The Gamble (The Gamble Series Book 1)

by Kathryn Jacques

  A memory flashes across my mind, one I had nearly forgotten it was so long ago. But now I remember clearly, as if it only happened yesterday. This is how my mother felt the last time I hugged her, thin and boney, but strong and warm and comfortable too. And she smelled of lavender. Even as she walked to her death, I remember she still appeared perfect and beautiful, not a single strand of her chocolate brown hair out of place and tiny pearls in her ears. I remember what she looked like and I really do look just like her.

  I almost cry and have to pull away from Charlie before I end up clinging to her the way I had tried to cling to my mother all those years ago, as if I could save her from the chambers if only I held her tighter.

  Everyone stares at me; Charlie and Randolph and Evy and the other compound members.

  “Elijah told me you were all dead,” I blurt because I don’t know what else to say. “He said the League killed everyone. I saw the smoke.”

  Randolph snorts. “Elijah is a stupid freaking bas-”

  “He lied to you,” Charlie interrupts smudging away some dirt on my cheek. “After they took you, I knew Elijah would never keep his word and would eventually come back for the rest of us. They burned the entire compound to the ground, but everyone got out safely long before that.”

  “Nadia is ok?” I ask.

  “Yes. We found shelter with another surface group. She’s there now. Tisis is with her, wouldn’t leave her side.”

  “And… and Jax?”

  Charlie smiles, the fine lines beside her eyes wrinkling. It’s the same smile Daniel always had with the tiniest hint that he knew something Jax and I didn’t.

  “Jax is fine too.”

  “Where is he?” I ask because I need to see him. I have to know he is truly alive and I want to touch him and kiss him again and prove Elijah really did lie.

  Charlie steps away from me, casting undecided looks at Randolph and Evy while chewing on her lip. “He wanted to be on the front lines of the attack.”

  I’m sprinting, fleeing from Charlie and the others so fast I don’t even realize I’ve done so until their shouts of shock and alarm fade behind me. Zipping through the trees, guided only by whatever moonlight trickles down to the forest floor, I head for the bright barrier of orange fire that has become the League’s mall. Branches tear at my clothes and whip across my face and my breath comes ragged and short, but I plow on until I exit the forest and stand before the building, the once white walls of the untouched east side now blackened by soot and ash.

  People run everywhere. I have a hard time differentiating between members of the League and members from the compound, but it looks like the compound members are chasing down and killing any League citizens attempting to escape through the main doors. In the sections that haven’t caught fire, other people from the League have barricaded themselves inside, fighting off any compound members who try to infiltrate the rest of the mall.

  As I run parallel to the flames, I see brilliant flashes and explosions of color erupt from the doorways or the windows or even the roof, bursting into the sky overhead. Normally it would be gorgeous, but I’m too intent on my mission to pay much attention.

  Barreling my way through the compound members, I recognize no one. Frustration boils inside me as I continue to shove through the crowd. I want to scream for Jax, but with the roar of the fire and the shouts of everyone fighting, I’ll never be heard.

  Charlie said he wanted to be on the front lines, and knowing Jax, that means as close to the guns and flames and whatever all those whistling and popping noises are as possible.

  Sweat pours down my face and the heavy smoke makes it hard to draw a full breath without coughs so harsh and severe, I think I might expel a lung. It reminds me of the night we saved that little girl from her burning home. Once again Jax and I will find each other in the flames.

  My skin is flushed and burning, my filthy clothes stick to me, sweat-drenched and disgusting. I can only hope Jax is ok, that nothing has happened to him in this battle, not before I can see him again, not when I am so close.

  “Get down!” a deep voice booms before I am tackled and flung to the hard earth, my left wrist twisting uncomfortably beneath me. Three bullets whiz overhead, smacking into trees.

  The giant hulk of a man who half lays on top of me, rolls over, sits up and fires his own weapon, hitting the attacking League member twice in their chest.

  “Tryin’ to get yourself killed in the same night you’re saved?” the man demands, hauling me to my feet with one hand. He is easily three times my size, towering so far over me I have to crane my neck just to look into the coal black eyes gleaming out of his bald head. I can’t help but think that if he lived in the O.Z. he probably wouldn’t be able to fit through the doorways.

  “You know who I am?” I ask.

  He wrinkles his face, the skin leathery from decades of sun damage. “Poppet, after what you’ve done for the compound, what you’ve been through, and the fact you’ve gotten away from the League twice now, I’m pretty sure everyone on the surface knows who you are. I also know that you’re supposed to be with Charlie on your way back to safety.”

  He reaches like he’s going to take my arm but I spin away.

  “No! I have to find Jax!”

