We both looked at the little dart at the same time. Only after a few seconds, he reached out for me but I took a step back and he fell to the ground.
Next, the guy next to Grayson fell and lastly the boy. Both of them with a feather sticking out of their body.
“Get down!” Hayes said and we all ducked below the tall grasses.
Between the blades, I could see Trixie struggling on the ground. Someone stepped out from behind a tree wearing a brown t-shirt and a pair of matching pants.
He knelt down and for a second I thought he was doing something to Trixie. Hayes held me when I tried to go to her.
It was only a few seconds before I realized the man in brown had freed her. She threw her arms around his neck and turned toward us with a big smile.
“It’s okay!” she called. “We’re okay.”
It wasn’t until I stood and the grasses were out of my way that I could see who had come to our rescue. He looked a bit different… more hair, a scruffy beard, and much more muscular but there was no doubt in my mind that it was him.
I wouldn’t ever forget his eyes. My heart thudded. After all this time… I finally was seeing Boone again.
Chapter Twenty-One
“We don’t have a lot of time,” Boone said.
Hayes turned and met my stunned gaze. He too recognized that it was Boone and it felt like he was trying to judge my reaction to seeing him again after all this time.
My stomach swirled. Every muscle was twisted into a knot tighter than the rope that had been tied around Trixie’s neck. But at the same time, I felt an odd surge of excitement that warmed my insides.
It seemed as though Boone still hadn’t realized it was me with Trixie. And why would he think for even a second I’d be there? He wouldn’t.
There hadn’t been time for him to look around the group of people. He had no idea what he walked into. The only reason he’d stopped to help was because he’d seen Trixie.
“The poison just puts them to sleep, it doesn’t kill them,” Boone explained. “We need to leave the area before they wake up.”
“I think we could take them,” Grayson muttered.
“Maybe we should tie them up first,” Gina said with a grimace wrinkling her forehead. Boone stared at her for a long moment before turning back to Trixie.
“Can you take us to your place?” Trixie asked softly.
Boone narrowed his eyes. His voice was a grumbled but slightly too loud whisper. Like he didn’t know or care enough to keep his voice down. “I don’t know any of these people. I can’t do that.”
“Do you ever think I’d put your or your home in danger? I’ll explain along the way,” Trixie said.
Boone drew in an annoyed breath and gestured for us to follow. It was painfully obvious he didn’t want to take us to his safe place but he still wanted to get us away from the tattooed men.
“What are you doing out here anyway?” Trixie asked.
“Was gathering mushrooms near the river. Best time to collect them is after the storm,” Boone said as he tapped a pouch at his hip.
“What is it with all you people and mushrooms?” Grayson mumbled.
Hearing Boone’s voice after all this time brought dampness to my eyes. It felt like I must have been in a dream.
“Those dogs wait for the sunlight,” Boone said. “I’m not that quick with the darts yet so I hate running into a pack of those things. And I’m less likely to run into your people.”
Boone shot a glance over his shoulder but still, his eyes hadn’t landed on me. I was somewhat angry with myself for not running to him and shaking his shoulders until he recognized me. But I knew he was distracted. He was worried about the guys coming to and finding us again.
Everything around us was becoming too dark and I could only see a few feet in front of me. The air had a crisp, sharp bite that stung my arms.
I hadn’t noticed but Trixie must have picked up the flashlight before we’d left. She clicked it on and aimed at a black shadow in front of us.
The small wooden hut lit up. “I knew it wasn’t far off. Should we stay here for the night?”
“You don’t want to travel at night?” Boone asked.
Trixie shook her head. “Safer not to. They aren’t used to traveling even during the day here.”
My heart skipped a beat when Boone turned to look at us all again. His eyes moved quickly over mine, hesitating for a second before he turned away.
“Fine, but there’s a chance they might come here when they wake,” Boone said.
“How many more of those darts do you have?” Trixie asked.
“Probably enough to get away,” he replied.
Trixie nodded. “And three spears. If they come this way, they’re stupid.”
We entered the hut and everyone sat down on the floor except for Boone who stayed on his feet. He paced in front of the door.
I couldn’t take my eyes off of him and it felt like Hayes couldn’t take his eyes off of me. Trixie sucked in a breath and plopped down next to me.
It wasn’t until that moment she realized that Boone hadn’t said a word to me. “Boone!”
“What?” he said turning as if he expected something to jump out of the shadows at him.
Trixie clicked the flashlight and aimed it at my face. The light was so bright I had to close my eyes.
“Trixie!” I said flapping my hand at her. “Turn it off.”
“Sadie?” The sound of him saying my name made my lip quiver. He pulled me off of the ground and wrapped his arms around me. It felt like a dream to feel his warmth again. “What the hell are you doing out here?”
I opened my mouth but not a single word would come out of my mouth. All I could do was bite my lip so tears didn’t start streaming down my cheeks.
Boone placed his hands on my shoulders. “What did he do to you? Were you caught? Banished?”
