked painful, “is called a speculum. I don’t have the use of a lubricant. I’m hoping the water will ease a bit of the pain. There are other ways I could get your insides slick and wet—” his eyes went to her chest then her mouth, “—but I think Lavarious would have a serious problem with my methods. And it might very well make you extremely uncomfortable. And I want you to like me, darling.” His voice was deep and smooth. Comforting as he spoke slowly and enunciated the word darling. It was his accent, she thought. He wasn’t a city native at all.
He wanted her to like him, but when he held up the monstrosity of the tool he intended to use on her, she doubted very much she’d like him once it was all said and done. What the hell was he going to use it for? Her mind scanned the dark recesses of her memory, trying to come up with anything that would help her understand. Surely he wasn’t going to pierce her with it. It wasn’t sharp enough. Something was pushing at the edge of her memory, something not good. Nadya bit her lip. She couldn’t place her finger on it, but she knew she wasn’t going to like what was about to happen.
“What does a speculum do exactly?” She’d seen a plastic one similar to the metal he held in his hand, but it was used for tilling the dirt.
“It’s a tool that will help me know the truth about you. This will hold you open while I inspect your hymen.”
Nadya coughed, and her stomach tightened. It was going to be bad.
“I don’t understand. What does a hymen have to do with anything?”
“You that far out in the outer edges of town, you haven’t been educated?”
Of course, she was educated. More so than him, she was sure of it. Her brain just wasn’t able to grasp the concept of the contraption he was holding, or what a hymen had to do with anything.
“I see you’re going to need schooling, too. Not much going on up there in that head of yours.”
“I know plenty.”
There was a lot going on in her head. Too much. Half the time, she didn’t know who she was or where she was from. Her life before now was a void. She had no use for things like a speculum. Her concern was for the safety of her family.
“When you live that far north, you don’t seek out a proper education. I know enough. More than enough by most standards. She downplayed her intelligence; she didn’t need them to think anything other than what she wanted them to know. “That I have no clue what a speculum is or what it does is not a testament to my ability to make clear and conscious decisions.”
His eyes snapped up to her face, and she could see the beginning of a grin.
“At least you have a bit of a bite, kōtiro.”
“What does kōtiro mean?”
“It means girl, it’s a term of endearment, kōtiro ataahua. That’s beautiful girl,” Emerald responded.
Lip walked in with a bowl of steaming, water. It was in a clear bowl. Cloudless water.
Pure Wave. Nadya was visibly upset when Emerald plunged his hands into the water. Marina stood off to the side, her body turned towards both males. He was wasting perfectly good Wave. That quality of Wave would have seen her and her family through a Razor Winter easily. Pure Wave in the city was damn near non-existent. People like Diamond and other members of the five Towers would be the only ones to have it to waste. An entire month of warmth, food, and decent living accommodations, and he’d wasted it in a matter of minutes. He said some kind of prayer in another language and looked to Lip, who took the bowl and disappeared.
“You’re very wasteful.”
Emerald’s gaze swung her way. He had a crease in his forehead, and she wasn’t sure if he was angry or confused. This was the first time he’d looked at her and not through her. She was still naked, lying on the bed, her legs wide open as he’d instructed. Vulnerable and uncomfortable was how he made her feel. Emotions she wasn’t used to.
“If you must know, that wasn’t Wave, not even close. But to you it probably looked it because of its clarity. Don’t believe everything you see, girl. We all have our struggles. Never forgot, we’re all on the brink of starvation. All trying to pull our weight to survive. Never be fooled into thinking you’re safe. We’re all one step away from dying. Some are just better at hiding it than others.”
“If you say so. Doesn’t look as if anyone is starving here.”
Emerald turned back, grabbed the speculum and pulled her forward until her feet were hanging off the side of the bed. He walked around and grabbed a bench, pulling it forward. He sat on the seat and used the sides as a prop for her legs before bending his head and spreading her open with his fingers. He looked up briefly and explained that she’d feel some discomfort. He didn’t give her time to prepare. Nadya felt the pinch before he’d fully explained the procedure.
She sucked in a deep breath and tried to hold still.
“I said there would be some discomfort. Now try to breathe easy. This won’t take long.”
