The hint of worry he heard in her voice had him on alert. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“I—I was trying to leave you a message. I couldn’t find the post—”
He wrapped his arms around her. “Juno. You’re on my side of the border. We have to get you back over.”
“I need—” She eased back to look up at his face. “I need to tell you something.”
“What happened?” he asked again, heart clutching in sudden fear. “Did your parents—I mean Rand and Stef—do something?”
“No, but…”
She jumped when they heard another voice. “Juno?”
Juno whipped around when a smaller figure appeared behind them. “Pillar!” she gasped. “You can’t be over here.”
Her eyes narrowed at Maddox. “Is something wrong? Are you okay?”
“This is Maddox,” Juno said. “I’m okay, but you can’t be here—”
“Neither can you,” Pillar said, her gaze straying to the beach behind Maddox.
It was so eerie and foggy, he shuddered and glanced to where she was looking, suddenly sure he’d seen a shadow back there.
He was worried, that was all. Terrified, actually, because Juno and her friend shouldn’t be anywhere near this side of the beach.
Maddox took Juno’s hand. “She’s right. Let’s get back to your side.”
They walked together until the light post came into view. Pillar stood expectantly, waiting for Juno to join her.
“Just a minute,” Juno said. “Please. I promise I’m okay. Just wait over there, so you don’t get in trouble.”
With his heart racing inside his chest, Maddox watched as Pillar moved far enough away that he could barely make out her shape through the fog. Then he nudged Juno closer to the pole, so she was technically on her side.
“I can’t believe you were over there,” he said. “Juno—”
“I’m sorry. But…” Her voice broke, and she shook her head. “They took someone. I mean, Cam and—and his friends, they were arguing with one of your people—”
“What? Who?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know who he is, but they grabbed him and tied him up at the boathouse—”
“What?” he said again, voice rising. He winced, glancing over his shoulder once more. This wasn’t good. He could be caught out here at any moment. And who was in the boathouse?
“One of your men is in our boathouse. He got into a fight with my people, and they attacked him. Grabbed and brought him back to the boathouse—I guess in retaliation for what happened to Ty. And the nets.”
Maddox’s jaw clenched. Dammit. He should have talked to his mom earlier—or done something to try to stop things before they got worse.
“I needed to tell you,” Juno said, wrapping her arms around herself as the wind blew past them.
He curled her into an embrace while dread dropped into his stomach like a brick. “This is really bad.”
“I know. Pillar says she has a plan so they won’t hurt him, but…”
Maddox shook his head, giving her a squeeze. “You should go. Go to the bridge now. You shouldn’t be involved in this.”
She looked up. “But what if it’s someone you know?” Her voice lowered, and she shivered. “What if it’s your brother?”
His throat dried. He hadn’t thought of that. If it was Theo…what was he supposed to do? The rest of the community would be up in arms.
“Still,” he said after a moment, unwilling to let Juno be involved, “this isn’t your fight. They did this—the people from this community, and it’s not your responsibility. You should be safe.”
That would be the best thing. Even if this got worse, at least Juno would be safe.
“I can’t,” Juno whispered. “I’m—I don’t want anything to happen to Pillar, and I want to help.”
Maddox cupped her face in his palms. “Juno. This is dangerous.”
She gave a choked laugh. “Don’t you think I know that? That’s why I came here.”
His heart broke at the sincerity in her tone. She cared about him, and she was risking her life to help.
He had to admire that.
“Then leave later. See if Pillar’s idea makes sense, do it, and then go. Get somewhere safe. Wherever you were planning on staying before. Then I can meet you there later.”
“But—”
“Please,” he said, urgency entering his voice. A hint of light appeared in the sky and he knew they didn’t have much time. “Please, Juno. Just get somewhere safe.”
“Okay.” She nodded, reaching up to grasp his hands. “I’ll help Pillar, and then I’ll go.”
Relief flooded his body all the way to his toes. “Good.” He kissed her softly on the lips. “I’ll meet you there when I can.”
She returned his kiss, as urgent as his, and full of fear like she might never see him again.
“You should get back,” he said reluctantly.
He was so tempted to grab her hand and tell her to go now. That he’d go home and find some supplies and then follow right behind her. That they would run away together to the bridge and be safe.
Happy.
But he couldn’t. Not when he knew Theo might be in danger, or that things might get worse for his mom.
But a million words hovered on his tongue. Letting her go now felt like saying goodbye for good.
“Go,” he whispered, forcing out the word.
Juno gave the ghost of a smile, turning her back to him and disappearing into the fog.
Now what was he supposed to do? Just walk back home and tell his mom someone was missing?
He grunted as he turned around in the fog. Terrible idea. The sooner they found out, the sooner someone would get the idea to cross the border and start a full-on war. He had to trust that Juno and Pillar had a solution, or at least something that might buy some time.
That was only if it wasn’t Theo, though.
Then what?
No, he needed to figure this out. Maddox hiked back across the sand, taking the route he was used to so he could find his way through the fog. When the sand tapered off, he found the slab of cement that led to his house.
So close to the beach. And so close to the border.
