“And who are you?” I ask. He hasn’t mentioned Claire yet, so I’m guessing he doesn’t know Riley, and I watched him from her basement.
“Captain Ogas,” he says. “I lead the UDR Delta Company, First Battalion. What I am not is a man with much time on my hands, so let’s get down to business.”
“Business?”
“You’re a smart man, Mr. Paine. You have likely already wondered why this room is not swarming with UDR officers ready to drag you off to stand trial for your crimes.”
“Actually, I’m wondering why that didn’t happen the first time you recognized me.”
“The answer is simple. Because that would only benefit one man: President Amaron.”
“And you’re more of a General Northcote kind of guy.”
“I am. And as a soldier dedicated to General Northcote and his vision to make this nation great again, I am always on the lookout for ways to aid him.”
“Naturally.”
“Such an opportunity fell into my lap recently. I became aware of a piece of data that will tilt everything in the right direction on that front.”
“You’re planning a coup.”
Ogas smiles. “What I’m planning, Mr. Paine, is to instigate a catalyst—something that will awake the populace to our need for change.”
“And this data you’ve found—that’s the catalyst?”
“Therein lies the problem. We haven’t found it yet. We know it’s stored in a Cold War era black ops site. Now I need someone to retrieve it. Someone who is no stranger to theft.”
I know where he’s going with this—of course I do—but underneath my cocky banter, I’m freaking out. I was supposed to be setting up Lexie’s escape tonight; instead she and Gabriel are locked up, I’m going to be dragged out of here any minute, and Riley… What will happen to Riley? What’s she going to think when I don’t come home?
Don’t worry about what she’ll think, worry about what she’ll do.
I swallow my panic. It will do me no good. Better to keep Ogas talking. Find out what he wants and—more importantly—if I have anything to barter with.
“You lead a company of well-trained soldiers,” I say. “Why me?”
“Because you’re perfect for the job.” He shifts in his chair. “Not only did you figure out how to steal a two-thousand-pound monument from a moving train, you did it while locked inside a detention center—one that relies on the UDR’s world-famous Cit-Track system to monitor its inmates. None of my soldiers have done that.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t do it by myself. I promise you, I was the least-talented member of my team.”
“If that is true, should I call in the guards? Have you sent to prison immediately?”
“No,” I say quickly. “The people who helped me steal the Liberty Bell are scattered to the wind, but I can contact some of them. If you give me time, I can come up with a plan.”
“We don’t have time.”
“But I—”
“You need help. Or maybe motivation? That’s why we didn’t have this conversation weeks ago, when I first realized who you were. We were waiting, Mr. Paine. Waiting for another member of your team to join us.”
My heart sinks. I try to jump out of my chair, but Ogas’s soldiers hold me down. Then it’s as if every nightmare I’ve ever had is coming true, because Riley is here, standing in front of me in The Rose, the one place I never, ever wanted her to be.
47
Oliver
I spend all night banging on my cell door. Screaming until I am hoarse, clawing until my hand is bruised and bloodied, until my muscles burn, shake, and then give out. Only then do I collapse against the cold metal, dry heaving, too tired to cry or scream anymore.
Jonah talks to me, prays, sings, yells—even cries with me—but nothing he does stops me.
Only my weakness stops me.
God, let me die.
It is my first prayer.
Please. Let me die! If I die, there’s nothing more she can do. Xoey will be free.
But I don’t die. And I would probably hate God for keeping me alive if it didn’t seem like nonsense.
Waste energy cursing Someone who won’t do the first favor you ask of Him, my friend? Better to focus on the real enemy. The one who put you here.
So at dawn, I decide that’s what I’ll do. Kill Kino with my bare hands the next time she comes to my cell.
Yeah, they’ll kill me for it. But who cares? She’ll be dead and Xoey will be safe.
Great plan. Brilliant, really. Except she doesn’t come. Instead breakfast comes. A bowl so full of oatmeal, I have to leave most of it uneaten.
