Rise (New Haven Book 3)

by Sara Jo Cluff

“I love you,” Eric whispered in my ear.

  I moved my head, so it rested against his cheek. “I love you.”

  Clearing his throat, Dante stood and folded his arms. “If they’ve been watching, they will know we aren’t tied up anymore and have a weapon.”

  “Then we better hope that whatever’s happening out there is not good for Kingsland,” Terrance said. He came and stood by Dante. “Once they open that door, we need to be ready.”

  Gideon still held the knife in his hand. “I think we should only use this as a last resort.”

  “I agree,” Hiro said.

  “No way,” Santiago said. He stood next to Vivica, holding her hand. “They haven’t been nice to us. We shouldn’t hold anything back. We need to storm out of here, grabbing any weapons we can and use them on the guards.” He eyed me sitting in Eric’s lap. “Look at what they did to Emmie.”

  “He’s right,” Eric said.

  Maya shook her head. “We don’t need to make this worse. Piling up the body count isn’t going to do anything.”

  “We should still be taking weapons from them.” Luke stood tall, his arms folded, and his feet squared with his shoulders. “They’ll be using them on us. We need to be able to defend ourselves.”

  “I don’t like the idea of all these weapons.” Dee’s eyes held a terror I hadn’t seen in a while.

  “You were the one begging us to let you come.” Tina quirked an eyebrow at Dee.

  “I know.” Dee bit her lip. “But seeing them actually used and the results …”

  Thunder Thighs grunted from the corner of the room. “You’re all a bunch of sissies. Why are we even waiting for them? Let’s break down the door and get out of here. I’ll be taking as many weapons as I see and anyone who gets in my way will be on the other side of that weapon with no hesitation on my part.”

  “Some of us actually value our lives,” Bruce said, moving his hands dramatically.

  “Enough.” Dante’s voice commanded the room. “We’re wasting time. Everyone, get up and get ready to storm out of here. Once we’re on the other side of that door, our only goal is to get out of here alive. If that means killing a few guards on the way out, so be it. That’s why we came here in the first place. We’re at war. If you don’t like it, too bad. Next time we’ll leave you home.” He glanced at Dee when he said that.

  Will put his arms around Dee and held her close, giving Dante a nasty look.

  Everyone was on the verge of a breakdown. The unity we usually had was slipping away. We needed to regroup.

  I turned my face toward Eric. “Help me up. Dante’s right. We need to leave.”

  Eric kept a firm grip on me as he stood, doing it effortlessly. He placed one arm around my back and then scooped up my legs. I rested my head against his shoulder as he held me in his arms. It killed me not being able to stand on my own two feet and help fight our way out, but I also enjoyed being in the comfort of Eric’s arms.

  Joshua had his arms around Tina’s and Luke’s shoulders as they held him up. Dante and Gideon came and stood in front of Eric and me right as Maya and Santiago went behind us. I knew they were creating a barrier so no Kingsland guards could get to us. Terrance and Thunder Thighs went to the door, bracing themselves for when the door opened. Everyone else piled around us.

  “Terrance,” Gideon said.

  When Terrance turned around, Gideon tossed him the knife, the hilt landing perfectly in Terrance’s hand.

  We only waited for a few minutes before the door to the room opened and Brandon walked in.

  Terrance punched Brandon in the face as hard as he could, knocking him unconscious. As soon as Brandon’s body hit the floor, Thunder Thighs pulled his bow and arrows off him and slung the quiver around her back. Two more guards rushed in, but Terrance and Thunder Thighs easily knocked them down and they fell on top of Brandon. Dante and Gideon snatched up their bow and quivers.

  We all piled out of the room, stepping out into a chaotic hall. More guards tried to seize some of our group, but we easily overpowered them and within minutes, everyone in our group besides me had a quiver around their back and a bow in their hand. We were even able to get a few of our knives back. Santiago and Maya had helped put the quiver around Eric’s back so he could continue to hold me.

  The halls were filled with security guards trying to hold off angry Kingsland citizens. They were all shouting and demanding to see President Coleman, wanting an explanation for my broadcast.

  Terrance, Thunder Thighs, Dante, and Gideon pushed forward through the crowd, forcing their way toward the exit. Eric was right behind them and I could feel him being pushed forward by Maya, Santiago, and everyone else behind us.

