Ayesha didn’t like the way he said it. Like she was a piece of equipment he was checking before buying.
"What does that mean?" she asked. The rifle stayed on his chest.
He leaned against the display case, relaxed, like he had all the time in the world. "It means I watched you hold off four armed men. That takes something most people don’t have."
"And?"
"And I haven’t decided what to do with you yet."
Her jaw tightened. "So you’re going to take the guns and leave me here."
He glanced at the locked case behind him. "I’m taking what’s in here."
"Then you’ll have to fight me for it."
He looked at her. Something shifted in his face, not anger, not surprise. He laughed. Soft, brief, like she’d told him a joke he actually liked.
"You can try."
She didn’t lower the rifle. He didn’t move toward her. For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then he pushed off the display case and stood straight.
"Or you can listen to what I have to say."
"Why would I?"
"Because I have an offer."
She said nothing. He took that as permission to continue.
"I have supplies. Food, water, medicine. I have a place to sleep at night. I can keep you alive long enough to get stronger." He paused. "In return, you come with me. And you belong to me."
She stared at him.
"Belong to you?"
"You heard me."
"As what? Your servant?"
He shrugged. "Call it whatever helps you sleep. I protect you, feed you, and give you what you need to survive. In exchange, you’re mine. You do what I say. And when I want something from you, you give it."
The meaning landed. He wasn’t hiding it. He wasn’t dressing it up as something noble.
"You’re disgusting," she said.
"Maybe. But I’m the one offering food and protection."
She took a step back, but the counter stopped her. "I didn’t ask for your help. You killed those men because you wanted the weapons. Don’t pretend you did me a favor."
"You’re learning."
That made her angrier. Her finger twitched on the trigger, but she didn’t fire. He wasn’t attacking. He was just standing there, calm, like none of this mattered.
"I can survive on my own," she said.
He looked at the holes in the jackets behind her. The scorched display unit where Cole’s rifle had hit. The blood on the floor.
"You were doing a wonderful job of it."
The words stung because they were true. She’d been losing. Slowly, but losing. If he hadn’t shown up, Marcus would have put a bullet in her back while she was reloading.
She hated that he knew it.
"Nothing comes free," he said. "You want my protection? There’s a price."
Movement behind the counter. A shuffle of feet, weak and unsteady.
Ayesha turned.
The old man had come out of the back room. He leaned heavily against the wall, one hand pressed to his lower back where Cole’s bullet had struck. His face was grey, and sweat ran down his temples. He’d heard enough.
"Ayesha," he said. His voice came out thin. "Don’t. Don’t you dare agree to anything."
"Harun, you shouldn’t be up." She moved toward him, rifle lowering without her thinking about it. "I told you to stay hidden."
"I heard him." Harun looked past her at Zarek. His eyes were cloudy but hard. "She’s not going anywhere with you. You understand me? She’s not your property."
Zarek looked at him. Then at Ayesha. His expression didn’t change. If anything, he looked bored.
The old man pushed off the wall and took a step toward Zarek. His legs wobbled. He grabbed Ayesha’s arm, trying to pull her behind him.
"Get away from him. We’ll find another way."
"Harun, stop, you’re going to hurt yourself—"
"You listen to me. This man is not—"
Zarek moved.
It was fast. One second he was standing by the display case. The next, his sword was in the old man’s chest.
Harun didn’t scream. He made a small sound, like air escaping a balloon. His hand slipped off Ayesha’s arm. He looked down at the blade, then up at Zarek, confused, like he didn’t understand what had just happened.
Then he crumpled.
Ayesha stood frozen. Her mind couldn’t catch up. One moment Harun was talking, pulling her away, and the next he was on the floor, blood spreading under him, his eyes open and empty.
She dropped to her knees beside him. Her hands found his shoulders, shook him, like she could wake him up.
"Harun. Harun, get up. Get up."
He didn’t move.
She looked up at Zarek. He was cleaning his sword on a strip of cloth he’d pulled from a shelf. He didn’t look at her. He didn’t look at the body. He looked like a man who’d just swatted a fly.
"Why?" The word came out broken.
He glanced at her. "Too noisy."
She stared at him. Her hands were shaking. Blood was on her fingers. Harun’s blood.
"He wasn’t a threat. He couldn’t even walk. He was just an old man."
"He was interrupting."
"He was trying to protect me!"
"I know." He sheathed the sword. "That was the problem."
She couldn’t breathe. The store felt smaller. The walls pressed in.She’d held this position for hours and fought off four armed men, all to keep Harun alive. She’d refused to give him up. She’d told Cole to go to hell.
And now he was dead on the floor because he’d tried to help her.
Her rifle was still in her hands. She raised it. The barrel shook.
"You killed him."
"I did."
"I’m going to kill you."
He looked at the rifle. Then at her face. He didn’t move, didn’t flinch, didn’t reach for his sword.
"Are you?"
Her finger hovered on the trigger. She wanted to pull it. She wanted to watch him fall the way Harun had fallen.
Her finger hovered over the trigger. She wanted to pull it. She wanted to watch him fall the way Harun had fallen.
But the rifle’s bolt was open. Her last shot had left the chamber empty, and she needed a moment to load another round.
Zarek was watching her.
Her hands shook as she considered her options. She could try to reload, but he was close enough to reach her before she could aim properly. And she had no idea whether she’d get another shot off before he drew his sword.
Zarek waited. When she didn’t fire, he nodded slightly, like she’d confirmed something for him.
Then he looked at the display case.
" I still have that offer for you."
She almost dropped the rifle. She almost screamed. He’d just killed Harun. The body was still warm. And he was talking about his offer like nothing had happened.
"You’re insane."
"Probably." He walked back to the display case and crouched by the lock. "But you’re still here. You haven’t run. You haven’t shot me. So some part of you is listening."
She hated him. She hated that he was right.
The building was still dangerous. Cole was out there, probably regrouping, probably coming back with more men. The mutants would be drawn to the gunfire. She had no ammo, no backup, and no plan.
And the man who’d just murdered the person she was protecting was offering her a way out.
Zarek stood up and faced her. His eyes were flat. There was no pity in them. No guilt. No anything.
"So," he said. "What’s your decision?"