Conflicted (The Corded Saga Book 3) Read online

  “Eventually he’s going to push for more.” Her voice was low. Hushed.

  “He hasn’t so far.”

  “Like I said. Eventually.”

  “And so, what? I get to make my own choice. Do I have to let it become more if I don’t want it too?”

  “I guess that’s the question, isn’t it? Do you want it to become more?”

  “Nope. No more of this. I called you out here because you have issues.”

  She laughed. “We both have issues.”

  “If only Father could see us now...” I looked out at the darkness, almost able to picture Father walking toward us.

  “He’d be happy.”

  It was the first time I’d brought him up in months. It usually hurt too much, but I was trying to move past the hurt, so we could remember him the way he would want to be remembered. “We stayed together.”

  “Stayed might not be the best word.” Kayla let the blanket fall to her lap. “But we are together right now.”

  “I hope the girls have what we have.”

  “They will. They’re growing up as sisters.” She put an arm around me.

  “At least in this messy world they’ll have each other.”

  A shout came from somewhere in the distance.

  “What was that?” Kayla startled.

  “I don’t know.” My heart rate accelerated.

  “You stay with the girls.” Kayla jumped to her feet.

  “No. Wait for the others.”

  We didn’t have to wait long. Maverick came running out of the cabin next door. “What happened? Why are you out here?”

  “We couldn’t sleep, but that has nothing to do with what we just heard.”

  “Get inside.” Maverick pointed to the door of our cabin. “Now.”

  “No.” Kayla shook her head. “You stay with Quinn and the girls.”

  “No.” Maverick’s eyes gleamed. “You are staying here. Where it’s safe.”

  “How do you know it’s safe here?” Kayla raged. “You don’t.”

  “If it’s not safe here, then why leave your daughter?” Maverick stepped toward her. “I respect your willingness to fight. But don’t be stupid. The traders don’t want me. But they sure want you.”

  “We don’t know it’s the traders.”

  “Same answer if it’s Central.” Maverick took a step away from her.

  “I’m tired of sitting back and hiding.” Kayla’s shoulders slumped.

  “Tough luck.”

  Kayla turned to me. “Quinn, a little help here?”

  “You know how I feel about this. I’m not letting anything happen to you. And you have Faith to think about.”

  “We can’t sit around and argue.” Bolton ran toward us from across the grassy area. “All of you stay here. I’m going.”

  There was a series of scratchy noises over the loudspeaker. Anywhere else I could have written them off as nothing, but I knew what they were. We’d practiced the signal before.

  We all froze.

  Maverick’s eyes widened. “Get the girls.”

  Kayla ran inside, and I was on her heels. It looked like Kayla’s sixth sense was just as strong as it had always been.

  Six

  Mason

  We were being stupid and reckless. I wasn’t sure which was worse, but I was sure we were both. Yet that didn’t mean we were making a mistake. Turning back wasn’t an option and sitting there waiting for the right moment that was never going to come was the worst option yet. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, Addison was right. It was time to take action.

  “Are you sure this isn’t overkill?” Addison adjusted the straps on the weapon belt I’d given her.

  “Is that supposed to be a pun?”

  “How are you even joking at a time like this? Also, when did you get a sense of humor?” She zipped her jacket up.

  “Love has done stranger things to a man.”

  “Oh, yes. I’m sure.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Denver would agree.”

  She spun to look at me. “No more about Denver.”

  “Okay. Not until we find him.”

  “If we find him I don’t care what you say.” She kicked the dirt with her boot.

  “We’ll find him.” I couldn’t know for sure, but I didn’t think he was dead. He was entirely too clever for that. But he was in trouble, otherwise he would have come back for Addison.

  “Here.” My hand shook as I handed over a small capsule.

  She paused with her hand halfway to mine. “I thought I couldn’t have one.”

  “I thought about what you said. About preferring death to the alternative, and well, I respect your decision. Kayla would probably choose the same one.”

  “I’m not going to use it unless I absolutely have to.”

  “Good.”

  “You have your capsule then?”

  I shook my head. “No. I’d rather be tortured if it leaves any chance for me to see her again.”

  Addison’s eyes widened. “Wow. You really do love her.”

  “I promised her I’d be back.”

  “And you stick to your promises.”

  “That I do.” And I’d never cared about keeping one more.

  “Okay. As I was saying, don’t you think this is going overboard?” She touched some of the grenades I’d attached to her belt. “Notice I changed the word, so no more jokes.”

  “No. We have no idea what we’re up against.” Whatever it was it wasn’t going to be good.

  “But is being this prepared worth the risk of being slowed down?” She rolled her shoulders back.

  “Are you going to let it slow you down?”

  “Yes, and so are you. It’s impossible not to slow down when you are carrying this much weight.”

  “Give me some of yours.” I held out my hand. “I don’t mind.”

  “Oh. You’re going to wear more?” She narrowed her eyes.

  “Yes. We’re not leaving any of this behind.”

  “Wait.” She held out her hand in front of her. “You’re worried someone is going to find it and use it.”

