Chapter 9
I am not falling for Eric.
Do I like him? Absolutely. The side of him that he shows me whenever it is just the two of us is rather likable. He is good at listening, giving advice and calling you out on your bullshit.
Do I think he looks attractive? Of course. I would have to be blind not to see that. He is probably the most handsome guy in Dauntless.
Do I like the way he touches me? I guess so. Despite my Abnegation upbringing I rather like feeling his hands on me during training or when he leads me to my seat. Why? Simple – it feels reassuring.
Do I come to him whenever I am in trouble nowadays? Yup. Because he is my boss, obviously.
Could I ever fall in love with him? No fucking way. He is the enemy. He is working with Jeanine and convinced that Divergents should be eliminated. That I should be eliminated.
And despite what Uriah thinks Eric is not in love with me either.
Does he like me? Yes. We have managed to develop some kind of friendship and he trusts me quite a lot.
Does he think I am attractive? Probably, judging by what I could feel when he had me pinned against the wall yesterday.
Is he always the one saving me whenever I have gotten myself into trouble again? Unfortunately, yes. But, as he so eloquently put it himself, only because my death would cause him a lot of paperwork.
But the most obvious reason for Eric not being in love with me is that he is trying to sleep with every woman in Chicago.
My thoughts are interrupted by the person in question stepping into my path.
"Have you gone deaf, Stiff?" he snaps angrily. "I've been yelling at you for a full minute that you are done running laps."
I blink in confusion, breathing heavily. My left side is stitching.
"Hello? I'm still talking to you!"
"Sorry," I pant before wiping my hand across my sweaty forehead.
"Go grab your knives," he snaps, obviously irritated by my behavior. "Target practice."
I nod and make my way over to the table with the throwing knives.
Ever since the meeting with Max this morning Eric is pissed.
Max has been furious, to say the least. He has been yelling and cursing at Zeke and Four and the rest of the control room team for two hours straight, demanding how it was even possible for factionless to hack into our security system and shut it off. Unfortunately, they could not provide him with an answer.
So Max kept screaming about what could have happened if the intruders had gotten their hands on our weapons. And to make it all worse he snapped at Eric how irresponsible it had been of him to not only face the factionless without waiting for Uriah and his team but to also take me with him.
"Will you fucking focus now?" Eric bellows into my ear and I jump, missing the target completely.
"Now that was pathetic," he smirks and I freeze. His tone is exactly the same he used on Al back then. Al – who attacked me and helped Peter try to kill me. Who was now dead because I could not forgive him.
"You know what?" I hiss and whirl around. "Why don't you go and find someone else to take it out on? It's not my fault Max is mad at you."
"Not your fault?" he gapes at me in disbelief. "Who else's fault would it be then? I told you to go back to your apartment but you just couldn't fucking follow my orders, as always! Whatever I tell you to do, you do the exact opposite."
"Well, maybe your orders are shit, ever thought about that?" I snap back, my heart pounding furiously in my chest. His eyes widen and I fear that I might have gone too far this time.
Then, all of a sudden, he grips my arms and spins me around before pressing me back against the knife table, his lower body pressed against mine and his arms on either side of my body.
Breathing heavily, I stare up into his eyes. My chest is rising and falling rapidly and my hands are gripping the edges of the table.
Eric bends his head toward me, our noses almost touching.
I can feel his breath fanning across my lips as his eyes bore into mine.
"Do you have any idea what I want to do to you?" he whispers against my lips, his voice so deep that it sends a shiver down my spine.
I can only shake my head in response.
One of his hands comes to rest on my waist and his gaze travels down to my mouth.
My breathing quickens when he moves and all of a sudden grinds his crotch against mine.
I can't suppress the moan escaping my lips. His hand wanders into my hair, gripping it, forcing my head back –
When the door to the training suddenly creaks and we both freeze.
My eyes widen when I realize what we were doing. What we were probably going to do. Eric is staring at me in utter confusion.
"Uhm," someone clears their throat next to us and we finally jump apart.
I can feel my cheeks flush when I turn my head to the newcomer.
Zeke is standing with his arms crossed before his chest, an eyebrow raised.
"I have no idea what I just walked in on," he says, clearly amused. "But be glad that Max sent me and not Four."
