Liberty's Hope (Perseverance Book 2)

by Amanda Washington

  I felt him nod against me. “Boom has someone watching her, but you’re right. We should.”

  Neither of us moved.

  Then suddenly Connor’s entire body tensed and he whispered, “Somebody’s coming.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Connor

  CONNOR SAT UP and scanned the area, searching for a way out of the trap he and Liberty had unintentionally set for themselves. The small meadow they rested in was too exposed. Looking back in the direction they’d come from, he saw that they’d never be able to hide their tracks. They needed to get out of there and far away before whoever approached stepped out of the trees.

  “You have your gun?” he asked Liberty.

  She nodded, her eyes wide.

  “Hopefully you won’t need it. Come.”

  He pulled her to her feet, gripped her hand and led her to the northeast, away from the river and toward the trees. Hand in hand, they sprinted through the forest without looking back. Shouts behind them told Connor that someone had found their tracks and would be pursuing. Confident that their best chance of survival meant splitting up so he could lose the soldiers, Connor tugged Liberty to a walk.

  “I want you to run that direction.” He pointed northwest. “Stay in the trees, but follow the river back to the camp. Run as fast as you ran here, no matter what you hear behind you.”

  Liberty shook her head. “No. Not without you.”

  “I'm going to cover your tracks and lead them away. When it’s safe, I’ll follow.”

  She shook her head again. “No. We go together.”

  He cupped her face in his hands. “Damn it, listen to me. I know what I’m doing and I’ll be fine. I won’t be far behind you.”

  She didn’t believe him. He could see it in the way her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed. They were wasting precious time, though, and he needed her to run.

  “Libby, I was Special Forces… a Green Beret. They trained us for tasks a lot harder than this.” He brushed a quick kiss on her lips. “Now hurry and go so I can follow. If we wait, we’ll both die here.”

  The sounds of pursuit grew louder. Liberty glanced back, and then leaned forward and returned his kiss. “Stay alive,” she whispered.

  “You can bet on it. Now go!”

  Connor watched her sprint between the trees and disappear from his sight. With a sigh of relief he kicked leaves over her tracks, and then stomped to the east for a few yards, tearing up as much ground as he could.

  Stopping to take cover behind a tree, Connor watched the direction he’d come from, awaiting his pursuers. He didn’t have to wait long before a blond boy, packing a submachine gun and wearing fatigues but no armor, stepped into the clearing. Five more unarmored soldiers joined the first. The crew must not have been expecting trouble, and Connor hoped they’d recognize they weren’t geared for a battle and turn back. The blond leader motioned for the boys behind him to look at the ground.

  A brunette, who looked about fifteen, pointed toward Connor’s direction and said, “They went that way.”

  “I know that, idiot,” the blond replied. “But look how the tracks changed. There were two and now there’s only one set, and it’s heavier. Whoever it is wants us to go that way.”

  “Maybe one of them is carrying the other?” The brunette suggested.

  “Or, they’re trying to lead us that direction. Think, Ray. Pretend you're a well-trained soldier who knows what you’re doing. I know that’s a stretch for you, but try.”

  The brunette puffed out his chest and took a step toward the blond. Another dark-headed boy on his left grabbed the brunette’s arm and said something Connor couldn’t hear.

  “Aww, did I hurt your feelings?” The blond asked. Then he closed the distance between himself and the brunette, getting right in the kid’s face. “We know you’re an idiot. You don’t need to prove it by trying to start crap in a forest potentially full of hostiles. You better stand down.”

  Connor watched the show, thankful for the time the Progression soldiers bought Liberty with their little pissing match. As the two boys stood unmoving in the clearing, he wondered if he’d have to do anything at all, or if they’d just kill each other. Finally the brunette lowered his head and took a step back.

  “Right,” the blond said. “As I was saying, we should split up and go in opposite directions.”

