The Lawless Read online

  THE LAWLESS

  SACRISVITA BOOK XIV

  Dylan Steel

  THE LAWLESS: SACRISVITA BOOK XIV

  Dylan Steel

  Heritage Publishing

  Copyright © 2019

  Second Edition

  www.DylanSteel.com

  Cover design by Flappy Dog Designs,

  special thanks to Neostock.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places, and events are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  ALSO BY DYLAN STEEL

  1. ADJUSTMENTS

  2. PUBLIC

  3. THREATS

  4. RUINS

  5. GRAVEYARD

  6. A PROPOSAL

  7. DÉJÀ VU

  8. LIFE DEBT

  9. NOT SO DEAD

  10. GUARDED

  11. TRADE

  12. BLOCKED

  13. QUORUM OF ONE

  14. POWER STRUGGLE

  15. THE OFFER

  16. GHOSTS

  17. SHAKY GROUND

  18. UNLOCKED

  19. ENCODED

  20. TIES

  21. AFTERMATH

  22. ACCOUNTABLE

  EPILOGUE

  ALONE: THIRD EARTH VOLUME I - EXCERPT

  READ MORE BY DYLAN STEEL

  ALSO BY DYLAN STEEL

  Sacrisvita

  THE PRODIGY: A Sacrisvita Prequel

  (FREE and only available HERE.)

  THE INSTITUTION: Sacrisvita Book I

  THE ARCHIVES: Sacrisvita Book II

  THE RELIC: Sacrisvita Book III

  THE ESTATE: Sacrisvita Book IV

  THE VANISHED: Sacrisvita Book V

  THE CAPTIVE: Sacrisvita Book VI

  THE OUTCAST: Sacrisvita Book VII

  THE TRIALS: Sacrisvita Book VIII

  THE ROGUE: Sacrisvita Book IX

  THE CITIZEN: Sacrisvita Book X

  THE SURVIVOR: Sacrisvita Book XI

  THE BENEFACTOR: Sacrisvita Book XII

  THE FOUNDERS: Sacrisvita Book XIII

  THE LAWLESS: Sacrisvita Book XIV

  ***

  Third Earth

  SLEEPER: A Third Earth Prequel

  (FREE and only available HERE.)

  ALONE: Third Earth Volume One

  ***

  For the most updated list of Dylan’s books, visit www.DylanSteel.com.

  Join Dylan’s Insiders Club to find out when her next book is out! Plus, get exclusive prequels to Sacrisvita and Third Earth.

  1. ADJUSTMENTS

  Sage stared blankly at the wall. A deafening quiet had settled over the estate for a while. Maybe minutes. Probably hours. It was impossible to tell, though she was vaguely aware of the morning light yawning its way into the room. After the officers had left Weston’s bedroom, time had just seemed to stop, and she didn’t care if it ever started moving forward again.

  She lay on the ground, hugging herself, curled up tightly against the pain gnawing at her stomach. Weston had told her not to make a sound, so she wouldn’t. She could barely move anyway.

  “I love you too.”

  She should’ve said it. But she didn’t, and now she might never get the chance. Everything had happened too fast.

  Hot tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision. But she blinked them back, refusing to let them fall.

  She wasn’t sad. She was angry. Angry at Mr. Gaztok and Kai for taking Weston. Angry at Weston for not hiding with her. Angry at how useless she’d been as they’d taken him away. Angry that Eprah thought it could win. Angry that everything that had ever been good in her life was gone. Again.

  Her nails dug into her palms as faint footsteps plodded down the corridor, growing steadily louder. She rested her forehead against her knees and squeezed her eyes shut, unwilling to see Kai’s face again.

  “Sage? It’s alright. It’s just me.”

  Sage’s head snapped up at the sound of Martha’s voice. The older woman was peering at the space above where Sage was lying, probably fixating on the painting since Sage was still hidden behind it. Sage stared back at her dully, unable to find her voice.

  “The officers are gone. It’s safe to come out now.”

