Locksleigh

Chapter Seven

“There are four ways into the city,” I said, shifting uncomfortably under the gaze of the seven men around the table. They were staring at me with rapt attention, and although there was a legitimate, not- s*x related-reason, I still felt the urge to shift the underwear it had taken me almost three weeks to earn the right to wear. I swallowed nervously and started again.

“There are four ways, of which the most straightforward is through the gates, but you need ID cards and a special permit to get in and out, and the gates automatically scan every code that passes through.” I stuttered to a halt, but a slight nod from ash told me to continue. “If you don’t have a code, or your code has been blacklisted, a squadron of guards will be swarming around you within seconds. And fake codes won’t work either,” I cut off Garth’s interjection, knowing what he was about to suggest. “Every single code in this or any other region in the country is registered, and foreign codes are tracked with meticulous care from the second they’re scanned at the docks.

“The second way is over the wall, which I don’t need to tell you is stupid and impossible. The sewers are the third option. Though they are a viable option, the entrances leading into the city are all fairly visible and well guarded, and once you’re in there, the going is slow and your escape options are limited. The fourth option,” I took another deep breath to steady myself, “is a maze of maintenance tunnels that lead to something called a subway system. This system hasn’t been used since the rise of the empire, so almost nobody knows about it and the entrances aren’t guarded, unless you count the regular patrol around the wall that does an inspection to see if everything’s all right and then leaves. Furthermore, due to cave-ins and such, all documented maps of that place are useless and anyone following us in would just end up getting lost and…”

“Us? What’s all this s**t about us? Are you delusional b***h? There’s no way someone like you is coming with us on something this important.” It was the big guy who had taken my backpack that day I arrived who spoke.

“That’s exactly what she’ll be doing, Argus.” The man had already gotten up and made it almost all the way to where I stood when Ash interrupted him.

“She’s not only coming with us, but she’s actually leading us on some parts of the mission.” It surprised me how much authority Ash carried in his voice, even when he was leaning back against a wall, inspecting his fingernails as if he was bored out of his mind. It took a full two minutes before Argus gathered enough courage to reply.

“Ash, you can’t possibly expect me to take orders from a worthless w***e like her, could you?” Faster than my eyes could follow, Ash was there, slamming Argus’s head into the wall so hard I could almost hear the wall cracking.

“Our little Rabbit here,” Ash said loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, “is the only one who can lead us through that tunnel system, since she knows that place like the back of her hand and she has more experience sneaking in and out of the capital than any of us. And as much as I hate to admit it, we need her if we want to get our hands on some useable ID cards. So, if any of you want to step foot in the capital tomorrow, you will make sure you and your men follow any orders me or the girl give you. Is that clear?” Ash stared every single one of them down until they accepted his orders. “And you.” He bent down to growl in Argus’s ear, so low that I could barely hear him. “If I ever hear you calling her a worthless w***e, or anything other than Leigh or miss, for that matter, I will make sure you won’t be able to call anyone anything ever again.” Argus struggled for all of a second, gave me a foul look, and relented. Ash let him up and the rest of the briefing went without any other interruptions. I spent hours explaining the routes and dangers and plans me and Ash had been making for almost a month and answering some concerned questions about some of the finer details.

Everyone except Argus had listened to me and had put serious consideration into what I’d had to say, and it made me feel almost like a full member of the community and not just the useful toy that could be discarded any second I really was. I couldn’t help the swagger in my step as I walked next to Ash on our way to his house. Ash stopped and regarded me for a few heartbeats. I’d expected some reprimand or insult or warning about my arrogance or sense of self-worth, but instead he smiled and said the only thing that could have possibly thrown me off my guard and rendered me speechless.

“You did well today, little Rabbit.” I just stared, my mind not able to process the fact that Ash was actually praising me for something other than my ability to please him, without a hint of sarcasm. He laughed good naturedly at my surprise and smiled at me again. “Come on, little Rabbit.” I rushed to follow him, my mind racing and blank all at the same time. Things had been like this since that first night. Ash ordered me around, degraded me and f****d me whenever he was in the mood for it, and he was the psychotic ass everyone knew him to be, but there were moments like this when he let slip that there was an actual, real person with basic human decency underneath all his anger and authority and bravado. Moments where he’d accidentally say or do something that made him seem like he actually cared about whether I was alive and happy, like one of the men in his community. Those moments had come more frequently lately, and fewer and fewer of his men wanted me to please them. So much so that I belonged almost exclusively to Ash.

I didn’t want to think about that, so I turned my thoughts to the mission tomorrow as I stepped into Ash’s home. The plan was solid, and we’d approached it from every angle, but there was still danger, and it surprised me that I felt a hint of worry at the thought that Ash would be following me into that danger.

It was already past midnight and all I wanted to was go to bed, but I knew Ash would want to have some fun first, like he did every night, so I headed straight to his bed and started taking off what little I was wearing. A warm, gentle hand on my own stopped me just as I was about to unclasp my bra.

“Not tonight, little Rabbit. I need you well rested and ready to take the lead tomorrow.” Yet another smile. I have no idea how many that was today.

Still, grateful for the rare chance of a fairly full night’s sleep, I lay down and closed my eyes. Despite how tired I was, I only managed to fall asleep when I felt Ash lie down next to me and wrap an arm protectively around my waist.