Rise (New Haven Book 3)

by Sara Jo Cluff

  We stopped about fifty yards out. Dante swore, so I went to him, keeping my voice low. “What’s wrong?”

  His voice was tight. “They installed lights.”

  I followed his gaze. Lights were on the other side of the wall, lighting up the area between the brick wall and the back of Headquarters. As soon as our heads were over the wall, we’d be seen.

  Santiago and Maya joined us. Santiago folded his arms. “What should we do now?”

  “We’ll have to go farther down the wall.” I glanced over at the brick wall, looking down both sides. The lights were only behind Headquarters. “If we went fifty yards down each side of the wall, we could jump there and then walk on the inside.”

  Dante swore again. “But before we would only have to deal with the security guards at the back and on the roof. If we approach from both sides, that means killing ten more on each side.”

  Maya ran her hand over her spiky hair. I expected to hear the clinking of her bracelets, but then remembered she took them off for the mission. They would cause too much of a distraction. “Why do we have to kill them all? Why not just the ones closest to the back?”

  “It’s a domino effect,” I said. “Once you kill one security guard, the one closest to him will see. So, then we’ll have to kill him, and so on.”

  Santiago shrugged. “So what? That’s twenty more security guards dead. Twenty less we’ll have to deal with if we get caught on the inside.”

  “We’re still talking thirty on the ground and twenty-five on the roof,” Dante said. “And there’s still only sixteen of us.”

  I twisted my ring. “With the lights on, we’re just sitting ducks on the ground. The guards on the roof will be able to hit us easily.”

  Santiago patted his chest. “At least they can’t hit us here. Being hit in the arm or leg won’t kill you.”

  “But being hit in the head will,” Maya said, tapping her finger against his head.

  “We need to take out the lights,” I said. “We have to cover our entrance.”

  Dante shook his head. “They’ll know we’re here as soon as they see the lights get shot out.”

  “Then don’t shoot them,” I said. “We need to unplug them or something. Make it look like a technical malfunction.”

  Santiago nodded. “As they’re scrambling around to see what happened, we start killing them one by one. If we’re fast enough, it will be too late for them by the time they figure out what’s going on.”

  “It’s a long shot,” Maya said. “It’s risky.”

  “But we have to do it,” Dante said. “We have no other choice. I’m not turning around and leaving.”

  “Let’s do it,” I said. They each nodded.

  Dante looked at me. “Take your team and Santiago’s team and head east. My team and Maya’s team will head west. Once we’re over the wall, we’ll go from there.”

  We started to turn and walk away, but Santiago stopped us. “Uh, aren’t you three forgetting something?”

  I looked at him, confused. Santiago’s smile twisted and he sat there tapping his fingers against his folded arms, waiting for us to figure it out.

  After a moment, I remembered. We had started a tradition to say a prayer before we headed into battle. I rubbed my hands together. “Let’s bring it in.”

  The four of us came close, taking one another by the hand. Santiago took a deep breath, calming his nerves. “Lord, give us the strength to carry out our mission. Help us to keep our eyes clear and focused, our hearts full and open, so we can win this battle for New Haven. Amen.”

  “Amen,” Dante, Maya, and I said. We put our arms around each other and rested our foreheads together.

  We kept our voices quiet as the four of us spoke at the same time. “For New Haven.”

  A murmur surrounded us, everyone else with us saying, “For New Haven.”

  I looked at my fellow revolutionaries. “Let’s head out.”

  We split up and crept close the brick wall. My group followed right behind me, with Santiago’s group behind us. Once we were well out of the range of the lights, we stopped in front of the brick wall.

  Santiago pulled out a grappling hook with a rope attached, swung it around a few times, and then threw it up, the hook finding purchase on the top of the wall. He tugged on it a few times to make sure it wouldn’t come loose. Once he was satisfied, he turned to me and nodded. “Ladies first.”

  I looked at Eric, Joshua, and Thunder Thighs. “Keep close together. Once we’re on top, try to keep your bodies low while Santiago’s group comes up. We’ll have to wait until they’re up so we can swing the rope over the other side and climb down.”

