Infliction |Infected Book 2|

Chapter 6 - Plans

Ryder

I stumbled back away from the punching bag, as Desiree's forceful punch landed with a loud slap against the leather. My eyes found hers and they were filled with hatred.

"Vivian," Desiree said bitterly. "I'm going to kill her."

"Whoa, whoa," I replied cautiously. My hands reached out to her trying to calm her down. "You can't just talk about that out in the open." I flicked my gaze nervously around the room, even though I knew no one else was in here and let them graze across the cameras set up in the corners of the room. My eyes landed on the black door and waited for a stampede of soldiers to come rushing through, but the door stayed close and the room stayed silent apart from Desiree's heavy breathing in front of me.

"She knows I'm going to kill her," Desiree said quietly, drawing my attention back to her. Her light blue eyes were wide and her body leaned towards me as if she was telling me a secret. "And if she doesn't think that then she's dumber than I thought she was."

Her eyes were serious. Desiree knew that she was going to kill Vivian, and I believed her. I wanted Vivian dead just as much as she did.

"What's your plan?" I whispered to her. I stepped closer to the bag, wrapping my arm around the side, leaning into it.

My face was the closest it's ever been to hers, and she drew in a deep, almost uncomfortable, breath at our sudden proximity. Desiree's hard gaze softened into a beautiful innocent expression.

"I don't really have a plan," She whispered back to me. Shyly, she glanced away from my eyes and down at the boxing gloves, covering her hands. "I guess I was just going to murder her the next time we were alone."

"And that's when the guards get called in and the show is over." I leaned a bit more into the punching bag as I tried to catch her gaze. Her eyes slowly lifted back up to me, and a small smile twitched at her lips, a sparkle shining in her frost colored eyes.

"Already happened once," She said quietly, her voice sounding more relaxed.

"And you're still here to tell about it?" My eyes widened in amazement at Desiree.

"I got tasered," She answered, blowing a stray away blonde hair from her face like nothing mattered.

The simple gesture of blowing the hair away, made me look at Desiree differently. Most of the girls, and men that come here are scared. I'll be the first one to admit that I will do anything to protect myself and my stolen little sister, even if that means respecting the authority of this twisted place we live in now.

But Desiree wasn't afraid. She was poisoned by a rage that inflicted her because of one single person, and nothing was going to stop her. It made her beautiful; it made her fierce. I could tell all of this from a single act, which normally wouldn't have seemed to matter, but right at this moment it did.

I had forgotten to speak, I was so engulfed watching her. I cleared my throat, hoping that she didn't notice my staring and remembered what we were talking about.

"Tasered?" I asked in disbelief. "And how was that?" I smiled at Desiree.

"It was no massage, I'll tell you that much." A small laugh sounded through her lips.

"Then my point is proven," I said talking quietly again. Leaning back into the conversation, I wasn't really putting any of my weight on the punching bag, I was more like holding it. "You're never really alone with Vivian. Guards are always in the other room, waiting for a snap of her fingers."

"Then we get her isolated," Desiree whispered, bringing her face closer to mine. We were only inches apart and I could feel her breath on my face. Not even the most high-tech cameras would have been able to hear what we were saying. I knew they were watching us; right now we would look like we were flirting, but it wasn't that hard to act like we were.