Six(56)

“You can’t fault us for having our hackles up around you,” Nine said from across the room, his gaze rising to meet mine. “Outside of Jason, it’s been years since someone besides our little group has known anything about us.”

Five tickled my side, and I snapped back to him. “You may not be a psycho killer like us, but you still unnerve us.”

I let out a little ha sound. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard that. Six long ago said I unnerved him. Though I believed the reason differed from the one the Killing Corps presented.

Six had remained silent, not even moving when Five wrapped his arm around me. I stared at him, curious if he’d weigh in an opinion.

“You’ve been with him so long, I’ve been wondering if he’s going to be able to go through with it,” One said as she turned to Six, her eyebrow raised.

That got Six moving. He stood, grabbed his gun from the table, swung his arm up, aimed at my head, and fired. I heard the silenced snap, eyes wide, heart stopped, frozen and waiting for the pain, the feeling of blood.

But it didn’t come.

“Does that answer your question?”

Shaking, I turned to look behind me. In the wall there was a small, round hole.

Fuck.

None of them questioned him, returning to their tasks. Five took his rifle from my shaking hands and put it away. He gave me an apologetic smile.

Why was he the most human of them?

Frightened, thinking he was going to off me right then. Left scared in a huddled mass of shock. I moved back on the bed until my back hit the headboard, and pulled my legs up.

There was no empathy in them. No sympathy. And even with Five being nice, he was still the same. Just as dangerous and deadly. If he hadn’t taken a liking to me, I was certain I wouldn’t have gotten that small bit.

A little while later, Nine and One left on a food run and Five jumped in the shower, giving me the opportunity to talk to Six alone.

“Did you have to shoot at my head to prove your point?” I asked from my tucked-up place on the bed.

His head rose, eyes locked with mine. “Yes.”

“Why?”

He looked away, pausing, probably questioning if he should say anything. “They think having you is a weakness. I had to prove myself.”

“By shooting at me?”

That damn blank expression of his stared back at me. “I didn’t hit you.”

“That’s beside the point.”

“I will be hitting you, though.”

I froze, my voice lowering. “Yeah, I know, but don’t be an ass trying to show off to your buddies.”

He stood up and walked over to the bed. “Are you telling me what to do?”

“No, just saying if you want me to be cooperative, don’t shoot at me.”

He nodded the last few steps. Cupping my cheek, he ran his hand around to the back of my neck. What was a soft gesture became painful as his fingers fisted my hair and he tilted my head back.

I hissed, leaning toward his hand to relieve the pain.

“I’ll do what I want. And you will cooperate, or you’ll die sooner.”

Through my watering eyes I could see something in his own—emotion. Not anger, but something I couldn’t name, but was akin to pain. What type, I had no clue.

I reached up and cupped his face. His eyes widened just the slightest. Adjusting my position, I was able to get onto my knees, moving closer to him as I pulled him down.

When our lips met, the hand in my hair relaxed. Every kiss with him was full of energy, but instead of a lust-filled craze, we tasted. Teasing tongues as his hand moved to my waist and he pulled me closer.

As much as he was fronting, I could see that things weren’t that simple on the inside.

The line between captor and captive were blurred.





The next day, we split off from the others and headed out in search of the missing Killing Corps.

“Four of us hunting down three Cleaners and a handler hiding somewhere in the world. Easy.” Five chuckled as we headed out of the hotel room.

“Just remember to check in,” Nine said. “We’ll set a meeting place and work our way there once we have everyone.”

“And if something happens to one of us?” One asked.

“Try not to die,” Six said, giving One a little smirk.

She rolled her eyes and gave him a hug before moving on to Five and Nine for hugs as well. It was kinda strange.

“You boys are my favorites, so stay alive, okay?”

She stopped in front of me. “Goodbye, Lacey.” She held out her hand and after a beat, I took it. “I’m not sorry for who I am or what I’ve said to you, but I am sorry I was intimidated by you and thus treated you poorly. You were right—I won’t see you again and they’ll go back to being mine alone.”

She turned and stepped away, leaving me to stare after her, too stunned and confused to say anything back.

Five stepped up beside me. “Wow, that was as close to an apology as I’ve ever heard her give.”

I turned to him. “That was an apology?”

His lip quirked up. “It was a pleasure getting to know you, Lacey. I hope to see you again, but I don’t know if that’s in the cards for us.”

He pulled me in for a hug and I wrapped my arms around him, smiling into his chest.