Danger. This whole situation screamed danger. He was lucky he and Juno hadn’t been caught before. Lucky nothing had escalated too far before this.
But now things were bad, and he had to do something to fix it. Especially if he ever wanted his life to be anything more than what it was now.
Anything other than war and worry.
Maddox sighed.
He needed more. He needed…a more just world.
Maddox walked up the steps to his house. He bet his mom had wished for the same thing when his father was killed. To her, separating the two communities was the more just world.
But that was so long ago, at a time when he and Juno had only been kids. They had no say in how things had ended up, and now they were the ones dealing with the fallout.
He’d figure it out one way or another.
The moment he stepped inside, he looked around, gaze roaming the space in the darkness. Theo. That was his first step. To find Theo.
When he turned the corner and heard the voice, he nearly fell over with surprise and relief.
“Out for another midnight stroll, huh?” Theo asked.
His heart beating hard, he searched for his brother in the darkness. The shadow slowly appeared on the stairs. “I couldn’t sleep,” he whispered, keeping his voice down so he wouldn’t wake his mom. “I didn’t know you were here.”
He didn’t add, And I’m glad you’re here, but he was. If Theo wasn’t across the border, then at least his family was safe. And at least he’d have the chance to talk to his mom and maybe Theo about where to go from here.
But that meant he had to tell Theo about their missing man—whoever it was.
“I’m here,” Theo said. “You were just out for a stroll?”
Maddox
paused, his mouth hanging open. He’d been about to tell Theo about the man, but the words wouldn’t come out. He’d have to lie, and the way Theo was sounding, he wasn’t sure a lie wouldn’t go over well.
“Yes, I was out for a walk.”
“Probably didn’t get far, though, right?” Theo asked.
Maddox drew in a slow breath as dread filled his stomach. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“With how foggy it is out there. You probably didn’t get far.”
Damn it. Theo had been outside by the water. Maddox swallowed, trying to pretend he wasn’t guilty of anything. “Just a short walk.”
Theo stood, his boots thudding on the hardwood floor. Maddox glanced to the door off the kitchen, hoping the conversation didn’t wake his mom.
“I saw her,” Theo said, walking up to Maddox.
His breath caught. “Who?”
“That girl. The one you met out there on the beach. Actually, I saw them both.”
His heart stuttered to a stop. He’d seen Juno and Pillar? No, no, no—he thought he’d been careful. But it had been so foggy… He must have missed Theo following him, or been in such a hurry to leave a message for Juno he hadn’t been paying attention.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Maddox murmured, still grasping at the lie because he had no idea what else to do.
“They were on our side of the border.”
Which meant Theo and his people had every right to punish Juno and Pillar how they saw fit. And Theo didn’t even know about the other issue. About whoever their side had taken.
“It wasn’t her fault,” Maddox said quickly. “Like you said, it was the fog. She couldn’t tell how far she’d gone—”
“Ah, that’s better,” Theo said, folding his arms. “Only problem is, I know you’ve seen her more than once.”
“You’ve been spying on me?” Maddox gritted his teeth.
“That’s where you go all day when you’re supposed to be scavenging. Am I right?”
“I still bring in supplies. I make sure I’m doing my part. It—”
“She broke the rules.” Theo angled his head. “And I’m wondering if you might have done the same thing, since you keep talking about fishing. Have you been across the border?”
Maddox’s hands curled into fists while bells of alarm rang in his head. What was he supposed to say? If he told the truth, everyone would get in trouble. But if he made it seem like it was entirely his fault and left Juno out of it, maybe at least she would be okay.
“It wasn’t her fault,” Maddox said again. “I was curious about the nets and fishing. I ran into her and almost got caught. I didn’t steal anything, and she let me go as long as I agreed not to go back to her side.”
Mostly the truth. There had been a lot more after that, but he’d kept away from her side of the community for the most part.
“But you’ve still seen her,” Theo said.
Maddox snapped his mouth closed. It seemed like the more he said, the worse it got. Theo didn’t need to know anything else about Juno.
Theo shook his head. “This isn’t good. What’s the rest of the community going to think?”
“Nothing,” Maddox said. “There’s nothing to tell them because nothing is happening.”
“She’s been into our community. What if she knows about our supplies?”
Maddox’s breath caught in his throat. The supplies. Did Theo know they were missing? If he did, wouldn’t he have just said something way back in the beginning when he discovered they were gone?
“She doesn’t know anything about our supplies,” Maddox whispered. “There’s no way she can.”
“But she was here. On our side. Others have been here, too.”
“It was an accident—I told you.”
Theo narrowed his eyes. Even in the darkness, Maddox could see the glint in them. He couldn’t tell whether his brother was trying to solve a puzzle or just trying to gather more proof for a puzzle he thought he’d already solved.
“An accident,” Theo said. “Then why were you out there with her? Were you meeting her?”
Crap. Now what was he supposed to say? “I wasn’t…meeting her,” Maddox said. He was just going to leave her a message. But he couldn’t say that, either. “Someone was stealing her fish, and she thought it was me. Which it wasn’t. I was just making sure we were clear.”
