Boone returns the next day to swap out our waste bucket and bring us the tiniest bit of food. I eat slowly, afraid that it too will leave my stomach the same way it went in.
“Your food was laced with something,” he explains. “Dehydration is a favorite torture around here. It drags out the suffering.”
Boone has brought a lantern with him this time and the light is almost blinding, but comforting too. It feels good to be able to see Lee’s face again. Boone pushes his shaggy blonde hair out of his eyes to stare at me closer.
“The good news is, your cut is not infected,” he says.
A laugh bubbles out of my chest before I can stop it. Good news in a place like this?
“Why haven’t you asked our names?” I ask Boone.
“I figured spies would just lie anyway,” he answers with a shrug.
“Did you tell us your real name?”
His head snaps up when he realizes what I’m insinuating.
“Yes,” he says tightly.
“My name is Dawn Nolan,” I say, ignoring his change in demeanor. “And this is Lee.”
“Nolan?” Boone questions, his eyes widening, but he stops himself from saying anything further. “I need to go.”
He gathers up the plate and bucket before rushing from the room in stunned silence.
Chapter 71: Gabby
“Come on!” I yell behind me. “We have to pick up the pace!”
“Gabby,” Linc huffs. “We need to stop for the night.”
“Like hell we do!” I yell in response.
“We’re all exhausted Gabs,” Jeremy adds.
“Then you guys stay here,” Drew chimes in. “Gabby and I need to keep going.”
“We all want to save Dawn and Lee,” Linc pauses, “but what good will we be to them if we are dead tired when we get there?”
“He’s right,” Jeremy says. “If we stop now and get some shut eye, we’ll reach the Moreno house by noon tomorrow.”
“Fine,” I say with a resigned sigh, taking a seat.
We’ve been pretty lucky over the past week, avoiding the Moreno patrols. There have been a few close calls, but the land has provided us with plenty of hiding places. Tonight is no different. It has been dark for hours now, but the sky is blocked from view by the trees that surround us. Most of the territory is flat and open so we’ve had to take the long way in order to stay out of sight.
I dig in my pack for the last bit of deer meat from a few days ago. Everyone takes some, but it is not enough to fill us.
“So, do we use the same plan once we get there?” Drew asks. “We created that before it was a rescue mission.”
In the darkness I can sense everyone staring in my direction hoping that I know the right call.
“Yes,” I say decidedly. “Ana said the tunnels beneath the walls should take us right under the house.”
“So, do we go in disguised as slaves?” Drew asks.
“Yes, but not you,” I tell him.
He starts to protest, but I put my hand up to stop him.
“You could never pass for a slave Drew because you’ve never even met one. You ooze money and privilege,” I explain. “Same goes for you Linc. You are too much the soldier. This is a two man mission. Jeremy and I will go in and we may need some cover fire when we come out. Too many of us going in risks blowing our cover.”
“Gabby …” Drew starts again.
“No, Drew!” I command. “You are not going in. That is an order. This is the best way to get Dawn out alive.”
His face falls because he knows I’m right and there is nothing more he can say.
Chapter 72: Gabby
Saying the house that looms before us is big is an understatement. Its elaborate and dark fortress-like design stands in stark contrast to the sparse land surrounding it.
I don’t have a good feeling about this.
We keep moving until we are south of the house, along the beach. Ana said the tunnels come out into a cave at the beach. I see many rocks, but no openings so we fan out.
A few minutes later, Linc hurries toward me whispering “Over here.”
He leads us back along the beach and through some brush.
“You found it,” I pant. As soon as I catch my breath, I start issuing orders. “We may be in there for a few days. Don’t come after us until four nights have passed. Drew, I want you watching the cave for any signs of us or any Moreno men. Linc, I need you set up over on the ridge in case we need some cover fire,” I explain. They nod and I turn to Jeremy. “I need you to hit me.”
“What?” he asks, shocked, and takes a step back. “No way.”
