“Easy there,” President Brown said. “It’s just me.”
I let out a deep breath. “President Brown, we should probably get you to safety now. The vice president’s already dead. We can’t lose both of you.”
“I’m not leaving here until this is over,” President Brown said.
“Fine,” I said. “Terrance, are you listening right now?”
“Yes,” Terrance said.
“Good,” I said. “As our military leader, will you please instruct President Brown that he must get back to Headquarters, so we still have a president when this is over?”
The smile in Terrance’s voice came through the speaker. “President Brown, I’m ordering you to get to Headquarters. You can help out with getting the injured into the infirmary so Will and Joshua can get back here faster.”
President Brown sighed, looking at the battle in front of us. “You just won’t give up, will you, Emmie?”
“Never,” I said. “Besides, this is almost over.”
“Well then, I best get going.” He patted me on the shoulder. “See you when this is over.”
I had only rejoined Dante, Santiago, and Maya for five minutes before I had another interruption.
“Emmie?” It was Derek. “We have a slight problem over here.”
“Has Headquarters been breached?” I asked.
“No,” Derek said. “No enemy has come into Headquarters.”
“What’s going on?”
Derek sighed. “Listen, I don’t know how this happened. Nothing like this has happened to me, ever. I’m not sure how he did it.” He let out a few swear words.
“What are you talking about?” I asked as I was fighting off an enemy. The soldier was smaller than most I’d dealt with, but he was the fastest.
“Steven,” Derek said. “He escaped.”
My heart stopped, making me pause. “What?” As I was distracted, the soldier came at me but fell when he was just a couple steps away. I walked away, heading out of the line of battle.
“You’re welcome!” Santiago shouted from behind.
I just waved my hand behind me.
“How is that possible?” I asked Derek.
Derek swore again. “I don’t know! One minute his door was locked and the next my screen flashed, saying that it had been unlocked. I ran over there as fast as I could, but the room we were holding him in was empty.”
“I’m on my way,” I said, running toward a jeep.
“I’m almost there now,” President Brown said through the communication device. “I’ll check the west canyon to see if he’s on his way out.”
Jumping into the nearest jeep, I started it, threw it into gear and slammed on the gas. I went as fast as I could toward Headquarters, not slowing down for anything.
When I was nearing the homes, President Brown spoke. “He’s not out here. I’ve searched all around. He couldn’t have gotten that far so soon.”
“I’m near his home,” I said. “I’ll check there.”
I parked the jeep right in front of the door and ran inside. Steven’s room was empty, but I could tell someone had been there recently.
“He was just here, President Brown,” I said. “He’s probably headed toward you. Stay at the entrance to the canyon.”
“Will do,” President Brown said. “I’ll just …” The communication went dead.
“President Brown?” I asked. When he didn’t respond, I ran out of Steven’s house and jumped into the jeep.
It took me only a few minutes to get to the entrance to the west canyon. Steven stood in the middle of the road, President Brown on the ground next to him, not moving. I couldn’t tell if he was still alive or not.
I turned off the jeep and jumped out, cautiously walking toward Steven.
“Stop!” Steven yelled. “Not one more step.” He wore some sort of black vest, one I’d never seen before. He grasped onto something tightly in his hand. “You make one more move, I’m releasing my grip.”
“What are you holding?” I asked.
“A trigger,” Steven said. “You take another step, I release my thumb, and this goes boom.” He pointed to his vest. “It’s full of explosives.”
Instinctively, I wanted to take a step back, but I forced myself to stay still. “Okay, I’ll stay where I am. Steven, where did you get that?”
Putting my hand in my pocket, I turned on my communicator so others besides those with earpieces could hear just in case I needed help.
“Where do you think?” Steven rubbed his head with his free hand. “It was a backup plan, Emmie, and you forced me to use it.”
“You don’t need to use it, Steven,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “Let’s just talk about this.”
Steven clenched his jaw. “There’s nothing to talk about. I had a simple mission, Emmie, and that was to give Amber information. We worked this out together.”
“When?” I asked.
“It all started before we left River Springs.” Steven paused, looking like he was deciding how much he wanted to tell me. I kept my mouth shut and hoped he would continue his own. After a moment, he did. “Amber found out from her dad that you were all being held under Headquarters and were going to be executed. Mack had come to me asking if I’d be willing to help you escape.”
“Why you?” I asked.
I never really knew why Mack had chosen Steven of all people.
Steven choked back some tears. “President Randall killed my family. Mack knew about it. He figured I’d be upset about it to the point I’d want to leave.”
I tried to read Steven’s face, but it was hard to tell what he was thinking. “And you were.”
He shrugged. “I guess. I never really got along with my dad.” He opened his mouth to continue, but then stopped himself.
“So, you and Amber worked up a plan?” I asked, trying to prod him along.
“Yes. We wanted a backup plan in case the executions didn’t go through. We decided I would come along with you and be a spy.”
“Why?” I didn’t like that fact that he was telling me so much. My stomach felt uneasy about the whole thing.
Steven looked down at President Brown and then back at me. “She wanted to prove she was capable of running security for River Springs. Make her dad proud.”