"What do you want, Pedrad?" Eric barks impatiently, shifting, so that his hips are hidden behind the table.
"Max wants to see you both," Zeke answers with a sigh. "At once."
"Why?" I ask, my shoulders tensing. "What happened?"
"We've received a video message from factionless."
"Zeke and Four found the video message on a camera in the factionless sector," Max tells us as soon as Eric, Zeke and I have taken our seats.
Veronika and Harrison are already sitting at the table and Four is busy pulling the video up to the big screen at the front of the room.
"Message?" Eric furrows his brows. "So it's been directed at us specifically?"
"See for yourselves," Max replies, sighing.
He looks at Four, who nods and presses a button on his laptop.
The screen lights up and I can see Edward standing in front of the camera.
"I'm representing the leaders of factionless and, in their name, wish to meet up and negotiate. We don't want any more bloodshed than you do. Enough people have died already. I don't care if you send your representative armed or with a guard, but I do have one demand: since she is the only person I trust and now also a leader I want it to be Tris. I'll be waiting near the train station in the abandoned warehouse sector behind Abnegation tomorrow afternoon. This is your only chance."
The screens turns black.
"No fucking way," Eric growls, his fists clenched under the table. "We're not sending her. I'll go."
"Eric-"
"No, Max. I'm not discussing this."
"I can't believe I'm saying this," Four interrupts. "But if he only wants to talk to her, we have to take the chance and listen. Tris saved his life. He won't hurt her."
Eric looks like he is about to throw himself across the table and kill Four.
"Is anybody interested in my opinion?" I ask dryly, trying to suppress my growing anger. Who do they think they are? None of them has the right to make this decision for me.
"Of course, Tris," Max says, trying to defuse the tension.
"Good. I'll do it."
Eric jumps up from his chair, his face contorted with rage, his jaw clenched. "No! I forbid it. I'm your boss."
I push my chair back and get up as well, crossing my arms in front of my chest, and stare up into his furious eyes. "Well, so is Max and his decision outweighs yours."
I can see the muscles in his jaw working.
"Max?" I turn my head toward our head leader. Max studies the both of us for only a moment.
"I want you to go, Tris," he finally says. "And I want Eric to accompany you."
When my gaze returns to Eric his eyes are sparkling with rage. He is staring down at me with such intensity that I feel like an initiate again. Then, he just stalks past me, ramming his arm against my side.
All of a sudden, he whirls around again and grabs my wrist, pulling me sharp against his body. Out of the corner of my eyes I see Zeke and Four take a step toward us.
"You will follow each and every one of my orders this time," Eric growls, his nostrils flaring. "Is that fucking clear?"
"Yes, Sir," I reply through gritted teeth and wrench my wrist out of his grip. He studies me for another second, his eyes a shade darker, before taking a step back.
He turns back around again and marches out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him with much more force than necessary, almost knocking it off its hinges.
"Huh," Harrison comments dryly. "Now that went well."
"Be careful," Four gives me a quick hug. "And do what he tells you, please."
I raise my eyebrows.
Four rolls his eyes. "I may hate him but I've never met a better soldier. He knows what he's doing. And I hate to admit it but he actually seems to care about your life."
"Of course he does," I sigh. "It would hurt his reputation if I died on his watch."
Four grins. "I don't care for the reasons as long as he brings you back safe and sound."
I laugh and then grab the machine gun he is holding out to me.
"Ear piece?" I ask but Four shakes his head.
"Max says it's too risky," he says. "He doesn't want factionless to get their hands on anything that we communicate with."
Makes sense.
"Ready to go?" Eric steps up next to me, avoiding any eye contact. His jaw is set and I can see that he is still pissed. He is also dressed like we are going into battle. A machine gun is slung across his shoulder and there are several knives stuck into sheaths at his legs and in his boots and there is another handgun stuck in his belt.
"Yeah," I answer, though I don't feel ready at all. I have a strange feeling in my gut. Maybe we have made this decision to rashly.
"Keep her safe," Four says to his nemesis and I can see that he does not do it lightly.
Eric snorts arrogantly. "Better tell her to listen to me for once."
"I already have."
A flicker of surprise is evident in Eric's face for the fraction of a second.
