Rise (New Haven Book 3)

by Sara Jo Cluff

  Emmie snorted. “I would say the same thing, but it couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

  “Ouch,” I said with a small click of my tongue. “I’ve missed you, too.”

  “Austin.” She paused before she continued. “Why?”

  I thought she would expand upon the question, but she didn’t. Shifting myself in my new chair I retrieved from the conference room, I looked out onto the city from my office window. The cracks from my earlier outburst distracted from the otherwise marvelous view. “We don’t have time for that right now. There’s a battle going on out there, Emmie. Innocent people are dying.”

  “Then call off your troops.” Her voice was flat and slightly irritated.

  I held back a smile. “I will once we talk.”

  “We’re talking right now,” Emmie said.

  “In person.” I loosened the tie around my neck.

  A few seconds went by. Then a few more. “I can’t leave. You’ll have to come to me.”

  “Not possible.”

  “Then we can’t talk in person.” Her tone made it sound like she was closing the conversation.

  Only I wasn’t done talking. “We have something that belongs to you, Emmie. I know you want her back. Let’s trade. You come to me and I’ll let her go.”

  “How can I trust that you’ll let her go?”

  “You’re just going to have to trust me.”

  Emmie laughed. “Yeah, I made the mistake of doing that before and look how that turned out.”

  I stood and went to the window. Smoke rose high in the air from where we had hit the medical building. “Emmie, do you know how this all started in the first place?”

  “What do you mean?” She sounded intrigued.

  “An arrogant teenage girl rebelled against her city. She fled, taking her loved ones with her. She got my dad killed in the process.”

  Emmie swore, surprising me. “Whit killed your father, Austin, not me.”

  “But it was your choice that led to the unfortunate event.” A small knock at my door made me turn around.

  The girl peeked her head into my office. “Can I come in?”

  I almost said no, but I figured she might come in handy in my conversation with Emmie. “Sure. Close the door behind you.” She came to my desk and sat down in my chair. She held her broken arm close to her as she stared at the window, wide-eyed.

  “This isn’t worth arguing about, Austin,” Emmie said. The girl startled at the sound of Emmie’s voice. From the look on her face, she cared deeply about Emmie. Perfect.

  “No, it’s not.” I tore my gaze away from the girl and glanced outside. “Emmie, you started this whether you’ll admit it or not. Lives have been forever changed. Some have been taken. I want to end this. We need to end this. But you need to come to me. You started it, now you need to finish it.”

  “I told you I can’t come.”

  I held the communication device out to the girl. “Talk to Emmie.”

  The girl hesitated but finally took it from my hand. “Hi, Emmie. It’s me. Don’t say my name. I haven’t told these stupid people what it is.”

  “Are you okay?” Emmie sounded worried. She cared deeply about the girl, too.

  “Other than a broken arm and being around the rudest, creepiest people ever, I’m fine.” The girl crossed her legs. “How are you?”

  There was a smile in Emmie’s voice when she responded. “Other than a stab wound and being stuck indoors while everyone else is kicking butt, I’m fine.”

  “Good,” the girl said. “Emmie, don’t listen to Austin. He’s an idiot, a liar, not that cute, arrogant, stupid …”

  I yanked the device away from her. “Emmie, if you want to see this darling girl again, come to Headquarters. You have thirty minutes. Otherwise, the next time you’ll see her, she’ll be dead.” Turning off the device, I thrust it into my pants pocket. I shook my head at the girl. “That was foolish of you. You might have just gotten yourself killed.”

  The girl raised her eyebrows. “You’d kill a little girl? Are you really that evil?”

  “I’m not evil.”

  “Uh, yes you are. You just threatened to kill a young lady. That’s pretty evil. You might be worse than President Randall.”

  I slammed my hand down on the table, making her jump out of her seat. “I’m not like him!” My breathing was fast and ragged. I had to calm myself down; I was losing control.

  The girl slowly backed away from me, fear in her eyes. “Well, you definitely have a bad temper, mister.”

