Fear (Gone 5)

Caine reacted without thinking. He swung a hard backhand at her face. The blow did not connect, but the thought did. Penny flew backward like she’d been hit by a bus. She smacked hard against the wall of the office.

The blow stunned her, and Caine was in her face before she could clear her thoughts.

Turk came bursting in, his gun leveled. “What’s happening?”

“Penny tripped,” Caine said.

Penny’s freckled face was white with fury.

“Don’t,” Caine warned. He tightened an invisible grip around her head and twisted it back at an impossible angle.

Then Caine released her.

Penny panted and glared. But no nightmare seized Caine’s mind. “You’d better hope Lana can fix that boy, Penny.”

“You’re getting soft.” Penny choked out the words.

“Being king isn’t about being a sick creep,” Caine said. “People need someone in charge. People are sheep and they need a big sheepdog telling them what to do and where to go. But it doesn’t work if you start killing the sheep.”

“You’re scared of Albert.” Penny followed it with a mocking laugh.

“I’m scared of no one,” Caine said. “Least of all you, Penny. You live because I let you live. Remember that. The kids out there?” He waved his hand toward the window, vaguely indicating the population of Perdido Beach. “Those kids out there hate you. You don’t have a single friend. Now get out of here. I don’t want to see you back here in my presence until you’re ready to crawl to me and beg my forgiveness.”

Penny said two words, the second of which was “you.”

Caine laughed. “I think you meant ‘——you, Your Highness.’”

He lifted Penny up with a slight motion of one hand and tossed her out through the open door and into the hallway.

“She could be trouble, Your Highness,” Turk said.

“She’s already trouble,” Caine said. “First Drake, now Penny. I’m surrounded by psychos and idiots.”

Turk looked hurt.

“One thing, Turk. You ever see me freaking out, like Penny is pulling something on me? You shoot the witch. We clear on that?”

“Absolutely,” Turk said. “Your Highness.”

“You get that you’re the idiot, right, Turk?”

“Um…”

Caine stormed off, muttering, “I miss Diana.”

Quinn was still vibrating with rage by the time he made his way to Clifftop. Rage. But fear, too. In getting Cigar out of Penny’s grip he had made a very dangerous enemy. Maybe two. Or even three, depending on where Albert came down.

Walking through the carpeted hall, feeling his way in the dark, Quinn realized with surprise that he was hearing voices. From

a room at the far end of the hall from Lana’s oceanfront room he heard children playing.

He stopped and listened.

“You lose; you totally lose, Peace.”

“Because you cheated, you little thief!”

“Guys, keep it down, huh?” That last voice Quinn recognized as Virtue, who was often called Choo.