  So much for them turning back. Since Connor couldn’t have them running off and finding Liberty, he aimed his Glock at the blond and squeezed the trigger. The kid went down, and then Connor shot the brunette. Then, he ducked behind the cover of a tree and ran the opposite direction of the four remaining soldiers.

  The group must have been filled with recruits, because it took them a moment to recover. By the time they returned fire, Connor was well away from them and weaving through the trees at a mad dash. Ducking behind a large oak, he waited and listened for the sounds of their approach. As they neared, he peeked around the tree and leveled his Glock, waiting for a clean shot. When he squeezed the trigger, another Progression soldier fell. Connor ducked back behind the oak as the three remaining soldiers emptied their magazines in his general direction.

  After a time, the gunfire stopped.

  “Think we got him?” one of the soldiers asked, his voice high-pitched and squeaking.

  “Why don’t you go check?” a second soldier asked.

  “Parker?” the young-sounding soldier asked.

  “Forget that,” the third soldier replied. “We’re not even geared for this. We should get back to the camp and report what happened.”

  “Parker, you're an idiot,” the second soldier declared. “You saw what the major did to the guys who made it back from the last battle.”

  The silence that followed the second soldier’s words spoke volumes. Connor cradled his Glock and wondered what to do. He could outrun the kids and get back to the camp, but because of their fear they’d follow and try to kill him. He couldn’t take that chance. Quietly angling himself around the tree, he shot the boy who looked the oldest.

  The remaining two boys scattered, and Connor slid back behind the tree.

  Connor heard them scurry away. He wondered where they planned to go and what their fate would be. Thankful it was no longer in his hands, he slunk from the tree and continued his jog to the east until he came to a single lane dirt road. He followed the road to the north, shuffling his feet as he ran so his tracks wouldn’t be as pronounced. When he came to an area with dense trees and short grass, he leaped from the road and quickly covered his exit point with leaves and loose branches. Then he broke into a hard run that zigzagged through the forest before heading back to camp.

  By the time Connor reached the safety of the tents, twilight colored the sky as a mottled-gray backdrop. Liberty and Ashley stood at the edge of the camp with their arms crossed, watching the trees around them.

  After whistling his clearance, he stepped out from the trees and greeted his girls. He spent a few moments assuring them he was unharmed, and then Boom showed up. Connor followed Boom into the main tent, past the tables and back to the section that had been sectioned off for Boom’s private use. They entered and went straight to the table in the middle of the area.

  A giant aerial map of Washington lay across the table, the corners weighted down with large rocks. Little red X’s colored the map, marking off the areas where the Army had encountered Progression soldiers.

  Connor wasted no time before breaking into a full recounting of his experience with the Progression soldiers. Boom studied the map as he listened, asking questions about the terrain and the boys. Then he took up his pen and hovered over an area by the river, preparing to draw another X.

  “This is where you and Liberty were?” Boom asked.

  Connor eyed the area and shook his head. “A little further to the south. She ran quite a ways. About here.” He pointed at the map.

  “Hmm.” Boom drew the mark, and then scratched at his beard. “You weren’t far from this bridge, where
530 crosses the Skagit River. I wonder if that’s where they’re hiding.”

  Connor shifted to get a better view, and then studied the area, willing it to reveal its secrets. “The bridge is too exposed, but this area right here—,” he pointed to tree covered location right in front of the bridge, “this is the type of cover they’d want. They could ambush anyone who tries to cross the river. If I was running their camp, I’d plant snipers here, here, and here. They could take out anybody who even looked at that bridge without breaking a sweat.”

  “We could go north a few miles and take this smaller bridge.” Boom observed. “But chances are they have that one covered as well.”

  Connor nodded. “I could take a team, and we could build our own bridge.”

  “That would take too long. Too much exposure. After today, Progression soldiers will probably start combing the riverbanks, searching for the two sets of footprints responsible for the deaths of their soldiers. I think the best chance we have is to send out scouts to find a shallow area to cross.”

  “You’re right,” Connor conceded.

