Rival Page 4

  And his companionship wouldn’t hurt, either. Just until she figured out what to do.

  “See.” Maddox ducked low amongst six small crates, all holding a few rats each. “They’re metal. And they work every time.”

  The rats scurried back and forth in their cages. They were puny things, probably no better fed than her and her people. But they were food.

  “How did you build these?” She eyed the construction of the cages.

  Maddox swiveled in the shadows under the bridge, his shoes crunching on gravel and glass. “They weren’t always like this. I had the metal structure, the outline of it, but I couldn’t get the door to swing shut right. These hinges here?” He pointed, and she nodded. “They weren’t my idea.”

  She blinked, surprised he’d admitted it. “Whose idea were they?”

  His lips curved again, like he had secrets he didn’t plan on telling her. “A girl. One who lives close to the bridge here.”

  “So…what?” Juno asked, easing back on her heels and making the rats squeak with the movement. “You found her one day and asked her how to catch more rats? Or did you follow her, too?”

  He rolled his eyes. “She saw my traps when I came for them. I thought she was going to steal them.” He grinned. “You know how that goes.”

  Juno snorted. “Yeah, well…don’t think I’m completely convinced you’re not the thief. You could be a brilliant liar.”

  “I am a brilliant liar.”

  Her heart skipped. At the look of danger on his face. At the way his eyes held hers.

  Then he chuckled. “But no sense in lying about that when the truth will get me a lot further.”

  She released a breath. “So, she didn’t steal your traps. Then what?”

  “We talked. She showed me her traps, and mine were almost identical. But she had hinges on hers, and I had this latch on mine. We shared ideas, built a better trap, and now we share the bridge sometimes, too. I set my traps back here and don’t bother hers, which are on the other side.”

  Juno averted her eyes. Well, Maddox sure made friends easy, didn’t he? “You ever see her?”

  “Who?”

  “The rat-trap girl. Do you ever see her around here?”

  Maddox shrugged. “I haven’t seen her again since then.”

  Why did that surprise her? It wasn’t like anyone around here had time for girlfriends or boyfriends, anyway, when they had so many bigger things to worry about.

  “Now what do we do with them?” Juno asked, quickly changing the direction of her thoughts.

  “This is the part you’re not going to like. But it’s necessary. Unless you want to bring them back alive and kill them when you get home. Fresher that way.”

  Juno’s stomach twisted again. “No thanks. I’m good.”

  He laughed, the low sound warm to her ears, echoing off the beams of the bridge and inside of her.

  “Tell me one thing,” he said, leaning against one of the metal posts.

  A flicker of worry traveled through her before she answered. “What?”

  “How long has someone been stealing your fish?”

  “Just…” She shifted into a crouch, embarrassed. “A few days. I mean, I don’t even know if it’s been that long because I only started—”

  She broke off. He didn’t need to know that she’d just started fishing and that she barely knew what she was doing.

  “They steal the crab, too?”

  She gritted her teeth. “So? That’s why I’m here, right? So we can figure it out.”

  He only stared at her, and the echo of the words in her head suddenly sounded harsh. Why did he make her feel so defensive?

  “You should take half,” Maddox said, shifting toward the traps.

  “Half of what?”

  “The rats.”

  Juno narrowed her eyes. “I don’t need—”

  “Yeah, I get it. You don’t need anything from me.” Maddox didn’t even look at her when he dismissed her protest. “This isn’t charity, Juno. It’s a trade, remember? I help you, you help me.”

  She swallowed more arguments. He was right. This was how they did things around here. You helped someone out, they helped you out. Aside from that, you minded your own business.

  “Fine. Half,” she said.

  “Good. Now tell me about this thief.”

  She ignored her discomfort. She had to be open with him if he was going to help. He’d already held up his end of the bargain.

  “You know what he looks like—anything about him?” he prompted. His amusement returned. “Or her?”

  “I don’t know what they look like. No.”

  “And that’s why you thought it was me.”

  “You were there in the middle of the night. It’s not your territory. What would you think?”

  “Same thing. So…” He scratched his chin. “We don’t have much to go on.”

  Juno grumbled a frustrated insult before shuffling out from under the bridge and standing in the sunlight, her legs aching from crouching.

  Maddox followed her, laughter in his eyes. “What? I’m just stating the facts.”

  She folded her arms. “You’re a jerk. A big one. A huge one—”

  “Probably.” He sighed. “But facts are facts. We need more information.”

  “And how are we going get that?”

  “The same way you were planning to,” Maddox said.

  She stepped back, suddenly aware of how close he stood. How tall he was. How sure he was. “Meaning?”

  “A stakeout.”

  “What?”

  “We’ll watch your pots and your nets just like you were doing before,” he said. “If he comes for them again, we’ll see. And we’ll know who it is.”

  “But…” Her mouth hung open. She wasn’t sure why she was arguing. Maybe because she knew deep down how wrong it was to be with him, this forbidden boy from the other side of their border.

  “Don’t you want to figure this out?” Maddox asked.

  “I do.”

  “Doesn’t sound very convincing,” he said with a grin. “Are you scared of seeing me again?”

