* * *
When Livvie woke up the next morning, she was alone in the bed. Looking over, she realized Hayden hadn’t come home at all last night. With a wince, she got out of the bed and went to have a quick shower. She didn’t know where Moon Bay was, but wanted to find out what was going on. It was serious, she knew that much. The thought of facing Shane though gave her the most anxiety as she dressed quickly, groaning as she pulled her jeans up over her sore bottom.
Once she was dressed, she opened the door and walked out onto the street. From Shane and Jenna’s house, she could see a part of the hangar where they kept the airships. She could see that the door was open and decided to head in that direction when she glimpsed Jenna walking toward her with her tiny baby wrapped in her arms.
“Hey, Livvie,” Jenna called out. “How are you doing?” she asked as she got closer.
“Should you be out and walking around?” Livvie asked.
Jenna smiled. “Yes, I’m fine. Hardly sore even, except for when this one starts drinking. She’s a ravenous piggy,” she said, pressing her nose against Anna’s as she teased the baby.
Livvie smiled. Jenna’s life was so much simpler, so…normal as what she imagined normal to be. “Let me see,” she said, peeking at the tiny girl.
The baby’s dark blue eyes were open and she was watching her mother intently.
“She looks like you,” Livvie said.
“Nah, she’s more Shane. But I don’t mind, I love her all the same. Want to have a cup of tea?” Jenna asked.
Livvie hesitated. “Well, I kind of want to get to headquarters to see what’s going on. Hayden didn’t come home last night.”
“They’re huddled in his office, a bunch of them. Wouldn’t even let me in for more than a second.”
“Oh. It’s bad, huh?”
They walked inside and Livvie put the kettle on before joining Jenna on the couch. She winced as she sat down.
“Hayden told Shane what you’d tried to do,” Jenna said casually. “And the consequences.”
Livvie turned bright red. “Does the whole camp know?” she asked, embarrassed.
“Just me and Shane. Don’t be embarrassed, Livvie. Just shows how strongly Hayden feels about you. You scared him to death.”
“I know.”
“You ok? Does it still hurt?”
Livvie nodded.
“Tell me about their relationship. Shane, Hayden, and Marc, I mean.”
“Shane and Hayden are best friends. They were ever since they left Magnus One. Marc was as close once, but too much happened in the last five years and he changed.”
“What happened between them?”
“Well, for one thing, me. I chose Shane over Marc and he never really forgave any of us. He sees Hayden’s friendship with Shane as a slight to him, I guess.” She rolled her eyes as she tended to Anna, who’d begun to stir. “I get Marc though; he has more to lose when they attack the cities.”
“Why? Why is it different for him?”
“He’s got family there too, just like you. Two sisters.”
“And they think he’s dead. All these years, they’ve thought their brother was dead.” For the first time since she’d been in here, Livvie could understand Marc.
“Sad,” Jenna said, adjusting her blouse to feed the baby.
“What does what happened last night—at Moon Bay—have to do with us? With the mission?”
“They’re thinking about moving the attack up. I know you’re flying with them.”
“Yes. You don’t agree with it?” Livvie asked, noticing the change in Jenna’s expression.
“I understand why and I agree with the mission. The people in the cities are prisoners, they just don’t know it. I also believe they should be freed. And as glad I am that my husband may stay behind, I don’t want my friends to die in the process.”
“We’re not going to die, Jenna. Or that’s not my plan at least,” Livvie said, taking one of Jenna’s hands in hers. “I’m going to blow the roof off of Magnus and I’m going to get my sister and bring her back here with me.”
Jenna looked at her, her eyes clouding a little.
“Besides, I thought the plan was for Shane to stay back. I’d take his place so he could manage the camp. Why did you say ‘may’?”
“I don’t know that he’ll accept that. I wish he would, but he’s so stubborn. Feels like he should be there too. But Livvie…” Now it was Jenna’s turn to hold Livvie’s hand. “Your sister, I don’t know how you are going to do that. Does Hayden have a plan?”
“He said he was thinking about a way,” she answered, suddenly unsure.
“Honey, I don’t think you should get your hopes up. The army at Magnus One alone is triple what we’ll have, quadruple maybe. From what Shane has said, you won’t touch ground, you’ll bomb the city, destroy the domes, and get the hell out of there. Let nature take its course as the drugs they pump into the air filtration system begin to wear off.”
Livvie had stopped listening a while back though. She needed to talk to Hayden. Now.
“I’m going to put her to bed,” Jenna said, standing. “I need a nap myself. Hey, let’s talk some more about this. I didn’t mean to scare you or anything.”
“You didn’t,” Livvie lied. “Go take a nap. I’m going to see if I can catch Hayden.”
Livvie was lost in her thoughts as she walked down Main Street to headquarters. What if Jenna was right and they truly had no plans of setting foot inside the city? But Hayden had said to trust him, that he was going to try. Although he hadn’t committed to anything, not really. And he needed her to fly the airship if the plan was that Shane remain behind.