“I escaped,” I said finding my voice.
“Escaped? But how?”
I told him the story, although it was a shortened version because it was hard to make words come out of my mouth. He shook his head as he looked around the room.
I told him how Hayes and Grayson chased after me. Then I told him how Gina had come out on my father's orders to find me.
“It’s a mess,” I said meeting Lillian’s eyes for a split second. I wasn’t ready to tell him about her since it still hadn’t fully sunk in that she was my mom.
“Hayes,” Boone said stretching out his hand. “You look a bit different than I remember.”
“Hope that’s a good thing,” Hayes said shaking his hand.
Boone moved to Grayson and shook his hand. It seemed as he recognized him as well but the two hadn’t known each other well.
Gina and Lillian were new to him but he shook their hands too.
“What about you two?” Boone asked as his eyes darted back and forth between Lillian and Trixie. “Have you two been exiled from the natives?”
“We left,” Trixie said. “No idea what will happen if we try to go back.”
“I have a few ideas of what will happen,” Lillian said. “But I have no plans to go back.”
Boone nodded. “Wouldn’t blame you. What are your plans exactly?”
“We’re going back to the city,” Trixie said taking my hand into hers.
“Why on earth would anyone want to go back there?” Boone asked.
“Because we’re going to take him down,” Trixie said.
Boone shook his head. “I don’t think there is anyone who wants to see president Keane in a cell more than me but I have to say… it’s a terrible idea. You can’t win.”
“We can and we will,” Lillian said.
“Oh? What are you going to do exactly?” he asked.
“I have no doubt that I can get to him,” I said.
Boone’s eyes were narrowed slits. “And when you do, then what?”
“I’ll put my knife into his heart,” I said.
“Sadie,” he said softly
as he shook his head. “I know you don’t like him but he’s your father. You might think you could do it but I know you. I know you’re not a killer. You’re kind and caring. You took care of level one even though you knew the risks.”
“He’s not my father,” I said.
Boone’s expression softened. “I know you never felt close to him—”
“No, I mean he’s really not my father,” I said my eyes meeting Lillian’s as my shoulders rose with a deep inhale. “He’s the man who raised me. Nothing more.”
“What are you talking about?” Boone asked clearly sensing there was something he didn’t understand.
I let out a sharp breath before everything spilled out. There wasn’t anything I left out.
When I told him about Lillian, he covered his mouth and stared at the woman. He shook his head.
“This is insane,” Boone said walking away from me to pace the room.
“I’ve seen a picture of my mother,” I said. “She was much younger but I believe her.”
“The eyes,” Boone said running his hand through his hair.
The room was silent. Outside of the hut, the crickets were starting to emerge. Not too far away, an owl was hooting through the night as though it was calling to its friends that the storm was over.
“You don’t have to go back and risk your lives,” Boone said. “There is plenty of land out here and while the storms are bad, we can survive. You never have to see that man again.”
“Except I can’t let all the people in there continue to suffer. The second and third born sent off to go work on farms. There is just so much wrong. I can’t stay out here and let it continue,” I said. “It’s time to put a stop to it all. Everyone inside of the wall deserves to know what the world is like.”
“I don’t disagree,” Boone said staring at me as his chest rose. “I wish I could talk you out of it but I see that I can’t. You’re welcome to stay with me until you’re ready to leave.”
My throat dried. “You won’t help?”
Boone looked away. “Sorry. I’m done with the city. That’s not my life now. I wish you all the best.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
My heart slowed and my stomach sank so low it made me feel nauseated. I hadn’t even considered that Boone might say no.
The clouds had parted and the moonlight filtered into the room through the cracks. But the sounds of the storm miles away still filled the air with white noise.
“How can you just walk away after what my father did to you?” I asked my hands balling into tight fists.
Hayes placed his hand on my shoulder, seemingly sensing the tension in my voice. His action was meant to calm me or maybe just to remind me that he was there for me but it did little to ease my mind.
Boone’s eyes settled on his hand. I could see the questions fill his eyes.
“Can I talk to you outside?” Boone asked after a long moment.
“Sure,” I said but Hayes pulled me back.
“Is that a good idea? Those guys could be out there,” Hayes said.
Boone cocked his head to the side. “I’ll keep her safe. Don’t forget what my darts did to save you all earlier.”
“I’ll be okay,” I said patting the back of Hayes’s hand.
All along I’d wanted to talk to Boone alone but plans had changed. It shouldn’t have surprised me that his initial reaction was to recoil.
Hayes let go reluctantly. Grayson offered me his spear and I gave him a thankful nod as I took it from him.
I followed Boone out of the hut to a spot about ten feet away. We stopped next to a thick tree that blocked out much of the moonlight.
“Guess I should have brought the flashlight,” I said even though there was enough light that I could see our surroundings and Boone’s face. “You look so different.”
I was tempted to reach out and touch his beard but I stopped myself. He was just as good looking as I remembered.
