“Why do you need him dead?”

“Because it’s the only way to make sure he never lays a hand on you.”

“We could leave like you were talking about.”

“You said not until this is over. It’s a long way from over.”

“I don’t care what I said! We’ll leave right now.” I grab his arm, tugging on him hard. He’s too strong. I can’t move him. “Let’s go!”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not a coward.”

“Well, I am. Let’s go!”

Ryan smiles at me as I keep yanking on his arm. “No, you’re not.”

“I’m scared and I’m ready to run. That’s a coward.”

“But you’re not scared for you. You’re scared for me.”

“What’s the difference?”

“A lot.”

I try a different tactic—one I’ve never used before. One I don’t even know how to use.

I stand in front of him, taking his face in my hands and pressing my body to his. His eyes turn wary. He knows what I’m doing, but he’s not about to stop me. He breathes in deeply before weaving his arms around my waist and holding me to him.

“Please, Ryan,” I whisper, my eyes begging his. “Please don’t try to do this. You’re not a murderer. It’s not worth it.”

He leans his head down until our foreheads are touching. “It is to me.”

“Not to me. And if you die…” I can’t finish that sentence. I can’t even finish the thought.

“If anything happens to me, Trent will get you out of the city. He’ll run with you.”

“Why don’t you run with me now?”

“Because it’s not only about you. It’s about every person in this building. It’s about everyone in The Hive. All the women in the stables, the babies being traded to the Colonies.”

“Crenshaw’s daughter,” I mumble.

“Yeah. With Marlow and the Colonies gone, things could be different.”

“They could get worse.”

“Or they could get better. We’ll never know until we try. Which is why you need to go. Now.”

He’s right, but he’s also wrong. We have to try. We have to get Marlow out of power, but what he’s wrong about is me. I’m not going anywhere. Not without him.

“All right,” I say quietly, pulling away. “I’ll go.”

He’s not buying it. I don’t have to look at him to know it; I can feel it in the way he doesn’t answer me—and just as I’m planning on double-crossing him, I get the feeling he’s going to double-cross me. It’s all for the greater good and because everybody cares about everybody, but in the end isn’t it all just lying? I don’t care what color you paint it, it’s still ugly.

I hear footsteps down the hall. People are filing into the doorway, nervous eyes scanning the room like they suspect they’re being led to the slaughter. Like they’re looking for more blood and bodies. More hungry cannibals licking their lips and gnashing their teeth.

Trent leads the way, jumping smoothly down into the drain. Ryan and the guards from outside start to lead people toward the hole, the first group being the Team Leaders that were captured and held inside the building, used to keep up communication with the other Colonies. It was Trent’s idea to bring them out. He said we might need them again when we made our move against the stadiums. They could help us walk right through the front door.

I watch as they go one by one down into the darkness, a few familiar faces (Melissa included) passing me by slowly, and I start to wonder how long this is going to take. There are a lot of people here, and even if all of them aren’t going, enough are. And they’re making a lot of noise.

I bolt from the room. I don’t bother using stealth or finesse; it doesn’t matter. Ryan has his hands halfway to the center of the world helping to lower people down. He doesn’t even see me leave.

When I’m halfway to the roof, I hear the first blast. It’s far off, but not far enough. I’d say it came from somewhere within a five-block radius and it’s not alone. It’s followed quickly by another. Then another.

I weave through the now panicking crowd up the stairs, breaking into a run wherever I can find the space. Once I reach the fire stairs heading toward the roof, I’m completely alone. Right until I find him.

He’s exactly where I expected him to be: right where he was last night as dawn was breaking and he was worrying about losing his castle. Beyond him on the horizon I can see plumes of smoke rolling into the sky. It’s something I usually only see on this scale during market days when all the gangs meet, eat, drink, barter, and make me ache with loneliness.

“What was it?” I ask Vin.

“The barricades keeping the Risen up against the outer gate. He’s blowing them. In the next twenty minutes the outside will be swarming with more zombies than it’s seen in years.”

“And Marlow will be inside.”

“That’s the plan.” He glances over his shoulder at me. “Isn’t it also the plan that you leave with everyone else?”

“That’s Ryan’s plan, not mine.”

“He wants to keep you safe.”

“And you’re using that to your advantage.”

He looks away again. “I use everything to my advantage.”

“And everyone?” I ask hotly.

He ignores me.

“I’m not going.”

“I’m not surprised. He’ll kill Marlow whether you’re here or not.”

“Not if I kill Marlow first.”

Vin shoots me a look so sharp it hurts. I feel it sting in my skin as my heart rate spikes painfully. “You will not,” he snarls.

I narrow my eyes at him. “You don’t get to tell me what to do any more than I can tell you what to do.”

“Listen to me, Joss,” he says harshly, taking my arm in his iron grip. “You will stay as far away from Marlow as possible, do you understand? If you go near him, you’ll ruin everything. You’ll not only get me killed, but your boy as well. Do you understand me?”

“No,” I growl, trying in vain to pull away. “I don’t understand your plans at all, which is why I don’t trust them and it’s why I won’t listen to you. I think you’re using Ryan. I think you’re going to let him do your dirty work for you and then you’ll betray him. You’ll get him killed.”

He lets go of my arm, nearly shoving me away as he does it. “You don’t know that.”

“I do, because I know what you’re capable of.”

“No one knows what I’m capable of. Least of all me.”

“But you’re not denying it, which is the scary thing. You’re not even trying to lie to me.”

“Would it make you feel better if I did?”

“I will kill you,” I warn him, my voice laced with venom. “If Ryan dies in there, I will kill you myself. I will do it slowly with a smile on my face and I will dance in your blood as you die.”

Vin smiles slowly. “I think you mean that, Kitten.”

“I will live it if you make me. It’s up to you.”

His smile fades as another explosion erupts in the streets.

Captain Hook approaches.

“I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen today,” he tells me seriously. “But I swear to you, if I can help it, I won’t give you a reason to kill me.”

I sigh, offering him my hand. “That’s crap, but I’ll take it. Only because I honestly believe that’s the best I can expect from you.”

He takes my hand in his, but instead of shaking it he squeezes it once firmly. Affectionately. “It’s more than I’ve ever given anyone.”

***

Vin called it: just over twenty minutes later and The Hive is outside the gates. They’re smart and at least a little patient because they don’t break the gates entirely, even though they’ve shown that they could have blown the old empty shipping containers to pieces the same way they did to the outer barriers. But they don’t want this place swarming with zombies—not when they plan to take ownership of it.

Vin takes his six remaining Guard members with him to the gate. Ryan and I, one of us extremely sour-faced and annoyed at the other for not leaving when they were told to, stay inside and watch the arrival from the massive windows of the main sleeping area. Vin thought it was better Marlow didn’t see us right away, just in case he’s angry with us—though I think if anyone should be angry, it should be us. And I am. I’ve clenched my hands so tightly my fingernails are leaving red crescents in my palms. If I press much harder I’ll draw blood.