Rise (New Haven Book 3)

by Sara Jo Cluff

  The whole ride to the infirmary, I tried to focus on my breathing just like I did when I had Derek. But as I watched Philip coaching me the same way he did with our son, my heart broke. He knew it wasn’t his child inside me. Our physical relationship ended shortly after I had Derek and started my job as Whit’s assistant. But Philip treated the birth the same way he had with Derek’s. He showered me with such love and devotion, making sure I had everything I needed.

  Even after I had Emmie, he treated her like his own. He loved her unconditionally and was the father she needed. I loved Whit, but he didn’t have the same compassion that Philip had. Philip adored Emmie and looked after and protected her. I wasn’t surprised to learn that he had dropped everything and left with Emmie on her foolish mission.

  I went back and forth on how I felt about Emmie leaving. I was still convinced it was a childish thing to do, but I admired her determination and her drive. She had an independent nature which helped as much as it did hurt her.

  Emmie was different from the start. She watched Derek like a hawk and wanted to do everything he did. She crawled by five months, walked by ten months, and at seventeen months, she decided she was done with diapers. I caught her one day throwing all her diapers away. When I asked her what she was doing she responded, “No diaper. Toilet.” She never once had an accident.

  By the time Emmie was two, she had made it very apparent that she did not like Whit. I wasn’t sure how their relationship would turn out, but it did not go the way I had hoped. Whit did come by to see me in the infirmary after I had her. He was mostly concerned about my health, though. He never once offered to hold her. He barely looked at her. I told myself it was because it was too painful for him, but in all honesty, he wasn’t interested.

  Every time Philip and the kids came by Whit’s home to see me, Emmie would give Whit a death glare. She would throw things at his head and stick her tongue out at him. At the age of five, she learned to just ignore him as he did her. They rarely acknowledged each other when they were in the same room.

  It started to change when she turned fourteen. Whit took a sudden interest in her and asked me about her constantly. I thought maybe he finally wanted to be a part of his daughter’s life, but he still never actually talked to her. He would just ask me or Derek questions about her. They eventually started having short conversations when they were out in public and people were watching. But they were doing all they could to be civil to each other. It wasn’t until I heard about the prophecy that I realized that was the only reason why he was interested in her.

  Over time, I realized that I had started treating Emmie exactly how Whit did. His feelings for her rubbed off onto me. I was cold and heartless to my own daughter. By the time I had figured it out, it was too late to undo the damage. There were so many times where I wanted to go back and fix everything. I desperately wanted the chance to have the relationship with her I should have had in the beginning.

  A big part of me knew it was too late, but I still had this little ounce of me that hoped Emmie would let me back into her life. I couldn’t repair all the damage, but maybe we could start over. We needed a fresh start, just like the city did. With Emmie and me working together, we could make history. The possibilities were endless.

  Jen’s mission had to be successful so we could put an end to Austin’s reign and start a new era.

  A loud knock at the door took me from my thoughts. I sat up tall in my chair. “Come in.”

  Tami came in, throwing the door open and slamming it closed. She walked up to my desk and stood before me. I motioned for her to sit down, but she kept standing.

  “What do you need, Tami?” I asked.

  Folding her arms, she rested her weight on her hip. “I thought you should know that Austin just sent Amber, Dean, and a few others on a trip.”

  “Do you know where they’re going?” I clasped my hands in front of me on the desk and kept my posture straight. She liked to stand to be taller than me, but I could keep myself refined.

  “We’re not entirely sure, but they are headed in the direction of New Haven,” Tami said.

  My eyebrows rose. “New Haven? Why would he be sending a small group there?”

  Tami shook her head. “I don’t know. There’s no logic behind it.”

  “No, there isn’t.” I sat back in my chair, moving my clasped hands to my lap. “If he wanted to send a spy, he wouldn’t send Dean or Amber. He must have a bigger purpose.”

  “But not that big of a purpose, because there are only five of them total,” Tami said. “They took a jeep.”

  “When did they leave?” I asked.

  Tami let out a frustrated sigh and shifted her weight to her other hip. “A little less than an hour ago.”

  I looked at her, startled. “What took you so long to tell me?”

  “I was trying to put together a group to follow them,” Tami said. “And then I got hungry.”

  Standing, I placed my fists on the table and leaned toward her. “Your appetite can wait. You’re supposed to come to me right away with things like this.”

  Tami rolled her eyes. When my face didn’t soften, she took a couple of steps back. “I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.”

  “We came to an agreement,” I said, keeping my gaze firmly on her. “We said we’d be open with each other and would work together to get even with Austin. But I think you keep forgetting that in the end, I’m the one in charge here.”

  “You can’t tell me what to do.” She came back to her original spot right behind the table. “I have no reason to take orders from the whore who ruined my family.”

  I slammed my fist on the table. “I don’t care about your feelings about my private life! This was a business arrangement and nothing else. We put aside our personal feelings and work for the common good, which was to get our city back in order.”

  She leaned in so her face was inches from mine. “I don’t care. You’re lucky I even came and told you.”

  “Tami, I know you hate me, and I understand why you do.” I took a few breaths to calm myself. “But we need to work together if we want to make this work.”

