“From your own lips as you were searching a building.”
“You followed me?”
“Kinda felt I had to. I didn’t know what you were up to. Imagine my surprise when you weren’t butchering a street.”
“She’s a girl. That’s all you need to know.”
“You’re not planning on killing her, are you?”
His lip sneers in contempt. “I should kill you for even suggesting that.”
“You can’t honestly be too shocked with what you’ve done.”
Hunter shrugs. “Guess not.”
“You have to promise me something.”
“What?”
“You can’t target the Keep. Whatever it is you do, needs to be done elsewhere. To others. And for God’s sake, don’t kill any women.”
“I hear you.”
The radio sounds. This time it’s the one for the Keep.
Hunter sets down his beer. “I guess I’ll be on my way.”
I sit at the desk and hit SPEAK.
Alistair:Ali here…
Cole:Hey, ah, I know this might be a bad time, but we need to talk.
Alistair:If it’s about Britney, she’s fine. She’s safe in the next room.
Cole:You’re kidding me?
Alistair:Turns out, Caspian was cutting a deal with them and used her to get them interested. He straight-up shot their leader and took control.
Cole:How’d you find that out?
Alistair:Hunter had a few Vulture friends, and one of them gave us a heads-up. You wouldn’t believe their numbers and setup. It’s not quite as bad as the Reaver situation, but it ain’t good.
Cole:Holy shit—right under my goddamn nose.
Alistair:The Keep needs to be on high alert. Caspian had planned to raid it and kill all the men, keeping the women to give to those worthy. I don’t think he can now on account of Hunter and I attacking the Vulture’s base. Heck, they may have killed him.
Cole:Why would the Vultures risk going against us?
Alistair:According to Brit, Caspian has been lying to them, feeding them intel about how we want to kill them. Hunter’s inside man set a few charges and shook things up a bit. They might think it was Caspian that caused it. Honestly, they’ll probably be more confused than anything.
A heavy sigh carries through the radio.
Cole:How the fuck did it get so bad? Why would Caspian defect? He could have made a play for a Reaver chick or tried harder to find someone topside.
Alistair:I suppose he was frustrated he couldn’t find a woman he liked, or maybe he didn’t like answering to someone. He’s always been a contrarian.
Cole:How’d he get Britney out?