Rule and Ruin

ten; the renegades

chapter ten.

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"WHERE ARE WE GOING?"

"Somewhere," Nix replied.

"Yes but where?"

"Jesus Christ, will you shut up?" Nix mumbled.

Selene was not used to being powerless. She was most certainly not used to being spoken to like that. She had always been in control of everything and everyone around her. She never had to worry about the possibility of her companions killing her, much less, where she was going.

"So I'm just supposed to blindly follow you around?"

"Yes."

"You could be bringing me to a forest to kill me."

"Yes, I definitely could be."

She stopped in her tracks and stared at the back of his head. She pictured a bullet flying right through it and mashing his brains out on the streets.

He turned around to look at her with an exasperated sigh, "What now?"

She regarded him with distrust. Doubt and regret suddenly began consuming her every thought. What the fuck was she doing here? With a traitor like him? She wanted to run away, but was quickly reminded she had nowhere else to go.

"Listen, I trust you about as much as you trust me," he said tiredly. "So stop crying about it and get a move on."

That's right. She was a traitor, too.

She lowered her head and fell back into step behind him. She felt shameful. Pathetic. Cowardly.

Nix navigated the city through alleyways. Now that she was with him, Selene realized there was no way Dino's men could have caught him. He knew this city's secrets inside out and knew exactly how to stay out of sight.

After a few minutes, they arrived at the backdoor of a strange building. Nix looked around cautiously before opening it and pushing Selene in. It took a while for her to adjust to the darkness in the room as she tried to follow Nix down the hallway and down the stairs. Her mind was on high alert. He wasn't actually going to murder her here, was he?

She warily entered the room Nix stopped in and narrowed her eyes at the man that waited for them in there. The new figure lurked against the wall with his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed at Selene.

"Ren, Selene. Selene, Ren," Nix introduced.

Ren did not move a muscle to greet her, so neither did she. They stared each other down with burning distrust.

Nix glanced between them, "Okay guys...play nice."

Ren looked away first to glare at Nix. "What is she doing here?"

He spoke as if he knew her.

Nix shrugged, "I'd ask her, but I don't think she knows why either. Just roll with it."

Ren scoffed and shot Selene another glare.

"What's your fucking problem?" she scowled.

"You," he snapped back. "You're the problem."

Selene didn't know what she did to wrong the man, but she didn't have the patience for this.

"I'm about to be a bigger problem if you don't check your attitude," she hissed. 

"Boys and girls!" Nix clapped his hands and stood between them to try and defuse the situation. "It's quiet time. So shut the fuck up and get along."

"She got Jay killed," Ren spat.

"He got himself killed," Nix countered coldly. "He was careless."

"Ah," she let out a knowing breath. "Jay. Friend of yours?"

Ren's eyes flashed. She smiled wickedly just to spite him.

"Careful," Nix warned her through gritted teeth. He was looking at her in a way that almost made her regret her words.

Selene held Ren's angry gaze before blinking away with exasperation. "I shot him in the foot. He was a traitor, after all," she said simply, though there was an edge in her tone. "And I was going to use him to aid the hunt for you," she sent her heated glare towards Nix, "but I wasn't going to kill him. I tried to save him from Wang. I really tried."

There is no saving anyone from Wang.

"I don't believe you," Ren hissed.

"I don't need you to," she said back, but her voice trembled, because deep down, she knew Jay was dead because of her.

Ren's glare continued to accuse her even as they all sat down at the dining table.

"So what now?" Selene asked.

"Now?" Nix grinned. "We get into the Mermaid Venue."