  Before I could respond, the door opened, and Amber came in. For once, I was relieved to see her. “Hey, Amber.”

  “Hey, babe.” Amber rubbed my shoulders. “Are you doing okay?”

  “Stressed.” I pulled her into my arms. “I’ll be much better when this is all over.”

  Amber rubbed my back, trying to soothe me. “It’s almost over. My father just reported that we’re winning. Janice’s side was completely blindsided by our attack. He said they’re frantically trying to pull things together, but it’s pure chaos.”

  “Good,” I said with a sigh. I pulled back from Amber, placing my hands on her arms. “Emmie’s coming to us. We need to get ready for her.”

  Amber’s eyes lit up. “Finally! Is she bringing others with her?”

  I shook my head. “No, she’s not with the revolutionaries. She’s injured so she’s not fighting.”

  Amber stuck out her lip as the light left her eyes. “It won’t be as fun if she’s already injured.”

  “She’s tough,” I said, rubbing her arms. “You’ll have plenty of time with her.”

  “I better.” Amber jumped up and sat on my desk. “What’s the plan?”

  “When she gets here, we need to pull her into one of the conference rooms so we can talk.”

  Amber swung her legs forward and backward as she sat. “Is anyone else going to be in there with us?”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “Just the three of us. We need to get as much information as we can out of her before we kill her, though.”

  “You’re going to kill her?” The little girl’s chin quivered. “Why?”

  “Because she’s a thorn in my side.” I walked over to her. “She doesn’t obey orders. She’s reckless and selfish.”

  The girl shook her head. “No, she’s not. Those are your characteristics.”

  “Well, you’re wrong about me,” I said. “Emmie’s going to get what she deserves.”

  Amber hopped off the desk. “What if she doesn’t come alone?”

  “We’ll have guards waiting to seize whoever comes through the doors. We’ll see them coming.” My tie still bothered me, so I took it off and set it down on my desk.

  “What about me?” the girl asked. “You’re letting me go, right?”

  The side of my mouth curled up. “You said yourself that I’m a liar.”

  The girl backed toward the door, each step slow and deliberate. She held back tears. “What are you going to do with me?”

  I shrugged as I walked, taking a step every time she did. “We’ll use you to get information out of Emmie if necessary. Listen, I don’t want to hurt you. You seem like a nice girl, but I need to do what’s best for my city.”

  “You wouldn’t really kill me, right?” the girl asked.

  I didn’t have an answer to that question. I didn’t relish the thought of killing children, but there were casualties of all ages in war. It was unfortunate but true.

  I turned back to Amber. “Let’s get downstairs and make sure everyone is in place. I want to be prepared for when she gets here. This is the final move, so we can’t screw this up.”

  “We won’t.” Amber left the room, leaving me alone with the girl.

  I bent down in front of the girl. “There’s nothing to fear right now. Just be a good little girl and everything will be fine.” I smiled. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll be so happy when Emmie’s dead that I’ll let you go back to your family. Would you like that?’<
br />
  The girl glared at me. “What I’d like is for you to NOT kill Emmie!”

  “I’m sorry, sweetie, but that isn’t a possibility.” I reached out to touch her arm, but she yanked it away from me.

  “Do not touch me and do not call me sweetie! You’re a horrible person, Austin! Horrible, horrible, horrible!”

  I clenched my teeth to hold in my screams. “One day, when you’re older, you’ll understand why I’ve done what I’ve done. It was all necessary for the good of mankind.”

  The girl stepped closer to me, the fear in her eyes completely gone. “You’re wrong.” She huffed. “You know what? Emmie’s not going to die. You are. She’s smarter, tougher, better looking, and all-around a better person.”

  Running my hand over my head, I smiled at her. “Sweetie, being a good person won’t help you win. Sometimes it can even be a weakness.”

  “Sweetie,” the girl said, her voice filled with disdain, “haven’t you read all the books? Good always triumphs over evil. Always. You’re going to lose and trust me when I say I’ll be doing a happy dance when you do!” She turned around and stormed out of the room.

