There was no way I was going to be able to close my eyes. It was a good thing I was used to getting very little sleep because I probably wouldn’t get much over the next few days.
I drifted off for a few moments here and there throughout the night. Every time I peeked between my eyelids, I saw Henry with his eyes open, staring at the slightly cracked doorway.
I wished I would have made me feel safe to have him watching but it didn’t. When morning came, I was relieved even though I knew I’d have to step back out into the rain.
We walked for several miles. Henry’s feet moved quickly as he led the way. It was odd but I didn’t feel as though we could have been more than five miles from the compound.
“Where is the river that swept the girls away?” I asked.
“There is no river,” Henry said.
My ears started to ring. My stomach felt heavy.
“Sorry?” I said swallowing hard as I glanced at Shawn. “What do you mean?”
“There was no river,” Henry said stopping and turning to face me. He was ten feet away from me but he suddenly felt very close. “People are gullible. You’re gullible.”
I narrowed my eyes. Shawn took a step closer to me as both Henry and Clara put their hands behind their backs.
Henry smirked and raised a brow. “We’re going to take your place.”
19
Joss
Robby smiled at me. “Let’s go into town. Check out some of the shops.”
“Why?” I asked shaking my head.
“Because we can,” Robby said. “I have the day off… we might as well enjoy it. We don’t have anything to worry about. Jenna’s back home and I’ll be with you.”
I bit my lip. “I wish they could figure out what had happened to her.”
“They’re doing what they can, I’m sure,” Robby said. “They probably just don’t have what they need to figure it out. We’ll just have to wait.”
“Does Rex want you to fight in the war?” I asked. It had been a question that had been weighing on my mind but hadn’t had the courage to ask.
Robby shrugged. “He has an army. I don’t think he needs me.”
“He hasn’t asked you?”
“No,” Robby said. He wrapped his arms around my middle and smiled. “Come on, let’s take a walk through the town.”
“A walk in the rain,” I sighed. “How romantic.”
Robby raised a brow. “We’ll make it romantic.”
“Fine,” I said with a half-shrug. “If it’ll make you happy, I’ll go.”
“It will,” he said grinning.
He took my hand into his and we left the room. The streets were mostly empty except for those who were working or those who were out shopping. No one was out strolling the streets like we were.
Robby didn’t seem to care. It was like he wanted to pretend things were normal—just for a short time—even if they weren’t.
“Let’s check in here,” Robby said.
“What for?” I asked. “We will never have enough coupons for anything in this shop.”
The jewelry store didn’t have anything displayed in the window but the sign said they were open. If everyone in town worked together, what was the shop owner worried about? Surely, they couldn’t be concerned someone would steal from them.
“Let’s just look around,” Robby said. “You never know… maybe someday.”
I puffed out my cheeks. “You are clearly living in a different world than I am.”
“Nah,” Robby said. “I just think we need to find the good.”
“We’re surrounded by too much bad to find the good,” I said.
“Bah!” Robby said flapping his hand in the air. “There are lots of good. Like you.”
I raised a brow. “I guess this is a romantic walk, after all.”
“Damn straight,” Robby said pulling open the shop door. “Let’s take a look around.”
“Fine,” I said crossing my arms. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
“Welcome!” a large woman said as she wobbled over toward us. Her glasses were so far down her nose they couldn’t have done much good. “Can I show you around or are you just browsing?”
Robby gave the woman a warm smile. “We’re just browsing today.”
“That’s okay. That’s good. Most people do,” she said tapping at the name Charlotte on her name tag. “Just call me if you need help with anything, okay?”
“Will do,” Robby said.
Charlotte hobbled off but she didn’t go far. She sat behind the counter and flipped through a magazine. Her eyes flicked toward us often.
“Check this one out,” Robby said. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
It was a simple blue stone set in silver. The stone glittered so much in the candlelight it glowed.
“It’s so beautiful,” I said entranced.
Robby gestured for Charlotte.
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
“How much for this?” Robby asked as she approached.
“My, you have good taste,” Charlotte said with a wink. “That gem is only two hundred and thirty-five coupons.”
Robby winced before giving the woman a grin that swirled my insides. “What would you do with all those coupons, Charlotte?”
“Even if I could lower the price, I imagine it’s still out of your price range,” Charlotte said with a cocked brow.
It wasn’t the first time a guy tried to smile his way to a steep discount. She wasn’t about to fall for it.
“Best I can do is hold it for thirty days for twenty coupons,” Charlotte said.
Robby pulled out the crumpled coupons and counted them. I covered his hands with mine and squeezed.
“Robby, no.” I shook my head. “We need this for food.”
“I don’t sell a lot,” Charlotte said. She looked back and forth between us and snatched the ring from Robby. “I’ll hold it for thirty days at no charge.”
“What?” Robby asked.
My mouth dropped open. “Why?”
“Because I’m a romantic,” Charlotte said. “Love should always win in the end, right?”
“I think so,” Robby said looking into my eyes.
