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“There’s only one way to find out.” Without a care for himself, he sauntered to the gated door and swung it open. When he didn’t, you know, die, I released the pent-up breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
“Did you have to be so fucking dramatic?” I asked Fallon, racing after him. We didn’t know how long we had until the generators kicked in. My guess? Only a few more seconds.
Declan and Asher ran in after us followed quickly by Doc and Kai. Declan had a nasty gash on his forehead, and Asher was favoring his right arm, but other than that, the two were unscathed. Kai and Doc were similarly fucked up. Hideous bruises under each of their eyes, cuts and scars, and shredded clothing. Kai was holding his stomach, grunting in pain. No doubt, the man broke a rib.
Made me feel kind of bad for kidnapping him and dragging him into this in the first place. Oh well. Let bygones be bygones and all that shit. My new motto: what would Addie do? And Addie would most definitely justify that kidnapping - crazy bitch.
Only seconds after we were through the fence and the door was shut did the generator kick in and electricity once more came to life. I could hear it cackling, the sound oddly malicious.
“Ryder fucking did it,” Asher said, running a hand through his blond, shaggy hair.
“Never doubted him,” I said.
Fallon removed the radio from his pocket and pressed down.
“Tam? We’re ready.”
Tamson’s muffled voice came back. “Roger that.”
Before I could catch my bearings, before I could orient myself, a booming explosion sounded from the opposite end of the building. It reverberated through my body. Made my ears ring.
“Let’s go get our girl,” I said, rubbing my hands together like an evil mastermind. Again: what would Addie do? I was determined to live by that motto, and my girl was just crazy enough to laugh like an evil witch at a moment like this.
As we sidled up to the wall, eyeing the guards who hadn’t run in the direction of the explosion, Fallon leaned over to whisper, “What did the Rager say?”
“What?” We moved into the heavy shadows of the building, hidden from the blighted sun submerging everything in its blistering rays.
“What did the Rager say when it crossed the road?”
I held my bloody knife more firmly in my hand. My eyes were slitted as I considered my prey. Four muscular men carrying semi-automatic rifles. These peoplewerehuman, yet I considered them just as monstrous as the creatures roaming outside the fence. What type of people kidnapped an innocent girl? My girl? They were all monsters in my mind.
“Fuck if I know,” I answered Fallon. “I didn’t think that far ahead. I’m pulling an Addie and telling jokes without a punchline. Come on. Let’s kill some fucking monsters.”
* * *
Addie
I traced invisible patterns onto Calax’s chest, my fingernails grazing his nipple.
“I can’t believe you’re alive,” I whispered. My eyelids were heavy, sleep seconds from consuming me, but I was afraid to close my eyes. I didn’t want Calax to be nothing more than a dream. I didn’t want to open my eyes only to discover I had imagined the entire encounter. No, I was determined to keep my eyes open no matter what. I didn’t want him to disappear like a mirage.
“Baby…” He pressed his lips to my forehead.
“What did they do to you, Callie?” I didn’t want to know the answer.
“It doesn’t matter. We’re together, okay? And we’re going to get through this.”
I moved my fingers to the splattering of hair on his chest, pulling it through my fingers. Suddenly, his hand grabbed mine, a pensive sigh escaping.
“What’s this?” His thumb traced my engagement ring.
Voice quiet, I said, “I think you know what it is. Seven stones for my seven loves.”
“You still love me? Even after I abandoned you?”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My nails dug into his chest, probably to the point of pain.
“Of course I love you, you big idiot. You’re mine, just as thoroughly as the others are. Unless, of course, you don’t want to be mine…” Tears sprang to my eyes unbidden. What if he no longer wanted me? What if too much time had passed, and our good memories were tarnished by bad ones? I wouldn’t survive. No, that was a lie. I could survive because I knew he was alive and well, but a tiny piece of me would die forever.