Danny comes next.
“Half hour in the yard, Oliver.”
I nod and shuffle toward the door. Better food, fresh air. Seems like time for a UN inspector. But already? Have I lost track of more time than I thought?
Then I remember. I’m being executed soon. They’ll want me healthy for that.
“You seem low today,” Danny says.
“I can’t always be the life of the party, Danny.”
He nods and we shuffle along. When we reach the door to the courtyard, he pauses before unlocking it. “Just be ready,” he says quietly. “Something’s coming that’s going to knock you off your feet.”
Ten minutes later, it comes.
Turning around to see Xoey in the glass corridor gives me an intense mixture of joy and terror. Her hands are on the glass and her eyes are locked with mine. I see her—beneath the makeup, the dramatic haircut, the stylish clothes—I see Xoey shining through. My heart leaps, then falls to its death, because she’s here. Kino has won and there’s nothing I can do to stop her.
So I stand here, more still than I have ever been, and I watch Xoey watching me as if I were a figure in a wax museum. She doesn’t move either. But her eyes! They swim with stories to tell and I want to hear them all—all the bad and all the good. I want her to share every second that brought her to this moment, then I want to tell her all my stories too. After that, I want our stories to merge and never be separate stories, but only one long story that lasts for the rest of our lives.
Our long, long lives.
I blink. A tear escapes to travel down my cheek. Our lives are right now, I realize. This is it. The end of Xoey and me. So I do the only thing I can think to do. I put my fist on my heart and beat it, showing her what she can’t see or feel, showing her it beats for her.
Xoey’s lips move. I love you, she says. I know that’s what she says because it brings mine back to life. But I can’t even respond. I can’t even say it back because Kino is dragging her away and Xoey is fighting back, clawing at her behind glass, fighting like I would never imagine.
“Xoey!” I rush toward the glass and bang on it with my fist. Guards come and tear Xoey off Kino. At the same time, Danny enters the courtyard and pulls me away from the glass.
“Oliver, stop!”
I flail against him. Xoey is still clawing at the guards, screaming my name as they drag her down the corridor. Danny lets me go and I collapse on the ground. The door closes and Xoey is gone.
God, please let me die.
It is my second prayer.
48
Riley
I’ve had a blindfold over my face for the past two hours, so when someone pulls it off, the first thing I do is blink until the spots clear enough for me to take in my surroundings. After that, everything happens fast. I realize this must be The Rose’s salon, but I’m more focused on Reed, who is being held down in a chair by two thick UDR soldiers. All the while, he’s yelling and his eyes are focused on me, brimming with terror.
The man sitting across from him is Captain Ogas—the same man who identified me in the kitchen and had me tied up and dragged into a storage pantry. For the past several hours, I have been struggling against my restraints so violently, my wrists are bleeding and my muscles are trembling. They took away my pepper spray, but somehow missed my spiked ring. It hasn’t helped me yet,
but I am prepared to put it to good use. In the meantime, Ogas seems more entertained by Reed’s outburst than anything, which is why I intervene.
“Reed.” I keep my voice calm. “It’s going to be okay.”
Reed stops struggling and looks at me. His eyes are red-rimmed and he’s shaking his head. He knows what I’ve said isn’t true. Even more, he’s probably wondering why I’m so calm, why I’m not fighting like a cat to free myself.
Then my “why” walks into the room.
“Riley?”
As soon as Lexie sees me, her skin turns to ash and she stumbles—almost falling until the boy next to her reaches out to support her. She keeps her eyes fixed on me, all while shaking her head, all but mirroring Reed. At that moment, whoever was restraining me cuts through the zip ties that bind my wrists. I respond immediately, running across the salon and launching myself into my big sister’s arms.
“Lexie!”
Her arms tighten around me and we are both crying and kissing each other’s faces. I am laughing too and cannot figure out which emotion is driving me more—joy or terror.
