Chapter 29

His good eye flashed between the the nude girl on the floor and the boy standing above her.

"What did you do?"

Zack's surprise had vanished. He tilted his head to the side and regarded his friend mildly. "C'mon. You aren't really that dumb, Sauce."

"I told you not to touch her," Sawyer growled. "You swore to me-"

"Did you think I was going to let you have her all for yourself?"

"I would never-"

"I know!" interrupted Zack. "You never take initiative, you don't even try. Why do you think you're still a virgin, Sauce? You wouldn't even have dated if I hadn't set you up with Michelle. Gods, man." He shook his head. "She is a synthetic, Sauce. She was made to be screwed."

"You're wrong," said Sawyer.

"Look at her. Look at her and tell me you don't feel it."

Renee felt both pairs of eyes fall on her. A pit seemed to form in her stomach and she did not dare return their gazes. She curled into a protective ball, a vain attempt to hide her nakedness and vulnerability.

"Christ, Sauce, she's yours." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I've got her ready for you. She won't fight and she'll do whatever you say," he focused on the synthetic. "Won't you, Renee?"

She bit her lip but the words found their way out. "Yes, sir," she said softly. Her energy had abandoned her as much as her defiance. If Sawyer took her now, she doubted she could summon the strength to cry, much less struggle.

Please, she all but prayed. Sawyer, please.

The boy dropped to his knees next to the girl and her stomach sank.

His soft hands pressed gently against her bare back; the touch birthed a despair so great, the waves of it sent quakes through her body. She might have been sobbing, but her face was dry.

Sawyer brushed aside her hair until it was held behind one ear. If her eyes had not been squeezed tight, she would have seen the expression on his face.

She didn't want to.

He leaned over her until his lips were a scant above her ear, the dark strands of his hair mixing with hers.

"I promised you, Renee," he said, words only for her. "Remember? You can always trust me."

She froze as the statement found its way past her churning emotions and the damage Zack had done to her psyche. She opened her eyes, blinking back the blurriness, and tilted her head to regard him.

He had forced his mouth to a smile, his mismatched eyes sincere and full of fury and pain.

Nothing but reassurance and compassion was for her.

Something in her expression made his eyes soften more. "Okay?" he asked.

She searched his face, then nodded. "Okay," she whispered through dry lips.

Sawyer squeezed her shoulder, then stood and faced the other boy. He inhaled. "I'm going to give you the chance to leave quietly, Zack," he said softly. "I shouldn't, but you were my friend."

"Sauce, I still am your friend." The boy raised his hands, placating.

"You're not welcome here anymore," he repeated, though Renee could hear the fire behind the words. He stepped over her, so she was no longer between the two. He leaned closer. "Leave."

"She's just a synthetic," said Zack. "You fucking moron-"

Sawyer's knuckles smashed against the other boy's cheekbone, cutting him off.

Zack stumbled back, and raised his hand to his face, disbelievingly. He narrowed his eyes. "Don't be an idiot, Sauce. I could pound you with both hands behind my back."

Renee's protector gritted his teeth and charged him.

The two slammed into the wall; Zack was too bemused by his former friend's sudden ferocity to get up his guard in time.

Sawyer attacked like a madman, without skill. He punched, kicked, and clawed his opponent, shouting obscenities. He hadn't done much damage until he accidentally smashed his knee between Zack's legs.

The boy yelped and all of his limbs flinched inward to protect the area.

Sawyer pounded his fists past the opening, ignoring the damage to his own hands. He sat on the larger boy's chest and beat his face until he heard a sharp crack as Zack's nose broke.

Then he went further.

He hit the other until he was exhausted; Zack's face was smeared with blood, his arms sore from protecting his face.

Sawyer panted on top of him, sweat trickling down his forehead. His wrists and hands ached, in a distant way.

He lurched to his feet.

Renee sat against the opposite wall, her knees tight to her chest. Her wide eyes met his, and she nodded once.

"You cheated," Zack groaned, glaring up at him.

Sawyer met his gaze coolly. "I won."

"Cheap shot, Sauce."

"And I didn't even need to command you to do nothing, to beat you."

The other boy clenched his fists at the insult, but Sawyer slammed his foot onto his chest and forced him back to the floor.

"You're done, Zack," he said. He kicked the other boy in the stomach, and sent him wheezing. He paused. "Leave."

The boy struggled to his feet, clutched his abdomen. Blood from his nose left a trail as he stumbled to the door.

Renee monitored him with unblinking eyes as he left, tensing as he passed her.

But Zack didn't spare her a glance. He turned to look back at Sawyer, gaze empty. He forced a grin. "I hope you enjoy your new best friend, Sauce. At least until the Feds get her."

Sawyer didn't respond, and the silence dragged on until Zack shuffled his feet.

He left the room.

Sawyer relaxed. He stared at his hands for a moment, then went into the bathroom.

He returned with a towel.

Renee met his gaze as he drew closer, gritting her teeth to keep the eye contact. Yet when he came within three feet of her, she shrank back and her gaze dropped to his hands of their own accord.

He saved you and you can't even look at him, admonished her mind. He must love having a- a friend who doesn't trust him.

But I do, she shot back.

Then why are you staring at the floor?

She flinched as the boy knelt before her and wrapped the towel around her shoulders. Her mind didn't bother saying, I told you so.

Sawyer waited until the girl plucked the corners of the towel and drew it tight around her body. He waited until she breathed steadily, then bent his head until he could see her eyes.

"Hello in there," he said.

She could feel the warmth of his breath, but he made no move to touch her. The cynical part of her whispered that it was his due to his inability to comfort a person, the same thing that made him flustered in her presence; the reason he never stood up for himself. The rest of her was grateful he wasn't trying to hug her.

Tears filled her eyes and the synthetic threw herself against his chest, knocking him back. She began to weep, releasing all of the emotions she'd pent up since Claude's death.

Sawyer stared at the girl clutching his shirt for all of three seconds before wrapping his arms around her. That his best friend could look at the same person and see nothing but a toy ... that he could do things that made her rock solid demeanor crack and break in his arms...

Sawyer couldn't understand it. He doubted he ever would.

Renee was too weary to pull away from his embrace, and as the tears escaped she realized she did not want to. Even as the towel slipped and his hands were patting her bare back, the touches evoked no panic, just a serenity that washed the fear and pain away.