  “Maybe I don’t want to make it work.”

  I leaned back. “Fine. You and your mother are welcome to leave. I’m sure Austin would love to have you back.” Straightening my shirt out, I sat down in my chair. “You can leave my office now.”

  She stood there, her breaths coming out in exaggerated huffs. I ignored her and went over some papers that were in front of me.

  After a moment she flopped down in the chair on the other side of my desk. “I’m sorry I took so long to tell you. Next time, I’ll be sure to tell you right away.” Her tone was that of a child who’d just been scolded, reluctant to make an apology.

  “Good.” I took a sip of water from my cup at my desk.

  “We sent a few men after them,” she said as she crossed her legs. I could feel her gaze on me. “They were able to catch up and have been tailing them ever since.”

  I took another drink, still looking at my papers. “I’m assuming they’re keeping their distance so they won’t be spotted.”

  Tami sneered. “Of course. I’m not stupid.”

  I looked up at her then. “I know you’re not. That’s why you’re still here and why I’ve wanted your help.” I sighed. “Tami, I don’t know what to say to you about my life choices. I know they weren’t conventional. But what happened is over and done with. We can’t go back to the past. I have said this countless times, and I will keep on saying it as long as I have to. We need to put aside our hatred for one another if we want this to work. Once we have the city back where it needs to be, we can go our separate ways and never speak to each other again.”

  “I look forward to that day.”

  “Trust me, so do I. Has Jen been notified?”

  Her face twisted and I couldn’t read her expression. “Yes, I had someone tell her. She’ll be on the lookout.”

  “Any news on her end tha
t I should know about?” I already knew what was going on with Jen since I gave her a personal communication device, but Tami didn’t know that. I had to see if Tami was going to be honest with me.

  “Nope,” she said, shaking her head. “She’s there, but Emmie hasn’t come back yet.”

  “Have they been nice to her?”

  She nodded. “They were reluctant at first, but Derek was willing to give her a chance until Emmie could actually talk with her.”

  “That’s understandable.” I shuffled my papers around and grabbed a pen from my drawer. “That will be all for now.” I glanced at Tami. “Keep me informed, please.”

  Tami stood, giving me a little bow. “Of course.” Her smile told me she was lying.

  I kept my sigh internal. I would never be able to fully trust her or her mom. They would never be completely open and honest with me.

  Tami left the room without another word.

  Letting my posture slip, I put the pen down and ran my fingers through my hair. Life was difficult when you had no one you could fully trust. I used to think I could trust Whit, but as more was revealed about him after his death, I started to see that I couldn’t fully trust him. I had thought he’d told me everything, but obviously, he hadn’t.

  My closest allies were my two worst enemies. I had just sent a possible spy, Jen, to seek my daughter’s help. My daughter who didn’t trust me. Everyone around her, including Philip and our son Derek, didn’t trust me either, which meant I couldn’t trust them.

  The weight of the fact I had no one in my life I could trust came crashing down on me. And my list kept piling up. I had a horrible sinking feeling in my stomach, which was something I hadn’t felt in years. Before Emmie had left and Whit was murdered, my life had been so perfect. I had absolutely nothing to worry about. Whit spoiled me and made sure I had whatever I wanted. He made me feel safe and comfortable.

  All of that was gone in the blink of an eye. If Austin thought he was going to get away with it, he was horribly mistaken. I would not rest until I got even. I didn’t want Austin taken out of his position; I wanted his life taken from him. He didn’t deserve to live while so many lives had been altered because of his careless decisions.

  I hoped my daughter would come to her senses and work with me. With her help, we could end the war. My life would never be completely whole again, but it would be a good start. I didn’t like the fact that I had to depend on so many people, including ones who hated me, but I had no other option.

  The cold, hard floor of the holding room pressed against my back. Shivering, I placed my hand over my wound, trying to apply as much pressure as I could.

  “Emmie.” Urgency filled Eric’s voice. He came up next to me and tried to lift my hands so he could see.

  “No.” My voice was shaky and quiet. “It needs pressure.”

  “What did they do to you?” Dante asked, coming to the other side of me.

  Eric wiped away the blood on my cheek from the long gash. I couldn’t help but smile. He furrowed his eyebrows. “What?”

  “If it doesn’t heal well, we’ll have matching scars on our face,” I said. He didn’t smile in return. I guess it wasn’t that funny.

  “Are you ignoring my question on purpose?” Dante asked. There wasn’t a smile on his face, either.

  “Mmmmmmm!”

  Eric looked behind him, so I followed his gaze. Dee was on the floor, feet and hands bound, tape over her mouth. Eric removed the tape as gently as he could, which wasn’t easy since his hands were bound, too.

  Once the tape was off, Dee scooted closer to me. “What happened?”

  “That’s the question of the day, isn’t it?” Dante didn’t hold back his sarcasm. Eric pressed his hands down on mine, putting more pressure on my wound.

  I turned my gaze to the ceiling. “A guard got a little carried away, that’s all.” My voice came out weaker than I’d wanted. I didn’t need everyone worrying about me. There were more important things to think about. Like keeping all of us alive. I looked around for my brother. “Where’s Joshua?”

