Page 66 of Come Fill Me

“Your GPS can do that.”

“But you can’t get past the tunnel’s door without me,” she said. “It won’t open without my palm print.”

He shrugged. “We’ll cut off your hand after we kill you. Before, if you prove to be a problem.”

Her mouth fell open.

“You shouldn’t have come here alone,” Carreon said.

Kele’s chin trembled. “I just want Jacob. That’s all I’m asking for.”

“You’re not in a position to ask for anything.”

“You need me!” she shouted. “I can lead you to Liz without alarming the others. You want to risk your men’s lives in a battle they might not win when I can show them where she is? They can take her and be done with it?”

Carreon regarded Victor and Roberto. He wondered how willing they were to die for him. How eager his other lieutenants might be. More importantly, he considered how well they could outwit Zeke and his men in a stronghold that was unfamiliar to them.

“Without Liz, you’d have no one to heal for you, except her father,” Kele said. “He’s old. What are you going to do when he dies? If she’s killed in a fight at the stronghold, there won’t be anyone to save your men or you.”

Carreon glared at her. “Liz told Zeke that she and her father are our clan’s only healers?”

“He knows they’re the most powerful. She’s healed for you. Now, she’s doing it for him.”

Victor cut in, “If what she says is true—”

“I’m not lying,” she cried.

He kept his attention on Carreon. “It might be better if weget Liz out of there first before we attack.”

“You can’t hurt Jacob,” Kele said.

He’d be the second to last one to die. Carreon would make certain Zeke watched his younger brother’s torture and death before facing his own if he refused to reveal the future.

Kele stared at him, a mix of emotions crossing her face. Apprehension. Hopelessness. Outrage. “No,” she said at last. “I won’t help you get Liz out of there if you don’t promise me that Jacob and my people will be safe.”

“You think I have to promise you anything?” Carreon asked. “You think you have a choice in what’s going to happen now?”

“Kill me, then. I don’t care,” she cried. “I’m dead without him anyway.”

“Pain may make you change your mind.”

She growled, “You think I haven’t known pain?”

“Not the kind my men can give you on one command from me.” He smiled as one would to a stupid child. “With your GPS, we have the means of finding the stronghold without you. With your severed hand, we can get inside.”

“Try it, then,” she countered. “See how far you get. Unless I lead you to Liz, you’ll wander around aimlessly, searching for her.”

“No, we won’t. In a few seconds, Roberto’s going to start breaking your fingers. One by one, you’ll hear them snap until your screams drown out those sounds. It’s my guess he’ll only have to do two before you’ll be begging for the pain to stop. It won’t until you draw us a map of the stronghold.”

At last, she looked cornered, though not to the degree Carreon wanted. “Roberto,” he said.

Kele backed away from the burly young man.

“There’s nowhere for you to run,” Carreon explained. “Either draw us a map now or later. Your choice. Because you will—”

“How long do you think that will take?” she snapped. “Every minute you waste threatening or hurting me is another Zeke and his men will have to discover that I’ve left. Want to know what happens then? They’ll fortify the stronghold to the point that nothing will allow you inside. Think that’s hard for them to do? No way. They’ll simply change the door’s settings.” She snapped her fingers. “Just like that, you’ll be locked out, unable to get past the tunnel. Unable to get to Liz.”

She smiled. “You need me, Carreon. You can’t do this without me and on my terms. Just try it. Once your men are in the tunnel, Zeke’s men will trap and kill them. What are you going to do then, huh? All I’m asking is that your men take Liz, you keep her here away from Jacob. Promise me that, and I’ll do whatever you want.”

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