  “There she is!” A Kingsland citizen shouted out. The room went silent as everyone turned and looked at me.

  “What happened to her?” Another member demanded. She looked at me with surprised eyes. Most of the citizens were looking at me that way. It was probably a mix of the fact that I was indeed an actual person, but also that I was injured.

  “One of your guards stabbed her,” Santiago said, anger lacing his voice.

  Terrance and Thunder Thighs kept trying to push forward, but we had nowhere to go. The hall was squished with people. Some of the members gasped when they finally saw Dante and the condition he was in.

  An elderly man pushed his way toward me. His cold hand landed on my cheek. I turned my head so I could look at him. His kind eyes reminded me of my father’s. “Is it true?” His voice was soft yet pleading. “Do you have the cure?”

  I closed my eyes and nodded. “Yes, we do.” When I opened my eyes, tears were falling down his cheeks.

  “My granddaughter,” he said, his voice shaking. “She has the disease. Can you heal her?”

  “It depends on how far into the disease she is,” Maya said from behind me. Her voice was just as soft as the man’s. “But we have the formula. If your doctors got to work right away on making it …”

  “He has the formula!” A man shouted out from the crowd. “President Coleman already has it! We want it!” Everyone shouted out in agreement. The sound hurt my ears. I leaned my head back into Eric and groaned.

  “Just hold on,” Eric said.

  “Eric.” My jaw clattered. “I’m so cold.” Heat had left my body. The pain in my stomach throbbed.

  “Stay strong, Emmie.” Eric’s voice was soft in my ear. “Stay strong for me.”

  “She’s dying,” the elderly man said. “We need to take her to a doctor.”

  “Is there one nearby?” Eric asked.

  A female in the crowd raised her hand. “I’m a doctor. Bring her to me.”

  The crowd opened and the elderly man helped steer Eric toward her. My whole body shook. I was freezing cold yet sweat dripped down my forehead onto my cheeks. “Eric.”

  There were still guards trying to press through and get the crowd out of the hall, but no one would budge. When the guards wouldn’t stop, the crowd turned on them and a fight broke out. Dante, Santiago, Maya, and Gideon stayed close around me so no one could hit us.

  The lady who raised her hand came up to me and took my hands off my wound. She gently pulled the shirt away and examined the cut. Her black hair was pulled back in small braids all the way around her head. I couldn’t tell for sure since I was being held up, but she seemed to be very short.

  She looked at Eric. “It’s bad. She’s already lost so much blood. This needs to be treated right away or she’ll die.”

  “Then do whatever needs to be done to save her,” Eric said.

  The lady nodded and then looked at me. “I’m Janette. Let’s get you out of here. My house isn’t far.” She glanced at Eric. “Follow me.”

  Even though there was still fighting, the residents made sure to make room for all of us to get through. They lined up on both sides, keeping the guards away. If I wasn’t so weak, I would’ve have smiled and thanked them all. Luckily Dee was with us, and I could hear her saying thank you to every person we p
assed.

  Once outside of Headquarters, Janette broke out in a jog. I was surprised how easy it was for Eric to keep up with her. He didn’t seem to be straining at holding me for so long. It was colder outside, so I curled into Eric, trying to soak in his heat. He kissed me on my head as he continued to run through the streets.

  A large crowd had gathered outside. They were shouting and demanding answers. From what I could see, there seemed to be thousands of residents surrounding Headquarters. I smiled to myself, happy to see they had come through.

  A few minutes later, Janette opened the door to her house, and we followed her in. She pointed to an old brown couch near the brick fireplace. “Lay her down there. I’m going to get my supplies.”

  Eric laid me down as gently as he could. The other fourteen New Haven residents with us piled into the small living area. Dee kneeled next to me. Tina and Luke set Joshua down in a chair. I tried to open my mouth to say he needed to be treated too, but no words came out.

  “Don’t try to talk,” Eric said as he brushed a few loose hairs out of my face. “I’ll make sure she tends to Joshua after you’re all fixed.”

  Janette came back in the room and forced Eric and Dee away from my side. “I need room to work.” She looked at Eric. “Help me take off her jacket and shirt.”

