Rival Page 3

  She glanced away, pretending to find something interesting in an old pile of wood. She never lied to Pillar, but what was she supposed to say? He mocked me, and then I let him go. But I don’t think he stole anything.

  “He didn’t see me,” Juno said, kicking a piece of wood. “He just—he left.”

  “That’s weird. You sure he didn’t take the fish?”

  “He didn’t have anything with him.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?” Pillar asked. “What if he comes back? What if—” She broke off when Juno shook her head, and her mouth turned to a frown. “He could be dangerous.”

  Juno nodded. “I know. But he didn’t seem dangerous.”

  And if she turned him in, he’d probably get hurt. Even if Rand and Stef let him go, they’d probably torture him first.

  Victor Bridge finally came into view, the entrance blocked by a high pile of rubble. The rest of the land, all the way across to the ocean, had a massive concrete wall on it. Juno had heard that even if you could get to the other side, there were Enforcers that would stop you from going far.

  She wondered, if the Scorpion was real, how were they getting into the city? Did the Enforcers have any clue? If so, they might not be so happy.

  “What are we supposed to do?” Pillar asked, looking around at the buildings. “Just start asking people about supplies? You know what Dad would do if someone came into our territory and did that.”

  Before she could remind Pillar that things weren’t like that over here, movement caught her eye from the next building over. Juno inched to her right, peering down the alleyway. “Did you see that?”

  “What?”

  “Someone back there,” Juno said.

  Pillar squeezed her hands on the straps of her pack. “You think someone’s watching us? They don’t know who we are.”

  Juno heard the discomfort in Pillar’s voice. Her friend was right. They couldn’t just walk up to people and start asking questions. They needed to make friends, fit in—and it was clear how much they didn’t.

  “Maybe…maybe we should just scavenge,” Juno suggested. “Split up and see what we can find. And if we come across anyone who looks safe to talk to…”

  She whipped around when she saw the figure again. Someone was following them.

  “Split up?” Pillar asked nervously. She glanced across the street where a few Darksiders walked with their own satchels. They looked harmless enough to Juno, but she could understand why Pillar was wary.

  “Maybe you could circle around those buildings then head back to the community, and I’ll go the other way. Try to find some supplies and anyone who’s alone and looks approachable.” Juno had her hand on her knife, already inching toward the building. “It’ll be safer this way. And then—then I’ll meet you back at the boathouse.”

  Pillar glanced around again and nodded. “Okay. Don’t take too long.”

  Juno waited until she wandered off in the other direction, then squeezed her knife as she walked toward the building. When she reached the alley, she slowed her footsteps, focusing on being as quiet as possible.

  Someone was watching her, and she wanted to know who.

  She cursed when her foot hit a stray bottle, making it rattle across the cement. With a sharp breath, she jumped around the corner—and gasped.

  It was the boy from the docks.

  Chapter Four

  Maddox

  It was his fault he’d trapped himself in the back of the alleyway, but he hadn’t had a choice. The girl and her friend were weaving all over the place, and this was the only spot he could watch without being seen.

  Then he heard her footsteps approaching and realized that, just like at the docks, he hadn’t been as discreet as he thought.

  When she jumped around the corner, knife at the ready, he held up his hands. “Don’t stab me.”

  “What are you doing?” Her cheeks were red, and her hand shook as she pointed the knife at him.

  His throat dried when he saw her hair was halfway down, part of it over her shoulder. Long and soft.

  “Uh…I was exploring,” he lied.

  She narrowed her eyes, a gaze so full of distrust he found himself wanting to reassure her like he had last night. Something about her made him want to gain her trust.

  Following her to Victor Bridge, however, probably didn’t up his trustworthiness in her eyes.

  “You were following us,” she said, jabbing the knife in his direction. “I know it. You were following us all the way here, and you can’t deny it. I caught you.”

  He blanked his expression. “Following who? I’m doing research.”

  “Us. I—what kind of research?”

  Her stance relaxed, and so did his. He took note of the navy satchel she had slung over her shoulder and the numerous holes in the knees and shins of her pants. Her T-shirt was frayed at the hem and the toe of her boot nearly worn through. Apparently the other community was just as bad off as his. But that didn’t take away from the flush of her cheeks or the fire in her eyes that seemed to hold him captive for a long moment.

  He decided right then that he’d rather work with her than against her. She might be able to help him figure out who’d taken his supplies. She might be some sort of bridge to calming the feud that still raged among their communities.

  And more than that… His gaze dropped to her lips as though he had no choice. She was beautiful. It had been a long time since he’d been able to think about anything other than surviving, other than trying to calm his brother every time he got worked up over how much he hated the other community.

  A small distraction wouldn’t hurt. In fact, it made perfect sense.

  “The Scorpion,” he said finally, trying a tactic he hoped worked.

  She straightened and shoved her knife back in her belt. He didn’t miss the glint of curiosity in her eyes and figured he might have found a way to hold her interest and to gain her trust.

  “What about the Scorpion?” she asked.

  “You’ve heard of him?”

  “Or her.”