She tried but couldn’t seem to catch her breath. He was gentle, but the object was stretching her while he poked and prodded between her legs. The metal was cold and awkward. It was becoming something of a chore to try and stay still. When she would have moved back, Emerald removed the offending instrument and tapped her leg. Finally, it was over. What an archaic way to inspect a woman. Nadya turned her head and watched Marina from the corner of her eye. The other woman hadn’t moved. She’d stayed in the same position the entire time Nadya was being examined.
“Lavarious, can you come in here for a moment,” Emerald yelled. His voice loud and carrying across the room.
“Can I put the robe back on?”
“No, I have some suggestions I need to point out. You stay just like you are, kōtiro.”
Fine.
There was a warm smell coming from the open door. A smell that meant food, if her stomach growling was any indication.
Diamond strode in, the door banging against the wall as he came to a stop.
“Man, you couldn’t examine her ass on the floor or the lounge chair. You had to do that shit on my bed?”
Emerald smirked. “Chill, she’s totally clean. In every way.”
“No shit?” He looked to her then back to Emerald, a wide smile spreading across his dark face.
“No shit. I do have some suggestions.”
“Yeah, what’s that?”
“She needs to be shaved. And marked. I have the perfect idea for some ink. I think the clients will go for it, plus it will equally identify her as pure.”
Nadya looked between both males as they debated back and forth.
Diamond seemed to be considering Emerald’s idea. His eyes turned to Nadya and he swept over her entire body from head to toe like a dust storm, only his look was more cutting. If she were to get caught up in his gaze, Diamond could tear the flesh from her in sixty seconds or less. She almost felt her skin peeling as his eyes surveyed her form. The light shining in his eyes held something she couldn’t place. Reading him was hard.
“What kind of ink?”
“Left side, up her ribs, wrapping over to her right hip then down her thigh.
“I like it. I’ll have Lindy grab one of the girls to help with the removal of her body hair and find her more suitable attire. Then we can have the ink scanned on. I have a design in mind.”
“Don’t I get a say?” Nadya asked.
“No.”
“Why the hell not?” It was her body. This was not something she’d agreed to. She didn’t see any of the other girls lining up to get marked.
“Because, as of five seconds ago, you became my property.”
“We haven’t agreed to anything yet.” She grabbed the robe and yanked her arms through, ripping the shoulder in the process.
“You’re gonna pay for that, and yeah, we just did. Contract accepted.”
Emerald tried to break the tension. “Go eat your food, kōtiro. Someone will come for you.”
V
Diamond asked Lip to get one of the girls to prepare Nadya. She’d barely gotten to enjoy what little food had been brought up for her.
“I‘m thinking a tribal tattoo from my home would look really good on her. A message of her importance can be woven in, and if you want, we can even add your name.” Emerald looked his direction.
“I don’t want my name on her. Nadya’s not mine. She is in my employ, that’s all. I will auction her off to the highest bidder. I’ll get a fuck-ton of Wave and other goods we can use for trade in exchange. I need news of this to reach far and wide. I want it to reach the inner city and outside the wall. I can set it up so the top bidders have a go. If she doesn’t breed the first time around, we’ll use her for round two. Eventually, she’ll ripen with someone’s seed. I don’t want to waste a great opportunity.”
“All right, but you never know, Maddox or Martinez may answer the call.”
“Let them. Those two punks can’t afford her, let alone be her patron. I like the idea of using a tribal tattoo. I’m going to have her collared and tethered to me, for training purposes. I don’t want to fuck this up, and once the others hear about her status, that’s exactly what they’re going to try and do. Fuck shit up.”
Emerald wore a shit-eating grin.
“Seriously, people won’t piss without your permission. You think if you tell them Nadya is off limits they won’t listen?”
“Can’t take that chance.”
“Right,” Emerald smirked. “If you say so.”
“You do the full body scan?”
Emerald shook his head. “I only gave her the one workup. I’ll test her again when I get back to my place and use the equipment there.”
Diamond would have preferred to have her with him. Once news got out about what he had in his possession, things would get pretty insane. There would be fights. Men would demand to see her. Some would even want to harvest her eggs. If they were even viable.
“All right, we’ll hold off on the announcement until you give me the all clear. I don’t want her gone longer than necessary.”
“Someone’s already attached.”
Diamond gave his friend the middle finger. “From the bottom of my soulless heart, this one’s for you.”