Lexie is not so conflicted. Too soon she is wiping her tears and all but pushing me behind her back as she returns her focus to Captain Ogas.
“What is this, Hector? Why is she here?”
“Business, My Sweet. Don’t trouble yourself.”
“But—”
“Don’t worry. I’m in the middle of a negotiation that will ensure your sister’s safety.” Ogas turns back to Reed. “As I was saying, Mr. Paine. We need you to retrieve this data without detection. You already have the perfect cover. Your alias is in place, your impressive hack of the UDR Most Wanted list allowing you to slip through checkpoints without anyone knowing who you really are…”
“My alias failed. You’ve already proven that.”
Ogas shrugs. “Most are not as observant as me. Besides, your scruffy beard, your haircut—these things make it easy for people to accept what technology tells them.”
“That’s very reassuring.”
“Just another benefit to having you go instead of one of my men. If even one diligent guard identifies you, or if you get caught during the heist, no one can associate you with me. It is a perfect solution. I almost feel like thanking you for coming my way.”
“So we steal this data and bring it back to you… Then what? Am I supposed to believe you’ll let us go?”
“Do you know what’s coming, Mr. Paine? Amaron’s forces are weakening, yes. But they won’t let go of power without a fight. If you’re smart, you’ll join us when you return. Help us put Northcote in power. He’ll unite this country again. There will be no more Dirt and Sand. No more Red Zones. We’ll bring it all back into the UDR fold. That means better security, jobs, healthcare, and educational opportunities. No more bloody battles to contend with, no…leaking resources with no end in sight.”
“Men like you have believed such fantasies for all of recorded history. They never turn out the way you think—you know that, right?”
Ogas waves his hand at Reed as if he’s swatting away a mosquito. “Amaron’s indecisive nature has not just been his downfall, but all of ours. We can put your talents to good use. We’ll restore this country to the way it was before the second civil war.”
“And if we don’t want to join your cause? What if we want to disappear—Riley, Lexie, Gabriel, and me? What can I do to make that happen?”
“You can start by bringing me the data.”
“That guarantees me nothing.”
“No, it doesn’t, but you’re hardly in a position to bargain.”
Reed looks at me. “Give us a map. A timeframe of when you want this data delivered. We’ll devise a plan and—”
“We?” Ogas shakes his head.
“Riley and I.” Reed stills. “You said…you said you were waiting for her to show up before sending us on this mission. Surely you know I need her. There’s no way—”
“There’s no way I’ll let her go with you,” Ogas says quietly. “No, Mr. Paine. I don’t need Riley to join you on your adventure. I need her here as incentive for you to return.”
“No.”
“Reed’s right,” I say, my heart pounding while Lexie begins to weep. “He can’t do this without me. He’ll…mess it up. He messes up everything.”
Ogas just laughs. I need to make him understand.
“We came here to find Lexie—spent months traveling, risked everything to get to her. There’s no way I wouldn’t come back for her. No way. That’s incentive enough. Let me go with Reed. We work well together. We can do it better together than we could apart.”
“Touching,” says Ogas. “But no.”
“You can’t—” Reed strains against the men holding him again. “You can’t leave her here.”
“No? I think that would be the best kind of incentive for you to hurry back.”
“No. Please!” Lexie takes several swift steps across the salon and grabs the captain’s sleeve. “Please, she’s my little sister. I’ll do anything you want, but please. Let her go with him. She’s smart—so smart. She’ll make sure he doesn’t get caught.”
Ogas backhands Lexie, sending her sprawling to the floor. “Did I ask for your opinion?”
Rage fills me like I’ve never felt before. I launch myself at Ogas, reaching for his throat as I once reached for Reed’s, only this time I have my spiked ring to make it count. Ogas raises his arms to ward off my attack, which is just enough to keep me away from his jugular. Instead, my ring slices through his cheek.
