Dark Stars by Danielle Rollins (best affordable ebook reader txt) 📕

closer. This was the most dangerous part of their plan. They were going to simply give themselves up, and if the Freaks decided to shoot one or both of them, well then that was that. This would all be over before it had even started.

They made their way across the docks, first one Freak turning and spotting them through the fog, and then three, six, many. A cackle went through the crowd, and Dorothy stiffened, waiting for the crack of a gunshot to split the silence. None came. It bothered her that this was such a relief.

“So far so good,” she muttered, under her breath, as the circle of Freaks parted. Ash nodded, but his gaze was trained straight ahead.

Mac had just appeared at the top of the Fairmont steps, gun stuffed lazily into his waistband, face twisted into a snarl. The woman in black stood just behind him, her head bowed, silent as ever.

“You here to surrender, Quinn?” Mac asked.

Dorothy wet her lips, nerves tightening her muscles. They’d considered many versions of this plan before landing on this one, discarding them all one after another. Disappearing into the past meant leaving this world to rot, and taking on Mac directly meant that they would almost certainly be outnumbered and killed.

And so, they’d decided on this. Showing up unarmed, alone. It had seemed like their only option, at the time. Now that they were here, though, it was clear that this was lunacy.

Please work, she thought as she raised her hands a little higher, to show that she had no plans to reach for her daggers.

Eliza had separated from the fog and was by Dorothy’s side in a second, ripping her arms behind her back with more force than strictly necessary.

“Good choice,” she snarled into Dorothy’s ear. She began to pat Dorothy down; clearly, she had no intention of trusting that she was unarmed.

Dorothy tried not to grimace as the rest of the Freaks surrounded them, guns drawn.

“I’m here to make a trade,” Dorothy said, working hard to keep her voice calm. She saw, from the corner of her eye, that Bennett was patting down Ash.

Mac lifted his eyebrows. “A trade?”

“That’s right.” Dorothy offered a slow smile, her eyebrow twitching. “Ash and I are prepared to hand over what’s left of the exotic matter and lead you to the location of the Black Crow. Now, if you’d like.”

Mac chewed on his fat lips for a moment, thinking this over. “And you’re doing this out of the goodness of your own heart are you?”

“Of course not.” Dorothy felt the corners of her lips tighten. Holding the smile was becoming difficult. “In exchange, you’ll call off the bounty on our heads. No more Freaks following us wherever we might go, no more threats. You get your time machine, and we get our freedom. Everyone’s happy.”

For a long moment, no one said a word. The only sound was the wind over the water, the shuffle of boots against damp wood, the dock’s disapproving groan.

“There’s no trade without a pilot,” Mac said, eyes narrowing.

Dorothy kept her eyes trained straight ahead. She’d done many questionable things in the year she’d spent as Quinn Fox, but she’d always been able to justify them as necessary. She’d been building a better world, a better future. If there were people she needed to step on along the way, so be it.

But she’d never thought of herself as a selfish person before. Not until now.

If she looked at Ash, she knew she wouldn’t be able to do what she’d come here to do. And so she kept her eyes straight ahead, a muscle in her jaw tightening.

“I’ve brought you a pilot,” she said evenly.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ash’s head swivel around, his eyes boring into the sides of her face.

“Quinn—” he said.

Dorothy felt a muscle in her jaw tighten. The sound of his voice twisted something inside of her. He sounded so betrayed, so hurt.

“Now you and I are straight,” she said, and she took a few intentional steps across the dock, so that she was standing beside Mac, the two of them facing Ash, together.

One of the Cirkus Freaks laughed, the sound cruelly cutting through the fog. They began to draw closer, circling him.

“No.” Ash’s face was terrible, confused and hurt.

Dorothy forced herself to meet his eyes, even though it pained her to do so.

He looked from Mac to Dorothy and said, as though trying to appeal to some humanity inside of her, “What are you doing? We were going to take Mac on together. That was the plan!”

“Ash, be reasonable. If we did it that way, I’d have Mac and his men following me for the rest of my life.” Dorothy felt a rush as the truth of this statement filled her words. Her mother had been the one to point this out. She’d known men like Mac her whole life, and she was certain that Mac wouldn’t give up until he’d found a pilot. The only way to be rid of him for good was to give him one.

“I’m sorry,” Dorothy said, ashamed to hear her voice breaking. “There simply isn’t another way.”

To Mac, she added, “You have everything you need now. Tell me, do we have a deal?”

Mac was considering her, lips twitching with glee. He seemed to be enjoying this immensely. He rocked from the heels of his feet to the balls, hands stuffed in his trouser pockets. Dorothy held her breath, waiting. She could practically hear the words on his lips.

We have a deal.

But, after a long moment, he shook his head, almost sadly. He pulled his gun from his waistband and used it to scratch his temple.

“The thing is, princess,” he said, with a short laugh. “I just don’t trust you.”

And he pointed the gun at Dorothy’s face, drawing the gun’s hammer back with his thumb.

32Ash

Ash felt his spine stiffen as Cirkus Freaks surrounded him on all sides, his head spinning. He hadn’t