Diamond (18 page)

“That’s fucked.”

“It is, but that’s life. I also dreamed Rory was with him.”

“Rory?”

“The guy I was with. I met him when I was with Anna and her daughter. Our courtship was sweet, and simple. But he left.

Rory’s loss, my gain
.

A lock of hair fell over her eye, and Diamond pushed it back before he thought better of it. Nadya froze, uncomfortable just as he was by the act.

“What happened to Rory?”

“He became infected.”

Her eyes tracked Diamond’s face. Searching for an answer he knew wasn’t there. She closed her eyes then re-opened them and spoke.

“He left Inwood. I tried to go after him, but the trail went cold. He’s out there somewhere, or he’s dead. I hope it’s the latter. Rory wasn’t the type of man who wanted to purposely hurt others. He was the type to help. And encourage others to do the same.”

So her man was a do-gooder. Those were just as bad as Ragers. Do-gooders instilled false hope in people. Tried to make them believe there was a bright side to life. There wasn’t, because if there were, he would be living the fucking dream. Instead, he was making do with what he had. Indulging in whatever the hell he wanted. None of it included a sliver of hope. He knew exactly what was what.

“Get some sleep, girl. We got a long day tomorrow. If you’re anxious to get to your people, you’ll turn around, shut your mouth and close your eyes. I got watch over you, and if I say no dreams, no more fucking dreams. Sleep easy tonight. I got your back.”

She nodded, turned, and settled in for sleep.

Diamond turned and did the exact same thing. He knew he’d sleep lightly, just to be sure she didn’t wake again. But he wasn’t going to admit that to anyone. Not even himself. Not really.

V

Nadya woke tangled in suffocating heat. She was trapped. Her body went on high alert. She tried to move and found she couldn’t. Either she was dreaming, or something was squeezing her a little too tightly. The sun from outside was barely breaking through the blackened clouds. She tried to move again, but a deep growl vibrating at the back of her neck stopped all movement.

“Where are you going?”

Diamond.

It was Diamond wrapped around her like a blanket. Sometime in the night, they must have invaded each other’s space. Or maybe it was more like he’d invaded her space since she was still on her side of the bed. She was not going to panic.

Nope.

Panic was the furthest thing from her mind. She was more confused than anything else. He didn’t seem the type to cuddle. Nadya was definitely not the cuddling type. And he wasn’t the kind of male who seemed to want a woman in his bed. Yet the arms around her chest constricted as he yawned. He untangled himself from her body and sat up. He didn’t say anything. Just got up, threw on his shirt, and stuck his feet into his boots. It was like the two of them tangled up together was a normal everyday occurrence.

“Get your shoes on. I’ll make sure the others are ready to go. We’ll grab a quick bite and then head out.”

She didn’t get a chance to say anything; he’d already walked out the door. Diamond was back to being his brooding self, the mood from last night gone. She stood, slid her feet into her boots, and walked over to the door to grab her pack. She also grabbed the knuckle knives he’d taken from her last night. She couldn’t handle nice, caring Lavarious Diamond. Irate, yelling, and always ill-tempered Diamond, she was used to. The male who had talked with her last night wasn’t real.

The door opened and Lip popped his head in.

“You about ready? Diamond wants to move out in five.”

“Yeah, just need to get my pack and the rest of my things.”

“Make it quick, girl, and don’t try to steal anything from in here. I’ll know if you do.”

He tapped the side of his nose.

“You can smell it?”

“I can smell a lie from a mile away.”

If that were true, he would’ve pegged Lindy from the start. There was something not right about her, and Nadya still believed she’d tripped on purpose yesterday. Wanting to slow them down.

“You either need a better nose or a better lie. I’m no mind reader or anything, but I can see a lie when it’s staring me in the face. I sure as shit can spot when people are fake.”

“You saying something about me, girl?”

Thought I just did.

“If the pants fit. But maybe you need to take a closer look at Lindy. Your senses are way off base if you can’t smell her shit from a mile away.”

That put a smile on Lip’s face.

“I’ve been saying she’s dirty for years, but Lavarious has a thing for pussy. Especially repeat pussy. Nothing I can do about that. She puts out, and he takes it whenever the mood strikes.”

“Then he needs to check his compass. It’s way off.”

Lip let go of a deep belly laugh.

“I like you. I’ve been telling the boss man about her for years.”

Diamond’s voice came through the other side of the door where Lip was standing.

“Tell me what?”

“That you need your head checked for dipping your stick in Lindy’s rat trap.”

Nadya would have laughed, but Diamond cut them both off with a sharp command.

“Let’s move out.”

V

It smelled like rotten eggs outside. Diamond tightened his jacket, ensuring that the inside flap did its job properly. Stitch had designed it so he didn’t have to wear a facemask. It filtered the air. But it still allowed for a little of the smells to sneak past. Distracted by last night’s act of random crazy, Diamond made his way out to the front of the building.
Last night was a one-time thing.
He never allowed a woman to sleep in bed with him, and the one time he folded, he’d woken up wrapped around her like a shield. He could have been a dick about it, blamed it on another dream she
hadn’t
had, but it seemed pointless trying to dodge the obvious. He was drawn to her. Had been even before the peach exhibition. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly when she’d piqued his interests, but it had happened sometime between the slaughterhouse and his residence.

Diamond told himself it was because she was a capable fighter, and she seemed loyal. He admired her for that. But the truth of it was, he admired more than that. She was a survivor. Dealt a shitty hand and still made it work to her advantage.
Tamp it down. She’s a product.
And as long as he kept seeing things clearly, he’d have no problem reconciling his feelings and keeping them separate from his intentions. She’d be sold to the highest bidder, making him a killing in Wave and bringing in a steady flow of resources. Nadya Stroya was a commodity, nothing more. He wasn’t going to let a series of thoughts detour his plans.