"Good," he says then before turning away from us and marching toward the train tracks. "Today, trainee!"
I roll my eyes behind his back, wave Four goodbye and then follow Mr. Mood Swings.
The train ride is awkward.
Eric neither looks at me nor talks to me.
I am not sure whether I am glad or not that it is over rather quickly even though it takes us almost an hour to get to the factionless sector.
We have barely jumped off the train when Eric roughly grabs my upper arm. Seriously, does he always have to do that?
I am about to snap at him but the look in his eyes makes me stop.
"You do exactly what I tell you, understood?" his voice is deep and cold and all authority. I nod. "One step out of line and I'll throw you over my shoulder and we're outta here. I mean it."
I realize that he is indeed serious and for a moment it makes me wonder how dangerous our situation actually is.
"Okay," I say quietly, holding his gaze. "I promise."
Some of the tension leaves his shoulders and his jaw.
"Good," he replies and lets go of my arm. "Then let's get this shit over with."
We slowly and carefully start walking deeper into factionless until the empty warehouses are in sight.
"Too quiet for my taste," Eric grumbles, letting his gaze travel over our surroundings, his hands on the machine gun. I tighten the grip around mine.
"It's factionless, what did you expect?"
He does not respond.
We head toward the warehouses, hyper-aware of our surroundings.
We are only a couple of steps away from the first building when a side door of said building opens and Edward steps out of it. Eric immediately trains his gun on him.
Edward's eyes shoot open in surprise and he raises both of his hands above his head, showing us that he is unarmed.
"I have to say I'm surprised," he says with a smile as he addresses me. "I was sure you'd be coming with Four."
"Well, she's not," Eric replies before I have the chance. "You alone?"
"Yeah," Edward answers and I see Eric's body stiffen. He thinks Edward is lying.
"Let's talk then," I say and am surprised at how firm my voice sounds. On the inside, I am shaking. "Why did you want to meet? What is it you want from us?"
"We want weapons and serums," Edward says while lowering his arms. "And we want to be accepted as an independent faction."
"You can't seriously think that we would ever give you any of those things?" Eric exclaims in disbelief.
Edward's face hardens and I automatically straighten up to my full height – which, granted, is not that much.
"No," Edward says. His eyes find mine again and he looks apologetic. "You saved my life and I am grateful for that. That's why I'm really sorry."
"Sorry for what?" Eric and I ask at the same time.
Edward puts two fingers between his lips and whistles. The door behind him opens again and a group of maybe five or six factionless comes out. This time, I raise my gun as well.
"Son of a bitch!" Eric curses, before addressing me without ever letting the factionless out of his sight. "We're leaving. Now."
I nod, even though he does not see it, and slowly begin walking backward until I feel something hard poking between my shoulder blades.
I freeze.
"Eric," I murmur, slightly panicked, when the pressure between my shoulders increases.
Eric must have heard the change in my voice because he whirls around, his eyes wide.
"Drop your weapons," says a deep voice behind me. I stare at Eric, my heart beating hard and fast when I see actual fear in his gaze.
"Okay," Eric says, slowly lowering his gun. "Just don't hurt her."
I see him swallow before he lets the gun drop down to the floor in front of him.
"You too," the guy behind me says impatiently.
Eric nods his head at me and I let go of my gun. It clatters onto the concrete at my feet.
"Get them inside," Edward commands. "And get the word out that we have actually two leaders."
"What, have no plan?" Eric snorts, while two factionless are advancing on him and grabbing his arms.
"We have," Edward answers. "But we didn't expect to get our hands on two leaders, least of all the future head leader."
Eric's gaze turns furious but he does not say anything.
"Move," the guy behind me orders, nudging me with the gun. I follow the two guys that are dragging Eric with them. We are lead inside the warehouse Edward came out of earlier.
"Sit down."
I am pushed forward and stumble onto the floor.
"Take your hands off her!" Eric snaps, trying to shake is arms free. He is pushed unceremoniously onto the ground next to me.
"Hands behind your backs," the guy with the gun says, waving the weapon in front of our faces.
Eric looks livid. His eyes are sparkling with rage as he obeys. Another guy comes forward and zip ties his hands and is about to do the same to me when the door to the warehouse opens again.
