Automatically, everyone lifted their lights in that direction.
“There!”
A spot ahead was illuminated, but not by our lights, but by some other source. I could just make out the shapes of children in the water. We’d found them. “Hang on,” I called out to them. “We’re coming.”
We reached the boys heads held barely above water level. They stared at us with a combination of fear and hope, wondering if we were there to help, or if we were connected to the man who’d brought them here.
Lights had been positioned high in the curve between the walls and the roof, and beside them were the red blink of cameras. That bastard. He’d positioned the lights, not so the boys would be able to see, but so the cameras would be able to film them.
The men went to help the boys. They’d been trying to swim, but the weight of the chains around their wrists had been pulling them under. They spluttered and fought, but then calmed and allowed the guys to hold them up.
“The man left us here,” the oldest managed between gulps for breath. “He took us and he chained us up.”
“I know.” Isaac wedged his shoulder under Chris’s arm. “You don’t need to worry about him anymore. We’re here to help you.”
The youngest boy, Tad, was the weakest by far, and Clay scooped him up, supporting his chin with one hand, so the boy’s face was above water. “You’re okay. We’ve got you. You’re safe now.”
But they weren’t safe yet. We still had to get the ring open to unhook their chains.
“You need to cut the ring,” I told Clay. “Let me take Tad.”
Clay nodded, and we swapped places. Kingsley moved in to help, though he was still struggling with his own pain. The security guard stood off to one side, looking baffled about what was happening.
Clay sucked in a deep breath then ducked beneath the water with the hacksaw. It seemed so basic, but it was all we had.
But in less than a minute, he shot back up again. “It’s not working. The water means I can’t get any traction. The saw is having no effect whatsoever.”
“Shit.”
The water was getting higher. It wouldn’t be long before the length of the chains would force the boys under.
The lock. The number. What had Hollan said about it? That I was good with dates. Was that what he was hinting at, that the number for the combination lock was a date that I would remember? He’d said it was almost poetic, that he was disappointed he wouldn’t be able to show it off.
That feeling about this being personal hit me all over again.
My lifeline appeared in front of me. In the gloom, I watched all the important dates of my life flash in a row of boxes, curving away from me, to my left. My birthdays, my graduation, and, closer to me, so appearing larger, were the recent events—the date Isaac and the others took me. I zoomed in on each of them, trying to figure out if any of them could be the numbers Hollan was talking about. Then I focused on one date which, even though it was years ago, now appeared larger in my vision and seemed to have taken on a glow in the dim light.
The date my dad died.
No, the date Hollan murdered my father.
I gasped. “I think I know the numbers!”
Chapter Twenty
“Here,” I said to Clay. “Help me with him.”
I handed Tad over to Clay. On the other side, I could feel Kingsley struggling, not only with his ribs, but with whatever weakness had happened to his leg in the crash, and the cold of the water was making him unstable. Tad kicked his legs to try to stay afloat, but the movement was feeble. As the smallest of the boys, the cold had affected him the worst, and I knew if we dropped him he’d go under.
But I knew the numbers.
“Give me the flashlight.” I didn’t wait for a response, and just snatched it out of the security guard’s hand.
The water was edging higher with every minute that passed. Trying not to think about what I was diving into—despite the guard insisting this was clean water they were flushing through—I took a deep breath and plunged beneath the surface.
The frigid water locked around my skull like a vise. It wasn’t deep enough for me to need to swim. I forced my eyes open, the dark, murky water pressing against my eyeballs. I pointed the light in the direction of the ring and the combination lock. Everything was blurry, and I pushed myself closer, trying to get my vision to adjust. I’d never be able to get the right numbers if I couldn’t even see them. My heart felt as though it had grown bigger, swelling in my chest and pounding against my rib cage. My lungs had started to burn as the oxygen levels in my blood began to fall.
The first number appeared in front of me, in its usual spot, but now suspended in the water. I reached for the combination lock, my fingers numb from the cold, and scrolled until I’d hit that number. I went to the second digit and repeated the process. My lungs were on fire now, my whole chest feeling like it was going to burst. I knew I didn’t have enough oxygen to stay down much longer.
Wretched, but desperate, I pushed upward, and the top of my head broke the surface. I gasped, the sound loud and painful. It was an incredible relief, though that relief didn’t last long.
“You have to hurry, sugar!”
Clay was still holding Tad. The boy’s chain had stretched as far as it could, and because the boy’s arms were shorter than the others, he was barely reaching the surface. His eyes were squeezed shut, his face tilted backward in the water, only barely staying above.
Fuck.
I sucked in another breath and went back under. The sound of the water was hollow around my ears as I pushed deeper, back to the lock. I still had four numbers to go. My fingers felt fat as I scrolled, matching up the numbers on the lock to the digits that were floating around me. My lungs burned, the need to open my mouth and breathe screaming through me. I had to ignore it, though. I had to get this done. If I didn’t, the little boy would drown, and soon the others would follow.