  “Jax? Jaxon Cole?” The man chuckles. It’s hearty and deep and makes his entire barrel chest shake. “Ah, that explains a thing or two.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Here,” someone responds. I flip around to see Jax no more than fifteen feet away. There’s a deep purple welt and a giant scar on his forehead from where Elijah struck him with the gun. It’s been joined by a variety of nicks and scrapes from battle and his right wrist is burned, the skin red and blistered. Ash covers his body and perspiration plasters his hair to his face, yet he is still as beautiful as the first moment I saw him.

  I race forward with such energy we don’t so much hug as collide into each other, Jax stumbling backward before catching me in his arms and I suddenly feel safe, as though nothing on the planet can harm me. Burying my face into his chest, I sob and I’m not sure if it’s from relief or happiness or everything I have been through. I ball his shirt in my fists, needing to know that he is here and he is real.

  “Whoa,” he murmurs into my hair, his hands caressing my back before he draws my face upward until our eyes lock. “You’re ok now.”

  “Elijah said you were dead.”

  Jax smiles, the glow of the fire making his eyes glitter. They’re like ice against the flames and my heart skips.

  “Kelsey, I’ve told you a hundred times that I can take the League. None of them, certainly not Elijah, are going to defeat me.”

  Lifting a hand, I delicately touch the scarred welt on his head, jagged and swollen beneath my fingers. “He did knock you out with the gun.”

  “Yeah well, I burned his whole building down,” Jax says gesturing to the giant fire. “So, I think I win. Now, do you really want to keep talking about Elijah?”

  “No, I wa-” But I barely get the words out before Jax kisses me, forceful and passionate and as heated as the blaze behind me, as though we both truly believed we would never see each other again. His arms latch around my waist, enveloping us closer together and all the sounds of fighting and fire vanish as I lose myself in the feel of Jax’s lips against mine.

  Tears still fall down my face and as Jax shifts backward. He reaches up and smooths them away, holding my chin in his palm. I realize I’m still clutching his shirt, the fabric wrinkled in between my fingers. I don’t want to let go.

  “You weren’t supposed to come after me you know. I told Charlie not to let you.”

  “When have I ever given the impression I listen to orders?” he asks with a playful smirk. “There’s no way I was letting you stay a prisoner to the League or go back to ROC, not unless I’m standing there with you. Besides, Charlie knew Elijah and the League wouldn’t just leave us alone so we planned two steps ahead. And I got to play with fireworks.”
<
br />   “Jax, what exactly are fireworks?”

  He stares at me strangely, then smiles, turning me around to face the burning building. It has become completely unsalvageable. Good.

  Glancing at the giant man who saved me from a few bullets to the skull, Jax nods. “How about one more round, Ryder?”

  The man grins before cupping his hands around his mouth to be heard over the last vestiges of the battle. “One more round for our dear League friends!”

  From their pockets and backpacks, dozens of nearby compound members gather up round packages the size of grapefruits. I watch with curiosity as they chuck the spheres deep into the flames. Nothing happens for almost five seconds and I’m about to tell Jax I don’t understand.

  Then whistles and cracks erupt into the night. Streams of glittering light shoot skyward from the inferno, rocketing into the air as they blast into an array of colored sparkles and lines, spirals and curls. There’s gold and silver, bright pink and vibrant green, deep blues and reds and purples and they all mix together to create a masterpiece against the velvety black sky. The explosions vibrate deep inside me, thumping against my body as if my chest is a drum.

  Jax takes my hand in his. “Daniel and I found them a couple years ago in some abandoned warehouse. I’ve been begging Charlie to let me use them ever since. They’re a pretty effective way to destroy a building. All you need is a little fire.”

  “They’re beautiful,” I murmur. He kisses the top of my head, drawing me backward to hold me tight against his body as we watch the magical display together. Winding his fingers with mine, Jax gives me a reassuring squeeze and then he leans down until his chin rests on my shoulder. I can feel his breath soft against my neck, sending shivers up my spine.

  Together we watch the fire and the fireworks, a brilliant array of colors and light, a loud concerto of bursts and whistles, and all the while I feel Jax’s heart beating against my back, a beautiful rhythm all of its own.

  Suddenly he whirls me to face him, his expression serious as he grips both my shoulders. His eyes dart back and forth across my face and he takes a big sigh as if to calm his nerves. “I need… I want to tell you something and I realize it might be the wrong time or… I don’t know… I don’t know…”

  I trail the back of my right hand along his cheek, his skin soft and smooth despite the dirt and soot caked over it. “Jax, you can always tell me anything.”

  Nodding, he draws in another deep breath. I can’t imagine what has made him, the unflappable Jaxon Cole, so anxious.

  Licking his lips, he lifts his head to catch my gaze. “Kelsey, I-“

  “We got a problem!” someone shouts. Flipping around, Ryder points down the hill toward the mall. Jax and I rush forward and I have to cover my mouth to stifle a scream as Jax lets out a string of angry profanity.

