Backs Against the Wall (Survival Series) by Tracey Ward Read Free Book Online

on us.”
    Trent is sitting beside Ryan across from me on the floor. The long lines of the tall windows shine huge rectangles of light into the room around us, casting the boys partially in shadow, partially in light. Trent’s eyes watch me intently from the dark and I think it’s no accident, the way he’s sitting.
    “When I was in the Colony,” I begin, spinning the ring on my finger nervously. “I made friends with some people. One of them was a pimp from The Hive.”
    Ryan scowls at me, surprised and obviously annoyed by this information. Trent couldn’t care less.
    “He was in there with two of the women from their stables. One of them went full native, but the other wanted out just like us. I ended up making some friends in the kitchens too. Eventually, they told me that the people in the Colonies aren’t happy with how things are being run. They’re locked in, just like I was, and being preached to about keeping the unclean out. Their cleansing process when you go in there is creepy thorough, I can vouch for that. But worst of all, they’re separating families. They’re doing it to keep people in line, to have a threat to hang over their heads. I think the higher ups must know their people are getting pissed at being locked in and they’re trying to keep them under control. Otherwise, why do it?”
    Trent nods in silent agreement.
    “And these people,” Ryan asks, disbelieving, “the angry ones, they want out of the Colonies?”
    “Not entirely. They don’t want to come live in the wild. It terrifies them.”
    “Then where will they go? And how will they break out?”
    “How did Joss do it?” Trent asks, his eyes on me.
    I don’t flinch. “ That’s not important.”
    Trent grins slightly, but he doesn’t respond. He knows. Not even because Ryan told him, which he might have, but he just knows.
    “We’ll have to break them out,” I tell Ryan. “After that, they want to gain control of the buildings again. Get their freedoms back.”
    He laughs. “Seriously? They want to stage a coup? And you and I, we’re going to break them out? How?”
    I’m annoyed he’s laughing at me, but I’m grateful he’s lumped himself in with me as well. I hadn’t hoped for that.
    “We won’t do it alone.”
    “No, because that’s impossible.”
    “We need help from The Hive.”
    His smile disappears. “Now I know you’re joking,” he says seriously.
    I shake my head faintly. “I’m not.”
    “Joss, that’ s insane,” Ryan says, his voice rising. “You can’t work with The Hive. You can’t ask for help from The Hive.”
    “I have an in.” I hold up my splinted left arm, showing him my finger wearing the ring. “ Vin, the guy from The Hive, he gave me this when I left. He said to take it to Marlow, the head of The Hive. He said to tell Marlow that he sent me.”
    “This is the guy who got stabbed, isn’t it?” Ryan asks, his voice going low.
    I nod. “He was stabbed because of me. Well, partially. Partly because he was a careless man whore, but also because of me. I owe it to him to go back for him. I owe it to all of them.”
    “And this guy, this pimp, he thought Marlow would help you if you showed him that ring?”
    “No. He was pretty sure it wouldn’t work.”
    Ryan frowns, his face exasperated. “Then why are you even thinking about doing this?”
    I don’t have a good answer for that. Not a smart one. So I give him the only one I do have.
    “Because I made a promise, ” I say firmly. “I don’t do that very often. I’d like to keep it.”
    “That’s honorable,” Trent tells me.
    Ryan shakes his head at him. “It’s stupid is what it is.”
    “Most honorable things are.”
    “I need you to take me to the market,” I tell Ryan. “I need to go there and make contact with someone from The Hive so I can try to get an audience with Marlow.”
    “The market isn’t the place to do it,” Trent tells me.
    My shoulders sag, deflating with my meager hopes. “Then where?