Page 32 of You Were Warned: Part One

“Lock them in here until she either kills him or they work out their issues.”

“Won’t they be able to leave?”

I shake my head. “No, the fences are electric, and they know it. Neither have radios, and I turned on the cell blocker. You wouldn’t believe some of the freaky shit people are into. I’ll come get them in the morning.”

Jensen stares at me. “You’re all fucking crazy.”

I smirk. “That is a fairly accurate assumption.”

I engage the fence current and grab Jensen by the arm, dragging him down the watchtower stairs and across the field to the zone door. I unlock it from the inside, and we go through, then I lock it again from the outside.

“Go back to Vesper’s house, shower, and get some rest. It might be the safest night’s sleep you’ll have since being here. If you’re really concerned, meet me outside at seven. If I make her wait for her coffee, she might murder me as well.”

Jensen nods and walks toward the residential area, while I head to the bar. I’ll drop some food off to him on my way home. If he doesn’t get killed, he might need to harden up a little if he plans to stay here. Something in my gut says that Vesper won’t give him up out of spite, and the Jester won’t kill him because he will do anything to please her. I make a mental note to get Clay to investigate who is after him. If Jensen sticks around, we need to be on top of any threats, and I plan to make it my mission to find that drive and see what’s on it. If it’s a threat to her, I might have to end him myself. I may not be able to have anything real with her, but I still care enough to want to keep her safe and see her happy.

When I get to the bar, Brawley is ordering dinner. “Hey, have you seen Vesper?”

I nod as I walk around the bar. “Yeah, she is locked in the apocalypse zone.”

He lays his phone down on the bar and stares at me. “Why?”

“She’s sorting things out with the Jester. He may not survive the night, but we will see how it plays out.”

Brawley laughs. He’s her best friend on the island and is very protective of her, but he isn’t stupid and knows this thing between them needed to be dealt with.

“About fucking time. I hope she skins him alive.”

“That is one of the outcomes that’s plausible.”

“Then I guess we will find out tomorrow when you let them out. Where’s the new one?”

“Vesper’s house, having a shower. The Jester had him tied to a post, being pelted with paintballs. He will feel a little sorry for himself when the adrenaline wears off.”

“Poor guy has no idea what he walked into. Let me know when you let her out. She may need to work through some of her aggression in the ring.”

Ares brings out Brawley’s order, and once he leaves, I make quick work of getting some dinner for both Jensen and me, as feeding him is the least I can do. I don’t want to be on Vesper’s shit list if the guy dies from shock. It takes about twenty minutes to get the food heated, since it’s leftovers from lunch today, and I head back to Jensen. Though first I swing past Nixie’s office and let her know that none of us will be on shift tonight. She’s pissed but also understands, since Vesper is useless if she’s in a bad mood and usually ends up taking it out on a guest.

I don’t bother knocking when I get to Vesper’s house; it’s not like she’s here, and it’s not his house. Jensen is on the sofa, freshly showered, dressed in a pair of sweats, a clean shirt, and his jacket.

“Come and eat something,” I say as I walk past him to the kitchen, pushing through the door.

He follows me in and takes a seat at the table. He fiddles with his jacket as I place the containers on the table.

Then it hits me—he’s had the drive on him this entire time. It’s smart in a way, but also stupid because it would only take someone like me to notice. I plan to take that drive and find out exactly what he is hiding and why someone wants that information so badly. If it could bring harm to Vesper, I might have to take matters into my own hands.

I push the container of food toward him and pull out my phone, texting Clay to meet me later. I need his help to track down whoever is after this drive. Then we decide who is the bigger threat to Vesper—Jensen or the person who hired him. Either way, one of them needs to go.

Vesper

Jester is a dead man walking, or a dead man lying flat on his back. I raise the blade above my head, and he smirks at me and reaches up, grabbing my wrist, then slowly brings the blade down to his chest.

“Take my life,” he says. “Make me bleed for you.”

“Shut up,” I seethe. He doesn’t get to talk and ruin his death for me.

“I mean it,” he says, his eyes on mine. “If this is how it ends, then this will be the best day of my life.”

The knife is pressed against his chest. I can feel his heartbeat through the handle, or it could be my pulse rapidly thumping.