  She reached out and shoved his shoulder. He made a show of stumbling backward, embarrassing her even further. “I’m not scared.”

  “Then we start the stakeout tonight.”

  “Good.” Juno squared her shoulders. “The sooner we figure this out, the better.”

  “It’s a plan, then.” He gestured to the beams under the bridge. “Now, let’s go get your dinner.”

  Chapter Six

  Maddox

  When Maddox returned from his walk with Juno that afternoon, he had a sack full of rats and an irrational hope the supplies he was missing would magically show up somehow. But when he went to check, the storage closet was still painfully bare. It was only a matter of time before Theo or his mother found out.

  The last thing he needed was them blaming the other side if that wasn’t the truth. He was starting to think his brother and his friends were purposely trying to keep the sides apart—but instead of helping their community, it was hurting it.

  It might be irrational, but he also had just the smallest bit of hope that if Juno was a good representation of the other community, then maybe there was a chance to end the feud. He just had no idea how he’d get his side of the border to see that.

  Maddox brought his sack to the communal kitchen and got busy making dinner. Everyone in the territory was required to fend for themselves, but his mom still preferred to keep the storage closet stocked in case there were shortages.

  Each family was allowed their own small plot in the garden—his mom liked to work there most of the time—and anyone could scavenge where they chose, as long as they didn’t cross the paved road that acted as a border between their communities.

  He cleaned the rats and brought them outside to the pit to cook. The heat of the sun made starting the fire easier, but it beat down hard. He wished for those months of rain he remembered from his child
hood. In fact, he wished for a lot more, like peace between the communities, so life wasn’t so stressful.

  And maybe even a chance for companionship. Like what was happening with Juno. He’d let himself hope for the first time in a long time today, and he wasn’t sure yet whether it was good for him or a terrible, terrible mistake.

  Maddox finished grilling the rats as the sun sank behind the buildings and shadowed their tiny community. Families walked over from the outskirts, waving as they joined him in the dining hall—what used to be the mall’s cafeteria. Someone had lit a few lanterns inside at the head table, and he spotted his mom in one of the seats, talking to a woman and her husband.

  He felt a hand on his shoulder and tensed automatically. He forced himself to relax when he glanced up and saw Theo and Theo’s friend, James. Guilt. That’s all. Maddox was feeling guilty because he hadn’t told anyone about the missing supplies, which wasn’t his fault, and because he’d spent half the day with an outsider.

  “Hey. I didn’t see you come back,” Theo said.

  Maddox shrugged. That was because he hadn’t gotten back until about thirty minutes ago. “I was cooking.”

  Theo smiled at him, curiosity in his eyes. His hair was one dark wave, just like their father’s. Maddox didn’t remember much about him, but every time he looked at his brother, he saw his dad.

  “Come on,” Theo said, angling for the table where their mother sat.

  He greeted other members of their community as he passed, giving nods, clapping people on the shoulder. He might as well have been Maddox’s father. Between him and his mom, they knew everyone in the community, knew everything that was going on, and had everyone’s respect. If they had problems with outsiders, Theo and Alice knew about it. If there was a food shortage or any of the families were struggling, Theo and Alice had a plan to take care of it.

  But when it came to the people across the border, Maddox wasn’t sure how much animosity truly came from his mother. He knew she missed their dad, knew she felt it was safer to stay on their side and try to keep peace, but he sometimes wondered if hate was even in her vocabulary.

  Maddox and Theo sat at the end of the table with Alice. Theo nodded his thanks when someone moved aside for him to sit next to their mother, keeping the family together.

  The flicker of light from the lantern danced across the table as Maddox placed the plate of meat in the center. Someone walked by and set a bowl with mixed veggies next to their dinner as well.

  Alice smiled at her, her brown eyes wide and friendly. She was always quick to smile, and the wrinkles around her lips and eyes were proof. “Thank you.”

  Offerings like that were pretty common, a sign of respect for the leaders of their community.

  “Did you find out anything today?” Alice asked, turning her attention to him.

  Maddox dumped some greens on his plate, thinking suddenly of the fish Juno might be catching. “Nothing interesting. I don’t even think he’s real—this Scorpion.”

  “But you asked around?” Theo said. “If someone is making trips into the Light District, maybe there’s something we can do to help. Or offer some kind of trade for more supplies.”

  Maddox straightened in his chair at the mention of supplies. He swallowed a small bite of lettuce. “I couldn’t find anything. I checked my traps like usual, talked to a few people.” Actually, only Juno. “Nothing.”

  Theo’s jaw clenched. “We’ve been hearing rumors for weeks. There has to be something going on. Did you ask at the school? I know they have at least three families living there.”

  How did he know that? As far as Maddox knew, Theo hadn’t left the community in months. He was too busy making sure everything ran smoothly. Besides, it was half a day’s walk to the bridge. When did Theo have time? Unless he went at night?

  Maddox glanced at his mom, who watched him intently. “I didn’t get over there. I can make another trip tomorrow or the next day.”

  Which would give him a good excuse to see Juno again.

  Theo shifted in his seat, his hand tightening on his fork. “It might make sense to do more scouting over there,” he said. “See if we can get more supplies.”