  He bit back a grin. Of course she’d think the Scorpion was a girl. He actually doubted he—or she—existed at all, but that didn’t matter right now.

  “I’m just checking things out.” Maddox stepped from the wall and around the corner to the alleyway. “Seeing if I can get answers.”

  “What have you found out so far?”

  He waited until she caught up to him and then strolled into the sunshine. “You want me to share my secrets?”

  Her lips pinched together. “No. I’m just… I’m doing some research of my own. About, you know, about—”

  “The Scorpion,” he said easily.

  She nodded. “And I think I got what I needed.”

  Yeah, right. “You did?”

  “Yep. I’m going to go, so…” She turned to face him and pointed a finger at his chest. “So, don’t follow me.”

  “I wasn’t—” He bit back the rest of the comment. No sense in lying when she already knew what he was doing. “Okay. I was following you.”

  She stopped in her tracks and then turned slowly to angle her chin at him. The light glinted off her hair—not nearly as dark as he’d thought it had been. In fact, it was almost red in the sun.

  “You lied,” she said.

  He didn’t answer. Safer that way.

  “If you lied about this, you could have lied about the fish and the nets. Probably other things, too. Like—”

  “I didn’t lie.”

  Her eyes searched his for a long moment, making him glance away. She saw too much, this girl who didn’t have a name. He’d made a huge mistake following her here. He was supposed to see her as the enemy, but instead, he wanted an ally.

  “I need to get back,” she murmured, scanning the side of the street. Her eyes landed on the glass bottle she’d kicked when she was trying to sneak up on him. She bent to retrieve it.

  “What are you going to use that for?”

 
“It’s none of your business.”

  He stepped back as she stood, ignoring the defensiveness in her tone. They were supposed to be enemies. “If you’re looking for food,” he said, “I know where you can find some.”

  Her head snapped up. “You mean stuff from the Light District?”

  “No. Stuff from the rat traps I set.”

  “Rat traps?” She considered this a long moment before she shook her head. “I have everything I need. I mean—I don’t need anything from you.”

  “I wasn’t going to just give it to you.” Though he had been. He should have realized she’d be too proud to take anything from him. “I was thinking a trade.”

  She held up the glass bottle and shook it. “This is all I’ve got right now, unless you need a pair of boots.”

  He glanced at her ratty shoes with a smile. “Neither. I want to know about your thief.”

  She tucked the bottle into her bag, and for a moment he thought she was going to leave. But then she looked back as she started walking. “Okay. Talk.”

  Maddox fell into step beside her, matching her strides. He couldn’t help but glance around, though. Walking with her like this through his community would have been a death sentence. But he reminded himself that no one cared over here. And as long as no one from their communities saw them, it was almost like they were two normal teenagers.

  The way he wished it were back at home. Why fight each other when they already had so many other worries?

  “If anyone sees us, you’re going to be in trouble,” she said, as if reading his thoughts. “I mean, really big trouble.”

  He chuckled. “So are you.”

  “Then be quick.”

  He gritted his teeth at the unexpected sting the words brought. She wanted nothing to do with him. But how could he blame her? That’s how it was supposed to be.

  “I believe you about the thief,” he said, nodding. “I want to know what you know.”

  She glanced at him, and the slight shift in her posture made her arm brush against his. He didn’t move. Part of him wanted to step away. He wasn’t even supposed to be talking to this girl. But the other part felt the exact opposite way.

  “If you’re telling the truth—I mean about not stealing my fish—then why do you believe me all the sudden?” she asked. “You said it was probably someone from my own community.”

  “If it is, that same someone stole from my community, too.”

  She stopped. Her dark eyes met his once more, full of a thousand words she wasn’t saying. And he found he wanted them. All the words. More of her.

  “I’m Maddox, by the way.”

  She stared at his outstretched hand. “Someone stole from you, and you want my help.”

  He nodded, still holding out his hand, willing her to show him the slightest bit of trust. “I do. I want to find out who did this. I need to, or else my community will probably blame yours, and then we’ll have another war on our hands.”

  That was the last thing they needed. It was already too much stress trying to get from one day to the next. Having the communities fighting again would make it so much harder. If they could find the thief, maybe his community wouldn’t even have to know about the missing supplies.

  His mom and Theo only used them when they were desperately low, which meant the supplies usually stayed locked up for weeks, even months, without anyone laying eyes on them.

  She eyed the hand he was holding out for her. “You mean, we’ll work together.”

  She said it with a flicker of hope in her voice, almost as though she wanted the same thing he did. To spend time together—even if it was just planning or brainstorming. Maybe talking. Maybe even laughing.

  “Yes,” he said, trying to sound reassuring. “We’ll work together until we can figure out who stole your fish and who stole my supplies.”

  With one swift motion, she held out her hand and took his. It was warm and small, but firm. Strong, like her.

  “I’m Juno,” she said, pulling back. “I believe you. For now. So…let’s get to work.”

  And just like that, a girl who was supposed to be his sworn enemy was now his partner in crime.