She needed to talk to him and make him answer her questions.
She reached to open the front door and walked into headquarters. She believed he wanted to do the right thing. What that right thing was, was what she needed to understand.
She heard their voices as she approached his office. The men inside were arguing and as much as she knew she shouldn’t interrupt, that it wouldn’t go well, she couldn’t not knock on the door. Her sister’s life depended on it and she needed to be clear on his intentions.
She knocked once, then twice before turning the doorknob and peeking her head inside. The talking ceased immediately and all eyes turned to her. There were six men inside, of whom Hayden, Shane, and Marc were the only ones she recognized.
“This isn’t a good time, Olivia,” Hayden said, his eyes looking tired and so serious.
His tone was impatient, but she had to persevere. She straightened her back. “If you expect me to fly one of your ships, I’d say it’s the perfect time.”
“What the fuck, Hayden?” one of the men she didn’t know said.
Shane shook his head and turned to that man as Hayden exhaled and walked toward her, taking her physically and moving her into the hallway. He closed the door behind them and the men’s voices rose again.
“You haven’t told them?” she asked, unbelieving.
“It’s a delicate situation. Things are tense.”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. “So, what? Was I just going to show up the morning you decided to attack? Which, by the way, I have no idea when that is either! You’re very good at keeping secrets, aren’t you, Commander?” she asked, sounding much angrier than she thought she felt.
“Careful, Olivia,” he said.
The look in his eyes told her to heed his warning. “What about my sister? What happens to her? Have you told them about that part? That we’re going to get her out before anyone bombs anything?” She hated that her voice cracked at the last part. She needed to be strong. She was a soldier—trained to be the best. She forced her tears away.
Hayden released her and turned his back to her, running his hands through his hair.
“You aren’t, are you?” She understood maybe for the first time that he had no intention of rescuing Katie. Her sister would become collateral damag
e. A statistic. She snorted and it was her turn to look away.
“Livvie,” he began. When he tried to touch her, she shrugged his hands off. He fisted his palms. “Shit.” Taking a deep breath, he walked to the window and stared outside while Livvie berated herself mentally for her stupidity. For being so damned naïve. So easy to deceive. She wiped roughly at a tear with the back of her hand.
“Tell me, Hayden. Tell me your plans. But do me a favor, don’t sugarcoat it this time. I’m a soldier, remember. Trained like you were. And I need to hear the truth, all of it this time.”
He faced her. “All right. You heard what Shane said last night about Moon Bay, correct?”
She nodded.
“Well, they were out again, the airships, and this time, they attacked.”
She didn’t want to feel sorry. She wanted to think of Katie alone, not care about these people whom she knew were innocent. Thoughts of Jenna and her new baby, of little Sarah, flooded her mind and this time, she couldn’t stop the tear from sliding down her cheek. She didn’t want them hurt, or worse.
Hayden watched her intently as he continued. “There were four survivors.”
“Four?”
He nodded once, a short, quick movement, worry making him look suddenly so much older.
“Airships were picked up on radar at a camp in the Utah mountains, the closest one to ours. Magnus’ tracking devices have improved tremendously, it seems. We need to attack before they attack more of our camps, killing everyone, destroying the ships we’ve managed to build. We’ll move before the end of the week.”
That left not even four days.
“What happens to my sister?”
Hayden shook his head. “I’m sorry, Livvie. Too many lives are at stake now. I hope your sister will be safe during the attacks, but I can’t risk the mission for one life.”
“So you’re going to let her die? Just ‘hope’ for the best? What you’re really saying is that you don’t care if she dies. What’s one more life?” She was aware of how loud she’d become, but didn’t care.
The office door opened and two men stepped out.
“So you’ve had your fun with me, huh, Commander?” she said, stepping closer to Hayden who was remarkably calm. “A little discipline, a little sex, for what? To fool me into believing you cared about me? Was that it? You’re an asshole, Hayden Hawke. To think I was believing you. Well, joke’s on me, huh?”
“Livvie…” He reached for her.
“Don’t touch me!” she yelled. “Don’t ever fucking touch me again! You know what I think of you? Of your stupid mission?” What she did next surprised her as much as it must have surprised him. “You can shove it. I won’t be flying with you. I won’t be helping you!” she said before spitting at him, hitting him square in the face.
As soon as she did it, she was sorry. Shane and one of the other men now grabbed her hard while Hayden stood glaring at her. She struggled against the two who held her, but they were entirely too big. Even one could have easily handled her.
Hayden wiped the spit away with the back of his hand, his eyes slits as he stared at her. She refused to cower though. She’d been a fool, his fool.
“Are you refusing to fly?”
“That’s what I said.”
The men tightened their grip on her and pulled her back when she tried to kick him.
“You need to calm down, Olivia. This isn’t helping anyone, least of all Katie.”
“Don’t fucking dare say her name! I hate you, Hayden Hawke! You’re a liar!”
