Rise (New Haven Book 3)

by Sara Jo Cluff

  Rise

  Copyright © 2019 by Sara Jo Cluff

  All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Paperback ISBN 9781686366529

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Printing, August 2019

  Awkward Pepper, LLC

  awkwardpepperllc@gmail.com

  Cover images from pixabay.com

  Cover design by Sara Jo Cluff

  He sat before me, sweat and blood sliding down his cheek. I took the rag from my belt loop and wiped off some blood that dripped onto his eyelid.

  “How bad does it look, Em?” Dante asked, his leg bouncing up and down. He always did that to keep his blood flowing when he was stopped even though I’d hold him countless times to conserve his energy.

  Smiling, I slapped his bare shoulder, sweat flying. “Nothing you can’t handle.” I turned to Eric standing down below. “I need a butterfly bandage to hold his gash together.”

  Eric rifled through the medical bag until he found them. He took one out and reached up to me. “Here you go.”

  I wiped Dante’s forehead before placing the bandage on his cut. “This should hold it for now. We’ll take you to the infirmary once you win.”

  Dante looked past me at his opponent, his confidence slipping. “He’s faster than me, Em.”

  “But you’re stronger.” Placing both of my hands on his shoulders, I rested my forehead against his. “You’ve got this. He’s slowing down. We both know Santiago gets lazy and sloppy when his energy’s drained. Get him to throw a few more punches into the air and then strike.”

  Dante nodded and pounded his gloves together. “Stomach, stomach, face, stomach, face.”

  “You can do this, Dante.” I lifted his chin, so his brown eyes were level with mine. “You’re going to win.”

  “I’m going to win!” he yelled.

  I slapped the sides of his arms. “Go get him, tiger.”

  Dante stood, jumping up and down. He reached his glove out to me and I took it, kissing it for good luck. Glancing over at Santiago, I grabbed Dante’s other glove and kissed it, never taking my eyes off Santiago. I pointed at him. “That one’s for you.”

  Santiago scowled at me, but it turned into a smirk. Even though he was a fellow revolutionary, I still wanted Dante to put that boy in his place.

  Our other revolutionary, Maya, was supporting Santiago that night, but she did it so he wouldn’t feel bad. She’d told me before the match that she secretly wanted Dante to win.

  I jumped down out of the ring and went to Eric’s side. “We’re going to win. I can feel it in my bones.”

  “We better.” Eric ran his fingers through his thick blond hair. “I’ve got a lot riding on this match.”

  Our friend, Luke, laughed behind us. “He can’t pull it off. He’s too slow. Eric, you’re going to be doing every single chore in our place for a month.”

  I tilted my head at Eric. “You went a month this time?”

  “I’m like you,” Eric said, smiling at me. He had some new teeth put in after losing a few of them while being held captive by Whit, a.k.a. President Randall, in River Springs. His perfect smile was back. “I can feel it in my bones. Dante’s going to win.”

  “You better hope so,” Luke said.

  I looked back at my old Recruitment partner and Luke’s girlfriend, Tina. She let out a deep breath as she rolled her green eyes.

  Ever since Luke and Eric moved into the same apartment, they’d been betting on stuff nonstop. Everything was a competition for them. Even though it drove me crazy, I was happy to see them become such good friends. Last year they hated each other.

  Bruce stepped into the middle of the ring, puffing out his chest. You could tell by his deep, brown eyes that he was Maya’s little brother. He stood still until everyone in the arena was quiet. It had been a year since I’d first met Bruce and although he’d physically grown, his maturity level had remained the same. But it was what made him so much fun to be around.

  Bruce cleared his throat. “Fighters ready?” Both Santiago and Dante nodded. Bruce held back a smile. He always tried to act tough when he stood in the ring, but the giddiness behind his eyes was apparent, reminding me he was only fifteen. “Round three starts …” Bruce's gaze swept between Dante and Santiago as he paused for dramatic effect. “Now!”