“So how does your bomb vest fit into this equation?” I desperately wanted to shift my stance, but I didn’t dare move.
“You should’ve let me go.” He scratched the back of his head. “You should’ve let me go and this wouldn’t be happening. You forced my hand, Emmie!”
I shook my head. “You put this on yourself, Steven. No one made you do anything. It was all a choice.”
“No!” He pointed his finger at me. “This is your fault, Emmie! And now you’re going to pay for your choices.”
“Steven,” I said, trying to keep my voice from quivering, “please don’t do this. Think this through. No one else needs to get hurt.” Steven looked up at the sky and mumbled to himself. “Steven, just let President Brown go. He hasn’t done anything wrong.”
Steven snapped his head back down, glaring at me. “He’s just as guilty as you. He could’ve let me go, too, but he held me captive. He’s the one leading New Haven!”
“Take me.” Inhaling deeply, I stepped forward. “Take me, Steven.”
“Emmie!” Dante’s voice came through my earpiece. “What the hell are you doing?”
I ignored Dante. “Steven, please, I’m begging you.” I got down on my knees. Tears fell down my cheeks, my chin shaking. Clasping my hands together, I pleaded with him. “Steven, take me back to Amber.”
Steven’s eyes widened. “You’d do that?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Emmie, don’t!” Dante yelled. “We’re on our way.”
Steven rubbed his head, his eyebrows furrowed together. “Why?”
I looked at President Brown lying on the ground and thought of all the good he’d done for New Haven. We’d already lost our vi
ce president. We still needed someone to run New Haven and President Brown was the best person to do it. They didn’t need me.
I looked up at Steven. “Because he doesn’t deserve to die. I do. I’m the one you want. I’m the one who started the revolution in River Springs.”
“Seriously, Emmie,” Santiago said. “Stop it. We need you. Just hold on. Dante, Maya, and I are almost there.”
“Steven, you have to take me now before anyone gets here. This is your chance to prove yourself to Amber and Whit.” I shook my head. “President Randall.” Scooting on my knees, I moved a little closer to Steven. “Take me.”
The jeep rumbled in the distance. They’d be there soon. Steven looked behind me, probably hearing them coming. He glanced down at President Brown and closed his eyes. A moment later he opened them, looking straight at me. “You’re too late.” In a matter of mere seconds, Steven dropped to his knees and keeping his eyes on mine, released his thumb.
The shock wave from the blast sent me flying backward. I landed yards away, the impact stealing my breath. Heat flared on my face as I gasped for air. All I could hear was the ringing in my ears.
A minute later, someone grabbed my arms and pulled me back, away from the crater formed from the explosion.
A hand landed on my cheek, turning my face. I looked up to see Dante, holding me in his arms. His mouth moved, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. His tears fell onto my face and he pulled me closer to him.
I was in too much shock to move. When I closed my eyes, the image of Steven staring at me appeared. My body trembled all over, despite the heat.
What had I done?
I had no idea how long we sat on the ground with Dante holding me tight. My ears were ringing, and I was stunned by what had happened.
At one point, Dante finally stood and carried me to the jeep. He got in the back and put me in his lap, keeping his strong arms around me. I curled into him as the tears finally came. He lay his head on mine, his tears falling onto my head.
When we came to a stop outside of Headquarters, Santiago took me from Dante so he could get out of the jeep, but Dante took me back the second he stepped out. He carried me through headquarters and into the infirmary. I have no idea how he had that much strength to carry me so long, seeing as we were just in a battle.
The infirmary was packed with people, all bustling around. All the movement made me dizzy, so I closed my eyes. Even with all the chatter, one voice stood out among the others. I focused my ears on the voice. The ringing in my ears had become lighter but was still noticeable.
“Why didn’t you just let him go?” It was Eric’s dad, Alexander. His tone held so much rage. I opened my eyes and looked around for him. He stood a few feet away, staring directly at me, his eyes filled with tears. For some reason, Santiago held him back.
Alexander trembled, his face red from anger. “Why didn’t you just let Steven go?”
I shook my head in confusion, only to cause my head to spin. Spots appeared in my vision and I tried to blink them away, but they remained.
“Calm down!” Santiago said. He wrapped his arms around Alexander, keeping him from charging at me and Dante. Maya went and stood between us, keeping her stance steady in case Alexander got away from Santiago.
“They were going to let him go!” Alexander screamed. “They were going to release Eric!”
“What are you talking about?” Dante asked. I tried to wriggle my way out of Dante’s arms so I could stand, but Dante kept a firm grip around me.
“They were going to do a trade!” Alexander stopped pressing forward and slumped his shoulders in defeat. “They were going to release Eric if I let Steven go.”
“How do you know that?” Maya asked.
Alexander sobbed. His words were hard to understand. “I made an arrangement with them.”
I tried again to get out of Dante’s arms so I could go to Alexander, but the spots in my vision multiplied until I blacked out.
When I woke, someone held my hand. I turned my head slowly, looking to see who the hand belonged to. Dee. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her eyes red and puffy. I was sitting on a bed in the infirmary, Dee in a chair next to me.
“Dee.” My voice was raspy, dry from the heat and smoke of the explosion.