  “I’m here.” His voice came from behind my head. I tried to crane my neck to see him, but I couldn’t.

  “How’s your arm?” I asked him.

  Eric and Dante both grunted and I chose to ignore them. We didn’t need to talk about my wound.

  “It’ll be better once I get this stupid broadhead out,” Tina said.

  Joshua moaned. “Gentle, please.”

  “I’m trying to be,” Tina said. “But gentle isn’t working and you need this out.”

  “Let me try to help,” Luke said.

  I couldn’t see what they were doing, but I could hear the groans and swearing coming from Joshua.

  “Back to Emmie,” Dee said. “You’re bleeding pretty badly and you’re as pale as a ghost.”

  I tried to smile. “I’m fine.”

  “You’ve been stabbed,” Eric said, his voice tight. “That doesn’t qualify as fine.”

  “Hey, a little love and support here,” I said. “You don’t need to be so angry.”

  “We’re not angry at you,” Eric said. “Just at the situation.”

  I rolled my eyes. I said that to him all the time.

  Dante moved his face so it was in my vision since I was still looking straight up. “Why did they stab you?”

  I shrugged and then moaned at the movement. “Just trying to prove a point, I guess.” I wasn’t about to tell them what the guard had told me. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.

  “This has gotten way out of hand,” Gideon said. His head came into my view and then left. After a few seconds, it came back. He paced behind me. Besides Dee, everyone else only had their hands bound.

  “What do we do now?” Hiro asked. I stopped trying to place where the voices were coming from. It took too much energy.

  “If we don’t get out of here soon, we’re dead,” Terrance said. “I’m sure they’re getting everything ready for our executions.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that,” Bruce said. “There has to be a way to get out of here.”

  “How?” Will asked. “If there was a way out, don’t you think we would have taken it already?”

  “Everything’s changed,” Maya said. “There’s a lot more chaos out there right now.”

  “Ahhhh!” Joshua’s scream pierced the room.

  “It’s out,” Tina said. “You’re going to live, Joshua.”

  “For now,” Luke put in.

  “Thanks for the optimism,” Dee said.

  “You’re welcome,” Luke said. “Sometimes being realistic is better than optimistic.”

  “No,” Gideon said, putting the conversation back on track. “Maya’s right about everything changing. With everything in pandemonium, it’s the perfect chance to attempt an escape.”

  “It’s the only time to attempt an escape,” Terrance said. “And we have to take it.”

  “What are you thinking, Terrance?” Hiro asked.

  “Now that we have everyone back together, I’m willing to make a break for it,” Terrance said.

  “I agree,” Gideon said.

  My breathing was ragged, but I forced out the words. “Okay, I’m just hearing voices …”

  “Crazy …” Bruce whispered.

  I ignored him. “But I don’t think I’ve heard Vivica, Santiago, or Rachel’s voices. Are they in here?”

  “We’re here,” Santiago said.

  “They’re having a lovefest.” Thunder Thighs grunted. “And it’s grossing me out.”

  I smiled. “Good. Glad we’re all here.” My teeth clenched together from the pain.

  “So, what’s the plan?” Maya asked.

  “The guards should be coming for us soon,” Dante said. “Once they come in, we need to attack and make a run for it.”

  “Emmie and Joshua will need help,” Will said.

  “I’ll carry Emmie,” Eric said.

  I could see Dante’s face in my vision, and he had ope
ned his mouth to say something, but Eric had talked first. Dante snapped his mouth shut. His face had a mixture of sadness and anger.

  “Tina and I can help Joshua,” Luke said.

  “How are we going to fight with bound hands?” Vivica asked. Apparently, their lovefest had finally ended. Or it was taking a slight pause.

  “Ow!” I tried to turn on my side, but it hurt too much. I sucked in my breath from the pain.

  “Easy there,” Eric said. This time his voice was gentle.

  “Sorry,” I said. “I just remembered I took a knife from the guard while he was stabbing me. He had someone else’s knife in his pocket, so while he was distracted, I pulled it out and slipped it in my pocket.”

  Eric went to reach for my pocket, but Dante stopped him. “Keep your hands on her wound. I’ll get the knife.” I watched the two of them, trying to read the look that passed between them. I had never seen it before. Or had just never noticed. I shook my head. The loss of blood played with my mind.

  Dante reached into my pocket and retrieved out the knife. He motioned for Eric to lift his hands just a little so he could cut the cords. Once they were off, Eric took off his jacket and then his shirt, and then put his jacket back on. He gently moved my hands so he could get the shirt directly onto my wound and then replaced my hands and kept his hands on mine. He gave me a soft smile which I returned.

  Dante had given the knife to Gideon so he could cut Dante’s cords. Gideon continued to go around the room and cut everyone loose.

  Shouting and loud thuds came from the hall. Whatever was happening was a distraction we could use to our advantage. Unless it was Kingsland security rallying together outside the room.

  “Do you think you could sit up?” Eric asked me.

  “Only if you held me,” I said.

  He let go of my hands and pulled me up until I sat in his lap. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he put his hands back over my wound. The room spun, so I closed my eyes.