  Bruce hopped out of the ring and the battle began. Just like I’d thought, Santiago went immediately at Dante, swinging full force. Dante was able to dodge all of Santiago’s punches, swiftly maneuvering out of the way each time. The fire behind Santiago’s eyes began to fade. I took Eric’s hand, squeezing it out of anticipation.

  “You’ve got this, Dante!” I yelled.

  The crowd went wild in the arena. Half of them were shouting out Santiago’s nickname, The Bone Crusher. The other half were shouting Dante’s nickname, The Inferno.

  According to the statistics before the match started, the odds were in Santiago’s favor. He’d been the top fighter in Scorpion City and that hadn’t changed since he moved to New Haven. Dante hadn’t beaten him once.

  Even from down below, I could see the wheels turning in Dante’s head. He was planning out his attack, wanting to make each swing count. Santiago went for Dante’s abdomen, but Dante jumped backward, avoiding contact.

  Santiago stepped back and then went at Dante again, landing two blows to his face. Dante stumbled backward, leaning into the side of the ring. He hesitated for a second and then shook his head like he was trying to shake off the hits.

  That was when I saw it. That look Santiago got in his eyes when he thought he’d won. He smiled arrogantly at the crowd, pumping his arms up and down, trying to get everyone to yell louder.

  Letting go of Eric’s hand, I ran over to Dante’s side of the ring. “Now Dante!”

  Dante nodded and sprang forward, striking Santiago twice in the stomach. Santiago instinctively put his arms in front of his abdomen, freeing up his face. Dante’s glove landed hard against Santiago’s jaw, making Santiago throw up his hands. Dante went for Santiago’s abdomen again, thrusting his arm with all his might.

  When Santiago uncovered his face, Dante pulled his arm back and then threw it forward until it connected with Santiago’s nose. Santiago staggered backward, trying to regain his bearings. Dante took the opportunity to land one more blow to Santiago’s face and he fell, covering his nose with one of his gloves.

  Bruce hopped back in the ring and bent down next to Santiago. He slammed his hand on the floor of the ring, counting out each number.

  Eric came up behind me, putting his arms around my waist and pulling my back into him. I placed one hand on his and my other hand on my butterfly necklace as I looked on, eagerly awaiting to hear the final count. “This is killing me!”

  “Six! Seven!” Bruce yelled out.

  Santiago pushed his palms against the mat, trying to lift himself.

  “Come on, come on,” Eric said. “Stay down!”

  “Nine!” Bruce shouted, his tone not holding back any excitement. I’d never heard the arena that loud before.

  Santiago fell back down right as Bruce shouted out, “Ten!”

  Bruce stood up, grabbed Dante’s wrist, and threw his arm int
o the air. “The Inferno is the champion!”

  I turned around and threw my arms around Eric’s neck. Lifting me off the ground, he spun me around a few times. When he finally set me down, I gave him a big kiss on the lips.

  Dante stood in the center of the ring, pumping his fists into the air. The buzz in the arena vibrated through me as everyone stood and chanted, “Inferno.” It seeped into my veins, making my blood pump faster.

  Ten minutes later, we walked into the locker room. It had taken forever to get through the crowd since everyone wanted to congratulate Dante for being the first person to defeat Santiago.

  Dante jumped onto the bench, holding his arms high in the air. Sweat slid down his forehead and bare chest.

  I stood down below, my hands cupped over my mouth, cheering until my voice cracked.

  Eric cupped his hands over his mouth. “Speech!”

  Dante put his hands down and cleared his throat. “First and foremost, I need to thank all my fans for never giving up hope.”

  “Who says we never gave up hope?” Terrance, one of our military leaders, asked. He had a smile that stretched from ear to ear. “It sure took you long enough.”

  Dante laughed, rubbing his hand over his hair. After letting it grow out to a fro the previous year, he’d finally cut it back to a decent length. “I know, I know. But I’m here now and we won. I also need to thank my sister, Vivica, for actually being with me and not over with her boyfriend.”