“Do it!” I command.
He hesitates, so I take a swing at him. He’s too surprised to duck. He’ll have a pretty nasty bruise on his cheek within a few minutes. He grabs my wrist and I all but force him to give me a fat lip.
“You know as well as anyone that slaves get hit all the time,” I explain. “We need to look the part.”
I rip the already fraying sleeves from my shirt and use my knife to cut up the bottoms of my pants and then to make a small cut on the back of my arm. I let the blood trickle free, while Jeremy removes his shirt all together and messes up his hair.
“Let’s go,” I say.
Drew and Lincoln watch as the light from our torches disappears into the dark tunnels. Ana said that you can get lost down here. She wasn’t wrong.
Chapter 73: Dawn
“Lee,” I nudge him as the door opens.
He returned last night in worse shape than the time before and he hasn’t moved since. I can barely muster the strength to turn and see who has entered our prison. I assume it’s the slave, Boone. His face is not the one that greets me, however.
I squint as my eyes adjust to the light from a lantern and I see her. A woman hurries toward me, her long, dark curls whipping about her shoulders. Boone enters behind her.
“I’m here to make sure they eat,” he says.
The two of them share a look and wait for the door to close behind them.
“I can’t get you very long,” a voice says.
I recognize it as that of Marco Moreno.
“Thank you brother,” the woman says before the door groans shut.
Brother?
My eyes widen as I stare into the face of none other than Mya Moreno. She kneels beside me and lays down a bundle she has been carrying.
“Dawn Nolan,” she whispers before motioning for Boone to help me sit.
I glance at Lee and his eyes are open and watchful.
“Boone, they need to eat,” Mya says. “They have no strength.”
Boone tips a cup of water against my dry lips. It’s been two days since anything has stayed in my stomach…two days since I was poisoned. Mya holds out bread for Lee to eat and he moves slowly…like an old man afraid to jostle his brittle bones.
“I don’t have much time,” Mya begins. “I’ve been waiting for the General to send someone after the weapon.”
“He said to tell you the time is now,” I say.
“Well, now that you’re here it is,” she responds quickly. “I can’t send any of my people after the weapon while Juan is still in power. He’s sent Kearn to Floridaland to prepare to use it.”
“What more can you tell us about the weapon?” Lee asks.
“It’s old tech that the Texans have possessed since before anyone can remember. It’s similar to the weapon they used to cause the collapse of the United States a very long time ago. It killed millions upon millions of people, and caused a great migration of millions more which set off a chain reaction of starvation and death that destroyed the already suffering nation,” she explains. “Texas built the weapon as a threat to the British. When the Coles died, Kearn sold it and himself to the highest bidder, my brother. To him, it isn’t just a threat. He’s deranged enough to actually use it.”
She stops talking for a moment before looking from me to Lee dubiously and asking, “are you the only people Nolan has
sent to help?” The doubt on her face angers me.
“The rest of our people are coming for us,” Lee says, irritated.
“Well, I can help you get out, but I can’t get you to Floridaland,” she says.
“That’s enough,” Lee replies, glancing at me to keep me from telling her about the Carlita cartel’s aid that awaits us. We don’t know this woman, so we don’t know if we can trust her.
“What do we need to do?” I ask.
“I am a prisoner here as much as you,” she explains. “You will never get free while my brother lives. And my people will never be safe.”
“Then what do we do?” Lee asks finally.
“We kill him,” Mya answers, her eyes growing cold. “For years General Nolan has used the slave trade to put his people and mine in place throughout this household. We have the numbers to seize control, but only after Juan is no longer with us. I cannot get to him, but you can.”
When I don’t say anything, she continues, “You will be summoned soon for further questioning. My brother does not want you to appear before him looking like a vagabond again. I have brought you proper clothing and you will join him for breakfast, but be warned that he will use the puking potion again.”
Mya pulls out a thin blade and presents it to me.