Emerald chuckled. “Like I’d let you fuck me. Besides, my dick only swings one way, and it’s currently tethered to my left hand.”
“I thought your hands were a little too smooth.”
Both men laughed while making their way out to the front room. Nadya was gone, and Lindy was there, sitting in his favorite chair. Her shirt still splattered with blood.
“Seriously, Lins, you need to get your ass out of my chair.”
She squinted before standing and made her way over to him. She was doing her sexy walk. The one she knew he liked. She hadn’t strutted towards him like that in a while. Fucking Lip. He must have said something in passing about Nadya’s status. He needed Lindy’s attention like he needed his guts hanging from a hook in the slaughterhouse. Lindy only got this way when he was focused on another female. If it wasn’t her, it would be another of his past bed partners.
“I hear we’ve hit the mother lode.” Her voice was a low purr as her hand snaked across his chest to wrap around his neck. She tried to pull him forward as she leaned up for a kiss. Diamond looked down at her petite form. She was soft in all the right places, and down for anything. Not that long ago, he would have taken her up on that. Would later tonight. He was not the type of man to let a woman tease him. If she wanted to offer up the slick juices between her legs, he wasn’t one to deny himself. Lindy wanted to be Queen to his King. He’d almost extended the offer, but something had held him back. He trusted his gut. Even when it didn’t prove to be to his benefit sexually. They’d split on amicable terms, and she hadn’t been in his bed since. Now that Nadya was the new prized possession, he knew Lindy wanted to stake her claim—if for no other reason than to prove she had the upper hand. Fucking females. Damn territorial.
“Lindy, since you know so much, I need you to do me a favor. Get Amethyst back here. She should still be hanging around. I need to speak with her.”
“She’s not. I saw her leave. She wanted to get back to the Den and check on Zira.” The Den was a thicket of dense trees, brush, and remnants of a time long ago. Amethyst kept most of her team there. All of them thieves and pickpockets.
“Well, get her ass back here, then. I need her to grab two people for me.”
“Who?”
“None of your business, woman.” Diamond tightened his grip on her arm and yanked her into his chest. “Since when are you so mouthy. Go and get her.”
Diamond shoved her away and turned towards the glass window.
Lindy was testing his last nerve. A trait he found displeasing and very unattractive.
“Fine, I’m going, but I don’t like it.”
“You don’t have to like it. You just have to do it. Now go.”
Lindy left with a hiss, and Diamond shook his head. The woman thought because he’d had his dick in her she had a say. She didn’t. Emerald watched the entire verbal match between them and said nothing. What he did do, was look at Diamond with a smirk on his face.
“You may need to remind her who’s in charge and why. She’s stepping outside her boundaries big time. None of my girls get out of hand like that.”
“I didn’t realize you had any girls. I was under the impression you came to me for all your vaginal needs,” Diamond stated.
“I do, and like I said, my girls don’t get out of hand.”
“They aren’t your girls, they’re mine.”
Emerald stretched his arms above his head and yawned. “I just let you think that, bro.”
The man could talk a lot of shit, and Diamond could care less either way. He kept his inner circle close and made sure everyone was happy. His job wasn’t an easy one; he and his close-knit team had a lot of shit they had to deal with on a day-to-day basis. He rewarded them as often as he could. Their little slice of an island was not out of the woods. The inner-city gangs fighting to overthrow him and the Towers and council members plotting behind his back…he had to stay vigilant. He didn’t make his team stay within the walls of the Quarry. He wasn’t a tyrant, but when he called, they’d come.
Amethyst liked the solitude of the forest, compared to the constraints of the Quarry. Emerald stayed in his own dwelling, an abandoned home he was personally restoring. He kept a room at the Quarry on the same floor as the infirmary, but he rarely showed his face unless required. Marina handled all the details of the infirmary. Emerald was the only healer they had, but Marina was a close second. She was Emerald’s ward, who refused to use her gift to see into other’s futures. According to her, she mainly saw the death of the person she touched. And almost always, her visions came true. Emerald’s personal home was in an undisclosed location. He’d turned the entire structure into a pharmaceutical mecca. Phyr was his go-to man whenever Diamond had a problem that he needed handled quietly. Phyr lived in a location Diamond was unaware of. He also helped to maintain the public relations between the Towers and the inner-city gangs. Onyx lived in the Parygon Tower with his cousin Till.
