Page 85 of Taking Jenny
“Are you an aspiring executioner, sir?”
He gulped and tried to put on a brave smile. “Just want to know what to look out for, in case I get too close to you down here.”
Smarter than I thought.“Clearly, you’re the prudent type, so a little advice for you. Never, ever let your guard down. No matter how close or how far you are from an enemy. You never know how far someone’s reach truly is.”
“Aye, but you can’t reach your girl,” the first guard teased. “Or your boy. I heard you gone soft, Executioner. That you like the prisoners you been torturing. How’s that work, eh? They kinky or something?”
Your boy.Those words were all it took for my gut to churn. I was glad Tiger hadn’t been taken into custody, but that alsomeant I had no idea where he was. If anyone could take care of him, it was Discord and Longshot. They would keep him safe until I could get out of this literal mess.
I lifted my shoe and scraped it on the bottom bars. “Don’t you people clean up around here?”
“Aw, he don’t wanna talk about his lit’le loves,” the first guard taunted. “Must be something special for him, eh?”
The second guard asked, “Why are you like that, Mire? If someone is in love, you don’t gotta be a dick about it.”
The first guard slugged his shoulder. “Just because you’re a little bitch for Jaffa don’t mean the Executioner is a little bitch for his pieces. Besides, I don’t think he’s in love. I was only teasin’ him. How could he be in love? Someone in his line of work ain’t gonna be falling for the doomed. How stupid do you think he is?” Then he turned to me. “Iknow you’re smarter than that, Ripper. Don’t be insulted by Brush. He just ain’t that bright.”
Brush and Mire, good to know. “I’m more insulted by the state of this cell than his belief that I could care about someone.”
“Well, just because you lost the avatar and the boy to Justice, that don’t mean you’re not still his favorite,” Brush taunted. “Just means he likes himself more.”
Ice shot through me. “What do you mean by that? How exactly did I lose them to him?”
“Just that…Justice…he took her. To his bed. The boy can’t be far behind, right?”
Blind rage shot through me, and before I could school my emotions I gripped the bars and roared, “Open this fucking door, now!”
They both jumped, startled by my outburst, but neither moved to get to the door.
Mire’s voice shook nervously when he spoke. “I’m sorry, but we can’t—”
“Fucking do it,” I yelled, delirious with the need to get to Jenny. “I’ll pay whatever you want, just get me the fuck out of here!”
“We don’t even have the key,” he said.
“Then get the guard with the key and bring him to menow!”
“You’re not getting out, Ripper,” Mire said, his voice thin with nerves. “You gotta make your peace with that.”
I began to pace, searching my cell for a way out. I couldn’t wait any longer.If I take off my jacket, wrap it around the bars, then tie—
A jem’hora called out again, this time much closer, like it was inside the prison. Then a pair of grunting sounds distracted me from scheming. The guards were gone and in their place, Surge. He waved his hand at my cell door, unlocking it with a sizzle.
“You rescued Jenny first, right?” I asked as I passed through the doorway.
“No, but—”
I cut him off, panic sharpening my voice. “We have to get Jenny. Justice took her to his bed. He’s going to go after Tiger, too, so we have to—”
“He didn’t, he’s not.”
I stopped abruptly. “Are you sure?”
He nodded. “When I came in, there was a scuffle between the palace servants over who would be Jenny’s handler for the trial, because they had to start preparing her now.”
“Which means she’s in the palace, and she’s safe from him. For now.” Relief hit so hard I had to brace a hand against the stone wall to steady myself. “Thank you, Surge,” I said, my voice hoarse.
“Of course,” he said. “I knew I’d have to know where she was before you’d be willing to leave.”
