Revolver returned to Ryku’s side and placed his gun in the chairman’s outstretched hand. Ryku walked towards the first prisoner, a middle-aged man from unit P named Marion. He pressed the pistol against his forehead. Marion didn’t budge, didn’t even blink.
Even though Jared knew it was coming, the gunshot was abrupt and startling. Beneath the sharp crack, Ryku’s bullet made a grotesque, moist sound as it entered the man’s skull.
Aubreigh grabbed Jared’s hand and squeezed it tight. Her palm was cold and clammy. Another gunshot rang out and Ryku’s second victim fell, blood oozing from the ugly entrance wound in his head. The woman kneeling beside him stood and tried to run, but Revolver caught her and dragged her back into place. She was dead an instant later.
Shock rippled through the gathered onlookers, but they were wise enough to contain their horror. Many of them bowed their heads, unable to watch Ryku’s executions but unwilling to step forward and stop him. It was easier to believe he was doing the right thing, executing traitors who threatened everything they held dear. It was the same argument Jared had made to himself all these years to excuse the chairman’s actions. His own actions. And it was simple self-preservation. They were afraid, and they had every right to be. No one wanted the gun turned on them next.
Ryku took aim at his next victim. Aubreigh gripped Jared’s hand tighter and turned to look at him. Her face was pale, her mouth taut, and when the gunshot sounded, she flinched and dug her nails into the back of his hand.
Jared’s heart began to race as Ryku took one step towards Aubreigh, then another. She looked at Revolver, but the young man’s face remained as empty as the cloudless sky. He wouldn’t even look back at her.
Ryku lowered the gun to Aubreigh’s head. She slowly turned back towards Jared. Her hand shook in his, and she opened her mouth like she wanted to say something.
The gun cracked. Aubreigh’s head jerked violently, and then she fell.
Just like that, she was gone.
Jared stared at the blood beginning to spread from under her skull. Her hand still clutched his in a viselike grip. He pulled free carefully and let her arm fall.
A shadow fell over him, and Ryku grabbed him by the shirt and hauled him to his feet. Jared’s foot dragged through Aubreigh’s blood as the chairman yanked him closer. “She’s dead because of you,” Ryku hissed in his ear.
Jared spit in his face. Ryku looked surprised for a moment, but remained calm as he wiped his brow with the sleeve of his jacket. He turned to face the camera and the crowd again. “Jared is a traitor. But he is a traitor in possession of vital information which will aid us in our ongoing pursuit of the radicals responsible for the attempt on my life. He will face the consequences of his actions once he has served his purpose.”
He shoved Jared back, and Revolver took hold of his arm. Jared didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed that he was going to be kept alive. He didn’t particularly want to die, but after all he’d just seen and knowing what lay ahead, the prospect of living didn’t seem all that welcome, either.
The chairman clasped his hands behind his back. “I hope this will serve as an example to you all of the dangers of associating with radicals. It isn’t worth your life. Remember what you have seen here today, and be sure to report any suspicious activity to the Project and your local law enforcement officers.”
The red light on the side of the camera blinked off, and the crowd behind it began to disperse. Whispers filled the air as their feet shuffled against the concrete. Some of them stared at Jared, but they turned away as soon as he made eye contact.
He looked at the row of bodies splayed out on the ground. His stomach churned. He’d seen violence before—had been the cause of it on multiple occasions—but this was different. Or maybe it only seemed that way because of everything that had happened over the past week.
Revolver prodded him on the shoulder, and Jared cast one last, regretful look down at Aubreigh’s body as he began the walk back to his cell.
* * *
Zira stood frozen in place, her eyes fixed on the projection. The camera had already cut away from the horrific scene at the compound, but she couldn’t move. She couldn’t even close her eyes. People spoke all around her, but their voices sounded like static. She was vaguely aware of Tripp’s hand on her shoulder, then wrapping around her wrist and trying to pull her away, but she just stood there.
It didn’t feel real.
It couldn’t possibly be real. For almost as long as she could remember, Aubreigh had always been there. Always. And now she was gone. Zira had watched it happen, but her brain couldn’t seem to register what her eyes had seen.
Aubreigh is dead.
She kept repeating it in her head like some kind of twisted mantra.
Aubreigh was dead.
Aubreigh was dead…and it was Seth’s fault.
He shouldn’t have left her there. He shouldn’t have assumed she would make it out of the compound on her own. He should have waited for her. And now he was here, all safe and sound with his smug, pretentious attitude, and Aubreigh was dead.
Zira turned around and started walking. Tripp hurried along beside her, still jabbering away, asking a million questions, trying to comfort her. She barely heard him. Her feet carried her to their housing unit and she saw him standing there at the edge of the platform. Seth. The person responsible for Aubreigh’s death. He was with two of the others who’d come with him from the compound, talking while they did their laundry like everything was normal. Like everything was perfect.
Hate rumbled inside her like a thunderstorm.
