Hostile Ground (The Arsenal #7) - Cara Carnes Page 0,2
between them. A large loaf of bread and a chunk of meat. Her stomach growled, but she looked up at the boy. What was he doing?
He gently pulled her hands out of the way and put the plastic bag beneath the dribbling water. He used the rubber band from the bag holding the meat to tie it into place. “This will be easier.”
Right. Addy settled with her butt on the ground. “You shouldn’t help me.”
“We’ll both need to drink,” he said. “I’m Kristof.”
“Addy.”
“Is she always like that?”
“She is with me.” Addy shrugged. “I don’t obey. It’ll be easier for you.”
Kristof’s gaze narrowed. “You don’t know that.”
She studied him again. He was older than her, but not by much—which meant he was still younger than the others that came to the camp. “You shouldn’t be here. You’re too young.”
“I’m older than you.”
“Everyone’s older than me.” Addy watched the water dribble. Her mouth dried.
“Here.” Kristof undid the band and pulled the bag off. He handed it to her. “We’ll gather more once you’ve drunk.”
Addy gulped the water quickly, then held the empty bag out. “Thank you.”
Silence filled the area around them as they watched the bag fill. Addy didn’t mind the quiet because it gave her time to think about Mom and Dad. Things had been easier before they died and her brother Peter brought her to this place.
She wanted to go home.
Tears burned her eyes, but she wouldn’t cry. Kristof would laugh at her like the others did. They didn’t ever cry.
“Here.” Kristof held the bag out.
Rather than drink it down like she wanted, she held it close and walked to the corner. Kneeling, she opened the small cage and took Bunny out. The rabbit drank as she held the bag open. At least it wouldn’t be thirsty anymore.
“Is that your pet?”
“No.” Addy stroked the animal. “It doesn’t deserve to die. Misha said I’m weak because I won’t kill it.”
Kristof sat against the wall facing her. He took a hunk of bread and ripped it into small pieces. Surprise filled Addy when he held one out to the rabbit.
“Misha will be mad if she knows you fed it.”
“Then she’ll be really mad when we set it free.”
Free? Addy looked at the crazy boy.
He motioned toward the table, then the wall with all the holes. “I bet we can find something on there to either dig a hole in the ground beneath the floor or make one of the holes toward the bottom bigger. You can’t kill what isn’t here.”
“They’ll just bring another,” Addy whispered.
He shrugged. “One problem at a time.”
“Why are you helping me?”
“Because I can. Mama would want me to.” His voice cracked at the end. Tears shimmered in his gaze. “She loved animals.”
Loved. She was dead. Sadness filled Addy as she looked down. “My mom and dad died. My brother brought me here after.”
“How old are you?”
“Ten.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Three years.” Addy swallowed as Kristof returned to the spigot and secured the bag in place. He was smart—way smarter than her. She should’ve thought about freeing Bunny. “How old are you?”
“Fourteen.” Kristof moved to the table. “Let’s get to work.”
“You’ll get into trouble.”
“It’ll be worth it.” He motioned toward the rest of the bread and the meat. “Eat. I’ll work first.”
For the first time in a long while, Addy didn’t feel like she was alone. Maybe Kristof could be a friend. She stroked Bunny, then set her down and took half the bread and meat. She chewed slow and rested between bites as she watched the strange boy with the pretty gray eyes use a whip’s grip to dig a hole beneath the rotting board at the bottom.
“At least you’ll be free, Bunny,” Addy whispered.
2
One week earlier
Moscow
Cheers and jeers echoed through the small warehouse and deafened the barked orders of tonight’s referee as Addison Rugers stepped into the metal cage. Beer, sweat, and blood tainted her nostrils as her gaze swept the swelling crowd as they surged forward for a better view of the final battle. She’d either defend her reign on the underground fighting circuit or be carried out. Alive was an option, but so was death.
No rules.
“This is bullshit,” Beast thundered in the com. “We never agreed to cage matches.”
None of her Arsenal team was on board with her decision to fight in the underground circuit to reaffirm her cover as Iriana Duprinsky, but they’d agreed because it was the best way to not only reestablish the persona within Kristof Lavrov’s network, but to also