AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“A man gave it to me,” JoHanna said in a soft voice, almost a whisper. Though her words were quiet, the child managed to silence the entire room. The enhanced all likely heard her, since there were no secrets with them around.
I thought about how Clarke’s men had known Amias would come for Clarke, but then again, he hadn’t bothered to hide it.
He walked into his execution with his weapons drawn knowing what would happen to him. I shook my head. I couldn’t afford to go there in my head when the child needed me in the present.
Crew knelt, taking her small hand in his own. “Which man?”
“A man like you. A man with special powers. One of the tall men.”
I cleared my throat. “An enhanced?”
“What’s that?”
Right. The vocabulary is different here. “A Super Soldier?”
She nodded. “He held out a flower and said it was beautiful. It was. Then he said it also tasted good. He told me I should try it. We’re supposed to listen to all of you, because you take care of us, and you keep us safe. I ate it, but it didn’t taste good. He told me to go home and not to tell anyone or he’d hurt my parents.” She lifted her gaze to meet mine. “Is he going to hurt my parents because I told you?”
Crew shook his head, his lips thin in irritation. “No. He’s not. Who was it? You know everyone who lives around here, JoHanna, so which man did this to you?” A muscle ticked in his jaw. I wouldn’t want to be on the other end of Crew’s temper, that much was clear, even as he restrained himself and stayed gentle.
“I don’t know him, but he was like you, and you’re to be trusted.”
I winced internally. Few could be trusted. No way should an entire small-town’s worth of people be treated as safe. Why were they raising the child to be so vulnerable?
It wasn’t my business. I wouldn’t be there very long. I wouldn’t be there for the ramifications of what they did and didn’t do, obviously.
Crew rose. “So he was a stranger? Someone who doesn’t live here. What color was his hair, JoHanna?”
She pointed at Crew. “Brown, like yours.”
“Brown. Okay. Thank you.” He turned to her father. “I’ll take care of it.”
Her father nodded. “Thank you.”
Crew stormed toward the door and then stopped, turning around to regard me. He held out his hand, offering it to me. “Time to go.”
I nodded. If he hadn’t suddenly remembered me, would I have been able to find my way back to their bar on my own? I wasn’t sure, but it seemed doubtful, especially since we’d rushed and he’d carried me part of the way.
Lacing our fingers together, I let him lead me outside, where more enhanced than I’d ever seen surrounded the house.
“We obviously have a problem. A stranger. Someone who didn’t announce themselves in the proper way went after one of our kids. It can’t be allowed.” He nodded toward Mace. “I’ll trust you to handle finding him. Twenty-four-hour security here until he is found. He doesn’t get near this family or that little girl again. Assign people.”
Mace nodded once. “On it.”
Crew stared at the group in front of us. “We made something here, all those years ago. Some of you followed me here, others of you stumbled upon us or brought others in. We were all clear on how we meant to live, and no one has ever been forced to stay. This place and how we live isn’t for everyone, and I get that. We maintain our equilibrium. We take jobs that use our skills, when asked, we maintain this place, and keep the non– Super Soldiers safe. In turn, they teach us things that we don’t know how to do, and they take care of us, too. It’s a circle, and we maintain it. This is the first time I’ve ever seen the way things work get challenged. The first time in fifteen years. I’ll defend our way of life. Now is your only chance, did any of you bring someone here and not report it? Or do you know someone was here and didn’t tell? This is the amnesty moment, and it will be the only one I offer.”
Everyone was quiet. I couldn’t hear a thing, but they probably could. Any changes in heartbeat or catching of breath—everyone would know. After a moment, Crew nodded. “That is fantastic. I want to keep trusting all of you. I plan on doing so, but if you’ve betrayed us, then you’re due for a reminder of who we used to be before we settled down.”
What was that exactly?
“And this is Raven. I know you’ve all heard that by now, but she’s staying with us. Anyone bothers her and you’ll answer to me.”
I raised my free hand. “Hi.”
Mace stayed behind with Gunnar and Ransom, but Crew left with me, walking slowly this time. I made some mental notes about my surroundings even as the rain drizzled down on our heads. It wasn’t like the night before. This was more like a misting. Glancing up, I could see the electricity sparking in the atmosphere, the sky just dark enough for the tracery of vein-like light to be visible.
Off in the distance, I could see a town. Nearby, mostly forested lands spread out, but other houses sat back from the road.
“You saved her. I couldn’t have done that.”
