Salvation by Stephanie Tyler Read Free Book Online Page A

woman. But Bishop never mentioned you.”
    “I never talked about him either. Trying to pretend I didn’t need a man.”
    Zara looked aghast. “Honey, everyone needs a man. A vibrator can only take you so far.”
    Luna laughed in spite of herself. She’d thought Zara was trying to bait her and realized that she was in fact testing Luna. “So what happened out there tonight isn’t normal?”
    Zara sighed. “You know how the LoV are. Unpredictable, and they’re getting worse. But no, that’s not normal. Keller might like to have Bishop fight harder than the others, but he wouldn’t risk his life like that.”
    But Keller had to know that the LoV would be after Bishop for killing their own—and killing Keller’s son at the same time. That was something Luna was having a difficult time wrapping her mind around, but she wasn’t going to share that with Zara. Instead, she asked,
    “So, if this had been a regular fight night, what happens after the fights?”
    “Parties,” Zara told her. “There’s a lot of bars that open up. There’s space set up outside as well.”
    The music had already started—Luna heard the change in the atmosphere even from back here. “I guess I have a lot to catch up on.”
    “Take your time. No reason to rush fun. There’s not much else to do,” Zara murmured, and Luna couldn’t refute that.
    “Bishop said you’re a doctor.”
    “Bishop’s right. Do you need me to set up an exam?”
    “I think I’m okay now.”
    “Well, don’t hesitate. I take this shit seriously. Especially if you’re sick. That shit’ll spread like the plague if it’s not cut off at the pass.”
    Luna had heard Defiance’s doctors give the same lectures.
    “Here’s your man,” Zara said as Bishop came out from behind the curtain. “As always, Doc Morrison will come by later to your tube to check on Bishop in a few hours—standard procedure. Take care. I’ll see you around the compound.”
    Zara gave her shoulder a squeeze, her demeanor more friendly than it had been originally, before she walked away and out of the room.
    * * *
    After the doctor finished the exam, Bishop came out from behind the curtained partition and headed toward the showers, wasn’t surprised to find Keller there, waiting for him.
    He fought the urge to throw the man through the tiled walls, demanding instead, “What the fuck was that?”
    “A fight that won me a lot of money,” Keller told him, but his expression was tight.
    “You’re kidding me, right? You’re going to let the LoV ride roughshod all over this place, great. You’re going to have me kill them or be killed? You’re putting a bounty on my goddamned head, and that wasn’t part of this motherfucking deal.”
    Keller sighed. “No, it wasn’t.”
    “I’m not a fucking puppy. Not jumping through your hoops. So maybe you should rethink your shit with the LoV.”
    “And what? Take up with Defiance?”
    “Maybe if you made the deal fairer,” Bishop told him.
    “Like Defiance wouldn’t try to kill me?”
    “Depends on what you did. And we’d give you fair warning. We’re not fucking stupid. The LoVs survived for this long because they’re ruthless—that only goes so far. Which is why they’re flailing now.”
    Judging by the look on Keller’s face, he agreed.
    * * *
    Luna had watched Bishop walk toward the showers several minutes earlier. She heard raised voices—Bishop’s being one of them. Before she could walk over to make sure things were okay, she saw Keller leaving the shower area.
    Seconds later, steam puffed out from behind the curtains.
    A short while later, Bishop emerged, drying himself as he came back. He dressed, watching her the entire time.
    At some point, one of the bodyguards slipped him an envelope that looked like it had to be full of cash. Since Bishop was winning money for Keller, she guessed he must be placing side bets for extra cash. Or maybe Keller was paying him a salary.
    “Want to take a look around?” he asked.