Page 71 of The Vixen

“Fuck. You.You lying, manipulative, scum-sucking piece of shit. I cannot wait until you’re dead so I can piss on your grave, you?—”

I bat her hand away from my face. “Are you gonna fuck him, yes or no?”

Her eyes bugged, she clenches her jaw and just stares at me. It’s a no. It’s an obvious no. But finally, she grinds it out.

“No.”

“Good. Because this isn’t the island, Liberty. You’re not fucking your way out of here. That guy is not going to save you, so if you think even for a second?—”

“Sawyer.” Her jaw trembles—tight, like she’s holding it in place. “If you don’t shut up, I’m going to kill you. I’m not kidding.”

I close my mouth and look back at Aiden when he calls my name. He rolls his hand in alet’s get a move ongesture.

Facing forward, I nod down the path and start that way. Liberty and I are quiet for several minutes while her anger and my contempt simmer between us.

After a year of trying to rewrite this woman’s story in my mind (she’s Angel’s wife; she’s not that bad; I’m partly to blame), I think I forgot how much I dislike her.

Little things like the way she walks—too proud, almost arrogant. And the way she speaks, always blurting out, never taking time to consider her words. Or her actions. Or her future.

All blunt force, no trauma.

“I have a plan,” I say at last when we’re dangerously close to our destination.

Liberty’s shoulders lift as she pulls Thorne’s coat tighter. “I know. I wouldn’t be out here if you didn’t.”

I glance over to see her jaw still tight. But she’s subtly moving closer to me, ear cocked with an eagerness I force myself to notice.

Same team. We’re on the same team.

“You’re not gonna like it.”

“As much as I didn’t like the first part of your plan to have me kidnapped and raped by an inbred cult?”

She nods when I just stare. “Yeah. The white witch let me in on their breeding operation. So, thank you very much for that.”

My head tipping up, I search for a drone. They’re so tiny, spotting them is a challenge I haven’t yet conquered; but even if the control-room keepers aren’t listening, Luna is. She’d never allow this to happen if she wasn’t.

“No one is going to touch you… We’ll be out of here before anyone has the chance… I promise.”

Liberty huffs. “Your promises mean nothing.”

“If they meant nothing, you wouldn’t hear me out.”

She peeks at me. Fear shows in the downward curve of her lips, the wrinkles of her nose.

“Just… tell me the plan.”

A mutedpopsounds in my ears as my teeth tap. There’s a very thin line to walk here, and almost every conversation I’ve imagined has ended with Liberty blowing up. It was only this morning—a half hour after setting everything into motion—that I decided to clue her in at all.

It’sdangerous, the chance of backfire high. And Liberty’s input is truly the last thing I need or want or could tolerate.

But the plan works better this way.

“There are names we shouldn’t say here, just in case anyone is listening… You get that, right?”

Liberty’s frown deepens. “Yes.”

As I nod, my shoe catches on a rock and knocks me off rhythm. In this two second delay, I almost rethink everything.