"Sean?!" I exclaim in a mixture of shock and surprise.
Sean smirks at me while heading toward us and stopping next to Edward.
"They want you to continue with the plan," he says to him. "But with focus on Coulter, they don't care about what happens to Prior. She's not a full leader, anyway."
I feel Eric stiffen next to me.
"Why don't you take me to your leaders?" he addresses Edward. "Let me talk to them face to face."
Edward shakes his head. "We still plan on letting you go alive so the leaders won't show their faces. Like I said: we don't want any more unnecessary bloodshed."
"Cowards," Eric barks.
"Oh shut up," Edward snaps. "Ben, tie her hands and then get the others ready. We'll send the video message in an hour."
"Wait," Sean holds up his hand. "Let me do that."
He nods his head toward me and I freeze. I do not want him anywhere near me. The guy behind me shrugs his shoulders, stands up and hands Sean the zip ties.
"I don't need them yet," Sean smirks, letting them drop.
My pulse racing, I scramble backward as Sean advances on me.
"Stay away from her!" Eric barks, trying to move his body between us, to no avail, however.
Sean steps over Eric's legs and then grabs my hair and pulls me to my feet. I scream in pain. My scalp feels like it is on fire.
He drags me along with him, a couple of feet away.
"What are you doing?" Edward sighs.
"Having fun," Sean answers. "You know, the fun she denied my before I was kicked out of Dauntless."
My heart stops and my gaze shoots toward where Eric is sitting on the floor, his face red from all the anger.
"Don't you dare," he yells, fidgeting with his ties.
"Try and stop me," Sean talks back, smirking from ear to ear.
"Sean-" Edward interrupts.
"What? You don't have to watch," Sean replies. "Just do your thing and come get them when you're ready. In the meantime, she's mine."
He pushes me down onto the floor and I stare up at him and Edward with wide eyes.
"Please," I address the latter. "I helped you."
Edward keeps looking at me for a moment, biting his bottom lip. He then closes his eyes for a moment.
"Leave her alive," he says before turning around and walking out my sight.
"No!" I scream, when Sean straddles me and starts pushing my top up. "Stop it!" I am full on panicking now and desperately push at his arms and try to hit his face and even get in a few good scratches beneath his eyes.
"Oh for fuck's sake," Sean bellows. "Ben – hold down her hands."
"Get away from her!" Eric yells. "I'll fucking kill you!"
My breathing hitches when Ben sits down above my head and holds down my arms.
"No, please!" I sob, when Sean's hands start to work on the buttons of my trousers. Panic is surging through my entire body. I turn my head to the side and try to catch Eric's eyes as if he would be able to help me. He is avoiding any eye contact, his gaze fixed on Sean with a hatred stronger than I have ever seen him look at Four.
The first tears make their way out my eyes and down my cheeks when Sean pulls my trousers down my legs. I try to kick out at him, to make him stop, but he is so much stronger than me.
"Stop!" Eric says again, loud and clear. "I am close to Jeanine Matthews. I can get her to accept you as an independent faction and give you serums. I can get Dauntless to give you guns."
"Hold on."
Edward steps back into my field of vision, his hand landing on Sean's shoulder.
"Go on," he nods toward Eric.
Eric looks at him with full determination. "I can get you everything you want. As long as she's unharmed. She's not to be touched. If you hurt her or kill her or whatever, the deal's off. I don't care what you do to me. I'm a soldier. I'm used to torture and I've faced much worse than you."
I try to free my arms out of Ben's grip, but he only tightens his hold. Sean looks furious.
"Alright," Edward says. "Deal." He turns his head down toward me and then pulls Sean up and away from me. "Let her go and let her get dressed. Nobody touches her."
Sean stomps away like a sore child while Ben lets go of my arms. Panting, I sit up. Edward grabs my arm and pulls me to my feet and then hands me my trousers. With shaking hands I put them back on and then move toward Eric. I sit down next to him, my shoulder touching his, and let Edward tie my hands behind my back.
He gives us once last glance and then motions for the others to follow him. A couple of seconds later we are left alone in the huge, cold warehouse.
"Are you okay?" Eric asks softly, looking at me worriedly.
I shake my head, still trembling all over and blinking away tears.