The Towers were strongholds. Mini-communities. Each governed by an Archial. Each Archial made up the Magellan Council. The Quarry was his kingdom. His safe haven. He had a lot of luxuries most of the other Towers did not benefit from, and because of that, many people from the surrounding Towers and beyond came to experience all that the Quarry had to offer. Sex, alcohol laced with Pure Wave, and the only place one could secure an organ in order to continue their miserable way of life. He also housed the recruits for his Mugenix program, men and woman who volunteered to be a part of his elite military force. It was something Phyr headed up and worked closely with Gryphon on.
Anything that pertained to the making of fabric came out of Empyre. Stich and Worm ran their Tower in shifts. Worm specialized in finer threads, he’d get orders from the Mainlanders, as well as those who lived on the safer side of town by Eden’s Den and could afford to trade in goods and services. Stitch designed practical clothing. Things that were needed for survival and combat. They housed their assembly workers, and their families, for their payment, Stitch provided them with decent, drinkable Wave, and quarterly rotations to the Quarry, where they could blow off some steam. Diamond didn’t allow the assembly workers his top-quality items, but he gave them good viable product, and a warm body to lay with, if they asked for it.
Parygon was a warehouse filled with old tech, as well as hard to come by items. Gearheads would come and work on a six-month rotation. Those that didn’t dwell inside the Tower were in Gearhead Alley—a block just outside the Quarry littered with abandoned vehicles that they lived in. He knew they did it to piss him off. He couldn’t complain too much, most people thought twice before going through Gearhead Alley. Inside Parygon, Onyx and his cousin Till took care of the Grid and C-Tech, while their scouts traveled outside the walls and past the Outer Rim to the Wastelands to find anything that would assist in their way of life. The Grid gave them all their basic necessities and more. It also kept Diamond’s harvesting and transplant business viable. Ace was the Archial of Parygon, and the mastermind behind the trading routes. He traded with the inner-city gangs and helped keep the peace, he was also a master tinkerer. His parents were both Gearheads.
Eightball was their resident surgeon, and had the foremost information on splicing, and the harvesting of organs and transplanting said organs into others. He made sure the organs donated were of use, and he helped keep track of all the slaughterhouses in and around the city. There were three successful harvesting facilities, and the Blacke Tower housed not only candidates for harvesting, but served as a recovery center for those receiving organs. It also doubled as a recycling center for humans.
Gryphon oversaw the genetics in Genysis Tower, and until recently, all had been going smoothly. He’d helped Diamond with the Mugenix gene that was injected into those who volunteered for his program. The Tower housed test subjects, a species of humans who had somehow adapted to their new world. Their bodies acted as filters. Turning harmful products introduced into something pure. From their blood alone, Diamond had been able to produce a sort of filtration system. It was why his Wave was almost pure. But the blood only lasted for a handful of months. They’d been working on a way to prolong its usage, but so far, they were unsuccessful. He’d wanted to approach the council with his findings, but was unable, especially now that Gryphon had stopped showing to the meetings.
The Magellan Council was comprised of those that ran the Towers, Diamond being one of them. He sat at the head of the council as the city’s Sovereign, and had final say if they couldn’t all amicably agree. There weren’t any written laws, but there were plenty of spoken ones. For the last month, it had felt like the tight leash he held on the city was slowly being yanked. His team was responding to more incidents than usual. Things had to be sacrificed, and constant power was one of them. They had to conserve their resources. The council disagreed with him, however. They wanted the power on at all times. It wasn’t going to happen. There was a saying he remembered one of the old-timers saying once, “People in hell want ice water, but it doesn’t mean they’ll get it.” He wasn’t about to bend on his stance when it came to power, and if the council didn’t like it, they could step down.
“You headed out?” Diamond asked Emerald, who was looking outside the window again. His friend was an optimist; he, on the other hand, was a realist. The other male looked back and grinned.
“Nope. I want to see how this all plays out.”
“What do you mean plays out? There is nothing to play.”
“Sure, there isn’t. I’d like to stay a couple of days just the same. Unless you want me to leave?”
“You can stay as long as you like. Pussy, as usual, is on the house, but I still want Nadya scanned.”