  As they removed my shirt, a few coughs sounded in the room. When I tilted my head, I noticed all the guys in the room had turned around, giving me some privacy. I smiled for a moment and then flushed when I realized that Eric had still seen me. It was the first time he’d ever seen me with my shirt off. But when I saw the concern in his eyes as he stared at my cut, I immediately felt better.

  A stinging sensation at my cut caused me to yell out in pain. Janette had started to clean my wound. “Sorry,” she said. “This is going to hurt for a while.” I bit back my screams as she examined the cut. “It doesn’t look like any organs have been pierced. You were lucky. I’ll just need to stitch up the cut.” She looked at me and then Eric. “I never got your names.”

  “Oh, sorry,” Eric said. “I’m Eric and this is Emmie.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Janette said with a smile. She nodded to some towels on the wood coffee table next to the couch. “Why don’t you go clean your hands in the bathroom, Eric, and then you can bring back some dampened towels for me and Emmie’s hands? The bathroom is the first door on the left down the hall.”

  “Of course.” Eric kissed me on the forehead and left the room.

  Janette eyed my blood-covered ring. “Is that your husband?”

  “Fiancé.” I barely managed the word out. The pain was too much for me. I sucked in my breath and closed my eyes.

  “You two make a cute couple.” She didn’t wait for a response before she continued. “My husband’s the same as Eric. He’s very protective and sweet with me. I kept thinking it would change as the years went by, but it hasn’t. He still looks at me the same way he did when we were dating.” I could hear the smile in her voice. I wanted to ask how long they’d been married, but I was too weak. Janette looked young to me, but I couldn’t be for certain.

  Luckily my mind reader was in the room with me. “How long have you been married?” Dee asked. That was a benefit to having a best friend like her. We’d known each other so long, we could read each other like an open book.

  “Twenty-three years,” Janette said. I let out another scream at a sharp pinch to my skin. “I’m doing the stitches now.”

  I still had my eyes closed, so I couldn’t see what was happening.

  Someone grabbed my hand and started cleaning it. I could tell they were Eric’s hands, so I just lay there and let them both do their work. After Eric was done with that hand, he switched to the other.

  “Do you have any kids?” Tina asked.

  “Two,” Janette said. “Jason is thirteen and Elizabeth is seventeen.” She gave a small laugh. “Jason goes pale at the sight of blood, so it’s a good thing he’s in bed right now.”

  Eric finished with my hand and came up next to me, stroking my hair. Reaching for my hand, he took it in his, his warm lips kissing my skin, and then he held it up against his cheek. Having him right next to me helped me relax.

  “Mom?” A girl’s voice came somewhere to the right of me. She sounded sleepy. “What’s going on?”

  “Just helping some friends,” Janette said. “Elizabeth, would you please find an old shirt you don’t use anymore? Emmie here could use a new one.”

  “Of course,” Elizabeth said. Her footsteps faded down the hall.

  A small knock on the door made Janette’s hands freeze. I opened my eyes to her staring at Eric, her eyes wide.

  “I’ll get it,” Dante said. The front door squeaked open just a bit. “Oh, am I glad to see you.” The door opened further and then shut. From the sounds of clapping on backs, I figured Dante was hugging whoever was at the door.

  “Everyone, this is Marcus,” Dante said. Sighing in relief, I closed my eyes. They were becoming too heavy to keep open.

  I heard someone approach the side of the couch. “Here’s a shirt,” Elizabeth said. “Can I get you anything else?”

  I couldn’t force my eyes open. Dante and Marcus talked softly in the background, but I couldn’t make out any words.

  “Do you have a blanket we could drape over Emmie?” Eric kept his voice low, but I could hear the tightness in it. Something was bothering him, but I didn’t know what. All the guys had turned their heads.

  “Yes, there’s one right here,” Elizabeth said.

  A few seconds later, a soft blanket covered my chest.

  “Thank you,” Eric said. He took a towel with his free hand and wiped the sweat from my forehead. I held on tightly to his other hand.

  “Well,” Dante said, “nice work, Emmie. Your broadcast worked.” His voice was surprisingly close. I forced my eyes open and saw him standing right next to me. His eyes flickered between the blanket on me and Eric who kneeled beside me.