  A throng of League members march from the flames, two hundred if not more, and all carry a myriad of guns and other gleaming metallic harbingers of death. Elijah is unmistakable at the front of the army, the glow of the fire makes his hair a vivid red, as though he has become one with the flames, the blaze feeding his wrath.

  “I need a gun,” I say, turning to Jax because I tossed mine away when I ran out of bullets.

  “A gun ain’t gonna help you right now, little Poppet,” responds Ryder, sweat glistening along his skin as we watch Elijah and his soldiers advance. All around us, compound members prepare for another battle, checking weapons, taking cover and awaiting orders. I wonder who their leader is when Jax steps forward.

  “Fall back!” he commands, his voice carrying strong and loud over our team. “Retreat plan is in effect!”

  Immediately the compound members shoulder their weapons and duck into the trees.

  I’m taken aback. “You… you’re in charge?”

  He looks at me strangely. “Who else would be?”

  “And we’re just running away?” I demand.

  “Currently it’s that or get killed,” Jax responds, grabbing my arm and hauling me after Ryder’s hulking form.

  “I thought you all came here to destroy the League?”

  “We came here to get you. And maybe destroy the League’s building. We’ve accomplished both. We’re neither equipped nor ready to take on Sawyer’s entire army right now and I’d prefer to not lose any more men tonight.”

  “What about Charlie and the others?”

  “Charlie’s in charge of them. We’ve got this all figured out. Now let’s go!”

  The first shots come.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Jax knocks me to the ground, sheltering my body with his as a dozen bullets tear through the air and bury themselves into nearby trees.

  “Give me a gun, Jax!” I demand again. He checks behind us and lifts me back to my feet. Yanking a small revolver from a holster on his thigh, he hands it to me while firing off several rounds at whoever chases us. He must have hit someone because I hear a pained grunt and the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. It doesn’t matter. Four more follow whoever Jax has killed.

  “Go!” he orders, shoving me toward the trees.

  I can’t see anything, running blindly through the forest. Three times I collide with a tree, scraping my face and arms and bruising my knees, but Jax pushes me on, his breathing heavy behind me. Footsteps thunder after us and an occasional shot is fired though I have no idea where the bullets end up. As long as they aren’t in mine or Jax’s heads, I don’t care.

  “Where are we going?” I pant as a sharp stitch stabs into my side, my lungs not used to the exertion this evening has required.

  “Our new home, but we have to lose these League jerks first or we’ll lead them straight to everyone else.”

  “I have an idea,” I say, swerving right toward an opening in the woods. Entering the tiny clearing, I glance around knowing I have only seconds to make some decisions. A stream runs through the woods, but it’s no more than four feet wide and the embankment offers no protection.

  The sounds of our pursuers grow closer and closer and Jax stares at me with nervous urgency, his cheeks flushed. “Any time now, Kelsey.”

  “There,” I say, pointing to a fallen log strewn a few feet from the river. I leap behind it and Jax follows as we both crouch, guns ready. My boots sink into the soft mud and the smells of decaying bark and wet moss drift into my nose.

  Peeking his head over the top of the log, Jax lifts four fingers, indicating the number of League members who have entered the clearing. Shifting so I can aim my revolver over the log, I train the barrel on the first man.

  “Wait,” Jax whispers in my ear. “There’s two of us and four of them which means we can only kill two at most before the others figure out our hiding spot.”

  “Then what do you suggest?”

  He casts another glace at the group of men as they begin to search behind trees and boulders. One moves only fifteen feet away and my muscles tighten as his eyes scan over our hiding place.

  Without a sound, Jax readjusts his position and lines his gun with the closest target. “Shoot fast and don’t miss.”

  Jax fires, hitting the man in the back of the head, shattering his skull as his body face-plants to the pine needled earth.

  I fire as well, catching another man in the right shoulder. He stumbles backward but recovers, lifting his weapon my direction before Jax hits him in the throat, instantly leaving the man as dead as his comrade.

  The final two fire, bullets pinging off the log. One whooshes by my ear and I feel my hair wave against my face as it misses me by a millimeter.

  “Damn it!” Jax barks, recoiling and cradling his left arm to his chest. Blood flows from his hand, soaking into his already damp t-shirt.

  I want to stop and help him, but the last two attackers quickly advance, weapons held in front of their faces as they stalk forward. It’s all up to me now and I realize I can’t possibly get a good shot, let alone two, from my position.

  Dropping my weapon, I yank Jax’s semi-automatic from
his grasp and lurch to my feet.

  “Kelsey!” he shouts, but I’ve already aimed the weapon and fire repeatedly. The first man goes down in an instant, shot through the forehead, but I’ve only hit the second in the arm. He’s disoriented but recouping and manages to swing his gun around with his other arm.

  I leap sideways, diving over the log and rolling on the ground, narrowly missing the bullet that has driven itself into the tree beside me. I pray Jax wasn’t hit, but I can’t check as I stop tumbling over the earth, folding my knees underneath me and re-aiming.