Marina, who’d been quiet the entire time, spoke up then. “We can scan her here. I can grab the items you need, Emerald.” Marina’s voice was whisper-soft, but still held deep, throaty notes. Her words vibrated against Diamond’s ears in a pleasing way.
Emerald nodded in her direction with a slight tilt to his lips. “Much appreciated. Have one of Diamond’s guards take you.”
“Yes, sir.”
“How long do you think it will take Lins to get ahold of Amethyst?”
“Shouldn’t take too long.”
Diamond’s brow furrowed at the mention of Lindy. She was slacking. That someone was able to get past her and through his guards checking bodies at the door only showed her lack of thoroughness. It also painted her in a non-trusting light. Someone inside his house was trying to take him out. He needed to be careful, and now with Nadya staying at the Quarry, news would be spreading about her status. The people around here had a hard time keeping their mouths shut. Lip wasn’t called Lip for nothing. Goddamn. A fucking virgin. He hadn’t had a virgin up for auction in at least two years. She was going to bring in more than enough resources and pure Wave to see him through until the next Solar Summer. Maybe even work it out to where he had regular access to the mountain itself. The lights from the Mainland were a constant reminder of what he didn’t have. But there were things the pompous pricks wanted from him. They didn’t have a choice but to deal with him. His methods may be savage, but they yielded the best results.
If they only knew just how much they needed him, they wouldn’t be so quick to judge. But everything would reveal itself in due time. They were still testing subjects, and once the trials were complete, he could move forward. Until then, he’d do what he did best. Sell pussy and peddle organs.
V
Nadya was being cleaned. Again. She’d allowed the ink on her body for the sole purpose of fitting in. It had taken all of twenty minutes to complete. She’d stood completely still as one of Diamond’s Bionics inked her. The design started from underneath her left arm and ran down her rib cage, outlining her hipbone. It swept across her lower stomach to her right hip and down her thigh, stopping just at her knee. The ink wasn’t one connected piece, but rather a series of curved lines with half-circles. Each one separate and unique. She knew it meant something, labeled her as property. Something for sale.
Nadya was being subjected to some sort of bathing ritual now. The water was warm and they rubbed white, silky mud all over her body. She had two attendants, but neither of them spoke as they went about washing her. At present, she was on the eighth floor. She’d counted on her way down from Diamond’s private quarters. There were large broken mirror pieces hanging loosely against the worn rust-colored walls. The ceiling appeared caved in and supported by thick metal beams.
“Step out,” a woman with bright pink hair said. She wore white, gauzy material that only covered her private areas. Her right arm had pink floral patterns curving around her wrist to shoulder. Her eyes were a warm brown that stood out against her cream-colored skin.
Nadya stepped out of the bath, her feet slapping against the chilled floor as she stood still. Both women in the room eyed her from head to toe. The woman with the brown eyes threw a towel at her and told her she could only pat herself dry. Some sort of sealant had been applied to her skin in order to make the ink permanent. The towel managed to remove more dead skin. It would only work to her advantage. Diamond did say he wanted her clean. A memory of a porcelain tub filled with hot soapy water played out in her mind. She had been twelve, and trying to explain to a woman who may have been her mother that she was dying because the bath was taking her skin off. Nadya shook the memory away. She became frustrated when her mind would remember the littlest things. It was the bigger things she needed to remember. But couldn’t. Like who she was, where she came from. Not some memory of when she was small and worried about dead skin.
“What’s going on?”
“You’re being prepared,” was the woman’s answer.
“Do you know what I’m being prepared for?”
“For Diamond, of course.” Short and to the point. Nadya found she was getting more and more irritated by the second. Somewhere out in the city she now called home, Anna and Dominika were suffering. Waiting on her to come through for them. They’d been so trusting, so sure she’d do what she promised. But what if she couldn’t?
The muscles in her body tightened with anger. Her skin’s temperature rose to an uncomfortable level and she knew it was evident in her cheeks. Why would Diamond want her prepared for him? The deal was that he’d find her a patron, someone to sponsor her and her family? He should have already asked her for the location of Anna and Dominika and sent out his guards to go and retrieve them.
“Turn around, I need to see what size clothing to put you in,” the other girl said. She had bright purple braids and a scar underneath her left eye. Around her neck were several metal rings. You could barely see her flesh between the rings, and her neck looked longer than the average person’s.
Nadya turned around in a complete circle at her request.