“You do too,” he said. His eyes connected with mine. “I’ve missed you.”
His words squeezed my bones. There was so much I wanted to say but I wasn’t sure where to start.
I sucked in a breath that dried my mouth and pinched my lungs.
“I’m so sorry about what my dad did to you and the others. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to stop him.”
“Is that what this is all about? Revenge for banishing us?”
I shook my head but then shrugged as I looked away. “It’s part of it but it’s mostly because of how he runs things. I can help level one. If I don’t do something, no one will.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“I do.”
I told him about Darlene, her children and the others on level one that I knew about. I told him how I’d helped bring poor Rita back and discovered the tunnels. Lastly, I told him everything about staying with Mister Paul and the poor girls.
“Where are the boys?” Boone asked.
“Maybe they have their own camp. Maybe they are the ones walking the goods back and forth from the camp to the city,” I said. “Point is they shouldn’t have to be away from their families. And they don’t even realize that they aren’t trapped inside the city. We were told over and over again that if we came out here, we’d die.”
Boone nodded along. “It is safer inside.”
“But it isn’t instant death. The air out here is different. Everything out here is different,” I said throwing my hands into the air.
“Is it better, though?”
“In many ways, yes. Look at how free you are.”
Boone chuckled. “I live in a cave. I leave when I need more food or water.”
“What do you do for the rest of the time?” I said suddenly sidetracked from my rant.
“I write. I fish. I found books one time and I read them over and over again,” Boone said.
“Do you realize how many people would kill for that life?”
Boone looked down. “At first, all I wanted was to go in there and kill your father with my bare hands. There was a point when I let that all go.”
“I don’t want to let it go. I want to help.”
“You want to get back at him for what he’s done and now what he’s lied to you about,” Boone said pointing past the hut as if he were indicating the city in the distance. “It’s not just for the people.”
“Of course, it’s not but that is a huge part of it.” I inhaled the fresh air. It felt as though it had been cleansed by the rains and was even purer than it had been before. “I thought you’d be with me on this.”
Boone sighed. “Maybe I should be but I’m a different person now.”
“Are you? Other than all that hair you seem the same to me,” I said quickly biting my cheek. It was hard to forget everything I’d felt for him and being as close to him as I was only reminded me of everything that had been between us.
“You’re different.”
“How so?”
He smiled as he shook this head. “I’ve never seen this much fire in you.”
Boone reached out and took my hand into his. My heart pounded so hard it echoed inside my ears. I should have pulled away but I didn’t.
“I’m engaged,” I blurted.
“The cook’s son?”
I nodded.
“Well… shit,” Boone said flashing me a half-grin. “He’s a good guy. Hardworking. It’s hard to believe he’s out here. He never left his house much.”
“He’d do anything for me,” I said.
“Like march with you into the city to take down your father?”
A small smile crept onto my face as I looked down at my feet. “Yeah, exactly.”
“I’m glad you found someone like that,” Boone said squeezing my hand before letting it go.
It was strange how it felt like my heart was breaking but that the pieces were falling onto a soft pillow. I wasn’t completely broken. The pieces would be able to be put back into place.
“You’re sure you won’t help?” I asked
again.
Boone kissed my forehead. “Sorry, no. I hope you can understand. This is my life now and I’m happy with it. I hope you can find that one day too.”
The truth was I didn’t understand. I wanted him to be as angry and frustrated as I was. Our lives were completely different because of what my father had done.
“I think I will once this is over,” I said.
“And what if it doesn’t end? What if it’s never over?” Boone asked.
I shook my head. “I have to hope that it will be. It’s the only outcome I can live with.”
“Like I said before, you’re all welcome to stay at my place until you’re ready,” Boone said.
I hesitated for a long moment before responding. “That won’t be necessary. There’s no point in revealing your secret location to the others. In the morning we’ll head out. There’s no reason to delay this any longer. I know what I need to do.”
“Good luck, Sadie,” Boone said taking a step forward. He looked down into my eyes. “Do you love him?”
“I do. I really do,” I said.
Boone smiled and wrapped his arms around me. It was like he was soaking up all the feelings I ever had for him and taking them away from me. I felt lighter. When our eyes met again, my body was back to its normal temperature and my pulse was no longer racing.
Boone gestured toward the hut. We walked back side by side and I no longer was thinking about finding Boone, talking to him, and apologizing. Now, all I was thinking about was getting back to the city.
Chapter Twenty-Three
In the morning, we said our goodbyes to Boone. He shook Hayes’s hand and whispered something into his ear to which Hayes nodded.
He gave me a long hug and I exhaled.
“I hope I see you again,” I said.
“Visit anytime,” Boone said.
“I don’t know where you live,” I said smiling as I took a mental picture of him.
“Trixie can show you,” Boone said.
Boone watched us as we checked our things. When we headed off, he stood there with his arms crossed and he didn’t move from where he was standing. It felt like a rubber band had snapped when I couldn’t see him any longer.
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