  “That’s one reason.” And it was a big one. Whether we got through the wall or not, there was no reason to leave anything behind for our enemies to find. Even if they had more than enough weapons themselves. It’s hard to fight when your enemy is the government of one of the most powerful nations in the world.

  “We could destroy it.” Her hand moved back to a grenade.

  I shook my head. “Not without calling attention to ourselves.”

  “And wearing all this stuff isn’t going to do the same thing?” Addison pursed her lips. “Let’s hide it.”

  “I’ll tell you what. I’ll wear what I can. We hide the rest. You don’t have to wear any of it.”

  “Oh yes, because I want to go into this completely unprotected.”

  “Didn’t you just complain about having to wear it?” I sighed. I understood where she was coming from, but I didn’t have the time or energy to deal with it.

  “Having to wear so much. Not that I didn’t want to wear any.”

  “Following your thinking is exhausting.”

  “Following you is exhausting.”

  “Fine.” I held out my hands. “Give me what you want to give me.”

  “Nope. I’m fine. Maybe it hides what I am.”

  “Nothing is going to hide that, but if it makes you feel better.”

  “Ugh. You are incorrigible. Sometimes I wonder what Kayla sees in you.”

  “Only sometimes?” I laughed.

  “Let’s go before I change my mind.”

  “And let me remind you that this plan was your idea.” I was well aware she didn’t need the reminder, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t give it to her.

  “No. It was my idea to head to the wall today. Everything after that was your plan.”

  “Fine. But before we go I need your word.”

  “My word about what?”

  “Your word tha
t if we run into trouble you’ll put yourself first. Don’t worry about me.”

  “Kayla would love that.” She went heavy on the sarcasm.

  “Kayla would agree with me.” She’d want me to take care of Addison.

  “Fine. But then you do the same thing.”

  “No way.”

  “Why?” She put a hand on her hip.

  “Because I can’t. That’s why. Because I know how bad it would be if you were captured.”

  “You gave me the capsule for a reason. I’ll be fine.”

  “I really don’t want you to use it.” I’d never forgive myself. I was only giving it to her because she deserved to make her own choices. She’d always had men making decisions for her. I couldn’t continue that.

  The early rays of light hit me as soon as I pushed open the rusty door.

  “We waited too long,” Addison hissed.

  “Nothing we can do about that now.” I slipped outside before she could move ahead. “You weren’t kidding about it being quiet.”

  “No, I wasn’t.” As expected she stepped around me.

  “This is weird. Too weird.” If it was a trap they should have sprung it already.

  “Agreed.”

  “There is no way everyone just left. It has to be a trap.” She fell back behind me.

  “Or something even bigger.”

  I didn’t want to think about worst case scenarios, but there were several that could lead to disastrous consequences.

  We continued forward, waiting for our enemies to descend. They had to be close.

  We didn’t talk. It wasn’t as if we could avoid being seen, but there was nothing to say. All we could do was wait.

  “Do you see that?” I broke the silence as I noticed out of the corner of my eye the telltale grey uniform of the Central forces. It was worn by a man lying on the ground.

  We moved in that direction. The hairs on the back of my neck stuck up as I waited. This was it. The trap. Addison’s hand moved toward the small right pocket of her slacks. The pocket where she’d slipped the capsule.

  I knelt down and grabbed his wrist. His skin was cold, but just in case I checked his pulse. Nothing. “He’s definitely dead.”

  “How?” Addison knelt beside me as I turned the body around. “There’s no bullet hole. No blood. No sign of struggle. No foam or anything from a capsule.” Her voice fell slightly when she mentioned the capsule, as if the weight of what she had in her pocket weighed her down.

  “Maybe it’s something else Central made.” I definitely wouldn’t put it past them. They had technology people hadn’t dreamed of a few decades earlier.

  “You think Central is killing their own men now?” She stood up.

  “I don’t know what to think.” I examined the body again before standing up.

  “Neither do I.”

  “But now we know why it’s been so quiet.” I gestured her to follow me as I continued down the street. Soon another few of the grey uniforms came into view.

  Like the first, these men were all dead. No evidence of how they died.

  She looked up at the sky. “This is unreal.”

  “Oh, it’s very real.” I looked at the bodies. It was as if they’d suspected nothing and had merely fallen where they stood.

  “That it is.”

  I spun around at the sound of a voice, my gun trained at the voice’s owner.

  “Hey, put the gun down. I’m not looking to hurt you.” A man—or more or less a boy—held up his hands in front of him in defense.

  “You touch her, and you die.” Young or not, he could be dangerous.

  “I’m not going to touch her. Chances are we are on the same side here.” He let his hands fall to his sides. “Now put the gun down.”

  I looked into his face. He was young. If it weren’t for the start of a beard I would have seen his youth right off. “Why should I believe you?”

  “What other choice do you have?” He took a seat on the top of a canister. “What other choice do any of us have?”

  “What are you doing here?” Addison had her gun trained on him too. “Is this your doing?”

  “This?” he gestured to the bodies. “I wish.”

