Page 46 of Eden's Joker

My eyes soon adjust to the dark. Golden sunlight is valiantly trying to permeate the blackout curtains and somewhat succeeding. Even this darkness can’t keep the glorious light of the sun out.

That’s what I must be now. The sun. The strong, blazing sun, hot enough to penetrate any darkness and pierce through even the coldest ice.

I have to make him see me as a person. That’s my only way out of this. But how can I do that when I now hate him ten times more than I used to like him?

26

Joker

I don’t know what I expected would happen when I showed her who I really am. Fear and crying, at the very least. What I didn’t expect was the fearless she-wolf staring me down in that room. It’s why I chained her to the bed like a dog. Maybe that’ll mellow her out. I have a nagging feeling it won’t, though. But that changes nothing. I always enjoyed a good challenge.

Scorpio and Sarge are smoking on the porch when I emerge from the house. I slam my shades back on, because even though the light is fading, it’s still strong enough to pierce my eyeballs after the darkness in that upstairs room.

“So what now?” Scorpio asks. “We secure the town and you get to work?”

“I’ll lock down the town myself,” I say. “You twostay here and make sure she doesn’t try to run. And that no one comes in.”

Scorpio grins wide, Sarge is just looking at me with a completely blank expression on his face.

“I can oversee the lockdown,” Sarge says.

He kinda sounds like I offended him by saying I’d do it, but I don’t care. I need a distraction. I need to get my head back into the plan. And I have to figure out how to scare Eden into submission.

I’ve looked forward to this day for years. Now I just want the whole thing over with as fast as possible. Anticipating a thing is always sweeter than actually getting it. I should know that by now. I do know it.

“I’ll do it,” I tell Sarge. “You hang out here.”

I jog down the three steps and head for my bike.

“You know the guys will all want a turn with her before this is done, right?” Scorpio calls after me.

I turn so fast dust flies up all around me. It makes the bastard laugh.

“You let me worry about that,” I say.

He laughs some more. “All right, all right, this is your show, I got it. I just wanted to remind you what you’re playing with.”

This is more of his bullshit about me having grown feelings for Eden while I wooed her. I got no time for that. I got no time for anything but making sure the rest of Mission Eden goes down without a hitch. For that I need this town locked down tighter than Fort Knox.

Several things went off plan today. I let Ruinand Ariel go to carry the message to the Devils, which was never part of the original plan. But it seemed like a brilliant last-minute addition when the opportunity presented itself. But the fucking Forsaken Outlaws turning on us at the last minute is a different matter. That could prove to be a real problem. Instead of riding off with us, Karma and her boys turned and made sure Ruin got away. The Forsaken don’t know much about me or my plans, but they’re most likely spilling what they do know to the Devils right now. Not that they’ll ever find us in this town. Especially after the lockdown is in place.

And as soon as that’s done, I’m gonna have Eden call her daddy. Maybe I’ll cut her up some first. That should bring tears to her eyes.

I raise even more dust as I race down the hill and into town.

The club hoes we left here when we went to Pleasantville seem really excited that we’re back. One of them—Candy, I think her name is—comes up to me as I dismount in front of the Saloon.

“You in the mood for a good time, Joker,” she coos as she interlaces her arm with mine. She smells cloying sweet, kinda like licorice, the candy I hate.

“Not tonight, Candy,” I say and free my arm from her grasp.

“It’s Cherry,” she says petulantly. “You could remember that by now.”

It doesn’t sit well with me that she’s called Cherry,the fruit that reminds me of Eden because of the pies, and looks a whole lot like Eden besides, with her long legs, dark hair, and pouty lips. Or like a whored out, ruined version of Eden. The version I’m gonna create if she lives.

“I could if I cared,” I snap and jog up the steps to the swing doors of the Saloon.

Just like everything else in this town, the Saloon is as intact as it was when they first built it about a hundred and fifty years ago, complete with the swinging half door at the entrance.

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