Finally, the last number scrolled into place, and the lock popped. I had to stop myself from crying out with relief, knowing it would only earn me a lungful of water. Fumbling frantically, desperate to not only pull the chains off the ring, but also to get to the surface, I yanked the chains off the ring, one by one. I had to pull the tension on the chains tight in order to be able to thread them through the gap, but then that tension vanished as soon as I released them, and I knew whichever boy was on the end would no longer be pulled beneath the surface.
The moment the final chain slid free, I used my feet to push up and burst to the surface. Coughing as the cold air filled my lungs once more, I wiped the water out of my eyes. I was cold down to the bone, shaking furiously.
“Well done, love,” Isaac said, still holding one of the boys. The water was deep enough for them not to be able to touch now, even the older ones. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
None of us needed any more encouragement.
The men gathered around me, supporting me where they could. Everyone was freezing, and the youngest boy, Tad, was still crying.
It felt like we’d never reach the ladder. For a moment, I thought this had been Hollan’s final laugh, and he’d had someone shut us down in here, and we’d never find our way out, but then the guard called us over.
“We’re here!”
Because it was dark outside, the entrance had been hard to see.
We helped each other up, one by one, stopping at the top to haul the next person up. It was important to get the boys out of the cold water, but the night was still chilly, and everyone was wet and shivering.
“I should call the cops,” the guard said, but Isaac put out a hand to stop him.
“No need. We’re better than the cops. We’ll make sure the boys get to where they need to be.”
I wasn’t sure where that place would be now that the locations of the bases had been exposed, but I figured Isaac had some idea.
We made it back to the van. Alex found some blankets and a couple of changes of sweatshirts,
and we each made do, drying ourselves off as best we could, while Clay ran the hot air. There weren’t enough blankets or spare clothes to go around, so we shared a couple, and huddled in together to keep warm.
Do you know what happened to our friend?” one of the older boys, Chris, asked. “His name’s George. We lost him after those men arrived and started shooting.”
“He’s safe,” Isaac told him. “He’s with another team. You’ll be back together soon.”
The boys exchanged relieved glances.
“What about the man who took us?” asked, the other boy, Xander. “The one who locked us up down there?”
“He’s dead,” Isaac replied. “You’ll never have to worry about him again.”
Chapter Twenty-one
It was over.
Hollan was dead, and the boys were safe.
I didn’t know what would happen now, but the relief of it made me lightheaded. Or perhaps that was just hypothermia.
When everyone was dried off and warmed up, we made sure the boys were strapped in, and then we left the premises. Alex had checked everyone over to make sure we didn’t need any medical attention.
I’d left my aunt with the boys from our base, so it made sense that we headed back to D.C. I found myself longing to see my home again, something that surprised me. I’d spent so long apathetic toward the house and the life I had there, but now that was the only place I wanted to be.
Isaac would make contact with Andrea and hope she’d found the other bases safe. There would need to be a lot of meetings over the days and weeks to come, trying to figure out what would happen to all the people involved. Would they regroup and start again? I didn’t know. All I knew was that I wanted to sleep for about three weeks, and then do nothing more exciting than watching Netflix and ordering in takeout food for the foreseeable future. I’d had enough excitement to last me a lifetime.
I dozed in the van on the drive back, my head on Clay’s shoulder, while Lorcan sat on the other side of me, his fingers laced with mine. Alex sat back with the boys, keeping an eye on them to make sure none were showing any signs of hypothermia or shock. So far, so good, and other than being frightened and confused about what had happened, the boys appeared none the worse for their experience. Isaac drove, and Kingsley took the passenger seat, needing the space because of his ribs. He’d need medical attention at some point to check that nothing was broken, but for the moment all any of us wanted to do was get somewhere warm, dry, and safe.
I roused when we hit the outskirts of the city, my heart lifting. I’d forgotten how much I missed this place. Only a month or so ago I’d believed I’d hated the bright lights, and the Metro, and the people, and the damned Monument. Now I felt my soul lifting at the sight of it.
Home.
I wanted to see Aunt Sarah, too, and hold her tight, and tell her we’d made it, and thank her for everything she’d done. None of us had been perfect in our decisions over the past few weeks, but life was short, and I wasn’t about to hold anything against her. I hoped the boys we’d put her in charge of hadn’t run her off her feet. They might have continued with the subdued nature they’d been in when we left, or they might be giving her hell. It could easily go either way. At least they weren’t strangers to her, though, and she knew how to handle them. Aunt Sarah had never been a pushover. She’d survived a teenaged me, after all.
Isaac knew the way from the time we’d been here before.
By the time we pulled up in front of the house, night had given way to day. We all climbed out, blinking in the diffused morning sunlight. Though I knew Hollan was dead, a part of me still churned with nerves, worrying we’d find something more than we’d anticipated, but everything looked quiet, and when I used my key to open the front door, a sleepy-looking Sarah was making her way down toward me in her robe.
Her face lit at the sight of me, and she held open her arms. I rushed forward, the men and boys at my back, and wrapped my arms around her. We held each other tight, and then she kissed my cheek.