  “What do you have against them?” Addison kept her gun aimed. “Aren’t you hoping for a cure?”

  He laughed. “Cure? You mean to elite aging?”

  “Wait? You know that?” If he knew that, then he wasn’t just a low-level Central worker.

  “Yes.” He sighed. “Pathetic isn’t it?”

  “Well, you still didn’t answer my question.” Addison shifted her weight from foot to foot.

  “Oh? About what I have against them? Does my reason matter? I hate them. Same as you.”

  I answered before she could. “Yes. Because I don’t believe we’re on the same side.”

  “I have two sisters. At least I hope I still have them. It’s been years now…” the boy trailed off.

  “Two?” Addison caught my eye.

  “Yes.” The boy crossed his legs at his ankles. “I know you think that’s a lie, but it’s not. I spent my entire childhood trying to hide their existence, but I don’t care.”

  “What’s your name?” I started to connect the dots. Run the odds.

  “Does my name matter?”

  “It does. It really does.”

  “What’s your name?” he countered.

  “Mason. See? It’s not so hard to answer a question.”

  “It is when you seem really interested.” He looked into my eyes. “Why are you so interested? Maybe we aren’t on the same side. Maybe you’re hunting.”

  It was time to lay some of my cards out. “I’ve only heard of one family with three kids. Especially with the dynamic of two girls and a boy.”

  My explanation must have been satisfactory because he answered. “My name is Thomas.”

  Addison let out a gasp. “Nope. You can’t be. He can’t be Kayla’s brother, can he?”

  “Kayla?” Thomas leapt off the canister. “You know Kayla?”

  “What’s your other sister’s name? I’m not saying anything until you tell me.” I knew it had to be him, but I needed more proof.

  “Quinn. My other sister is Quinn.” His body shook. “Where are they? Are they okay?”

  “They are safe.” I searched his face again, noticing how similar his nose was to those of his sisters. “For now.”

  He sat back down. “There is no safe.”

  “No. But they are safer.” At least that’s what I was telling myself because there was nothing I could do.

  He looked at me, his eyes gliding over my face. “Who are you?”

  “It doesn’t matter.” I threw his words back on him.

  “Like hell it doesn’t. You just questioned me.” His calm demeanor was gone. Discovering we knew his sisters had thrown him off.

  “I love your sister, Kayla. I’d do anything for her, which is why we need to get through that wall.”

  He put his hands on his knees. “I need to see them.”

  “You know as well as I do we can’t keep them safe until that wall comes down.” I nodded my head behind me where the giant wall extended as far as the eye could see toward the sky.

  “How do we know what will happen then? What if a whole new danger comes into play?”

  “I thought we wanted the same thing.” Addison let her gun fall to her side.

  I looked around us, my gun was no longer trained on Thomas, but that didn’t mean I’d let my guard down.

  “If you love my sister, why are you here with this girl?” Thomas pointed to Addison.

  “This girl has a name. Addison.” Addison pointed a thumb to her chest. “And I’m here because I’m done sitting back. Not that Kayla wanted to ever sit back. But it’s different because she had Bailey to think about.”

  “How is she?” Thomas straightened up. “Bailey, I mean.”

  “We don’t have time for this right now.” I understood his questions but sitting around in enem
y territory was a terrible idea.

  “I’m not asking for pages worth. I’m only asking for a few words. Is she okay? What happened to her?” His expression was completely serious, and I knew I was going to have to give him something before he’d agree to help.

  “We don’t know for sure. She is fearful but okay. But that’s why Kayla couldn’t leave even though she wanted to. And she really wanted to,” I added.

  “Yes, that’s Kayla.” A faint hint of a smile hung on his lips.

  “Okay. That’s enough. We need to go.” Addison cocked her gun.

  “You really think you can breach the wall?” Thomas stood.

  “No.” I shook my head. “But we can.”

  Thomas nodded. “Especially if we get my associates involved.”

  “Associates?” Addison and I said in unison.

  “Yes. There are others like us.”

  “Where?” I was almost afraid to ask. Had we been so focused on the mission we’d missed the presence of others?

  “Right here.” Thomas let out a low whistle, and a dozen teenagers and men started down the deserted street toward us.

  Seven

  Kayla

  I didn’t want to run again. I didn’t want to hide or cower in fear. I’d been through so much already; I didn’t want to deal with more. Despite my yearning to do something rather than sit around, I didn’t want to put Faith in danger. Leaving on my own was no longer possible. Not when I couldn’t guarantee her safety. No matter how I felt, leaving together was now the only option. But I was going face this new reality on my own terms.

  “We have to move,” Bolton spoke as if I planned to sit around and wait. He knew me far better than that.

  “No kidding.” We waited in the lower level beneath the boathouse for everyone else to arrive. Everyone else who was leaving with us that is. The time passed slowly. Agonizingly slowly, yet the door above us never opened. We never even heard footsteps, and I knew this secret space couldn’t be that well soundproofed.

  “Is it really safe to take these tunnels under the lake?” Quinn asked.