  “Hey, I love Santiago,” Vivica said, “but I still have a competitive nature. Someone needed to knock him off his pedestal. I don’t think his head can afford to get any bigger.”

  Dante looked down at me and reached his hand out. I took hold and he pulled me up on the bench next to him. I laughed as I strained my neck to see him. “How tall are you now? I swear you get taller every day.”

  “Six-four,” Dante said, laughing. “My dad never thought I’d get this tall but look at me now.” He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. “Lastly, I need to thank my trainer and best friend, Emmie, for always being there for me. She’s worked hard to get me in the shape I needed to be in. She’s also worked hard on watching Santiago carefully, studying his techniques and searching for weaknesses.”

  “It took a lot of effort, but it worked out in the end.” I squeezed Dante's waist, ignoring all the sweat. It was something I had to accept as his trainer. “I’m just glad you finally beat him. Now we can put you in the hall of fame.”

  “We won,” Dante said. “This was a team effort. I think Emmie needs to be rewarded for all of her hard work.” He smiled at Eric. “If you’d do the honor.”

  “Of course,” Eric said, taking me by my waist and lowering me down. He dipped me, his warm lips pressing against mine, his hand cradling the back of my neck.

  “Oh, get a room!” Tina said.

  Dante tsked. “No way. Not until they’re married.”

  Eric pulled me back up and glanced over at Dante. “Who says you get a say in this?”

  Dante pointed his finger at his chest. “I do. I have no problem beating the crap out of you, Eric.”

  “Neither do I,” Joshua said, cracking his knuckles. He was one of my half-brothers and a new pain in my side when it came to men trying to control my life choices. He was wearing his typical white button-down shirt untucked with the top button undone, his tie hanging loosely around his neck.

  “Me either,” Will said, straightening his glasses. He was a friend who I’d met back in Recruitment in our previous city of River Springs.

  “Or me,” Derek said. The other half-brother. He had Dante’s giant face on his shirt, fire lighting up all around it with the caption, “The Inferno.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Anyone else want a say in my and Eric’s love life?’

  “I think they covered it,” Tina said, running her fingers through her long red hair.

  Luke nodded in agreement.

  A voice came through my communication device, so I pulled it out of my pocket.

  “Emmie?” It was my best friend Dee.

  “Hey, Dee,” I said.

  “Get to the infirmary now!” Dee exclaimed. I could hear the excitement in her voice.

  “Is it time?” I asked, heading toward the exit. Everyone followed me out, staying close so they could hear Dee.

  “Yes,” Dee said. “Hurry!”

  We ran outside of the arena and jumped into a few jeeps, driving as fast as we could. The street was covered in fresh snow at least two inches thick, but the jeeps had no problem plowing through it. Snow continued to fall all around us, covering every building and tree with its beauty.

  One of my new favorite things to do was sit in my home next to the fire, curled up in Eric’s lap with a blanket snugly around us, sipping hot cocoa and watching the snow fall outside.

  Dee was waiting for us at the entrance to the infirmary. She had her brown curly hair pulled back in a low ponytail. “She’s doing well so far. Dr. Stacey and Gideon are in the room with her right now.” Taking hold of my arm, Dee steered me toward Marie’s room. “I can’t believe it’s finally happening.”

  “I know,” I said.

  We stopped outside of her room. I peeked my head in and saw Marie lying on the bed, her face wet from sweating. Marie was our resident nurse in New Haven. She had left River Springs to join our revolution. Her husband, Gideon, was also from River Springs and was now an officer in our military.

  Gideon smiled when he saw me. “Marie said that you, Dee and, Tina are all welcome in here if you want.”

  “No one else,” Marie said through breaths.

  “I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” I said, stepping into the room. Tina and Dee were right at my heels.