  “There hasn’t been much rain lately.” Boom crossed himself. “I’ll send Stein and Soseki to begin the search first thing tomorrow.”

  They worked out the rest of the details, and then Boom left. Connor stayed behind to pour over the map and wonder how to safely get their people over the Skagit River.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Liberty

  HEART POUNDING, I ran through the dark. Leaves and branches crunched under my feet, threatening to trip me, but fear kept me moving forward as fast as my legs could carry me. I lunged between two trees and right into a sticky spider web. It clung to my face and hair, and I slowed my steps to pull at it. As I did, a small hand reached up from the ground and brushed against my leg.

  Desperate to free her, I grabbed for her hand. It felt small and delicate in my own, and I gave it a brief squeeze to reassure her that I was there and trying to help. In the darkness, my fingers slid down her palm to her wrist and wrapped around it. I tugged on her arm, but she did not budge. Bracing myself, I tried again.

  She cried out. Her pain and desperation echoed in my head, forcing me to my knees. I dug at the hard, dry ground around her arm, trying to shovel her out.

  “Don’t give up, I’ll get to you,” I whispered, unsure of whether or not she could hear me.

  Fear returned. It drifted over the ground like a fog, coming closer. I could see my own terror, but I couldn’t leave the girl behind. Dark, sinister laughter accompanied the fear. It crept into my bones and made my blood freeze as it neared, growing louder and more ominous by the second. My feet wanted to flee, but my heart knew I had to help the girl stuck in the ground. Choosing to follow my heart, I leaned over, wrapped both my hands around the small arm and pulled once more. Still, the ground resisted. I planted my feet and tugged harder. Dirt swelled around the arm. Small cracks spread outward, giving me the first sign of hope that I could pull her through.

  “There she is!” someone shouted.

  They’d caught me! Hundreds of Progression soldiers surrounded me, their guns aimed right at me.

  “I’m not leaving you,” I told the girl at my feet.

  Shots rang out.

  * * *

  When I awoke, I was on my back. The roof above me started to close in.

  Dirt! They shot me and buried me, but I’m not dead!

  “No!” I reached up to claw my way out, expecting dirt, and felt the vinyl of the tent.

  Right. I’m in the camp.

  I took a deep breath and glanced at my watch. It was only two o’clock in the morning, so I closed my eyes, determined to get more sleep. But, tiny hands and shallow graves waited behind my eyelids, so I gave in and sat up.

  Connor wasn’t in our tent; he was probably either in his own or on patrol. My outburst hadn’t woken Ashley. She snored lightly beside me. I envied her peaceful dreams and didn’t want disrupt her sleep, so I slid out of my sleeping bag, exchanged my pajamas for fatigues, and crept out of the tent. My thoughts were dark, terrifying monsters I didn’t want to be alone with, so I made my way to the main tent in hopes of finding a fellow insomniac.

  To my surprise, Braden was awake and sitting in the same seat he’d occupied earlier. His head rested atop his arm, which stretched across the table. As if on autopilot, he flipped a single card over and over in his other hand. I watched him for a while, wondering if I should disturb him or leave him to whatever he was doing.

  Before I’d decided what to do, Braden spoke. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

  “Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing. You been here all night?”

  He gave me a lopsided shrug. “Nah. Just got here. Tried to sleep, but I couldn’t.”

  I walked over and sat next to him. “Me neither. Your sister in bed?”

  He nodded.

  I picked up a card from the stack and flipped it over. Eight of hearts. Tilting it on its corner, I held the tip and flicked the card. It spun, becoming a red and blue blur.

  Liberty Collins, master of mundane card tricks.

  Braden sat up and copied my actions with his own card, making me feel like a very cool trend setter. Without speaking, we flicked cards until my fingers started to get sore. Then my curiosity got the best of me.

  “So, tell me about yourself,” I said.

  Braden shrugged. “Not much to tell.”

  I leaned closer to him, wondering how to get him to open up.

  Maybe if I give a little, he will too.

