Survival

27. The Double Standard

"You boys ready?"

Liam just ground out a long suffering sigh, earning him pointed looks from the rest of the guys, including Mike. He wasn't going to play this game. Right now, he didn't want to play along with Ana's games. What he really needed to do was get to Alexei before she was taken in by the state and questioned. But until he had a chance in hell of clawing his way out of this werewolf dominated pit without getting himself or someone else killed, he just had to suck it up.

Even if he did get to Alexei, what could he do? Liam couldn't take her back to this place, and it would be endangering Ms. Lorenzo to tell her to just not take Alexei in. Going there might put them both in Ana's radar, and Liam didn't want that.

Setting his jaw, Liam just looked out of the dingy window at the twilit city, leaning against the sill as if it was the only thing holding him up. Ana quirked an eyebrow, her toothy grin a little too excited, even for her.

"Don't worry, Liam," she said. "You'll be in on the fun soon enough."

He refused to look at her, rather like a pouting child. If possible, her grin just widened. Liam didn't want to know what could possibly make her so happy. With her sharp, glinting eyes, she was too intense, something in her was just wrong. He was surprised no one else seemed to notice that.

"You sure this is a good idea, Ana?" Mike asked reluctantly.

Liam snuck a glance toward the other boy, registering the tautness of his stance, the tight-lipped expression on his prematurely grimly lined face. Whatever it was, Mike wasn't happy about it either.

"Why wouldn't it be?" She snapped, turning her withering gaze on him until he shrunk under it.

It took Mike a moment to recover his voice. "It's just- it'll be way more difficult without the full moon. Why are we doing this now?"

Derek rolled his eyes. His muscles rippled under his t-shirt as he crossed his arms. "Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now," he mocked. "We're going to do this, that's all you need to know."

Mike glared back at the taller boy. "I just don't have a great feeling about this one."

A prolonged silence filled the room, bouncing against the empty corners and slipping through the cracked walls.

"Not that anyone will answer me, but just what is 'this'?" Liam asked finally.

Ana disregarded him completely. Her eyes didn't even flicker his way. She was frowning now. "We've got our orders, Michael. Trust in that."

Mike snorted. "Yeah, because they're totally trustworthy," he mumbled under his breath.

Liam stared between the three, gauging their attitude toward what seemed like a very shady employer. What could force these individuals together, make them recruit others and carry out something they weren't entirely sure about? Tension seeped into Liam's body until he was standing upright without the help of the window sill.

"What have you gotten yourselves into?" He asked again.

Ana's eyes flickered toward him eventually, but the excitement was gone from them, replaced by the uncertainty she knew she shouldn't have. Liam was taken aback. None of this spelled anything good.

"Ana's buddies with a couple of hunters," Mike growled. "She's all up close and personal with them."

Liam felt lightheaded. "What?"

"You, shut up!" She snarled. Her hands curled into fists at her side.

"It's true though, isn't it, fearless leader?" Mike retorted. "They would have you killed, and you made a deal with them to save your own skin. Damned us all."