  Dee sat down in a chair next to the bed, taking Marie’s hand. I went on the other side of the bed and took her other hand. I couldn’t believe New Haven was finally going to have its first birth. Gideon and Marie got married a month after the battle with Juniper City, which was Maya’s old city. Dee and I were excited at the time to have the first marriage in our city. And now here we were a year later having the first baby.

  “Just take slow, deep breaths, sweetie,” Gideon said. He stood at the edge of the bed with Dr. Stacey. Marie nodded, inhaling as slow as she could under the circumstances.

  Tina looked at Marie. “Do you mind if I watch?”

  “I don’t mind,” Marie said. “Dee and Emmie can watch, too.”

  I shook my head. “I’m good.”

  “I have a weak stomach,” Dee said. “I’ll do better up here holding your hand and not seeing anything.”

  Marie tried to laugh, but it came out strained. “That’s fine with me. It’s nice having two hands to grip onto.”

  “I need you to give me a big push,” Dr. Stacey said. Marie’s grip on my hand tightened as she pushed. “Another push, Marie. You’re almost there.”

  “I can see the head!” Gideon said. “Come on, sweetie. Our baby’s almost here.”

  “One more big push,” Dr. Stacey said.

  Tina gagged. “I think I’m going to be sick. I shouldn’t have watched.” She ran out of the room with her hand over her mouth as Marie did her last push.

  “It’s a boy!” Gideon shouted. “It’s our baby boy.” Tears formed in his eyes as he looked up at Marie. “You did it, sweetie. He’s here and he’s beautiful.”

  The baby’s cries filled the room as Gideon cut the umbilical cord and wrapped their baby up. Gideon glanced at Marie. “Do you want to hold him before I go clean him off?”

  Marie nodded. “Yes.”

  I stood and stepped away to give Gideon room. Tears spilled down Marie's cheeks as she held their baby in her arms. She looked up at Gideon and smiled. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Marie.” Gideon kissed her softly on the lips.

  Dee ran out of the room. “It’s a boy!” Cheers rang out through the hall.

  I put my hand on Gideon’s arm and looked at Marie. “Congratulations to
both of you. He’s beautiful.”

  Gideon wiped some tears off Marie’s cheek. She smiled over at me. “Thanks.” She stared down at her baby boy, her eyes full of love. She kissed him on the head and looked back at me. “Is it still okay?”

  I smiled at her. “Of course, it is, Marie. I want you to use the name.”

  “But you two were so close,” Gideon said. “We don’t want to cause any hard feelings.”

  “I’ll be offended if you don’t,” I said. “Eric and I have already decided that if we ever have a boy, we’re naming him after my father.” I looked down at their baby. He had stopped crying and was just lying peacefully in Marie’s arms. “I want to make sure someone uses his name and I wouldn’t want it to be by anyone else than the two of you. Besides, Marie, you knew him longer than I did.”

  Gideon nodded and took his son from Marie’s arms. “Welcome to the world, Mack Clark Saxton.”

  Papers rained down on the ground next to me. My palms stung from slamming them against the top of the desk. Everything had gone wrong. I had every single detail planned out perfectly and she ruined everything in the blink of an eye. I should’ve known she’d do this. I shouldn’t have expected anything less.

  “Anger’s not going to get you anywhere, Austin.” Dean Johnson stood near the window of my office, looking out over the River Precinct in River Springs.

  I wasn’t sure if he was going to join our cause and support us after I killed President Randall, who was Dean’s closest friend. Luckily, his daughter Amber had him wrapped around her finger. And I had tricked her into trusting me.

  I glared at Dean until I thought my eyes might burst. I couldn’t stand him or his annoying daughter, but I had to pretend if I intended to win the war. Then I could dispose of them both. “She betrayed us, Dean. She started a rebellion in my city!”

  Amber came up next to me, batting her eyelashes and pouting like she always did. I wished she would grow her hair out, but she insisted on keeping it short. It didn’t suit her facial structure at all.

  “Babe, just calm down.” I cringed at her voice. How had I once liked her?