“I’ll see you in thirty days,” Charlotte said flapping her hand at the door. “Now, go before I come to my senses.”
Robby quickly gave her his name and we left. My cheeks hurt from smiling.
“We won’t ever have enough to pay for that ring, you know that, right?” I said.
“Well, I want to try. I saw how you lit up when you saw it,” Robby said.
“The stone reminds me of your smile,” I said feeling the heat fill my cheeks. “All sparkly and stuff. But it’s just a ring. It’s completely useless now.”
“Nice things are still nice things,” Robby said.
“Sure, but I don’t need it.”
“Hey, you two,” Dirk said in a cheery voice. “Enjoying your day off?”
Robby shook his hand. “Yeah, I am. Joss, you remember Dirk from the other night, right?”
“Yeah, I do,” I said smiling. “How are you doing?”
“Really good. Actually, Robby, I was hoping I’d run into you,” Dirk said.
“Oh?” Robby said narrowing his gaze.
Dirk touched his lips and looked around. “Yeah, I need to show you two something if you have a minute.”
“We’re sort of on a date,” Robby said.
“Well, it’s kind of important. It’ll only take a minute,” Dirk said.
Robby looked at me. “If it’s okay with you.”
“I don’t mind,” I said.
“Awesome,” Dirk said. “Follow me.”
He led us into an unmarked building. We walked down a narrow hallway before descending a wooden staircase I wasn’t entirely sure was going to hold our weight. I was relieved when we stepped onto the cement floor… until I looked up.
I squeezed Robby’s arm and kept my voice low. “Can we trust him?”
�
��I think so,” Robby said.
“Too bad you don’t sound more confident about that,” I said.
“I know,” Robby replied.
A man was sitting at a wobbly folding table. His leg was crossed wide over the other. He shuffled a deck of cards as he watched us approach.
“The new folks?” the man asked. He was a solid man with dark hair. He was cleanly shaved. If he would have had a cigar hanging out of his mouth, I would have assumed he was a gangster.
“Yeah,” Dirk said. “Robby and Joss.”
“I’m Marcus Simon,” he said. “Dirk tells me that you might be interested in what I have to say.”
Robby caught my eye. He was just as confused as I was.
“Tell me, what do you two think about this war that our great leader Rex is leading us toward?” Marcus asked.
“Well, sir, I can’t say I think any war is good,” Robby replied.
I nodded in agreement.
“Have you all been enlisted to fight?” Marcus asked.
“No,” Robby said.
“Word is Rex is going to have all young people enlist,” Marcus said. “But I’m here to tell you there is a way out.”
I swallowed down a sour lump at the back of my throat. Robby shifted his weight from one leg to the other and then back again.
“I was informed his army is currently sufficient,” Robby said.
Marcus chuckled. “That’s what he’s telling everyone. I have it on good authority that the people from the resort not only have better weapons but their numbers are more significant. I’m truly worried about all the people here. This is a losing battle but I plan to save as many people as I can.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Robby rubbed the back of his neck with a shaky hand.
“I can tell you’re a smart guy, Robby,” Marcus said. “If you want to keep your girl safe, you’ll join us.”
“What’s your plan?” Robby asked.
Marcus rubbed his hands together. “We plan to leave with as many people as we can and as much stuff.”
“How many people have aligned themselves with you?” Robby asked.
“A good chunk,” Marcus said uncrossing his legs. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I trust that what I’ve told you stays in this room.”
“Of course,” Robby answered instantly.
Marcus cleared his throat and sat back, keeping his spine straight. “If you didn’t, it could put a lot of lives in jeopardy. You don’t want that on your conscience, do you?”
“Definitely not,” Robby said.
“So,” Marcus said with a long exhale. “Do you think you’ll be joining us?”
Robby looked at me and squeezed my hand. He stared into my eyes as if trying to read my mind. The problem was I didn’t know what I thought exactly but there was something inside me that was shouting, go with the gangster.
“We’re with two others,” Robby said.
“Dirk told me,” Marcus said.
“I’ll need to talk it over with them,” Robby said. “So, this information would have to leave this room.”
Marcus sniffed so hard it wrinkled his nose. “Dirk will bring them here. I’ll tell them myself. If that’s okay with you.”
Robby nodded. And with a wave of Marcus’s hand, we were being ushered back up the stairs.
Dirk didn’t turn around. “Marcus is a good guy. Smart. I’d trust him with my life. If you guys want to live, you’ll join us.”
20
Adam
Leah was going through our things and working on filling the backpack with items. She kept pausing, placing her hand on her stomach and then drawing in a deep breath.
“I wish I would have picked up more,” Leah said shaking her head. “I thought we’d have more time.”
I spent my time pacing. If I sat down for more than five minutes, it felt like ants were crawling over my back and I’d have to get up with a vigorous shiver.
Leah pretended not to notice me checking out the window every thirty seconds. With each passing minute that our handwritten notifications excusing us from joining the army did arrive, my anxiety grew.