  Martha waited another moment, then popped a hand on her hip and wagged a finger with her free hand when Sage didn’t say anything. “This isn’t some sort of trick, Sage. I know you’re there, and if you want to help Mr. Bennick, we don’t have any time to waste. You need to come out now.”

  Tension throbbed across Sage’s body as she tried unsuccessfully to move.

  Martha put her hand against the wall and sighed when she realized it was still solid. “I can assure you, Sage, that I wouldn’t know your location without Mr. Bennick’s blessing. But I can’t open it from this side. Please come out of—”

  “I don’t know how,” Sage said quietly. She brushed back a stray tear as she slowly managed to get to her feet. “He didn’t have time to show me before…”

  “Just put your palm on the panel on the wall,” Martha said, looking a little relieved to hear her voice. “Then just—”

  “I see it.” Sage dropped her hand back from the panel and stepped through the camouflaged barrier she’d just lowered, appearing in front of Martha. Her throat swelled in raw pain as the older woman tilted her head sympathetically and gathered her in her arms, rubbing a hand over her back.

  “They took him,” Sage choked out.

  “I know.”

  “He knew they were coming.”

  “I know.” Martha held her tighter.

  “He could’ve hidden with me. Or run. Why didn’t he run?”

  “There wasn’t time. They must’ve known about the early warning system and disabled it somehow. He barely had time to hide you, and he knew you wouldn’t have been safe if he didn’t allow himself to be found. None of us would have been. They weren’t going to leave here empty-handed.”

  “So he let them take him,” Sage said weakly.

  Martha gripped her shoulders, putting some distance between them so she could look Sage squarely in the eye. “He did. But our fight isn’t over.”

  “No. It’s not.” Sage straightened, forcing down her emotions as she borrowed strength from Martha’s determination.

  There wasn't time to fall apart. Weston needed her. And he wasn't the only one. As their leader, Weston knew more about the Lawless than anyone. And as she'd learned years ago from a broken mentor, Mr. Gaztok excelled at torture. She couldn't leave the man she loved to a fate like that. Besides, if she couldn't get Weston out before he revealed their secrets and identities, all their plans would be for nothing, and all their lives would be forfeit.

  “We have to get him back. We can’t let Mr. Gaztok interrogate him. It’s not just what he knows about the Lawless, but…” She swallowed back the bile rising in her throat, stiffening. “I’ve seen what he puts prisoners through. We can’t let that happen to him.”

  Letting go of Sage abruptly, Martha started making her way around the room, picking up the mess the officers had made. She refused to meet her eyes. “His interrogation is the least of our problems,” Martha said, a little too calmly.

  An uneasy feeling stirred deep in Sage’s belly. “What makes you say that?” she asked cautiously.

  “He’ll be able to hold out for at least a little while. They won’t be sending anyone after us just yet,” Martha said, righting a lamp.

  “I figured that much.” A stab of pain shot through her heart at the thought of what Weston would endure to protect them. Her e
yes narrowed as she watched Martha close the drawers to one of the dressers. “What aren’t you saying?”

  Martha froze at the sharpness of Sage’s tone. She turned around, reluctantly meeting her gaze. “My dear, the leader of the Lawless can’t afford to be caught, much less questioned. He’s taken… precautions.” She wet her lips, focusing her attention on a spot on the floor. “He won’t allow himself to betray the Lawless. Especially not when we’re this close.”

  “No.” The room began swimming in front of Sage as Martha’s meaning came crashing down on her.

  Martha’s shoulders drooped. “I don’t like it any more than you do. But he insisted he should have a way out—just in case something like this happened. He knew if he was ever caught, they’d kill him anyway, but if he could control when it happened, he could stop himself from saying too—”

  “No!” Sage seethed through her teeth.

  “I’m sorry, dear. I know you care for him.”

  Sage shook her head. Weston was not going to kill himself to protect their secrets. She couldn’t let that happen. “How do we stop it?”

