The Last Hero (Villains & Monsters #2)

Chapter 31

- Mid March, 2046 - (Two months ago)

"Wait..." Daija muttered as stood up from her seated position on the ground of the cell. "She pretended to be me?"

Jamie nodded once, and she groaned, "What the fuck is her problem?! Why would-" she stopped her words, then met his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

"Telling you about Aniya's little prank wouldn't have changed anything, Daija."

"But still- You-" Now she looked frustrated. "I don't get it."

He raised a brow at her. "Get what?"

"I don't get why you stuck beside her after that! Stuck beside any of them even after what they did to you!"

"If things went right, the plan was to keep her and the rest of them around until I no longer had any use for them," he said with a soft shrug. "Aniya would've either died from the exhaustion that came from the juice, or overworked herself for validation. Out of everyone, she was the useless one."

Her hands squeezed into fists at her sides. "I'll ask again. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it would've been a lot messier if you took the situation into your own hands."

She scoffed. "Right, because me helping you makes shit messy."

"So you're saying that you wouldn't have immediately killed her?"

"...Back then? No." The hesitancy in her voice was crystal clear.

"Liar," Jamie said. "During those two weeks away, you were constantly on the verge of snapping someone's neck. You admitted it a while back. If I told you what Aniya had done, it would've added on to your already-extreme hatred for her, and you would've killed her. But, I guess it doesn't matter since you killed her anyway."

"It's fucking insane how you would prefer to use and drug people -- or even set up their death over killing them yourself."

"Never liked the idea of it."

"But you-"

A knocking sound on the door cut her off, and when it opened, she sighed at the two people who walked in. "What is it?"

Austin looked back and forth between her and Jamie, then said, "Newbie, you know this isn't right."

"I don't care," Daija said simply.

Besides Austin, Luca shoved his hands into his pocket. His eyes seemed sad. "Darling," he started softly, "do you remember what I asked you earlier?"

Daija didn't reply.

"Do you?"

"Not now, Luca," she said quietly as she faced the ground. A mix of guilt and anger showed on her face. "I'm in the middle of something, so can you both leave please? We'll talk later."

Luca eyed her carefully. "But that's the thing. We never talk later."

"Exactly," Austin added. "Simon said that-"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Daija snapped as she glared at them both. "Tell Simon that whatever he needs to say, he can say it directly to me. He shouldn't send you two to be the messenger or to fight his battles."

"He didn't send us to do anything," Luca fired back. "He's worried about you. You know he's worried about you."

"And I've explained to him that he doesn't have to worry, and that he needs to just trust me," she said as she shut her eyes. "Please just go. I want to be alone."