“I’m so happy you’re safe.”
“Me, too,” I said. “It’s over.”
She released me to look over my shoulder at the group behind me and smiled. “I think we’re going to run out of beds.”
“It doesn’t matter. We can sleep anywhere. Everyone’s exhausted.” I looked around. “Where are the other boys?”
She gave a small laugh. “Where aren’t they? In the spare room. In your room, too, Darcy. Some are on the floor. Everyone is safe, though, and that’s all that matters.”
I smiled at her. “Yes, you’re right.”
“Your clothes are damp,” she said, touching my shoulder.
I nodded. “It’s a long story, and I’m way too tired to tell it now.”
“That’s okay. Get yourself changed, and I’ll try to find somewhere for everyone to sleep.”
What I really wanted was to pull my five guys into a room and snuggle down with them all, like a bundle of affectionate cats, but I knew that wasn’t going to be possible tonight—or at least today, as we’d already left night far behind us. We needed our rest, and with numerous people under one roof, it would be a case of making do.
Clean, dry clothes were handed out. We’d never completely gotten rid of my dad’s stuff, and had only bagged it up and stored it away, so there was plenty of men’s clothing to go around. It was too big for the boys, especially Tad, who wore the sweatshirt and pants comically, hanging off his small frame, but they were warm and dry and would do until we were all rested and could find something more suitable.
“I’m hungry,” Tad said, his lower lip pouting.
“I don’t have much,” my aunt apologized. “We haven’t been here in a while, so everything in the refrigerator turned and the bread looks like it’s about to walk off on its own. I can do dried cereal, but that’s about it.”
The boy smiled. “Cereal is good. I like it better without milk anyway.”
She returned the smile. “That’s good, then, isn’t it?”
The boys were practically asleep before they’d even finished eating. Clay lifted Tad, his eyes drooping, from the table and found him a spot on one of the couches. The adults were all hungry, too, but we could wait. Sleep was more important than food.
Sarah handed out spare pillows and blankets, and we all found a spot to bed down. The house resembled an emergency shelter after a natural disaster—a place of refuge. I found myself curled up with Clay on one side of me and Alex on the other. Kingsley had been given a camping mat because of his ribs, and was sleeping in the hall, and Isaac had taken up position near the front door. I noticed how he still kept his gun to hand. I thought we were safe here, but I figured it was just Isaac’s natural stance to make sure his team was protected. Lorcan had copied his leader’s position and rolled a mat down by the back door.
We were all here, we were all safe.
And with that being my last thought, I gave in to sleep.
I DIDN’T KNOW HOW MANY hours had passed when I was woken by Isaac’s cell phone ringing.
Bodies slumbered all around me. I crept out, stepping over those who were sleeping. The sound of quiet snores and heavy breathing filled the room.
Isaac’s low, urgent voice caused my pulse to race.
“Everything okay?” I asked as he hung up.
He nodded. “Yeah, that was Andrea. She’s made contact with the other team leaders, and we need to convene. We’re going to need to figure out what we’re going to do with all the boys.”
I chewed on my lower lip. “They won’t be going back to the bases?”
“Not now that people know about them. You can imagine the field day the media will have with that—boy soldiers being trained underground. It would be a shit storm.”
He was right.
“So, what’s going to happen to them?”
His shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I’m not sure yet. That’s why I need to meet with Andrea and whoever the leaders of the other bases are so we can co
me up with a plan about what happens next.”
“You think everyone is going to get to stay together?” I asked anxiously.
“Honestly, love, probably not. I wish I could say we’ll all live happily ever after, but chances are that’s not going to happen.”
My stomach churned. I wanted to grab him and cry ‘but what about us,’ but I knew this wasn’t the time or place to have that conversation. My relationship with each of the guys meant the world to me, and at least when we’d had Hollan pushing us together and a job to do, I’d known we’d still be together as a unit. Now the future was a murky lake I could barely see into. I’d thought the base was going to be our home, but there’d be no chance of that happening now. We’d be inundated by the press, and be the target for anyone who wanted to cause us trouble.
“Do you want us to come with you?” I asked.
He shook his head, and my stomach sank. This was the start of it. The start of us all having to go our separate ways. “I’ll have to take both vans to fit all the kids. I’ll take a couple of the guys with me to switch shifts driving, but Alex is probably going to need to take Kingsley to the hospital to get his ribs X-rayed, so it’ll most likely be Clay and Lorcan.”
I didn’t want any of them to go, but I didn’t say so.
“Yeah, I should probably spend some time with my aunt anyway,” I bluffed. “She really helped getting the boys out, and I’ve barely had a chance to see her.”
Isaac nodded. He fixed me with his gaze, faint lines between his eyebrows, his lips pressed together as he looked down at me. “We’ll come back, love.”
I forced a smile. “Sure. I know that.”
“Good. You’re not getting rid of us that easily.”
His words warmed my heart a little, but I still couldn’t shake the coiling fear at my soul that I was losing them.
Chapter Twenty-two
They left that same day.
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