“Take her to the cell,” he said. “Lock her in until she calms down.”
“Finally, treated like a real prisoner! Fuck you, fuck all of you!”
She turned to watch his retreating form as the two men hauled her out of the office. He didn’t look back at her. In fact, the only one watching was Marc.
Chapter Twelve
“I’ll take it from here,” Shane said, dismissing the other guard.
Livvie went to sit down on the center of the one bench in the tiny cell, winced and decided to remain standing. She’d never seen the jail before, but it was obviously very old. The room itself contained that one cell with a desk just beyond and she was effectively locked in.
She’d not considered this possibility. She’d had no idea what to expect when she had gone to Hayden’s office that morning. What she’d learned was worse than any worst-case scenario she could imagine.
“I’m sorry, Livvie,” Shane said, standing just on the other side of the bars.
She only looked at him. Even the shame she’d felt at his witnessing her punishment last night had been melted away by the heat of today’s anger.
“What are you sorry for, exactly, Shane? It’s not like you’ve been warm and welcoming since my arrival, so tell me, what exactly are you sorry for?”
His expression didn’t change and she couldn’t deny the kindness in his eyes. But she didn’t want to see that. She didn’t want him to be kind. It would be easier to hate them if they weren’t kind.
“I’m sorry for all of it.”
Her own eyes softened and she turned away. Shane put the keys of her cell in a desk drawer and walked out the door, leaving her alone.
* * *
Hayden stared out the window at nothing. He had had the intention to try to get Katie out before attacking Magnus One. Granted, he’d had no idea how he was going to do it and knew it would be risky. But the events of the last twenty-four hours forced him to act. And as Commander, he had to consider the greater good. He was sorry that he couldn’t help Katie and more sorry that Livvie felt betrayed by him. It had taken time, but he’d earned her trust. Now all that trust was out the window.
“How are you doing?” came Shane’s voice from the doorway.
“Been better,” Hayden said.
“She just needs to calm down. She’ll understand. Give her time.”
“How was she going to the cell?”
“How do you think?”
Hayden almost smiled. “You guys hurt?” he asked, half joking.
“Just egos. That kid’s got a mouth on her, not to mention how she fights.”
Now Hayden did smile, feeling almost proud.
The other men returned to the room.
“Where’s Marc?” Hayden asked. “We need to get going on this.”
“He needed to run home and said to go ahead without him.”
“Not ideal, but fine,” Hayden said. He didn’t need to deal with Marc on top of everything else.
* * *
Livvie stared out into the room, not sure what she was going to do now. She hadn’t been in the small prison long before a key turned in the lock on the outside door and it opened. She’d expected Hayden, but when Marc walked in, she was immediately on alert.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I’m getting you out,” Marc said, closing the door behind him. “Do you know where the keys are?” he asked.
“Why are you helping me?”
And truly, what was she going to do when he freed her? It wasn’t like she could just walk out the front gate.
“Because I think we have a common cause,” he said, searching through the drawers of the desk.
“What’s that?” she asked. Her memory of her conversation with Jenna that morning sparked the first light of hope in her heart. But she needed to be sure. She didn’t trust Marc and he’d made no secret of his dislike of her.
Marc came to stand on the opposite side of the bars and looked at her. “We both have family at Magnus that we want to get out before we raise hell. You know the lay of the place, I don’t. It’s been twenty years. I’ll get you there and I’ll get you and your sister out if you’ll get me inside.”
She had exactly zero options. What she’d said to Hayden back at his office, she didn’t believe it. She didn’t truly believe he’d been using her. And she knew he was doing what he thought was best for the majority. Her sister just didn’t fit in that equation—
or at least she didn’t stand on the right side of it.
“What about my collar? I can’t get close to the gates.”
He looked at her, confused for a moment.
“Hayden told me…” She shook her head. There might have been a GPS in the thing, but there had never been anything that would hurt her if she walked too close to the fence. He’d just told her that to scare her from trying.
“What’s your plan, exactly?” she asked.
“We drive to Magnus One—can’t take the jets, we want to sneak inside, not arrive with a bang, if you will. Will you be able to get us safely inside once we’re there?”
She nodded. She knew the ins and outs of Magnus One. “How can I be sure this isn’t some trap? That you aren’t going to try to hurt me when we’re out of here?”
“I won’t lie and tell you I’ve had a change of heart, Olivia. Magnus took away some of the most precious things in my life.”
She kept her expression neutral.
“I need your help. That’s the only reason I’ll make a deal with you.”
“How can I trust you to get us out, keep your end of the deal after I’ve done mine?”
“I think your options are as limited as mine. I give you my word. Decide.”
She studied him, knowing he was right. Knowing this was the only option she had. If she didn’t take it, Katie could die. That was all there was to it.
She nodded and he unlocked the door.
“Jeep’s at my house,” he said. “Follow me, act normal. No one knows you were locked up except the men in Hayden’s office.”
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