  Pity shone in her eyes as Martha looked at her. “I’m not sure that we can.”

  “There has to be a way.”

  “There may not be enough time. I doubt Mr. Gaztok will risk keeping him alive for long.”

  “There has to be enough time. Weston was already planning a way in.”

  Martha’s brow furrowed. “Mr. Bennick was planning for a coup, not a rescue.”

  “Coup, rescue—either way, we have to get past Eprah’s defenses. It’ll have to be close enough.”

  With everyone else she'd lost—her parents, Penelope, Everett, even her baby—there hadn't been any time to do anything. To change anything. To stop their deaths. But with Weston, she had time. There was a chance to stop his death. To save him.

  Sage’s fingers curled into fists, determination blazing across her face. “We’ll just need to make a few adjustments, and I think I know where to start.”

  She disappeared behind the painting again, retrieving the databook she’d left behind.

  “The new laws are too strict—they’re going to get a ton of people killed once they finish reprogramming the bracelets. Weston wanted me to write a virus to mess up the new program, and I’d nearly finished it before…” She bit the inside of her lip, refusing to let herself be overcome by emotion. “It won’t stop what Mr. Gaztok’s doing, but it might save some lives and slow him down enough to be a distraction—even delay the interrogation with any luck. Weston said he had a contact who could get this into the city and upload it. Do you know who that was?”

  Martha raised an eyebrow. “Yes. And I believe you know her too. Clarette.”

  Sage’s shoulders slumped. Clarette was the one who’d snuck them out of the city after the Hospitality Suite was attacked. But she was already in the city. Sage would have to find a way inside the gates to hand off the virus—and convince her she was working for the good of the Lawless. Given how standoffish she’d been in their previous interactions, that might be easier said than done.

  “Will she even listen to me if I see her without Weston?”

  “I can get word to her.” Martha nodded, almost to herself. “She’d meet you. But it would be safer to send someone else. You’re supposed to be dead, remember?”

  “Right.” Sage frowned. “But can we spare someone right now?”

  Martha’s lips thinned. “If it helps Mr. Bennick, I can’t think of a better use of anyone’s time right now.”

  “Good.” She clutched the tablet to her chest and hurried to the door. “Set it up. I need another couple hours, but it should be done soon.”

  “And then what?” Martha called after her.

  Sage paused, a steely resolve in her eyes. “Then we get him out of there.”

  2. PUBLIC

  Hours had passed, and still there'd been no news about Weston. Horrifying scenarios played over and over again in Sage's mind.

  Waiting in ignorance was a special form of torture. She'd been so exhausted from the previous night that she’d fallen asleep in the middle of working on the virus and then woken up screaming.

  The worst part? The reality of his situation was probably more awful than her nightmares.

  She wished for the hundredth time that he'd simply hidden with her. It was beyond selfish. If he'd hidden, every member of his estate might have been arrested or killed on the spot. She knew that, but she couldn't help it—she wanted so badly for him to be safe.

  Biting her lip, she pushed those thoughts aside as she hurried down the familiar hallway. Despite how much it hurt to assume the worst, she knew Weston had stepped into it all willingly to save her and the others. As much as it was ripping her soul apart right now, that was part of what she loved about him.

  “There you are.” Sage flew through the doors of Weston’s office, relieved to find Martha sitting at his desk. “Is everything ready?”

  She nodded. “Just waiting for the disc.”

  Sage stepped forward, handing her a copy of the virus she’d just finished. “Ready.”

  A somber expression settled over Martha’s face as she took it. “Efficient and perfect, no doubt. I’ll get it out right away.” The corner of her mouth twitched upward the slightest bit—not even enough to call it a smile. “I’m sure Ethan and Isabelle would be proud.”

  Sage blinked in surprise at the mention of her parents. “You knew them?”

  “Myself and a few others did. There were more of us then, before—” Martha swallowed, “—before Mr. Gaztok had the reach he does now.”

  Sage lowered her eyes, fighting to maintain her composure. The man had caused too much pain for far too long.