  It really would have been so much easier if the girl wasn’t so likable. I followed her out and we made our way downstairs. Amber had already begun telling the guards to be on the lookout for Emmie. Once everyone was notified, Amber, the girl, and I stood there near the front door, anxiously waiting for Emmie’s arrival.

  It couldn’t come soon enough.

  “No.” Derek came over to me and crouched down in front of me, making Joshua and Courtney scoot to the sides. “You’re not going, Emmie, and that’s final.”

  “Derek …” I started.

  Derek turned to Joshua. “Back me up here.”

  “He’s right,” Joshua said. “We can’t let you go. For multiple reasons. You’re hurt, it’s probably a trap, and Eric will kill us if we let you leave.”

  “That’s if Dante doesn’t kill us first,” Derek said.

  “Or Santiago,” Joshua said.

  “Or Maya,” Naomi said from the kitchen.

  Derek swept his hand out to emphasis his point. “The list could go on and on. Since I’m sure you don’t want to be responsible for the death of your questionable half-brother, your awesome half-brother and his fiancée …” He snickered. “… and your soon to be sister and mother-in-law, you just can’t go. It’s a simple fact.”

  I sighed. “It’s also a simple fact that if I don’t go, this battle will continue. Hundreds, if not thousands, of lives will be lost.” I looked up at the ceiling, blinking back my tears. “And Rosie. Derek, I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to her.”

  “You don’t really think Austin would do something to her?” Courtney asked. I turned to her. She was as pale as a ghost.

  “I don’t know,” I said quietly. “But I can’t take that risk.” I took Derek’s hand. “This is a chance to end this battle and I need to take it. It will get us on the inside.”

  Derek's hand shook in mine. “He’ll kill you.”

  “Not if I kill him first,” I said. “I have to take the chance.”

  “I’m going with you.” Joshua stood.

  “No,” I said.

  Joshua shook his head. “I don’t care what you say, I’m going. I know this city inside and out. I can get you there by underground tunnels, so you don’t have to go out in the open. They won’t be checking the tunnels.”

  “How do you know that?” Derek asked.

  “Not many people even know they exist.” Joshua put his hands in his pockets. “When Austin and I were kids, we went exploring all over the city. We found secret passages and mapped them out. We used them so much, I have them all memorized. Besides, Austin doesn’t know I’m with you.”

  Derek scratched his head as he looked at Joshua. “Did you hear the part where I said the ‘questionable half-brother’? Yeah, I was referring to you, not me.”

  Joshua turned to him. “Come on, Derek. You’ve had a chance to get to know me this past year. I’ve been open and honest with you. You know that I love Emmie and would never hurt her. You have to believe me.”

  Derek stared at me, the wheels spinning in his head. He finally sighed. “I believe you, Joshua. I know you would never hurt Emmie. You love her almost as much as I do.”

  “Almost?” My eyebrows shot up. “You must love me an awful lot, Derek.”

  Derek rolled his eyes as he stood. “Whatever. You’re taking a communication device with you so I can always keep track of you. Just make sure to leave it on so the tracking will work.” He went back into the kitchen.

  “Are we sure this is a good idea?” Carla asked. “I don’t think we should let Emmie go.”

  “Especially with only Joshua,” Courtney said. “You should take others with you.” She blushed. “I could go with you.”

  “No,” Carla and I said at the same time.

  “It’s too dangerous,” I said.

  Carla looked at me. “Which is exactly why we shouldn’t let you go.”

  I held out my hand and Joshua took it, helping me up. “I have to go, Carla. My life isn’t worth that much compared to everyone else here in the city.”

  “Try telling Eric and Dante that,” Naomi said from the kitchen.

  The corner of my mouth turned up. “That’s why I’m glad they aren’t here. They wouldn’t think logically.”

  “Logically,” Joshua said, “we need to leave. We’re running out of time.”