Seth saw her and started to smile, but as his eyes darted to Tripp, the expression fell. “What’s wrong?” he asked. His voice was sharp and clear, the only thing Zira had really heard for the past ten minutes. She hopped up onto the platform, slammed him into the wall, and punched him in the face. She managed to get one more solid blow in before two pairs of arms dragged her back.
Seth spit pink onto the floor. “What the hell was that?”
Zira wrenched free and pulled her pistol from her jacket. He flattened himself against the wall with his hands raised as she shoved the barrel under his jaw. “You left her there!” she screamed. “You just left her there and now she’s dead!”
Somebody shouted at her to leave him alone. Tripp spoke softly into her ear, urging her not to do anything stupid. Zira kept her attention on Seth, the gun pressed firmly against his skin. Part of her took a sick sort of satisfaction in the way his chin quivered as he looked at her.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re right, I shouldn’t have left her. But…this never would have happened if you’d just killed Ryku like you were supposed to.”
His words sucked the air from Zira’s lungs. Her hands began to shake as all the hate and anger and desperation that had fueled her evaporated. Suddenly, she was five years old again, small and scared and alone in a world full of people who wanted to watch her fall. She lowered the gun, and her shoulders hunched forward as she tried to contain a sob. Everyone stared. She could feel their eyes on her even after she covered her face with her hands. She just wanted to run.
Tripp put an arm around her shoulder before she could take a step. She let him take the gun from her, then clung to him like a crutch as the tears started to fall. The harder she tried to get her emotions in check, the more impossible it became.
Two men cuffed her wrists behind her back. Tripp argued with them to leave her be, but they reminded him of the rules and led her away. Zira followed them without protest, and when they locked her in a tiny, dark room somewhere, she curled up against the wall and let her grief swallow her up like a tidal wave.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
She didn’t know how long she stayed like that. Hours, probably. She’d used up all her tears a long time ago and had been staring at the same spot on the wall since then. No one had come in to see her. She wasn’t even sure if the door was locked, but since they’d left her handcuffs
on and she was presumably a prisoner now, she suspected it was.
She probably shouldn’t have attacked Seth like that, and she definitely shouldn’t have pulled a gun on him. At the time, it had seemed like the only thing to do. Stupid. But Zira had always been too impulsive for her own good. She hadn’t been thinking—couldn’t possibly have formed a coherent thought at the time. Maybe she’d just wanted to blame someone else for what she knew deep down was her own fault. Maybe she’d wanted Seth to fight back. She didn’t know. She just hoped she hadn’t screwed things up for herself beyond repair this time. There was still so much she needed to do, things she couldn’t do if she stayed locked up in the dark like this.
Someone unlocked the door and entered with a flashlight. The bright yellow beam blinded Zira and she shielded her eyes. “Oh—sorry about that,” said Tripp. He shifted the light to the floor and closed the door behind him. “Here. I brought you some food.”
“I’m not hungry.”
Tripp sat down in front of her and pushed the tray across the floor. “I know, but you should try to eat something.”
Zira picked up a cold biscuit and nibbled at the edge. “Seth?” she asked.
“He’ll be fine. He’s not too happy with you right now, but he told Chase he doesn’t want you stuck in here forever, so that’s promising.”
Zira nodded. “How much trouble am I in?”
“You’ll be put back on your regular work duties tomorrow, but I don’t think you’ll be allowed to carry a gun again until we move on the compound.”
Zira nodded. Annoying, but acceptable terms. It could have been much worse. As long as she would still be allowed to participate in bringing Ryku’s reign to an end, she couldn’t complain.
“I’m really sorry,” Tripp said softly. “I know how much Aubreigh meant to you.”
A hard lump rose in Zira’s throat again. “He just left her there.”
“I know.”
“I just left her there. That night we broke into the compound. I could have killed Ryku then, but I didn’t. I told her to come with us, but she wanted to stay behind, and I let her.”
“You couldn’t have known.”
“She would have come with me if I’d pushed her a little more. She was always looking out for me like that. Looking out for everyone.”
“Which is exactly why she wanted to help this rebellion in the first place. Don’t diminish everything she did by blaming it all on yourself. She knew the risks, and she chose to be a part of this. She did what she thought was right.”
Zira nodded and blinked away new tears. “I know. I just miss her.”
Tripp reached out and put his hand over Zira’s. “I know.”
They sat like that in silence for a few minutes before Zira spoke again. “He still has Jared.”
Tripp nodded. “Yeah.”
“We have to get him out of there. You have to tell Chase.”
“I tried already, but you know Chase. He won’t do anything he thinks will jeopardize his plans. Not when he’s so close to achieving everything he’s been working towards all these years.”
“We have to keep trying.”
“We will, but honestly, kid, I’m not sure it will do much good. If Jared can just hold on for a couple more weeks, we can rescue him when we take the compound.”
“He might not last that long,” Zira said. “Ryku could kill him before we even get there. Or worse.”
“I know. And I know you don’t want to hear this right now, but Chase has a point. What we’re trying to do is bigger than one person—especially when that person has been a devoted Project assassin until recently.”
Zira was about to snap at him, but he was only saying what everyone else must have been thinking. She tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling and sighed. “You’re right. To be honest, I’m not sure why I even care so much. He did try to kill me.”