  They all nodded at me, letting me know they understood. I took hold of the rope, tugging on it twice.

  Santiago snickered. “Don’t trust me?”

  I glanced over my shoulder at him and smiled. “Of course not.”

  I climbed, making it easily to the top. All the training helped me gain muscle and coordination.

  A guard stood on the other side of wall, right below me. Motioning for the others to wait, I quietly drew an arrow and nocked it. I aimed it at the guard and took a slow, deep breath. Releasing the arrow, it soared downward, connecting with the guard’s back. He fell to the ground and I waited, making sure there was no movement. When I was satisfied, I motioned for my group to climb.

  Eric, Thunder Thighs, and then Joshua joined me on top. We stayed crouched down, close together.

  As Santiago’s team climbed, I spoke. “Once we’re down, I want arrows nocked and ready to release. Shoot anyone you see.”

  It was dark, but I could see Eric’s white teeth when he smiled. “Have I told you how sexy you are when you’re in charge?”

  Thunder Thighs grunted. “Gross.”

  “Seriously,” Joshua said. “Keep those comments to yourself. That’s my sister.”

  I smiled and winked at Eric. “Thanks.”

  Once Santiago’s group was up, he tossed the rope over the other side and I climbed down as fast as I could. I jumped the last few feet and drew an arrow, scanning the area around me. As far as I could tell, the area was clear.

  Once everyone had joined me, I contacted Dante. “We’re down.”

  “We are, too,” Dante said. “Head west until you get close to the lights. We’ll talk again then.”

  “Yes sir,” I said.

  Dante laughed quietly through the earpiece as we started forward. There were a lot of trees in the area, so we went tree by tree, keeping as quiet as we could.

  After about twenty yards, Santiago motioned for us to stop. He already had an arrow drawn, so he aimed it and released. A guard a few yards up fell over and we waited a minute before we moved on.

  The lights were up ahead. Guards stood around the building, holding onto their bows, an arrow nocked, but pointed at the ground. At the snap of a twig, those bows would be up, and the arrows would be flying. I released one hand from my bow and held up my fist, motioning for both groups to stop.

  My voice was barely a whisper. “Dante, we’re right outside the lit-up area.”

  There was a minute of silence. Each second was agonizing. A sigh of relief almost escaped my mouth when I heard Dante’s voice. “We’re here.”

  “Everyone hold still,” Santiago said. “I’m going to take a closer look.” Santiago inched closer, keeping himself hidden by the foliage. He paused behind a tree and swore. “I see the breaker box. It’s on the east side of the building between two guards.”

  “No sneaking up on it,” Maya said. “What now?”

  “We have the advantage of the trees,” I said. “Revolutionaries, have two people from your team climb up. Once everyone is settled, we’re just going to have to start shooting.”

  “Won’t the guards on the roof notice?” Maya asked. “They’ll alert security for sure.”

  There was a moment of silence.

  “Then we’ll have to be fast.” Dante’s voice was rigid.

  I turned to
my team. “Joshua and I will each climb a tree a little south from here so we can get the guards on the side of the building. Eric and Th … Rachel.” I squirmed. I had hoped she hadn’t noticed my misstep, but the look on her face told me she did. I just shrugged it off and continued. “You two will aim for the guards on the back of the building. Understood.” They all nodded.

  Santiago and his team came up next to us. “Let’s have Luke and Tina head north with Emmie and Joshua to help with the side guards. Vivica and I will stay down here with Eric and … Rachel.”

  Thunder Thighs pulled her face tight, but I couldn’t tell if she was confused or mad. Either way, she had to be thinking we kept forgetting her name, which was better than her knowing we just wanted to call her Thunder Thighs.

  “Spread out.” I took the lead, with Joshua, Tina, and Luke right behind me. When we had gone south a few yards, I looked at them. “Let’s each take a different tree. Joshua, head south a few trees and aim for the first two to three guards. I’ll take the second tree and Tina can take the third, both of us aiming for the middle guards. Luke, take a tree on the north side and take care of those guards. When you’re settled in your tree, keep your eye on me. Once I give the nod, fire.”

