Page 74 of What Doesn't Kill Us

“Rancid oil.” She moves to the other side of the room, grabbing the clothing that’s on the floor beside the bed. “And our old dirty clothes.”

I groan, opening the top of the bottle as she walks over, carrying the dirty clothing from the days we spent in the dark. I hold my breath and pour some of the rancid oil in my hair, shaking my head in disgust, though I’m also relieved Jayme thought of it. I hand the oil to Agatha, then grab my clothes and make quick work of changing. By the time I’m redressed, she’s passing the bottle to me, a nice grimy sheen in all the right places. I finish making myself appropriately disgusting, and by the time I turn back, she’s dressed and ready for the shackles.

She has her back pressed against the corner of the room, waiting for me to secure her into place, and as I lock the metal cuff around her neck, her eyes meet mine. She doesn’t seem afraid or nervous, just resigned to whatever comes next. I bend down, grabbing the wrist shackles, and she takes one from me, securing it herself as I stand there waiting.

I move to secure her other wrist, but her hand grips mine tightly. I raise my eyes to hers, those blue eyes so similar to Toni’s that it makes my breath catch. Then she says, “This is what they trained her for, Dare.”

I frown down at her, securing the shackle on her wrist as I ask, “What are you talking about?”

“Toni,” she explains, her eyes burning like blue fire at me. “She was always meant to be the hero.”

I choke out a humorless laugh, my forehead pressing against hers until those blue eyes are one giant orb in my vision. But we don’t say anything else; we take a few breaths together, then get back into position.

And we wait.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Dare

Itfeelslikewe’vebeen waiting for years for something to happen, though I’m sure it has only been a few hours.

I did not miss the dark, that’s for sure.

Finally, we hear a commotion near the door, and I force myself not to tense up as the door opens, light sneaking in behind the silhouette of someone who appears to be on the large side. I see an arm reach up, and then, with a click, the light comes on.

It’s Jayme.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Jayme,” I snarl, sitting up and running my hands through my gross hair. “Did you have to make such a dramatic entrance?”

He smiles at me, shrugging as he moves toward Agatha, holding a small key. “I didn’t have to, but I definitely enjoyed it.”

Agatha gives him a bored look, straightening in her shackles as he approaches. “What’s going on?”

“I have updated instructions to deliver you to a specific location, and since they paid a premium for the service, I’m inclined to deliver. You have twenty minutes to get cleaned up, and we’re out of here.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Get cleaned up? We were already clean, you fucking asshole.”

“Yes, well, I had no idea they would ask for delivery, providing me with the perfect cover for why you’re not covered in a week’s worth of grime. How was I to know?”

Agatha comes up behind him, and he’s so focused on me he doesn’t notice the threat until it’s too late. She kicks him in the back of the knee at the same time that she puts him in a headlock, and he goes down, face first, with her on top of him. She rubs her hair in his face, taunting, “Do I smell good?”

He curses, using his own strength to extricate himself from her grip, and she rolls off him, spinning to her feet into a grappling stance as he rises, squaring off with her. He narrows his eyes but doesn’t make a move to grab her as he says, “You just wait.”

Her eyes widen, and I don’t miss the gleam of excitement as she responds, “I’ll be waiting.”

“Fucking children,” I mutter as I get to my feet and walk toward the door. I have twenty minutes to get cleaned up, and I’m not going to waste them listening to these idiots flirt. I stop in the doorway, turning and saying, “I’ll meet you in the galley.”

I don’t wait for a response; I hurry down to the room I’ve been staying in and make quick work of washing the stench from my hair and skin. I steal one of Jayme’s suits from the closet, then take a few moments to polish my shoes, feeling more like myself than I have in days.

If it wasn’t for the ominous black cloud hanging over my head, I would almost say there was a spring in my step.

Shockingly, Jayme and Agatha are waiting for me when I get back to the galley. Jayme gives me a dirty look. “Nice suit.”

“It could be a little roomier in the crotch, but it’ll do.”

Agatha cackles. “You a little short in the drawers, Jayme?”

“If you’re that concerned, maybe you need to look. I can assure you there’s nothing short on me.”

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