“He did. But it seems like everything he’s done since then has been to protect you.”
She nodded. “I used to hate him. Or I tried to. But more and more lately, I’m starting to understand why he did it. I’m not saying it was right, but I understand. He had orders, and he’s always been completely devoted to the Project. And a lot of it was my own fault.” She didn’t know where that thought had come from, but as soon as she said the words, she knew it was true. “I didn’t handle things well after I got back from Grayridge. I was lost. I should have just left the Project before it all got so out of control.”
“You know what they say about hindsight.”
“I just don’t want anyone else to die because of me.”
“He’s not dead yet. You can’t give up, kid. Losing all hope will destroy you—take it from someone who’s been there. This is Ryku’s fault, not yours, and we still need to make sure he pays for everything he’s done.”
Zira nodded and picked at her food some more, but she didn’t have an appetite. She eventually gave up and pushed the tray away.
“Just try to get some rest, okay?” said Tripp. “You’re going to need all your energy these next couple of weeks.”
There was nothing else she could do. With a resigned sigh, she laid down with her arm under her head and closed her eyes. Tripp turned the flashlight off and stayed there by her side until she fell asleep.
* * *
Zira was awakened by the sound of someone unlocking her door the next morning. “Get up,” said a woman from the doorway. “Chase wants to see you.”
She rose and followed the woman to the rebel leader’s office. The door was open already, and Chase had a map spread out across a small but elegant desk. He leaned over it while Seth sat across from him. Once she had delivered Zira, the woman left them, closing the door on her way out.
Chase didn’t look up from his work. “You’re not earning yourself a very good reputation around here,” he said.
Zira resisted the urge to roll her eyes; she couldn’t care less what her reputation was. She turned to Seth. He seemed to be making every effort to avoid looking at her, but she could still see the edges of a purple bruise on one side of his face. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have hit you.”
“You shouldn’t have,” he muttered. “But I’ll live.”
She looked up and found Chase regarding her with a look of solemn disappointment that somewhat reminded her of Ryku. “It won’t happen again,” she told him.
“It better not. This is a community, and we all want the same thing. Everyone has to do their part, and that includes not sabotaging the whole operation by fighting amongst ourselves.”
“I know.”
“Good. Then you’ll understand why I don’t feel comfortable allowing you to walk around here with a gun anymore.”
“Yes.”
“If Alma allows it, you may use one during your training sessions, but that’s up to her. She’s well aware of what happened last night.”
Zira nodded. “That’s fine. Can I talk to you about something else?”
“About Jared?”
“Yes.”
Chase folded his arms. “Tripp already told me you’d like to sneak into the compound and rescue him. I’m sure he also told you what I thought about the idea.”
“We can’t just leave him there.” Beside her, Seth scoffed. She clenched her jaw to keep herself from screaming at him.
“I hate to sound harsh,” said Chase, “but Jared’s wellbeing isn’t high on my priority list right now. As far as I’m concerned, he’s almost as bad as Ryku. Why would I waste valuable resources on a dangerous mission to rescue a murderer?”
“Is that how you’re going to treat everyone in the compound when you take over?” Zira asked. “Like they’re criminals? We were just kids. The Project was our family. How were we supposed to know anything else?”
“All of that will be taken into consideration. Jared will be treated fairly, just like everyone else. But we’ve been planning this for too long, and we’ve been very careful about deciding when and how things
are going to play out. I’m not going to change the plan just to save a man who’s been Ryku’s loyal dog all this time.”
“Fine. Then let me out of here and I’ll go myself.”
“I can’t let you do that. No one leaves until it’s time to move on the compound. I don’t like to give orders, but I have to insist you stay here.”
“But—”
Chase held up a hand. “No. That’s final. I understand what you’re going through—I’ve lost people I loved, too, and I’m sorry about Aubreigh. You’re a valuable asset and we could use your help, but if you step out of line again…” He paused and shook his head. “I’d rather not lock you up, but I will if I have to.”
Zira’s temper simmered, but it seemed there was nothing she could say to change his mind. She gritted her teeth. “Am I free to go now?”
“Yes. I’m sure you both have work to get back to.”
Seth stood up, nodded to Chase, and followed Zira out of the office. “Zira, wait.”
She quickened her pace, but Seth kept up easily.
“I’m sorry about Aubreigh,” he said. “I really thought she’d make it on her own, but I admit, I was scared and in a hurry to get out of there. I shouldn’t have left without making sure she was okay. I shouldn’t have left any of them.”
He sounded sincere—ashamed, even—but Zira couldn’t look at him right now. She clenched her fists. “Just stay away from me.”
Mercifully, and perhaps for the first time since she’d known him, Seth did as she had asked.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
A pale, orange light flickered in the corner of Jared’s vision, sharp and clear against the endless darkness. He turned his attention to it as it grew. Within moments, it was bright enough that he had to squint. His eyes were so accustomed to the dark that even the soft, orange glow seemed blinding.
Renegades of PEACE (Secrets of PEACE Book 2) Page 22