“I have sewn a hidden pocket into the dress for this,” she says. “Your choice is simple, do this or live out the rest of your short life with the rats in these dungeons.”
I hide the knife underneath me when the door opens.
“Mya, we must be gone,” Marco urges.
Mya gets to her feet and dusts off her dress before leaving without waiting for my answer.
Once we are alone again, I scoot across the cold stone floor to sit by Lee, but he has no words of comfort or wisdom for me.
I harden my heart before I say the only thing that seems appropriate.
“I have to kill him.”
Chapter 74: Gabby
We reach the garbage chute and noises from the house drift down toward us. I jump out of the way just in time to keep from being buried under a load of trash.
“Disgusting,” I mumble with a grunt as I signal to Jeremy to put out the torch.
Trying not to breathe through my nose, I climb up into the chute, using the rough stones to haul myself up. It doesn’t take us long before we emerge into the dark at the top. This is where the real plan begins, the slave quarters.
If only they realized how close they’ve been to their freedom all this time.
I find a place to tie the rope Ana gave me, and toss it down the chute. Climbing down may not be as easy as climbing up was. There are footsteps and voices just around the corner now. I motion Jeremy forward and we round the bend slowly.
“Remember,” I say, “eyes on the ground.”
He nods, and we step into the middle of a throng of slaves entering their quarters. We move slowly and awkwardly until we enter a room lit by only a few candles.
Cots line the walls, with buckets in between. There is nothing else. The stench assaults us, and only grows as we move further into the room. No one looks at us or anyone else. The people before us are emaciated, skeletal. Only a few of them have the dark hair that marks them as Mexicans.
“What now?” Jeremy whispers.
“We wait,” I say. “We have to get to Mya Moreno first. She will know where Dawn and Lee are and she’ll definitely know where the weapon is. We’d never get past the guards at night, though. We’ll wait until morning. Shift change is at first light, and Ana said the morning guards are loyal to Mya. Her quarters are on the top floor, near her brother’s, so we need to be fully prepared.”
The night is not an easy one. The other slaves ignore us because they are used to people coming and going, so no one gets attached to anyone else. This place is entirely different from the slave camp in Floridaland. It seems harsher, if that’s even possible.
I feel a presence by my bed and open my eyes. The glow of a nearby candle illuminates the head of blonde hair that belongs to a man who’s face is scrunched in confusion. I sit up cautiously, waiting for him to speak. He cocks his head to the side, examining me.
“I make it my business to keep track of every slave that comes in,” he says. “Who the hell are you?”
“We came in yesterday,” I lie, shifting my eyes away from his. “We’ve been sent from Floridaland.”
“Bullshit,” he says. “We haven’t had incoming slaves from the British in Floridaland in ages. So, I’ll ask again, who are you?”
“Chill dude,” Jeremy says, standing behind him and putting a restraining hand on his shoulder.
“You were sent by the General weren’t you?” the blonde slave whispers.
I weigh my words carefully. His eyes narrow and I know he is testing us.
What answer does he want? What answer will make him leave us alone?
“No,” I say finally. “We’re just here to work.”
It’s almost as if his eyes dim at my words. He’s disappointed. He shrugs off Jeremy’s hand before speaking again.
“Okay then. Well, I’m Boone,” he says. “Tomorrow morning you will be put on breakfast service for Mya Moreno.”
I look up sharply at the mention of her name, and he gives me one last long look as if he wants to say something else but thinks better of it. He walks away and I don’t get another moment of sleep the rest of the night.
Chapter 75: Dawn
My dress catches with every step as I’m pushed and prodded up the stairs. I fall forward twice and my guards are forced to catch me. They grunt and groan at my clumsiness when, in reality, it’s weakness that dogs me at every turn. It’s all I can do just to keep going.
With every movement, I feel the blade that Mya gave me. If Juan grabs me by the waist, he’s sure to find it. And if he doesn’t find it. I’m sure to use it.