  Alice angled her head, considering this. “They’re just as bad off over there as we are here. I don’t want to take any more from their area if we don’t have to. Besides, if there is a Scorpion—or anyone trying to get supplies from the Light District—it makes sense they’d want to keep it quiet. I know the Enforcers aren’t on this side of the wall, but if they find out about someone taking supplies, I bet they’ll make an exception. Things could escalate quickly.”

  Maddox knew his mom had been around before the wall ever went up, but he didn’t know much else. She liked to say that the past was the past, and usually he thought she was right.

  It was Theo who had a hard time accepting.

  But Theo had a hard time accepting a lot these days. His jaw clenched. “I’m just worried,” Theo said. “About staying stocked.”

  Maddox’s stomach flickered with worry, but he kept a straight face. No one knew about the supplies yet—and had no reason to be suspicious. He wasn’t going to bring it up unless he knew where the supplies had gone or had a plan to find out.

  “We already have so much else to worry about, anyway,” Theo continued.

  “What do you mean?” Maddox asked.

  Theo barely flicked him a glance. “The other community. I’ve seen more and more of them close to the border. Something’s going on.”

  Maddox wasn’t about to say he figured it was because they were missing fish. Or because they’d seen him and were trying to protect their territory. They had more reason to be suspicious of his side than his community over here had to be suspicious of theirs.

  “Maybe they’re just being cautious, like us,” Maddox said, nodding at his mom. “I mean…we’re worried about them, they’re worried about us. And maybe…”

  Theo glared at him. “Maybe what?”

  He was going to say that maybe there wasn’t as much to worry about as they thought. Maybe the other side was just as over the feud as he was. Juno hadn’t talked about it much—but neither had he. It was something he wanted to bring up to her. To see where her community stood.

  “Maybe we should just go ask them to dinner?” Theo taunted. He glanced at his friend James, who sat farther down the table. “See if they want to share supplies?”

  James laughed while Maddox gritted his teeth. He struggled to stay calm.

  “I’m just saying, maybe we can help each other. Learn from each other. I was thinking we could try to put together some…nets, or some kind of system in the water. Maybe catch some fish or…” Crab. Like Juno. “Or something like that. Like what it looks like they have down the beach.”

  Alice started to respond, but Theo interrupted. “Why the sudden interest in fish?”

  Maddox continued to force himself to stay relaxed. “It’s not a sudden interest. We have a beach, and we’re not using it for anything. I know they have a different system on—in the other community, right?”

  It just made sense for them to work together. But the more he watched his mom’s face, the more he doubted she could believe that. Not after all this time.

  “It’s…” Alice rubbed her fingers on her forehead and sighed. “It’s so close to the other community. And—not safe.”

  Maddox frowned. “We have boundaries. I’ll make sure to stay on our side. It’ll be safe enough.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  Before Maddox could question her further, she snagged her plate and moved to another table, sitting with one of her friends.

  “Jackass,” Theo muttered under his breath.

  “What?”

  Theo grabbed more meat and tore off a piece between his front teeth. “Don’t talk to her about the beach. We’re managing just fine without fish or whatever plan you’re trying to come up with.”

  “Is that all you want? To manage just fine? I don’t see
the harm in getting more food if we can. Mom barely ate anything last night at dinner—probably because she’s worried about everyone else getting food. You don’t think it would make sense to find another source? It’s certainly not going to hurt anything.”

  Theo pointed his finger at him. “Hurt anything? What the hell do you think happened to Dad on the beach out there? It—”

  He broke off abruptly, shoving a hand through his hair before gripping the edge of the table.

  Maddox froze in his seat, the voices and laughter around him sinking into a dull roar. His dad had gotten killed on the beach? No wonder his mom never wanted to go there.

  “The last time people started snooping around, it was because they wanted to steal what was rightfully ours. And then Dad…” Theo dropped his chin to his chest and didn’t continue.

  “How come you didn’t tell me?” Maddox asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

  “You were four when it happened.”

  “I’m not four now.”

  Theo breathed out, but his jaw stayed clenched. He glanced toward the table where their mother sat. She watched their conversation, eyes locked on Maddox.

  “Mom doesn’t talk about it. Ever,” Theo said. “And it’s not like it’d fix what those bastards did. We were just as hungry as they were, but we didn’t kill any of their men. Though we should’ve,” Theo muttered under his breath.

  Maddox stood abruptly, his chair legs scraping harshly on the floor. “I’m not hungry anymore.”

  He stared at Theo, daring him to chide him for not cleaning up his plate or talking to their neighbors. Theo kept his mouth shut, though, and Maddox turned toward the exit. He felt eyes on him as he left.

  Maddox wound through the courtyard, passing the door to the storage area and for once not caring that he was lying to his mom and Theo about the missing supplies.

  He’d been raised to believe the worst about the other community—Theo always had something horrible to say about them—but still, his father’s death was so long ago. When was everyone going to move on?

  Unless Theo and his mom knew something more than they let on. Maybe Juno seemed harmless on the outside, but she was more dangerous than he could imagine.