Page 7 of Choosing Jenny
He let out a long sigh. “I was clearing a house. Orders were to liquidate the occupants. Routine shit. But things went sideways.”
“That is a sanitized version of what happened, Rex. Tell me the truth.” I wanted to hear him verify what Tiger had told me about Rex’s initial death.
He hesitated, and then his jaw tightened. “We were told to clear the whole island. Kill everyone. I was paired with Deacon Ladrang. He was a teenaged boy, practically a child. His father thought sticking him with me would toughen him up.” Rex chuckled at that. “It worked, in a way. I started the job, but when it came down to the last resident, a little girl, Deacon attacked me. We fought. I won.” Rex’s mouth twisted. “Just as I was about to finish her off, Deacon stabbed me in the back.”
My fists clenched. At the time, Rex and I had been involved. His death—being stabbed in the back—even by Ladrian standards, had felt like a betrayal. Dishonorable. But Rex didn’t know that Justice had deliberately put him in harm’s way, and I wasn’t about to tell him now.
Still the question burned…why would Justice put Rex in harm’s way, only to bring him back again? But then I realized he often did the same thing with me. The night before Illiapol, he had me arrested and didn’t even pretend to be upset when I escaped his prison. Then, he’d shipped me off to Credo’s island, only to have Rex retrieve me now.
Like a cat, playing with its food.
The official story of Rex’s death had been that it was at the hands of an enemy combatant. After his body was burned on Halla and his ghost was released, he hadn’t contradicted the story, which I found odd.
“Why didn’t you tell the truth about what happened?”
“I…” he glanced away, before meeting my eyes again. “I felt so ashamed of what I did…”
I arched a brow. Shame, guilt, and regrets were not a part of who Rex was.
“Just kidding,” he said, grinning roguishly. “I liked having something over the Ladrangs. Still do. Makes them easily manipulated, so keep that to yourself, will you?”
“Of course.”Not a chance.“And the second time, when your ghost was murdered?” I asked, curious to hear how he’d spin that event.
His smile dimmed. “A young woman. The doctor who works with the Queen Sarah Hollinger on Halla.”
“Why would a doctor kill you?”
“Because it was her family I had slaughtered in front of Deacon.”
Just as Tiger had told me.“Well. That seems…fitting.”
He laughed sharply. “Doesn’t it? I imagine she thought so. Probably felt justified, but she didn’t care that I was following orders. She was just a kid back then. Children don’t understand the value of obedience and are agents of chaos. She is barely an adult now, and the fact that the Ladrangs made her a doctor is—”
“They can’tmakeher a doctor, Rex,” I refuted. “If she’s a doctor, then she passed medical school.”
He scoffed. “The Ladrangs have a lot of pull everywhere. Even now. Who knows what they would have done to help that girl.” His gaze slid over me. “What I do know is, you’ve been out of the game too long. You up for some fun?”
Reluctantly, I asked, “What do you have in mind?”
He grinned, almost mischievously. “Once we get back and cleaned up, how about we fuck up the council?”
“Yeah, about that. You said something about a full reinstatement to the council. Why is Justice being so generous?”
“You’ve always been his favorite, Malice,” Rex said, and shrugged. “I don’t think you have too many more lives left in his eyes, but for now, you have his favor. Don’t waste it.”
“And how do wefuck upthe council, exactly?”
“The way we used to do,” he said, eyes gleaming. “Haveourkind of fun. Justice always found our antics amusing before. No reason to think that’s changed.”
“Hehasseemed rather bored lately,” I admitted. “Before Illiapol, he was damn near melancholic from the tedium. How did Justice seem when you saw him last?”
“Jovial. He was excited about your return and mine. I’m sure your Orne and your human feel the same way.”
I chuckled, trying not to think of them. “Hard to say. I’ve never given a thought to their feelings.”
Rex didn’t look completely convinced. “Justice says you tried to help your human the night before Illiapol.”
“She’s a good lay,” I said with a shrug. “I didn’t want her dying for their amusement.”
