Page 92 of Wild Thing

She purses her lips angrily.

“Come on,” I insist.

“You know,”—her eyes are etched with bitterness when she looks at me and smirks—“the level of radiation in our blood, the children, the future generations—we are all fucked. Not this island. Noooooo.” She makes a theatrical frowning face. “But the ones on the mainland are. Our genes are fucked. We develop cancer and die.”

What’s this about? “No one is gonna die here, Kat. We have medicine. The children are gonna be fine.”

“Yeah. The rich ones.” She snorts and looks away.

“Kat, stop,” I say slightly irritated with her weaseling around. “We have the formula. The world is gonna be fine. It’s not about the world right now. What’s up? Tell me.”

She casts her eyes down at the towel in her hands. “You are always fine, Archer. Aren’t you?”

I don’t like this. I take her hands in mine. “Kat, don’t dance around. We’ve been here before. You are angry and want to say hurtful things. Before you do and feel bad about it later, tell mewhy. What’s up?”

She bites her lip. “Are you sleeping with her?”

What?

She raises her gaze. “Are you fucking Anna?”

I tilt my head back and close my eyes, blowing air through my puffed lips.

Unbelievable.

A year or so ago, I would’ve had a different reaction. I would’ve probably been fucking Anna if she came to Zion, yeah. But a year ago seems like a different life.

I open my eyes to meet Kat’s expectant gaze. “Why would you ask that?”

“It’s a yes-or-no question, Archer.”

“No.” I shake my head. “Why would you ask me that?”

“But I’m not like her.”

“Thank God!”

“But… You’d take her back if she asked?”

“What?” My eyes almost fall out of my sockets. “I haven’t seen her in two years, and I have no desire to. But that’s the wrong question. You are the only person who—”

My phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out—yeah, what do you know—Anna Reich.

I wouldn’t have picked up any other time. But guess what? Something isn’t right.

“Long time no see,” I say into the phone.

Kat cuts me a glare and tries to get up, but I push her down and keep my hand on her thigh, stroking it, then put Anna on speaker.

“Archie!” Anna squeals too enthusiastically. I’ve forgotten how irritating her voice can be. “Where are you, sweets? Are you avoiding me?”

“Sweets,” Kat murmurs with an intentionally crooked smile.

“Yes,” I answer. “If you didn’t get the clue yet.”

Kat sucks in her cheeks and casts her eyes down. I like her jealousy, just not when she rushes to her death because of it.

“What are you doing on Zion, doll face?” I coo, imitating Anna.

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