  They each nodded and we separated. I found a tree I thought would be easy to climb and started up, careful of each step I took. We had practiced climbing trees as part of our training. Our primary goal was to go over different skills that would be beneficial to the different cities. We knew Kingsland was filled with trees, inside and out, so we made sure everyone in our military knew how to climb.

  Once I was settled, I readied my bow and arrow and waited for everyone else to get into position. It was a good five minutes before we got the clear from each revolutionary.

  I took two deep breaths to calm my nerves. “Revolutionaries, let’s count it out.” Their three voices whispered with mine. “Five, four, three, two …” I nodded and let my first arrow fly.

  The commotion after the first round of arrows was more than I expected. Dozens of lights turned on and guards shouted, frantically moving around. They all had arrows nocked, some firing them off. I instinctively wanted to nock another arrow, but something told me to refrain. I heard guards coming from behind us.

  With all the shouting, I could speak without giving away my position, but I kept my voice low as I used my earpiece to communicate. “Joshua, Tina, Luke. Do not shoot. Stay hidden. Turn off your earpieces.”

  After I switched mine off, I slung my bow around my back and pushed my body into the tree. From where I was, I could see Tina do the same. Hopefully, Luke and Joshua followed suit.

  Down below, a few guardsmen had captured some of our group. Our plan had gone completely wrong. At first, I was afraid they would just kill everyone they caught, but a guard came out from Headquarters saying that President Coleman wanted them taken alive.

  I glanced down to see who they had. Everyone else with us had stayed on the ground. I wasn’t sure what Dante’s and Maya’s groups had done.

  Eric, Thunder Thighs, Santiago, and Vivica were being held on the ground. The guards had laid them all on their stomachs and taken their weapons. I felt bad for the guards holding onto them. Out of everyone in our group, they were four of our fieriest members.

  A minute later, more guards came around the corner, dragging more of our members. I almost laughed when I saw Dee. She had gone completely limp. The guard carried her like a ragdoll. It was always her technique, which I usually made fun of, but it seemed to work every time.

  I counted everyone else out. Dante, Gideon, Hiro, and Terrance were among the captives they threw on the ground next to the others. I didn’t see Maya, Will, or Bruce.

  The guards continued to search the area and I held my breath for most of it. I was afraid to move a hair on my body. We were lucky we were in camouflage; otherwise, they could have spotted us right away. The whole time I kept praying they wouldn’t find us or the others. I wondered if they were up in trees like we were.

  After ten excruciating minutes, they called off the search. One of the guards went to Dante and yanked him to his feet. They had taken everyone’s weapons and earpieces, but they were still close enough that I could hear.

  “Are there any others with you?” the guard asked.

  Dante shook his head. “No. It’s just the nine of us.”

  “Liar!” Another guard shouted out. He wore a short-sleeve shirt, which surprised me because it was so cold. But it made his massive muscles stand out. By the way Dante looked at him, and the way Vivica had flinched at his voice, I assumed it was Whitney’s brother, Brandon.

  Dante refrained from lashing out. “I’m not lying.”

  Brandon approached Dante. “Who sends only nine men on a mission like this?”

  Dee gasped, leaving her ragdoll trance for a moment. “How dare you!”

  “Dee, shut up.” Dante’s voice was quiet, but I could still hear.

  “He called me a man! Unless you’re blind, big macho tough guy, there are women here, also.” When the guard near Dee went to strike her, she went back in rag doll mode.

  The guard stopped mid-swing and stared at her. She didn’t move an inch. He hesitated and then pulled back, leaving her alone. I still hadn’t decided if bringing her was a good or bad idea. In our current condition, I was thinking bad. She was going to get herself killed if she continued to act like that.

  Brandon stepped away from Dante and moved toward the back of Headquarters. “I know there are others out there. Show yourself.”