  “I’ve been in touch with several Lawless already this morning,” Martha said, changing the subject. “I’ve been telling them to be prepared to move soon. No one seems to know yet that Mr. Bennick’s been taken, and I’m trying to keep it that way.”

  “Why?” Sage’s brows furrowed. “We’re going to have to tell them we need their help to get him out.”

  “Can you imagine the panic?” She shook her head. “If Eprah’s most powerful benefactor can’t keep himself safe, what hope is there for them? We have nothing to bargain with. In their minds—and perhaps in reality—the rest of us will be rounded up for slaughter.”

  “They’re supposed to be fighting for a better future too.” Sage gritted her teeth. “They knew the price of rebelling.”

  “Yes, my dear,” Martha said wearily, pressing her fingers to her temple. “But knowing you may someday face the possibility of death and staring death straight in the face are two very different things. If word of his arrest gets out, we may lose support when it’s most crucial.”

  “But we’re so close. You told them that, right? They have to know it’s w—”

  “We’ve been close before. We’ve found it’s best to plan for the worst.”

  “And what about hope?” Sage asked, bristling. “Isn’t that the whole point? Why bother at all if we don’t think we’ll ever win?”

  Martha sighed. “Sometimes people act out of fear. Sometimes duty. Sometimes hope. But for a lot of Lawless who have been waiting for years, hope no longer seems realistic. It’s turned to duty. Death with a clear conscience is the best that many wish for at this point.”

  “That’s…”

  “It’s the truth.” Martha shrugged.

  Sage wet her lips. Looking over Martha’s shoulder, she let her gaze settle on the small figurines on the bookshelf as she rolled Martha’s assertion around in her mind. It might be true, but she didn’t want to think like that. Didn’t want to dwell on it. She shook her head, refocusing on the woman in front of her. “So we need to make a plan. What kind of help can we expect from the rest of the Lawless? Who have you been in contact with?”

  “It's better if I don't say.”

  Sage looked at her, dumbfounded. “Aren't we kinda past that point?”

  “We
most certainly are not,” Martha said. “If you're caught, you're a second mind they have available to break. And no offense intended, but you haven't exactly trained to withstand their interrogation techniques.”

  Sage paled. The tone in Martha's rebuke made it sound like someone else had trained to withstand torture.

  “Martha, did Weston...”

  “His father made him practice at least once a year,” she said grimly.

  The contents of her stomach lurched. “And he was ok with that? Sophia was ok with that? Surely his mother would've rejected the idea of torturing her son.”

  “Indeed, she would.” Sadness washed over Martha's face. “But that implies Sophia knew.”

  Sage’s jaw dropped.

  “Benefactors are busy,” she said grimly. “As you know, they can be away from the estate for weeks at times. He never gave her the chance to object.”

  “I’m not saying I trust him, but surely not even Mr. Bennick would—”

  A familiar tone sounded in the room, cutting her off in the middle of her protest. Sage’s eyes widened, and Martha shot her a severe look as she shooed her toward the wardrobe she’d hidden in just the day before.

  “Who’s—”

  “I don’t know, but you can’t be seen,” Martha hissed.

  Sage scrambled backward obediently, yanking open the wardrobe door and slamming it shut in front of her. She sucked in a breath, not daring to make any noise as she waited for the comm’s image to come into view between the slats.

  As the message flickered to life, Martha let out a small gasp. Footage of the Archives flashed in front of them, stones crumbling as flames licked up the sides of the building that housed the history of the nation. Smoke and ash littered the air, blotting out the sky above. It didn’t take much to see that it was completely destroyed.

  Sage’s heart sank in her chest. Any remaining secrets, any remaining truths that Mr. Gaztok would have wanted covered up and the Lawless would have wanted exposed to help bring their case before the people—everything was lost.

  Anger boiled in her veins as the dying Archives faded into the background, giving way to Mr. Gaztok’s perfectly manicured appearance now standing in front of them.