“Viper!” he hisses. He grabs me by the wrist and twists it until I scream out in pain, then thrusts me to the floor next to Lexie. She puts her arms around me, and we scoot away, both watching him warily while he grabs a napkin from the table and presses it against his cheek. Blood quickly soaks through.
Ogas jerks his chin toward the soldiers restraining Reed. “Lock them up. All of them.”
As we are dragged from the room, he lights a cigarette. “I’ll give you an hour to think about my offer, Mr. Paine. You’ll go on this mission for me, or you’ll go to the UDR in chains. Either way, the lovely Riley Paca will stay here at The Rose.”
49
Reed
We are dragged out of the salon and across a short sidewalk, then into the dormitory.
Lexie resists the entire way. “You can’t do this! No!”
“Lex, it will be alright,” Gabriel says, but then one of the soldiers jerks him by the arm until he cries out in pain. All four of us are herded downstairs to the basement, then into a bathroom.
“Wait! You can’t leave us here!”
They ignore me, locking the door and leaving, presumably to stand guard outside. Still, I check the door, only to have it banged on from the other side. “You want to make this worse? Keep it up.”
Lexie is sobbing by now and clinging to Riley. “I won’t let them hurt you, Riley. I’ll keep you safe. I swear. I’ll do whatever is necessary, but they will not lay one finger on you!”
“Shh,” Riley says. “Everything is going to be fine, Lexie. You’ll see.”
Gabriel guides Lexie to the floor, coaxing her to lay her head on his lap while he murmurs soft words of comfort I can’t understand. Meanwhile, I pace between the shower stalls and a wall of sinks, trying to come up with an escape plan. There is only one door, blocked by soldiers. Two small windows are high on the wall, but neither is big enough for even Riley to fit through. Other than that, we have tile walls, shower curtains, towels, and soap at our disposal. Nothing else. Nothing to help us get free.
This can’t be happening!
After a while, Lexie quiets down. Gabriel continues to stroke her hair and comfort her. “Don’t cry. Everything will be alright. I’ll make it alright. You’ll see.”
Riley and I exchange looks. I jerk my head toward the sinks, and she separates from her sister, rising to join me. For the first time, I realize she’s wearing my clothes.
“Why did you come ou
t here, Riley? Why? When you knew this is what I feared most?”
“Because Ridhaan and Zoya told me about Ogas. They found out he knew your real name.” She shakes her head, spilling tears down her face. “I thought I could get to you in time. I thought I could warn you. Instead I’ve made everything worse. I’m sorry, Reed! So sorry!”
I pull her into a fierce hug and our hearts beat against each other. Meanwhile Lexie looks like she has fallen asleep. Gabriel is singing softly to her.
“You were right last night,” I say. “We should have been worried. Planned for the unexpected. I was just so sure we needed to get Lexie out of here quickly, I didn’t think. I didn’t know.”
Riley takes my hands and pulls me to the other end of the bathroom, so we don’t wake Lexie. “No, this is my fault. I was in such a rush, I didn’t think. If I had only waited until you got home, I could have told you about Ogas tonight. Neither of us would be in danger right now.”
“And Lexie?”
“We would have come up with a different way to save her.”
“Riley, you can’t blame yourself.”
“Why not? I’ve blamed you all this time. You made a mistake, Reed. The kind that kids make all the time, and I wouldn’t let it go.”
“Riley…”
“I couldn’t handle the reality of my parents in jail and my sister dragged to this horrible place without blaming someone—not the government, or the official who arrested them. Not the men who dragged Lexie out of the state home, or Kino, who sent her here, or even Jaxon—but someone nearby, Reed. You. And I don’t want you to feel guilty anymore. I don’t want the weight of it all building up on you, like a burden too great to carry.”
“None of that matters anymore.”
“It does. Because in a few minutes, they are going to open that door and drag you out of here, and I have to stay behind.”
Weeping Justice Page 33