“He doesn’t want clothing.”
“Collared, then?”
The girl with the pink hair nodded thoughtfully before walking out of the room and leaving Nadya with the other female.
“Is there a reason that I don’t get to wear clothes?” Nadya inquired.
“We don’t question Diamond. I’ve been here for a long time, and the last virgin he trained fell in love with him. Things didn’t work out so great for her.”
Well, she wasn’t like the last girl, and she definitely wasn’t interested in Lavarious Diamond. Not in that way. He was a means to an end. She’d do what she needed to do in order to secure a patron for Anna and her daughter. Diamond saw her as his possession. A thing to get whatever it was he wanted. She was to be used for profit. He’d made his desires very clear, and if he thought for even a moment she’d fall for him, he was wrong.
“That won’t be a problem. What kind of training.”
“Depends.”
The door swung open and Diamond walked in with Emerald and Lindy.
“Change of plans,” he snapped. “The girl needs street clothes, and I want her to have at least a knife. We’re going out.”
“Out? Why are we going out?” Nadya questioned. Why did they need to leave the Quarry? Something must have gone wrong. The hair on her arms stood on end. It was a clear sign bad things were about to happen.
“Amethyst is busy at the moment. Lindy wasn’t able to catch up with her, so we’re heading out to Inwood to retrieve your mother and your sister. But if they hold no value to me, I don’t care if you have a hundred patrons lined up and ready to sponsor your pussy and your family. They will not have the protection of the Quarry, and you will not only owe me, you will be permanently employed with no chance of release.”
There were words she wanted to say but couldn’t because her mind had gone completely blank. Diamond believed he would own her. She could see it in the way his eyes tracked her movements. Who the fuck did he think he was? She was so having that heart to heart with him. Soon. It wouldn’t happen yet, she had to stick to her plan—get Anna and Dominika a patron. But after, she could go about her business of systematically taking down the Towers one building at a time, saving the Quarry for last. It was the only lasting memory she had. A directive. Take out the Towers. She didn’t know why, but it kept her moving forward.
“I didn’t agree to those terms.”
The air in the room changed temperature with his attitude. Diamond’s eyes narrowed. Nadya was aware she had nothing to protect herself with. She wasn’t weak by any stretch of the imagination, but Diamond didn’t know that. He didn’t need to know that. But if she had to defend herself, she’d take his ass out now and deal with the repercussions after.
“Never asked you to agree to anything. You came to me, not the other way around. I already explained this once, and only because you’re new, I’ll explain it one more time. I get what I want, or you can turn your ass around and beat feet back to Inwood. My job is to turn a profit, not run a family institution complete with pick-up service. Any other girl that came in here with that sad sob story would have been out on their ass faster than you could say, ‘I remember when corn tasted like sunshine.’”
Corn tastes like sunshine? Huh?
Diamond’s eyes traveled the length of her body. Slow at first. If she didn’t know better, she would have assumed it was lust she saw in the depths. It wasn’t. Diamond was exploring his investment, making plans for her body. His eyes roamed from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. Nadya realized she was only wearing a towel. It barely covered her chest and the thatch of hair between her thighs. The lower portion of her new ink was on full display. His eyes lingered there the most. Something warm slivered around her waist and squeezed. She didn’t know what the feeling was, but she didn’t like it. It was foreign and awakened her nerve endings with a jolt of electricity.
“Nordas, get her some street clothes.”
“Right. She’s petite but muscular. I think we have something to fit her.”
“I want her in boots too, no heel.”
“Got it.”
Nordas, who was the girl with the pink hair, nodded and left to find Nadya some clothes that matched Diamond’s description. All they needed to do was give her back what she’d come in with and she’d be fine.
“What about what I wore here?”
“Burned. It was infested, I’m surprised you’re not diseased-looking under all that dirt. You have a few scars and bruising, but that seems to be it. What do the symbols on your hips mean?”
Nadya didn’t have an answer for him. Not one he’d want to hear. Instead of the truth, she lied.
“Just some ink I had done a few years back.”
“That’s not like any ink I’ve ever seen before. Looks like part of your skin, and it shimmers like gold.”
It did? She’d never noticed.
“Got it in Tribeca from some Bionic. He said it was all the rage.”
Nadya changed the subject. He knew she was lying, but he didn’t call her on it.