  Chapter Five

  Juno

  He steered them away from the border, his strides light and quick as they passed a small warehouse she longed to search for scraps. But just like everywhere else, she probably wouldn’t find much.

  Juno had spent her entire life—at least, the life she remembered—in her community by the beach. Her only enemies were lack of food and the people across the border. But she often forgot that the people over by the bridge contended with the same things. No supplies, no food, no clothes. Things they seemed to be trying to take back from the Light District.

  If she came to live here, if she finally took that leap and left her community, there would still be hardships.

  Juno swallowed and lifted her chin. She could deal with hardships, though. It was the complete lack of support and no sense of family that seemed to stab her in the heart every day.

  She ventured a look at Maddox. He didn’t seem to care that she didn’t belong. Maddox knew nothing about her. In fact, he should hate her like the rest of his community. But instead, he seemed interested in her company.

  “You’re going the wrong way,” she said, clearing her throat. Still, she couldn’t get too comfortable. “I mean, this isn’t—it’s not the way back to our communities.”

  He glanced over, eyebrow lifted. Amusement graced his lips, and she had to pretend she didn’t envy his carefree attitude, like life didn’t faze him at all. Either that, or he just enjoyed messing with her.

  And she was enjoying it, too. Just a little. It didn’t hurt that he kept smiling in a way that made her body tingle.

  “This is exactly where we want to go,” he said, pointing to Victor Bridge. “That’s where the rat traps are.”

  Her stomach grumbled. Mortified, she pressed a hand to it, hoping Maddox hadn’t heard. Then he chuckled under his breath, making her cheeks burn.

  “I can’t blame you,” he said, no judgment in his voice. “You cook ’em just right, it makes for a pretty good meal. Add some salt and pepper and you’ve practically got a feast.”

  Salt and pepper. Where’d he get salt and pepper? She opened her mouth to ask and then snapped it shut again. She didn’t need to know anything more about him or his community. They needed to stick to doing what they were supposed to do—find the thief.

  Even if she was kind of enjoying his company. And, she had to admit, he wasn’t bad to look at. The quirk of his lip, the ease of his walk, even the solid line of muscle she saw in each arm. He worked hard, and it showed.

  As they got closer to Victor Bridge, the sun flickered behind the metal beams that rose up around them. It had been years since Juno had been this close to the bridge. It went right into the edge of the city. She heard it used to be named something else. In fact, her entire country used to be named something else. Angleland? England? Something like that.

  But it didn’t really matter much to the people on this side of the city—the Darkside. History books and stories from the past had gotten lost over time. Most of the history she’d heard was about the other community and the wars they’d waged against each other over the years.

  There had been death. And even though things had been relatively quiet the last several months, it seemed like it might not be for much longer. Not if there was a thief out there.

  “How about you?” Maddox asked.

  Juno jerked her attention to his and barely missed tripping over a pile of wood scattered on the side of the road. “W–what?”

  Amusement flashed on his face again, causing his lips to quirk, his eyes to squint with that tiny grin.

  She swallowed. She wasn’t supposed to be making friends with him.

  She was supposed to have turned him in, too.

  Apparently Juno wanted change more than she’d realized.

  “How about you?” Maddox asked aga
in. “We eat lots of rats and vegetables. You eat fish, right? And crab?”

  Juno lifted her chin to the sky and let the sun warm her cheeks, giving in to the pleasure of walking next to someone who wasn’t judging her. Who seemed interested in what she had to say.

  “Fish. Yes,” she said with a nod. “No salt or pepper, but if you cook ’em just right, they’re not too bad. And crab…all we need is hot water. You guys have that whole south area past the dock. Why don’t you ever fish?”

  He stopped and turned to look at her, so many thoughts running across his face she couldn’t tell where one stopped and the other ended.

  “Never mind,” she said, shaking her head, reminding herself again that she wasn’t supposed to be making friends. “It’s none of my business what you guys do, anyway. Where are these traps?”

  Maddox angled his head, eyes narrowing. Questions. That’s what she saw there. But he didn’t ask any of them, only pointed. Maybe he figured, as she did, that the less they knew about each other and their communities, the better.

  “I’ve got them all set up along the back here,” he said, ducking under a beam.

  She followed him past broken wooden crates and rat droppings, her stomach twisting instead of rumbling now. Maybe sticking to fish was a good idea. But that was the problem—right now she didn’t have any fish.

  So maybe she’d get some tips from Maddox on how to cook rat. And if she had some of his salt and pepper…

  She realized suddenly that’s what she needed. If she didn’t belong back in her community, she belonged out here, where Stef said she’d come from in the first place. If she was out here, she wouldn’t have to worry about disappointing anyone. She didn’t have to wrap her arms around herself in hugs she wouldn’t get from someone else every night.

  She might be on her own, but she wouldn’t be lonely because she wouldn’t be looking for a relationship with someone who lived with her but didn’t care.

  But if she moved here…she had to learn how to take care of herself better.

  Juno shifted her attention to Maddox. Maybe he’d come into her life at the perfect time. He could help her learn how to catch rats. How to find other food. How to scavenge, even. Any knowledge he had on how to survive might be helpful.