  I prayed everyone would stay hidden.

  Brandon waited a couple of minutes and then turned back and sauntered over to Dante. He pulled something out of his pocket and twisted it in his hand. One of the lights reflected off the blade. It was one of our knives. Brandon went behind Dante, his movement slow and calculated. He took the knife and put it against Dante’s throat, keeping his voice loud. “I’m going to be nice and give you ten seconds to reveal yourself. If not, we can all watch Dante die.”

  Every cell in my body screamed to jump down and run out there. I gripped a branch near me as tightly as I could, forcing myself to stay. We still had a mission to carry out. “Stay hidden,” I said in a quiet prayer.

  “You’re wasting your time,” Dante said, his voice confident. “There’s no one out there.”

  “Ten,” Brandon started. “Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two …”

  “Wait!”

  I closed my eyes and swore under my breath. Will. I heard the shuffling of feet and opened my eyes to see two guards holding onto Will, dragging him toward the others. They took his weapons and threw him on the ground.

  Brandon stepped to the front of Dante and slammed his hand holding the knife into Dante’s jaw, the tip of the knife slicing into Dante’s cheek as he pulled his hand away. Dante stumbled a few steps but gained his balance back and stood tall. Brandon kneed Dante in the stomach and pushed him down on the ground.

  As we all watched on, Brandon went and stood before the hostages. “No more lying. Next time, I won’t be so nice.” He looked out at the guards. “Take them inside and throw them in the cells for now.”

  I waited as they forced everyone inside. After five minutes, some of the lights turned off around Headquarters, but not all of them. There were still guards lined up on the side. I counted them out and was glad to see there were only four.

  Another twenty minutes past without movement. I didn’t want to risk using the earpieces again. Since Kingsland now had ten sets of them, they would hear anything we said if they were listening.

  I held out my hand and signaled that I was climbing down, hoping Joshua and Tina would see what I was doing, and that Tina would pass the motion on to Luke.

  Each step I took was precise so I wouldn’t make any loud noises. Once I was on the ground, I moved a few yards east, away from Headquarters. I stopped and glanced around, hoping to see some familiar faces. Joshua stood a few yards south, so I signaled for him to
join me. When he got to me, I put my finger up to my mouth, telling him to keep quiet. We started south until we came across Tina and Luke. I gave them the same signal and took the lead, heading back toward the brick wall.

  There were two trees close together near the brick wall. I stood in between them and turned toward the others. They squeezed in until we were all close together. If anyone had personal space issues, they were going to have a serious problem with our situation.

  I checked their ears and saw that they all had taken out their earpieces. I mouthed, “Are they off?” They all nodded. “Before we do anything, we need to find Maya and Bruce.”

  “How are we going to do that?” Tina asked. She had her hair pulled back in a braid like I did, so we could keep it out of our faces.

  Unzipping the top of my coat, I reached inside to a hidden pocket and pulled out a communication device. Each of the revolutionaries had one that we could use only to communicate with each other. I went off the hope that Kingsland security hadn’t found that pocket in Dante’s and Santiago’s jackets yet. Pulling it up to my mouth, I pressed the button to activate it. “Cool Breeze, are you there?”

  Santiago thought it would be cool if we all had code names when we used the devices. Mostly for fun, but also safety reasons. If an enemy got their hands on one, they wouldn’t know we only went by our code name on that device. Santiago had given Maya the code name of Cool Breeze since he thought her personality was that of a cool breeze passing by on a nice summer day. Mine was Butterfly and Santiago’s was Bone Crusher, which was his boxing name. Dante’s was Bull’s Eye for his amazing accuracy.

  “I’m here, Butterfly,” Maya said.

  “We need to meet back up and go over our game plan,” I said.

  “Other side of the wall?” Maya asked.

  I looked up at the wall. “It’s our safest bet right now.”

  “See you on the other side,” Maya said.

  I was about to put the device away when I remembered Santiago had our grappling hook. “Uh, Cool Breeze, we’re stuck on this side. Bone Crusher has our way out.”