Uncontrollable

➳ chapter ten

Two days had passed after the party at Davis & Co. before she came into contact with any of the Soldiers again, and it was late in the evening by the time one showed up on her doorstep. Aaron, for all his nerve and strength, lacked vigilance, and the loud tread of his feet could be heard from down the street.

Thankfully, most of the Witches had headed home for the night, leaving the warehouse empty save for Winnie and Kara. As far as she knew, Teresa was hidden in her office, and she was certain Daisy had vanished to her bedroom to finish the last couple of chapters in the latest book she'd snatched from Teresa's shelf.

Astrid grabbed the garbage bag, filled to the brim with trash, before waving at Winnie and Kara, who were preparing to leave out the back exit. "Bye, you two," she said. "See you tomorrow."

"See you, Rhodes," Kara said, lifting her hand up briefly before stepping out into the night.

Winnie mimicked her wave with a slight smile before following suit, the door clicking shut after them.

Astrid let out a long sigh as she heaved the garbage bag over her shoulder and left out the front entrance. It was no easy feat to fit through the door, but she managed, and by the time she'd placed the cover on the can right outside, Aaron stood in front of her.

"Hey, Astrid," he greeted her. Although the weary exhaustion had yet to fade from his features, his warm smile and dancing eyes distracted from the permanent stress etched into his face. He wrapped his arms around himself, nothing but a thin sweatshirt to protect him from the chill. "You haven't seen Vincent, have you?"

Her eyebrows lifted. "No, not since the party. Why?"

Even though he shrugged, she could tell that not knowing his whereabouts worried him. "I was just wondering. I haven't seen him since this morning, and Theo has no idea where he is either. I was hoping he'd be with you."

"Well, sorry," Astrid said, frowning. If Aaron was concerned, that gave her enough reason to worry herself. "I haven't seen him. Wasn't he meant to meet up with Jack Roberts today?"

"Yeah, he did. He left right after breakfast to meet up with him before the guy went to work. But he didn't come back after that." Aaron shrugged again. "I don't know. Maybe I'm making a big deal out of nothing. Sorry."

"I mean—"

"Well, well, well," a loud voice drawled from behind them.

Both Astrid and Aaron turned to find three people crossing the street to approach them. It wasn't until their tall, burly figures reached the sidewalk that the lights illuminated their faces enough for her to recognize them, and on instinct, she stiffened. She wasn't familiar with every name or face among the gangs of Kempton, but she also wasn't a stranger. And the three members of the gang known as the Eagles standing in front of her were memorable.

"Doug, Pete, Jeremy," she said, ticking off their names one by one in an attempt to disguise the fear that slid down her spine. "My least favorite Eagles."

"What are you three doing here?" Aaron asked, coming to stand at her side. There was potential for this to get ugly—fast.

"Just wanted to see if the rumors were true," Doug said, his tongue darting out. As he scanned up and down, she fought off an involuntary squirm. She'd never liked Doug—or either of his lackeys in fact. This was why the Witches tried their best to steer clear of the inner chaos of the hierarchy within Kempton; they were content with survival, unlike Theo, who wanted nothing but the best. "Seems like the Witches and the Soldiers are working together then."

Astrid heard the rumble inside Aaron's throat and tapped his arm to remind him that they were outnumbered. This was not a fight they would win. "What's it to you?"