“What about weapons?”
“What about them?”
“We’ll need some if we’re going out there. I know around here you think everything is safe and secure. Out there, well, it’s a completely different ballgame.”
“Lady, do you know who the fuck I am?” He waited a beat before continuing his man-speech, and Nadya would have napped if she could. She knew full well who he was, but she didn’t think he understood what was really out there. He hadn’t surveyed his self-proclaimed kingdom in some months. Shit was bad. Ragers roamed the night. Not in full attack mode, sure, but they were organized now, tactful. Attia’s people were out there searching for her. Nadya knew they were, and hoped like hell they hadn’t gotten ahold of Anna and Dominika. There were Gearheads, and people on the verge of going Rage. If you added in the inner-city gangs, Diamond’s city had long ago skipped the out-of-control stage, diving headfirst into chaos. There wasn’t a guarantee any of them would come back alive. Not if they weren’t prepared, and especially if she wasn’t properly armed with weapons. “I’m Lavarious Diamond, we’re going armed up. Not even an hour ago, a bitch tried to blow my ass up. I’d be a fool to think I can go out there and shit not happen.”
Well, at least he was smart. She hoped.
“I’ll need a weapon, as well.”
“You’ll only get a knife. A small one at that. I’m your weapon. Lip and Lindy will be my weapon, and so help me, woman, you even think about running off or trying to play who’s the better fighter while we’re out there, I’ll take your pinky finger. Get me?”
That’s it? A pinky?
“Why the pinky? Why not the whole damn hand?”
Emerald choked on his laughter, trying to hold it in. Nadya decided right then that she liked the large male.
Diamond’s eyes narrowed into slits. He may have even been trying to hide a smile. She could see the laughter in his eyes, but he refused the emotion. Diamond was like an android, life-like in many ways, but when it came to emotions, mechanical and forced. Maybe he didn’t want people to think he had a sense of humor. Or, she was reading way too much into his persona. She was kind of hoping it wasn’t the latter, because if it were, it meant he was dead serious. He’d cut off her pinky if she tried anything he felt was in direct violation of what he ordered.
“Shut up and get dressed.”
Emerald winked at her before leaving.
Lindy smirked but otherwise kept her mouth shut. And then she left, too.
After one last look, Diamond left as well, leaving her with Nordas and the girl with the purple braids.
“Love it when he goes all dark and moody,” Nordas said while handing Nadya some clothes.
“Why is that?” Nadya asked.
“Because, if you’re lucky—which you’re not, at least not right now—he’ll fuck you until you can’t walk. That’s how he works the aggression out of his system. Takes one of us and gives it to us so good and so dirty, we’re literally able to take two days to ourselves. Two whole days of just rest and relaxation from all things.”
“Oh.”
Nadya didn’t know exactly how to feel about the woman’s comment. On the one hand, she’d rather it be one of them than her. But she wondered what would it be like to be used that hard and then be allowed to rest, really rest for two whole days? Her ribcage constricted from the sharp intake of breath at the thought. She wasn’t into any man like that, not even if she was faking it. The act of sex was just that, an act. Two people slamming together repeatedly in a rut was not her idea of a good time.
Her only goal was securing a patron who would sponsor her family. Her method may not be one she liked, but it was better than the alternative. She wanted Anna and her daughter inside the Quarry walls. Diamond only wanted her for what he could get out of her, and that was okay with her, because she wanted something from him, as well. They were both using each other for their own personal gain. She didn’t trust that Diamond would honor their arrangement. Attia was coming, but she was the least of Nadya’s worries. Something more menacing was headed their way, and if she didn’t follow through with her initial plan to take down the towers, things would end up backfiring. The world itself would be flipped on its axis. That one lingering memory kept her moving forward. She’d been waylaid, but now, things were progressing much faster than she’d anticipated. You’re running out of time. The voice inside her head reminded Nadya. It was something she already knew. She’d been stagnant for too long. It was time to take action. Move pieces into their proper place.
Nadya didn’t know how she knew, but the warning in her gut was real. She trusted her instincts, had learned a long time ago, her internal alarm bells would never lead her astray. Something deep down inside told her she’d suffered horribly at the hands of a person whose idea of a good time was torture and bloodshed, and all because she’d done the opposite of what her gut had warned her about. She wasn’t one to repeat past mistakes.