The Honey House

Negan is Always Smarter

Negan beckoned Carson over, "have you got everything ready for our little plan?"

"I'm not sure this is a good idea boss."

Negan glanced over his shoulder to Rae, who was fitting the spark plugs back into place with one of her people, "it's a fucking excellent idea." He was full of them.

This morning Rae had helped Negan choose the four men who would best impersonate Jacob's Raiders. They would be the driver and passenger of the two stolen trucks, everyone else would ride in the back. Negan was taking inspiration from legend, two trojan horses and of course it would work. He had the element of surprise. After talking with Carly, the woman Rae had rescued from the Raiders, Negan's men had constructed a map of the compound. Now everyone had a good idea of what they would be facing when they got inside and everyone knew their job.

///

"Have you ever used one of these?" Mark said as Rae slammed the hood of the truck down.

Rae glanced at his hand, "is that a taser?"

"Just press this button on the side," he handed it to her so she could see what he was talking about, "it'll take a man out without actually killing him. Most of the time anyway."

Rae turned it over in her hand before frowning at Mark. "Why are you giving me this?"

"You're smart... but you're no killer." He laughed, "if you was, you probably would have killed Negan when you had the chance."

"You think I'm weak?" Just like Miguel, Jacob and probably Negan thought.

"No, killing is easy." Mark took the taser from her placing it into a leather pouch that she could clip on her belt. "I think it's a good thing."

He handed the taser back to her, he was right, she wasn't a killer, "thank you."

When Mark walked away in a cloud of cigarette smoke Rae's eyes sought Negan. He was talking to one of his men. His barbed wire bat sitting on his shoulder, his face serious like it almost never was when he talked to her. Should she have killed him when she had the chance?

He caught her eye and winked, the dimples in his cheeks creasing and the very idea of him being gone made her stomach sink. He was an arrogant bastard but he was also the only person in the world who she'd told about rigging Miguels election and the only person who hadn't judged her for having sex with Jacob.

Rae added the taser to her belt and took her place in the back of the truck. Negan sat next to her. If asked Rae would have said the journey was uncomfortable and it wasn't because she was sitting on the cargo hold of the truck floor next to Negan. It wasn't even because of the dark that had her pressing her shoulder closer to him like he was an anchor in the blackness. It was because she was in a truck full of men and they were silent. No banter, no talking, just quiet. She wondered if it was because she was here or perhaps because of Negan but then it occurred to her that these strangers were going to war for her, right now. They were on their way to fight, possibly die, for a strange woman who didn't even know their names.

Rae sank further into Negan, as if in the darkness he wouldn't know it was her. Like she could take comfort from the smell of his skin, the warmth of his body and he would just ignore it. Of course he didn't. She felt his arm snake around her waist, his nose nuzzling against her hair, his breath tickling her neck.

"You okay Red?" he breathed the words for her ears only.

Rae held her breath, her heart was pounding so hard she was certain everyone could hear it. She shifted her body so she wasn't as close to him and regretted it instantly, "I'm fine, I just... " she looked into the darkness, the faded outline of faces, the hidden ears all listening. "I'm fine."