  “Hold on just a minute.” Courtney left the room and came back with some clothes. She held them out to me as she glanced at my blood-soaked shirt. “You’ll probably want some new clothes. This way you won’t stand out. They’re clean and they’re Infinity Corp approved. You’ll blend in.”

  Joshua turned away so Carla and Courtney could help me change. It was nice to have clean clothes on again, but it was weird to be in a blouse and skirt. Courtney also brought me a blue coat, which I was grateful for seeing how cold it was outside.

  I ran my fingers along the material, flashbacks to my childhood forming in my mind. I quickly shook them away. I needed to concentrate. “Thanks, Courtney.” I hugged her and then her mother. “Thank you, Carla, for your hospitality. When this is all over, I’m looking forward to getting to know your family better.”

  “We are, too,” Courtney said, still smiling.

  “We need to go,” Joshua said.

  Derek came over to me and handed me a communication device. “Keep it on; keep it in your pocket.” He hugged me tightly. “Please be safe, Emmie.”

  “I’ll protect her,” Joshua said.

  “You better,” Derek said, releasing me from the hug. “Or I’ll kill you.”

  Joshua nodded. “Good to know.” He took my hand and we left the safety and comfort of the home.

  When we stepped outside, people were running around in the streets. Gunshots echoed around us, along with screaming and shouting. For the most part, it seemed like they were finally getting things organized. Everyone looked like they had a sense of purpose and belonging.

  Joshua held me close as we rushed down the street. I did my best to ignore the pain in my side and focused on each step and each breath.

  As we got closer to the medical trade school building, Joshua slowed our pace until we came to a complete stop just a block away. We were up against another building, waiting for a clear path to the front door of the medical building.

  “Why are we coming back here?” I asked, my voice shakier than I wanted it to be.

  “We can get to an underground passage from there,” Joshua said.

  There were dozens of New Haven warriors lined up in the streets. They all seemed to be catching their breath and reloading their weapons. We were out of the line of sight of Austin’s troops. People must have been coming here to regroup before they went back out to fight. So, our main worry right now was anyone we knew spotting us and trying to stop us from completing our mission.

  I was
so focused on the path to the door that I didn’t hear the footsteps behind us until they were practically on top of us. The voices were what caught my full attention, though.

  “Honestly, why can’t you wrap your head around the functions of a gun?” It was Thunder Thighs.

  “They’re complicated!” Skinny shrieked.

  Thunder Thighs grunted. “No, they’re not. You fill the magazine with bullets, you put it in here, point the gun at the enemy and pull the trigger.”

  “Not all of us are trained like you are, Rachel!” Skinny’s voice was shrill and frustrated.

  “You’ve been training as long as I have!” Thunder Thighs yelled.

  I turned around, taking them all in. They were facing each other, probably only a couple feet apart, both with a gun in one hand and the other hand clenched tightly into a fist. Skinny’s frizzy hair pointed out in all directions and her glasses lay skewed on her nose. Thunder Thighs had her hair pulled back into a ponytail so tight that she had to have had a headache. Their chests heaved in and out from their anger.

  I turned back to Joshua. “Remember how Courtney said we needed more people with us?”

  Joshua looked wide-eyed behind me at Skinny and Thunder Thighs. “No way, Emmie. You can’t do that to me.”

  “We need help. They’ll be a good distraction if you and I need to do something sneaky.” I felt around my body and realized that I didn’t have any weapons on me. “I need a gun or knife or something.”

  “Emmie?” Skinny said behind me.

  I slowly turned around and smiled. “Hi, Angela.” I glanced at Thunder Thighs. “Hi, Rachel.”

  Thunder Thighs let out an exasperated sigh. “You. Whenever I see you, trouble lurks around.”

  “Not always,” I said. “Speaking of trouble, how would you two like to go on a mission with me and Joshua?”

  Skinny shifted her focus to Joshua, trying to smooth out her wild hair while she gawked at him. She was not the most subtle person. “What do you need us to do?”

  “We’re going to Headquarters to retrieve something of ours,” I said.

  “What is it?” Thunder Thighs asked.