Beyond Addiction by Kit Rocha Read Free Book Online

their left, and a woman strode toward them through the swiftly parting crowd. A beautiful woman, lean and tough in jeans and a leather jacket, with her brunette hair tied up in a long ponytail that swung with her swift steps.
    She stopped abruptly in front of them, hands on her hips, her expression darkening as her gaze swept from Finn to Trix. “I know you weren’t about to drag this poor girl into the middle of a rally.”
    Finn’s eyebrows drew together, usually his first sign of irritation. “Trix, meet Alya. This is her farm.”
    Trix held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
    Alya clasped Trix’s hand and turned it over, studying the hint of ink peeking out from beneath her bandages. But she didn’t comment, just smiled. “Come to the main house with me, honey. We’ll get you fixed up. Finn can tag along, I suppose. Shipp’ll want to see him.”
    The woman made it sound casual, but Trix had lived in Sector Four too long not to recognize what it meant—they wanted to check her out, and they had questions for Finn.
    Not that he seemed worried. He reclaimed Trix’s hand and followed Alya around the edge of the crowd. “I was just gonna show her the cars.”
    “And they’ll still be there in the morning.”
    The woman moved deeper into the darkness, past several small, squat adobe structures and a few greenhouses. They reached a gentle rise, and Trix picked her way gingerly up the dirt and stone path.
    The main structure was several stories tall and made of wood, wide boards cut from what must have been huge trees. A generous porch wrapped around both sides that Trix could see, and the glass-paned double doors sat open.
    Two men dressed in denim and leather stood by the doors, smoking. One nodded to Finn. “Little early, aren’t you?”
    “Situation’s changed.” Finn’s voice stayed relaxed, but his fingers tightened around hers. “I need to call in that favor.”
    The man brushed his dark blond hair out of his face and studied Trix. On the surface, it was a lazy perusal, slow and indifferent, but his gaze was sharp, and she knew he missed nothing.
    Finn tensed as Alya reached over to pluck the cigarette from Shipp’s fingers. She took a hit, exhaled toward the porch ceiling, and crushed it out into an ashtray. “Hawk,” she said, nodding to the second man. “Head over and get things started. We’ve got business.”
    “You got it.” He lumbered off into the darkness, but not before Trix got a good look at the giant handgun strapped to his hip. It looked like a cannon, for Christ’s sake.
    Whoever Finn’s friends were, they were deadly.
    Shipp tilted his head toward the open door of the cabin. “You hungry?” he asked Finn.
    Finn exhaled slowly and relaxed, as if the offer had answered a silent question. “We could use a decent meal.”
    “We’ve got leftover stew. Some bread and cheese.” Alya waved them into the cabin after her. “You both look like you could use a drink.”
    “Just water, please.” The last thing Trix wanted was to feel groggy again, out of control.
    Shipp took the chair at the head of the long table. “Introduce me to your friend, Finn.”
    Finn hauled out a chair and held it while Trix sat. “Shipp, meet Trix. I knew her back in the day, but for the last few years she’s been running in Sector Four. With Dallas O’Kane.”
    “Is that what those are?” He nodded to the ink peeking above the tops of the bandages on her wrists. “His cuffs?”
    Trix fought the urge to hide her hands in her lap. “Yes.”
    He grunted in response.
    Alya brought a pitcher of water to the table and set it down beside two glasses. “If you’re waiting for us to fill in the blanks, honey, we’ll all be here a while. You know we don’t hear shit out here. No vid network, no wireless.”
    Finn rubbed a hand over his face. “You’re not gonna like it.”
    “Probably not. As I recall, that was a damn big favor.”
    “I know.” Finn met Shipp’s gaze. “I need to get word to