No one was on the paths. Everyone was probably still gathered in the conference room, celebrating what was about to happen. They didn’t even consider what could go wrong.
It was hard to believe that there wasn’t anyone questioning the plan. People were going to blindly follow because they were thankful they had the luxuries of living at the resort.
Why those who worked here were willing to walk into the unknown was beyond me. Maybe it was just as simple as they were afraid to have to be out there in the world trying to survive in the rain.
It wasn’t easy. And that was something some of the people living at the resort were aware of. Those that weren’t aware were probably scared enough. We’d all experienced The Reset, at least I assumed that to be true since I hadn’t heard of anyone that hadn’t and everything around us was an utter disaster.
By the time night rolled around, I was almost certain that we wouldn’t be getting our papers. I’d stopped pacing and stood at the window for hours, waiting for someone to show up.
“They’re not coming,” Leah said.
“I think I need to go see my dad,” I said.
Leah sighed. “I’ll be ready in a minute or two.”
“No, you need to keep working on the bag,” I said.
“You’re not going out there alone,” Leah said with her hands on her hips. “Do you not remember what happened to me?”
“It’s dark,” I said.
Leah’s eyes narrowed. “Easy for them to get away with something.”
“I’ll be quick,” I said. “We need to get this straightened out because if it’s not, we’ll need to leave.”
Leah tapped her foot and stared at the window. “They’re probably still at that party.”
“Or passed out at home,” I said.
“Okay,” Leah said reluctantly. “But stay in the shadows. Make sure no one sees you.”
“I know,” I said.
Leah frown but quickly pushed it from her face. “If you’re not back in fifteen minutes, I’m coming to look for you.”
“Make it twenty-five,” I said. “My dad likes to talk.”
“He does?” Leah asked cocking a brow.
“Sometimes,” I replied with a smirk.
Leah sighed and crossed her arms. “Let the record show I’m not happy about this.”
“I’ll be quick,” I said kissing her cheek.
“I’m going to be so mad if I have to come out there looking for you,” she said squeezing her arms around me. “Is this stupid?”
A breath squeaked out between my lips. “Probably. But I’ll be really careful.”
“Adam, I was being careful too.”
“But it’s different,” I said. “I can hide in the dark. We did it for weeks. You need to finish this bag. We need to be ready.”
“I know,” Leah said. “Be careful, okay?”
I nodded. “Of course, I will.” I kissed her again. Longer. More passionately. The kind of kiss I needed to stop or I wouldn’t make it out the front door. “I love you.”
“I’ll say it when you get back,” Leah said.
“Looking forward to it.”
The walk to the main building was quick. I was at his door in record time.
I knocked.
Shit.
I hadn’t thought things through. What would I say if Eva was inside? Surely, I could manage to get a quick private talk with him.
My dad opened the door. He blinked several times before stepping to the side.
“What are you doing here?” he asked with a wave of his hand. “Not that I don’t always love a visit from my son. It’s just unusual to see you at this hour. I was just about to get ready to get in bed.”
“Dad,” I said before he could start another sentence. “We didn’t get our papers.”
He blinked. “Well, that’s odd. I talke
d to Donovan again after the meeting. You really don’t have anything to worry about. He probably didn’t send them to you because he knew I talked to you.”
“Donovan’s daughter isn’t obligated to go,” my dad said. “I’m sure she didn’t get the papers. I really don’t think you have anything to worry about. Family members of those on the council are not required to go to the training.”
“Leah isn’t family,” I said swallowing hard.
My dad looked down. “I told them she’s your wife.”
“Eva knows that’s not true.”
“She doesn’t know,” my dad said softly.
“Where is she?” I asked.
My dad waved his hand as if swatting flies. “Bah, she’s down there helping organize the training for tomorrow. I told her she doesn’t need to trouble herself with all that but she insisted. She wants to do everything she can to help since she won’t actually be down there.”
“Of course not,” I said with a laugh.
“You know how she is,” my dad said.
“Yeah.” I laughed. “I do.”
And what she was doing wasn’t like her at all. She was up to something but, of course, my dad wouldn’t recognize that about her. He still refused to believe who she really was.
“You know what they say about her and that guard Leo, right?” I should have kept my mouth shut but I couldn’t. “It’s not so much rumors as it was a confession in front of everyone that day they had me in the town center. The day you rescued me. The day they would have killed me if you hadn’t been there.”
“Son.” The word was a warning but I didn’t take it.
“Why do you want to stay with her when she’s clearly screwing another guy? Why do you put up with it? You’re better than this dad,” I said sharply.
My dad’s ears turned red. I thought he was going to explode but instead, his shoulders softened.
“Dammit, Adam. I don’t care about that. I’m too old to worry about that. Your mother was the love of my life. Eva takes care of me. She’s good company,” my dad said with sadness glossing his eyes.
“What happened to her?” I asked. I looked away. “What happened to mom?”
The Reset Series | Book 5 | Torrent Page 10