They were making good time. There was nothing out of place as they walked the quiet streets of the city. This side of town was clear of Ragers. Zira and the girls had seen to that. She and her group of women occupied a large park. With constant patrols, this side of town was safe. Any signs of Ragers, Gearheads, or inner-city gangs…the girls handled it quickly and quietly. A lot of his clients lived on this side of town, as well. As they walked, they passed buildings that used to be museums, but were now occupied by those who were well–off. They were the ones who didn’t live within range of the Towers. This part of town closely resembled the Mainland, only their living quarters were aboveground.

The smell of bread and yeast assaulted them as they passed a large bakery situated beneath a larger building. Stitch’s father lived here. The man was known for his breads, and with very little resources, he made the best damn bread balls ever. Two of Zira’s girls were guarding the door. They saw Diamond’s group approaching and drew their weapons.

“Don’t take another step. State your business.”

“I don’t need to state shit.”

One of the girls, tall and svelte with long dreads tangled with some type of animal’s fur, tilted her head to the side, trying to decide whether or not to shoot.

“You’re trespassing.”

“That’s not possible, being as I happen to be the one funding your way of life.”

“Reka, shoot his ass, he’s a liar. He’s not Diamond, no way,” another female said, this one dressed in a long-sleeve shirt ripped at the shoulders, longer on one side than the other. Stich’s signature work. The asymmetrical hem allowed them to hide more weapons. The woman wore short jean shorts with ripped stockings held up by pins with the top. Her boots had seen better days.

“How do you know I’m not Diamond?”

Both girls looked to the other before the one called Reka spoke.

“Diamond’s seven feet tall with fangs for teeth. Thys said he once killed a Rager with his bare hands. You don’t look like you could harm a roach. And you’re short.”

Well, didn’t that just sting his pride?

Nadya coughed, trying to hide her laugh. Lip hid nothing as he bent forward to catch his breath. He was laughing so hard; Diamond wasn’t sure he’d be okay. Lindy had one hand on her hips and used the other to check the comm device as if searching for someone out in the universe who had a lick of sense.

Diamond had killed a Rager with his bare hands. The other shit was a myth. He wasn’t seven feet tall, but rather six-four, and as far as he could tell, he had regular teeth just like everyone else.

“You really believe that bullshit?” Lip spoke, taking a step forward, arms outstretched in surrender. “This is,” he pointed in Diamond’s direction, “Lavarious Diamond. We’re passing through on a matter of importance to get this untouchable snatch reunited with her family.” He pointed to Nadya. “The bitch with the comm, that’s Lindy, Diamond’s personal overused snatch, and I’m Philip Tyson, also known as Lip, the right hand to your Sovereign.”

Reka, unfazed by Lip’s speech, decided she wasn’t going to try and reason with them at all. Her gun already raised, she let her bullets fly. One whizzed by Diamond’s head, the other hit the ground. Nadya was the best prepared for the chaos. A dagger flew out of her hand, sailing through the air and lodging in Reka’s shoulder. Reka dropped her gun, and the other female with the dreads took over, lighting up the pre-dawn sky with her rounds. Diamond dove to the ground, Lindy went down next to him. Lip and Nadya got to cover and rolled out of the way as the other woman geared up for her next round of assault. Diamond needed to get out more. Let people know who the fuck he was. The next time he spoke with Thys, he was lighting her and Zira’s asses up for filling the girls’ heads with their bullshit.

Both girls sprinted out of sight, and Diamond knew the gunshots alone would have alerted the other women, who regularly patrolled the streets this close to the park. He was just trying to get from point A to point B. What the fuck was so hard about that?

“Lindy, get Zira on the comm and tell her ass she’d better meet us at the bakery in ten minutes. And you code red that shit so she thinks some serious shit went down.”

“Serious shit
did
go down, Diamond. The bitches shot at us,” Lip hollered from his spot behind an old, rusted-out vehicle. Nadya was up in a tree. Diamond hadn’t even seen her go up there, but there she was, mid-way up on a thick branch.

“There are about six of them coming our way,” she called down from the tree. “If we’re going to get to this bakery intact, we need to move now.” She jumped down from her perch, picked up her backpack, and made her way towards him. “I hate to even ask this, but how long has it been since you’ve been outside of the Quarry?”

Too fucking long.

He was getting old. Turning bitch.

Fuck.

He was still on the ground. Looking up at a pair of boots and grey-blue eyes. Nadya bent forward and offered her hand to help him up.

“I don’t need your help.”

“I know that. Just being nice.”

“Well, don’t be. I got this.”

“I know.”

She stood back, and the four of them made their way inside the bakery. Diamond didn’t have to knock; Stich’s father Zool had the door open.

“Lavarious? What are you doing out there? I heard gunfire.”

“Yeah, Reka and whoever the hell the other one was, shot at us.”

“Reka and Bev? Oh, that’s bad.” Zool shook his head while moving out of the way to let them in. He was tall with long, silver hair that he kept up in a tight bun. It looked weird, considering the old man had a widow’s peak. His goatee needed serious trimming, and he was covered from head to toe in flour. “Those two are idiots. I tried to tell Zira I didn’t need them to stand sentry, but she insisted. You know how the girls are. They go on these crusades to clean the streets and get carried away. Anyway, I was making some bread, care to join me?”

“We’re good. Nadya, if you want to try some of his bread, you can. It’s the best in the city.”

She looked to him, eyes wide in confusion. Lip looked shocked, as well.

“What?”

“You want me to eat?”

“If you want?”

“Why does she get to eat? What about us?” Lip interrupted.

“Who the fuck cares who eats. If you want to fucking eat, eat.”