We stalled at the corner.
Adeline poked her head around before whipping back into position beside me. She held up three fingers, then pointed across the street and held up five. Three bots ahead, move on five.
I think.
She focused on the street, counting down with her fingers.
Knees bent, I mentally prepared to jog.
She raised a fist.
My legs kicked into gear.
Adeline rammed her shoulder into my chest, adding another bruise.
“Sorry,” I hissed.
She jutted a finger at me, scowl darker than the last one.
How she expected me to understand her clandestine codes was beyond me. Some instruction in a less volatile area would’ve benefited us both.
She grabbed my shirt and bolted. I followed suit, not looking for whatever danger had passed. Slowing behind the next dilapidated building, we shuffled along the wall toward a door.
Her rapping knock sent my head spinning. Watching for sentries or goons that might have heard. Silence stilled the abandoned neighborhood, neglected shoes and sparking machines littering the grounds.
The door opened.
We slid into darkness.
The lock clicked. “Old code, El.”
“Still worked,” Adeline replied.
Light blinded me momentarily, an uncovered bulb dangling from a wire.
A man with a scraggly beard and hooded eyes glowered. “You said you weren’t coming back.”
“Come on, Mal. Girls change their minds.”
He sniffed obnoxiously, wiping wet snot from his nose with his bare hand.
I swallowed my bile, pocketing my hands.
“What you want?” Mal asked, rubbing the slimy mess on his worn pants.
Adeline unbuttoned her top and swept it back. “Need to see Jess.” His brow tightened, incurring a frustrated snarl from her. “I don’t care if he’s busy. He’ll want to hear this.”
The man eyed me, bushy brows a consistent line across his pale skin.
“Bugs Bunny’s with me.”
My shoulders tensed at the nickname.
Mal grumbled but motioned for us to follow. A set of stairs led deeper into the building.
I leaned toward Adeline, voice hardly over a whisper. “Why am I a cartoon rabbit?”
“Cause you jump without thinking.”
“How was I supposed to know you meant–”
She covered my mouth and shoved me behind her as the staircase narrowed. Wood creaked under our feet, the railing shifting with every step.
The room opened to light. Bright bulbs glared from mounted standards, revealing a crowd of motely people. By the smell, no one had used a shower in days. Matted braids, grime-encrusted skin and nails, fraying shirts and ripped pants.
I clenched my shoulders as we weaved between the people.
Adeline bumped into whoever didn’t move fast enough, letting her top slide down her shoulders. By the time we broke through the crowd, her tank top was all that covered her slim frame.
And the man across the room noticed. “Long time, El.”
“Jester.”
His smirk deepened the wrinkles around his hungry eyes. Scratching the stubble under his chin, he sneered, “Respect was never your strong suit.”
“Give me a reason.”
A few moments passed before he combed back his black locks and turned to the girl beside him. “Get some refreshments for the prodigal child.” She wandered off while he motioned us forward. “What can I do for you?”
Adeline flipped her chocolate curls over her shoulders, producing the attention she seemed to desire. “It’s what I can do for you.”
My skin crawled as he licked his teeth. “Go on.”
“The Chairman is instituting a city-wide security upgrade. He’ll have direct control of every system from his compound within a month.”
Jess’s pupils focused to pinpoints, analyzing her with newfound horror. “I’ve heard the rumor.”
Adeline jabbed her thumb at me. “My friend confirms.”
As if seeing me for the first time, his head bobbed with his active gaze. “This is–”
“Shocking resemblance,” Adeline interrupted. “But not the Chairman’s stepson. You can call him Bugs.”
When did my identity need to be clandestine?
Jess squinted, creases forming trenches in his brow. “Well Bugs, how reliable is your information?”
Clearing my throat didn’t help the knot in my gut. “Practically from the horse’s mouth, sir.”
He straightened, smirk returning. “Sir. Ain’t that wonderful manners.” He steered his prideful eyes to Adeline, begging for a reaction.
She gave him none. “We need to move on the Chairman now. Otherwise, we’ll have no chance.”
The girl returned with a tray, half a loaf of bread and three water bottles balancing on top.
“Thanks, Ish,” he said while tearing off a piece of the crust. Crumbs fell from his lips as he spoke. “Sounds risky. Will I get my best mechanic back?”
Adeline’s shoulders tensed. “Temporarily.”
He wagged his finger. “You want my men, I get you.”
Sweat beaded on the back of her neck, tan skin losing its lushness. Her thoughts were blocked by the steel doors of her eyes, but her posture betrayed the slightest panic.
I stepped in front of her. “She’s not on the market.”
A boisterous cackle scratched his throat. “Choice words.”
“I feel they’re accurate.”
Biting his tongue, he broadened his stance. “I’ll forgive your ignorance. If you come to me, you have to give something.”
“People aren’t property.”
“Here, they are.”
A cold hand gripped my arm.
I took a step, pulling from Adeline’s grasp. “We’ve given you warning of what’s to come. Do with the information what you will, but El doesn’t need to do anything else for you.”
Turning on my heels, I found the masses. Glaring. Seething.
Adeline stared with glassy eyes, cheeks hollow.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I hooked my arm around her waist and pushed forward.
The crowd refused to break.
I shoved my shoulder between a pair of people, the stench of rot filling my nostrils. Every disease imaginable seemed to cling to my skin, crawling along razor-thin nerves.
But I held fast. Gripping Adeline close to me, I forced my way through the sneers and hacking coughs. Beyond the crowd, I pulled her shirt onto her shoulders and hustled her toward the stairs. Whatever possessed her to think this underground network could be manipulated?
“Bugs.”
My foot stalled on the first step.
The crowd parted, revealing Jess on the other side with his crooked sneer. “If you want my help, you still owe me something.”
“Not her.”
Despite the shocking light, his expression darkened. “How about a train?”