MAD

chvpter 32

"So what the fuck was happening when I got into your AI? That second time?" Scorpius and I lean against his Hillux, sharing a cigarette, as the other's sit around the campfire. 

They eat quietly which is uncharacteristic for a group of Lake Darling thugs, but the group is tensely divided. The weight of last night presses on everyone, like the elephant in the room that no one will shoot. I bet they have questions. 

"Uh," I mutter, "Hito Tanaka and this crook soldier named Wilkes decided to conduct an interrogation."

Thai and Elias sit huddled around their bowls, but Sax sits slightly estranged from both sides of the group. 

Back in the city, Saxon grew up between our circles, that is, between the low-level Ghouls like Trent and Blu, and then the guys who were getting moved into higher roles like Elias and Tokyo... 

I liked him. Don't like that he got in the car without helping though... But part of me understands. He saw Reid like he was, and he thought he'd catch M.A.D, so he bolted like any Lake Darling gangster would've.

Scor flicks his ashes, zipping his jumper up to his chin as he talks around a mouthful of smoke, "You care if they find anything out?" He asks lowly, "You know they're gon' quiz us the second we sit down."

Trent's watches me from across the fire with an unsavoury glare, as though he expects me to feed him more lies. To reject what he did at the Compound and take for granted what he is. 

"They're too scared to ask for a dart, let alone ask questions that might risk their chance of rolling with us." I take the cigarette from him, inhaling against the filter and closing my eyes. 

Fuck I missed these little suckers.

Flames slowly consume the wood, casting embers into the night, and a billowing trail of smoke rises. It's poor practice to light a fire when you're trying to go unnoticed, but we needed one tonight. 

Elias battles against a yawn, shaking his head with glassy eyes like it'll rouse him back. 

We fall quiet for a bit, and my gaze wonders back to Trent as he eats. 

Back in the city, I never understood why he put up with all of Mal's bullshit. Mal made him into this, hyena, who'd laugh on command and bite when ordered, who'd make a fool of himself or stoop beneath dignity. 

Now, I know it was all contingent on the threat that Mal would stop loving him. That he'd stop their secret love affair and discard him, like a spent condom. 

"If you keep 'em in the dark then get ready to watch your back around them two," He finally remarks, tossing the lighter in his hand as he sets his eyes on Trent and Blu. 

I chew my lip. Trent said that Mal was the only person who'd ever loved him... Is that why he expects me to disregard his help and continue lying about why we're out? Because he expects me to assume the worst in him? In fact he probably longs for me to do it, because then he can maintain this growingly stringent hatred of me.

"You're right. But if we tell them we don't know who ANON is, then they're gon' think we're liars." I mutter, pulling once before I pass it back. My gaze falls on Trent one more time, asking myself if my next move is the right one. "You got any ideas who ANON is?" I raise my voice to a normal level, flashing Scorpius a slight grin as I look at the floor. Why don't we let them eavesdrop? 

With a smirk, he wrinkles his nose, "As in, who set the Hit?" He plays along, watching as the other's fall dead quiet, each of their ears pricked.

"Yeah?" This is so dumb.