Page 22 of Wrath

I’ve eaten the soup Martha prepared, along with the small bread roll we’re allowed, but I’m still hungry, so I nod. “Great. You’re going to love this.” He leads me through tunnels until we step out onto the hill that overlooks the village. I glance up at the four houses, wondering what Summer is doing right now and if she’s happier now I’m gone. My heart sinks a little. I miss her so much.

We go into the village and round the back of the shops. There’s a wooden trapdoor disguised under some thick ivy. Lenny smiles proudly as he pulls it back. “Ladies first.”

I peer down into the darkness. “Where are we going?”

“Trust me, Wynter.”

I take hold of the rusty ladder and slowly climb down. Lenny joins me then lights a lamp from the wall and leads me through more caves. After at least ten minutes, I begin to hear music and laughter. “What is this place?” I ask.

“This is where we come to relax, Wynter.” He stops, turning to face me. “But no one can find out about it. I’m risking everything to show you this.” He turns, illuminating a set of stone steps.

At the top, he bangs on a wooden door loudly. When it opens, light streams through, and I shade my eyes as we step into a room full of people. People I’ve never seen. My heart hammers in my chest as I take in the scene before me. “Thanks, Pete,” Larry says to the man who opened the door.

“They’re all over in the corner,” Pete tells him before walking off.

Larry grabs my hand and pulls me through the crowded room, stopping at a table where Jax sits, along with some guards I don’t know by name. There are a couple women there too, ones I recognise from their visits to the warriors.

As we approach, they all stop and stare. Lenny seems oblivious as he takes a seat, pulling out the one beside him for me. “Wynter, this is H, Carl, Leonie, Anise, and Jez,” he points to each, “and, of course, you know Jax.” I give a small, nervous wave, lowering into the offered seat.

H leans closer to Lenny. “What the fuck are you doing?” he hisses.

“What?” Lenny asks innocently.

“We should go to the bathroom,” Leonie announces, grabbing my hand. “Let the guys catch up,” she adds, also grabbing Anise. I’m so surprised, I let her lead me back through the crowd and into the bathroom.

“I didn’t know we were coming here,” I say the second she turns to me, because I’m sensing the hostility.

“It’s not your fault,” says Anise, giving my arm a gentle squeeze.

“Where are we exactly?” I ask.

Leonie rolls her eyes. “Lenny is such a dumb fuck.”

“We’re in the Tavern,” adds Anise. “It’s a bar.”

I frown, and when she realises I have no idea what she’s talking about, she nudges Leonie, who’s still ranting about Lenny. “This is the outside world,” she explains, using air quotes on outside. “And when your family finds out, we’ll all end up dead.”

“How will they find out?” I ask, reeling from her words. If this is how close the outside world is, maybe there’s hope of us getting out after all.

“You mean you’re not going to run back and tell your father?” asks Anise, looking hopeful.

“I’d never tell him anything,” I say.

“How can we trust you?” asks Leonie.

I shrug, looking around the bathroom. I tap a machine on the wall. “What’s this for?”

They exchange a smirk, and Leonie produces a coin and places it in the machine. She twists the handle and then hands the blue box that comes out to me. “Condoms,” she says, and my mouth falls open in surprise. I’d heard about things like this to help stop pregnancies from some of the girls Jade befriended.

“How did you find out about this place?” I ask, opening the box and taking out the foil packet.

“I wasn’t always in Paragon Village,” says Leonie, watching as I rip the packet and take out the squishy thing inside. I hold it up, frowning.

“Paragon?” I ask.

She laughs, taking the condom. “Paragon is what they call the village. I discovered it from . . .” she trails off, “well, that’s not important.” She takes my middle finger and places the condom at the tip. “This covers the man’s penis,” she explains. “You roll it down like this.” She proceeds to unroll it down to the base of my finger.

I hold it up, staring at it, then I give it a shake and it flies off. Both girls burst into fits of laughter. “That doesn’t seem like it will do much.”

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