We finally reach the door to Juan Moreno’s quarters and enter. Once again, he is seated at the table, waiting for me. He stands and smiles when he sees me, nodding approvingly at my somewhat less grotty appearance. The dress is too tight and too long but he seems to like it. Juan pulls out a chair and waves me forward. I sit reluctantly and he shoos the guards away.
“Eat,” he commands.
I stare at the food and slowly pick up my spoon. Juan’s too smart to provide me with a knife or a fork that I could use as a weapon. As I push the food around on my plate, Juan’s eyes never leave me.
“Eat,” he says again.
I take a small bite and chew, but I don’t swallow. I bring my napkin up to my face to wipe my lips and discreetly spit the food into it. I repeat this process with every bite.
“I need to know how many of your people are going after Kearn,” Juan says calmly, getting to his feet.
I stiffen as he moves closer.
“I don’t know,” I answer, the same way I have every other question, and his face twists into a frustrated scowl.
“I thought you would have learned by now that that is not an acceptable answer,” he growls.
In one swift movement, he dumps me from my chair. I hit the table on the way down, causing plates and silverware to crash down around me. My napkin rolls from the table and reveals the food hidden within. For a second I think he hasn’t seen it because there is no reaction. Then suddenly, he grabs my hair and pulls me to my feet.
“What is this?” he screams. “You think you can fool me?”
His eyes are crazed as he pushes me up against the table. I can’t move. I can’t think. He stares at me for what seems like an eternity before reaching behind me and grabbing a fistful of food. One of his hands holds my chin in place while the other forces the poisoned food into my mouth. He holds my mouth shut while pinching my nose so that I can’t breathe until I swallow. I punch and claw at his chest but he doesn’t budge. The food slides down my throat and I gasp for air when he releases me. The relief doesn’t last long because he is ready with more.
I wipe my tears away violently and r
eady myself for it. The dehydration and starvation almost killed me the last time I ate from this table. I am no longer fighting by the time he is satisfied. I’ve given up as I wait for more questions, but Juan silently takes a knife from his belt and walks toward me. I back away until I am up against the wall with nowhere else to go. He presses further forward still.
“There are still so many ways I can hurt you,” he says. “The puking potion won’t take effect for a while yet and I will have my answers.”
He holds the knife up to my throat and then lowers it to my chest where he begins to cut away my clothes. Mya’s dress falls to the floor in a heap. I try to cover myself with my hands and duck away, but nothing works. Juan holds my arms up behind my head and my tears come faster. I look to the ground where Mya’s knife is hidden beneath the pile of clothes, out of my reach.
“Stop crying,” he orders, but I can’t.
“Do you realize what I could do to you?” he whispers. “You’re going to wish you were dead.”
Without thinking, I slam my knee into his groin. He winces and his grip loosens just enough for me to break free. I dart across the room, but I have nowhere to go. Juan is advancing on me once again, so I turn toward him with the table at my back. I stare at him with glassy eyes while my hand roams the table behind me, searching for anything I can use as a weapon.
He’s screaming in my face as he presses up against me, waving his knife in front of my eyes. My finger is pricked by something sharp. A shard of glass from a wine goblet that broke when I fell.
It digs into my fingers as I grip it tightly and whip my arm around, burying the glass in Juan’s throat. He screams in pain, but I don’t give him time to come at me again. I pull the glass free before jamming it in yet again. The glass sticks in his neck and he stumbles backward.
I scramble to where my clothes lay on the ground and find the knife. Juan opens his mouth to yell for his guards, but I’m too fast. I stab upward, under his chin. His mouth opens but only blood spills out. He stumbles toward me, grasping at my hand which still holds the blade. I stand frozen as he falls into my arms. As I let him drop to the ground, the blade slides out and his blood begins to pool at my feet.
Eve of Tomorrow (Dawn of Rebellion Series Book 3) Page 19