  “Okay, fine, I’ll go first. I grew up with two sisters and my mom. Didn’t have a dad around. What about you?”

  “Just Mom, my sister, and me. Kylee and I got different dads. Hers used to come around every once in a while, but I never met mine.” He flicked his card again. “Mom didn’t say much about him. Just that he was worthless. Did you ever meet your dad?”

  “Nope,” I replied, wincing. The old wound still hurt. “I always wanted to, but it wasn’t possible. All I had was a picture.”

  I could feel Braden studying me, but I’d said all I was willing to. I gathered up the cards, shuffled, and dealt us each two. “Black Jack?” I asked.

  “That’s the game where we try to get twenty-one points, right?”

  I nodded. “As close as you can without busting. If you go over, you lose.”

  “Okay, I’m in.”

  We each picked up our cards and studied them. I had a four of spades and an eight of clubs for a whopping twelve points. Definitely not a great start. I asked Braden if he wanted a hit, but the confused look on his face told me he wasn’t down with Black Jack lingo.

  “When you want another card, you say ‘hit me,’” I explained.

  “Ahh. Yeah, hit me.”

  I tossed him another card and took one for myself.

  Queen of diamonds. Figures.

  “I busted,” I said, laying down my cards. “Twenty-two. What do you got?”

  Braden set his cards down for me to see. He had an ace of spades, a jack of diamonds, and a four of hearts.

  “Brae, you know an ace can either be one point or eleven points, right?”

  He froze. His eyes widened for a second before he shrugged. “Yeah, duh. Everyone knows that.”

  “Cool. I figured you did, but just wanted to make sure.”

  He won the next two rounds, and then I won the fourth and fifth.

  “I don’t want to play anymore,” Braden announced, tossing his busted hand on the table.

  “Alright, do you want to play a different game?” I asked.

  Braden tapped his cards a few times, and then turned his attention to me. “What happened to your dad?” he asked.

  Frowning, I considered his question. I had no desire to air my family’s laundry, but I wanted the kid to trust me, so I needed to be honest with him. I leaned back in my chair, making myself comfortable, and decided it couldn’t hurt to tell him the story.

  “My momma got married twice. Her
first husband was a cheating jerk who left her for another woman. She had a decent job, but struggled to make ends meet, being a single parent raising my two sisters. Her boss was a nice guy who wanted to help. He offered her a promotion with a fat pay increase if she attended some sort of training seminar in Portland, Oregon. It just so happened that the training was held during the Rose Festival.”

  Knowing I couldn’t do the story justice, my mind drifted back to the way Momma told it. Her eyes would always take on a dreamy cast, and she would pause and smile often, reminiscing about the good ole’ days.

  “The Navy ships were docked for the festival,” I said, remembering the way Momma would lace her fingers and stare off into space. I glanced down and did the same. Smiling to myself, I recalled the way she’d start.

  ‘The grey sky dripped, and downtown Portland looked like an ocean of umbrellas and white hats. A few sailors tried to catch my eye, but I didn’t give any of them a second look. I wasn’t lookin’ for nuthin’ but a pay raise so I could take care of your sisters. Last thing I needed was another man to come along and muck up my life even more. I was strong and determined to be alone. That is, until I met your daddy.’

  Her eyes would light up and her cheeks would color. ‘I was in line at a coffee wagon when he appeared. He tried to strike up a conversation with me, but I wasn’t interested. I told him there were plenty of Portland women eager to hear his lies, and encouraged him to go find one. He laughed. By God, your daddy had an enchanting laugh. And tenacious! That man wouldn’t give up. He insisted on buying my drink and we talked for far too long. He looked at me like I was the most important thing in the world.’

  “So he was in the Navy?” Braden asked, reminding me that I was supposed to be talking to him rather than replaying the conversation in my head.

  “Yeah. He was in town on… on free time. My dad was just a smooth-talking soldier who knew all the right things to say to make my mom lose her mind. That night he asked her to marry him, and she agreed.”