“That’s all? Why would she think you stole her fish?”
Maddox swallowed. “She saw me on the beach when I was trying to figure out the nets—remember? I talked to Mom about it. But it’s fine. It’s settled.”
“So you don’t need to see her again?”
He had to force the word out. “No.”
Theo’s shoulders relaxed. Maddox could make it out as plain as day from his shadow. He wanted to be relieved, but he couldn’t because he’d just told the biggest lie of all.
“I guess I don’t have to tell Mom or anyone else, then,” Theo said, standing and clapping Maddox on the shoulder. “As long as you never see her again.”
He watched, still as a statue, as Theo walked up the stairs and out of sight. His heart hammered out of control. Now what should he do?
He glanced back to the kitchen. Wake his mom? Tell her everything? There were too many things to fix, to make right.
But what if Juno and Pillar figured out their plan? Then maybe they’d solve that problem. And he’d talk to his mom about the other side and hopefully at least make that easier to handle.
The only other thing he needed to deal with was Juno.
And she was leaving her community, so soon that wouldn’t be an issue, either, would it?
He leaned against the wall, completely lost. The most important thing was making sure Juno was safe. In order to keep her safe, he had to stay away from her. He had to make it look like he was never going to see her again.
At least until she—and the rest of the community—were safe. And then he could fix it. All of it.
He would fix it.
Just one small lie first—for the sake of Juno’s safety.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Juno
Juno paced across the small wood floor of her shack, back and forth with eight short steps, impatient. It was already noon, and she was antsy to get out of here. She wanted to get to the bridge to meet Maddox.
She just needed to wait for Pillar to get back. Then she’d be free again. Then maybe the knot of anxiety in her stomach would loosen.
When she spotted Pillar walking to her shack, she bounced anxiously on her toes. She wasn’t coming from the boathouse—it looked like she’d come from over by the garden. Maybe the meeting hall?
“Come in,” Juno said, waving her friend into the small building.
Pillar stopped at the doorway and didn’t come in any farther. There was barely room for another person inside, let alone two plus the bags Juno had packed for her escape to the bridge.
“What happened?” Juno asked. “Was he still in the boathouse?”
“No, they moved him to the meeting hall.”
“Is everything okay?”
Pillar grimaced. “I think so? I don’t know. They didn’t hurt him anymore, so that was good. I told them our idea, too, but I said it was just my idea so my parents would listen. Sorry.”
Juno shook her head. “Don’t apologize. It makes sense.”
“I told them that they should make a trade,” Pillar continued, rubbing her hand on her cheek. “I guess the guy wouldn’t talk anymore, so they weren’t making any progress anyway. I told them they should get the other side to give us all their rope to replace the nets. And if they did, they could have their guy back.”
“And?” Juno was practically grabbing Pillar to get her to talk faster. “Then what?”
“They said that wouldn’t be enough,” she said.
“But…I thought you said it was okay.”
Pillar nodded. “Then Cam suggested they give us supplies. Enough to make up for the we
ek we had to go without nets. Their supplies in exchange for the life of their man. He said he knows the leaders of the community and— What? What’s wrong?”
Juno felt the blood drain from her face. Their supplies? But…Maddox had said their supplies were missing. Did his family and the rest of the community know that yet? Or would this get him into even more trouble?
“Oh, no,” she whispered.
“What’s wrong?” Pillar asked again. “Everyone thought that was a good exchange. Cam was already sent to the border to make the deal. I—”
“No. I mean—I don’t know if that will work,” Juno said, checking to make sure her knife was at her belt. She bent to tie her shoelace, the whole time thinking she had to warn Maddox. Just in case.
“Juno? What’s wrong? We might have saved his life!”
Juno swallowed and stood. “I know. But—it might be bad for Maddox. Or—”
She wasn’t sure. She’d almost forgotten about the supplies. But if Maddox’s community didn’t know, that meant they were going to figure it out soon, and she had to expect it wasn’t going to be good.
“I have to go,” she told Pillar. “I have to go now—to find Maddox.”
“But—”
“I don’t have time.” She eyed the bags on the floor. She was supposed to be leaving for good. But she hadn’t even told Pillar yet.
No time. Not right now. She’d come back for her stuff later, and to tell Pillar face-to-face that she was leaving for good.
“Be careful,” she warned Pillar. “Stay close to your parents. Be safe.”
“Juno—” Pillar caught her arm when she was halfway out the door. “You, too.”
She gave Pillar a quick hug and then dashed out the door. Juno practically ran the entire way to the bridge, making sure she stayed on her side until it was safe. No sense in causing more problems with what was already going on.
By the time she got there, she wished she’d brought water. Her throat was so dry she stopped at the buildings across the bridge to cough while her eyes sought out Maddox.
If he wasn’t here, she didn’t know what she’d do. She’d have to try to meet him at the pole or even… No, she couldn’t cross the border again. It was too dangerous.
When Juno reached the bridge, she slowed and ducked under the beams. There was only one rat in a trap this time, and it squeaked when she walked by. She ignored it and searched for Maddox’s satchel.
Rival Page 15