  “Most of the city members turned on President Coleman,” Marcus said.

  I looked over at him. He was tall and strongly built like Dante, but he had a bald head. His brown eyes were tired. Just looking at them made me close my eyes again. I had kept mine open too long.

  “There’s still a lot of fighting going on outside,” Dante said. “But at least there are now more people in our favor than in President Coleman’s.”

  “We still haven’t gotten our hands on him, though,” Marcus said. “We need to come up with a plan.”

  “Once Emmie and Joshua are stitched up, we’re leaving.” Eric sounded upset.

  “You’re leaving?” Marcus asked. “Dante, I thought you were staying.”

  “We are.” Dante’s voice was rigid. “Emmie and Joshua can rest here a while, right Janette?”

  “Of course,” Janette said. “They’ll both need rest.” I heard a clip from her scissors. “Emmie, you’re all stitched up now. Just take it easy for a few weeks. That was a nasty cut. It’ll be sore for a long time, so no heavy lifting and no breaking into any other cities.” There was a smile in her voice. Her weight left the couch and her footsteps headed toward where Joshua sat.

  Eric’s hand tensed around mine as weight settled on the couch again. Prying my eyes open, I saw Dante sitting near my feet. He smiled at me. “How are you feeling?”

  I tried to open my mouth, but Eric spoke. “Let her rest. You two can talk later.” He stroked my hand with his thumb. “And we’re leaving. I’m taking her out to the jeep and driving her home so Samantha can tend to her. You can stay here if you want.”

  “There’s still stuff to do,” Dante said. He glared at Eric. “We came here to do a mission.”

  “I know,” Eric said. “Which we accomplished. Marcus and his supporters are free to come out now. President Coleman’s men are outnumbered. They can take it from here. They don’t need an injured Emmie and Joshua to help out.”

  “But we could use you,” Dante said. My eyes kept opening and closi
ng. “And Emmie needs rest. Look at her; she can barely keep her eyes open. We shouldn’t move her yet. You’ll just make it worse by taking her in a vehicle on a bumpy road.”

  “We can take her home,” Will said. He had his arm around Dee’s waist. “You don’t need us. Eric can stay and we’ll go.”

  “I’m not leaving Emmie,” Eric said.

  “Dante’s right,” Elizabeth said. She was over near her mom, helping her with Joshua. He clenched his jaw in pain as Janette stitched up the opening in his arm from the arrow. “You shouldn’t move her yet. You could break open the wound.”

  “I’ll drive carefully,” Eric said. I could tell in his voice that he knew they were right, but he wouldn’t admit it in front of Dante.

  “She’s staying here tonight,” Janette said, the tone in her voice closing the matter. “So is Joshua. They’ve both lost a lot of blood and just need to rest for now. We’ll talk about it again in the morning.”

  Everyone was quiet as Janette finished up with Joshua. Once she was done, she sent Elizabeth back to bed and picked up all her supplies. “I hope you don’t mind sleeping on the floor, Joshua.”

  “I don’t mind.” He looked over at me with a weak smile.

  Janette left the room for a minute and then came back, bending down next to me. Eric scooted over to give her room but kept a hold on my hand. She cleaned off my cheek and then applied some glue to it. “This will hold it closed. It’s too shallow to need stitches. It’ll heal just fine.”

  “Thank you, Janette,” Eric said, sincerity in his voice. “For all of your help. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate it.”

  Smiling at him, she patted his shoulder. “I’m glad I could help out. Of course, I now expect an invitation to your wedding.”

  Eric laughed. “I’ll give you front row seats. You saved her life.”

  “She still has a lot of recovery,” Janette said. “You need to keep a close eye on her wound and clean it daily. The last thing we want is an infection or for it to break back open.”

  “I’ll take good care of her,” Eric said.

  “I know you will.” Janette squeezed my arm. “Sleep, Emmie.” I tried to nod, but my head wouldn’t move. I forced out a sound that I hoped sounded like I was saying I would. She stood and looked at Dante. “As for all of you, out. Emmie doesn’t need the stress. The only people allowed in my home tonight are Emmie, Joshua, and Eric.” She looked around the room. “I’m not trying to be rude, but they need rest, especially Emmie. She’s recovering from a serious injury.”