“Oh, Emmie,” Dee said. “I’m so sorry for what happened. For what you had to witness.” She shook her head. “It’s so wrong. But I’m glad you’re okay.”
Someone swore in the corner of the room. Looking over, I saw Dante leaning his head against the wall. I expected him to be sad, with the loss of his dad, but instead, anger danced in his eyes.
Santiago, Maya, Tina, Joshua, and Will were all in the room. Everyone had been bandaged and cleaned up from any injuries but were in desperate need of showers.
I placed a hand on my wrapped arm.
“Twenty-three stitches,” Dee said, looking at my arm. “You might’ve lucked out not being aware of what was going on. I couldn’t even stay in the room to watch, despite how much I love you.”
I smiled at her. “You’ve always had a weak stomach.”
“That stuff is supposed to stay on the inside of you.” She scrunched her face. “We don’t need to see what’s beneath the skin.”
Dante fumed in the corner, so I turned to Santiago. “Is it over?”
“Yes,” Santiago said. “Thanks to my city showing up. I didn’t know there were that many left that were part of the revolution.” He grinned. “In fact, everyone left in Scorpion is part of it. The rioting is over. The president’s dead. Only the good are left. It’s the best news we’ve had all day.”
“How many did we lose?” I asked.
Maya’s voice came out in a whisper. “Two hundred and eighty-six.” Well over half.
“Any one I need to know about?” I asked, not looking up. That was the part I wasn’t looking forward to.
“Some of them you probably already know,” Tina said.
“Let’s see.” Santiago sat down on the edge of my bed. “For starters, both of our dads.” He gave me a half-smile. Santiago wasn’t one to cry, but sadness sat in his eyes. “Javier didn’t make it. Fernando, Mack, James, Denise, Charles, Will’s dad.” Santiago looked at me and paused. He opened his mouth but closed it again.
Dee squeezed my hand. “Richie didn’t make it.”
I shook my head. Richie was Eric’s cousin and a brand-new dad. Now his wife and child were without a husband or father. A lot of people in our city were now in that position. I coughed, so Maya handed me some water. I smiled at her and took it, the water cool on my throat.
“Where did they put everyone who …” I paused, hating to ask the question. “Who didn’t make it?”
“We moved them over near the cemetery,” Will said. White tape was wrapped around the middle of his glasses, holding the broken pieces together.
“Lined them up one by one,” Tina said. “We’ll start digging graves tomorrow morning.”
Santiago squeezed my foot. “I think we could all use a good night’s sleep before we start.”
“Try ten nights,” Tina said. “I’m worn out.” Everyone let out a strained laugh, except for Dante.
“What about the injured?” I asked.
Dee tucked a curl behind her ear. “Marie and Dr. Stacey are still working on some, but it looks like they’ll all make it through.”
“Archie lost his freaking hand,” Santiago said. “Luckily it was his left hand since he’s right-handed, but still. That has to suck.”
“A lot of the women that were here in the infirmary during the battle have been helping out,” Maya said. “Including Rosie. That girl was born to be a nurse. Nothing fazes her and she loves to help out.”
I nodded. “Sounds about right.”
“They’ve sent all the others back home.” Tina stood near me, her arms folded across her chest. “They cleared the less injured so they could free up room. This place was insane just a little while ago.”
“How long was I ou
t?” I asked.
Santiago smiled at me. “A few hours. You blacked out for most of it.”
“How long have all of you been standing here staring at me?” I asked, my eyebrows raised.
“We had nowhere else to go.” Dee squeezed my hand. “Besides, I wanted you to be able to see my beautiful face when you woke up.”
“And mine.” Santiago winked at me followed by his smolder. I rolled my eyes.
Maya rolled her eyes, too, and then smiled. “You’ll be happy to know that Bruce and Gideon got the virus into the water supply. We’ll send some people out there in a week or so to see what the effect was on the city.”
“They also rescued some prisoners,” Dee said, her smile huge. “They contacted Terrance to let him know and once the battle ended, he immediately sent a bus to go get them.”
“How many did they rescue?” I asked.
“It was two-hundred and sixty-eight,” Maya said. “Bruce contacted me a little while ago to say they’ve lost three since. It could be more by the time they get here, but hopefully not much.”
Laying my head back against the pillow, I took a deep breath. The weight of everything started to sink in. My whole body felt tired and weak. A pounding headache resonated through my skull causing my sight to go a little blurry. I closed my eyes and sighed.
Dee squeezed my hand. “We’ll get out of here and give you some space.” She kissed my forehead and released my hand as I opened my eyes back up. Maya and Will both smiled at me as they left the room.
Tina kissed my cheek. “Let me know when you’re ready to go and I’ll take you home. Marie cleared Dee to leave the infirmary since they needed her bed. She’s moving in with us and we were thinking you could, too, if you wanted.”
I smiled, looking over at Joshua. “Thanks, but I don’t think it’d be a good idea to leave Derek and Joshua living alone together.”
Laughter escaped Tina’s lips. “Good point. See you later.”
“Bye, Tina,” I said.
Joshua came closer to me and I could see a few cuts and scrapes on his face and arms. He looked tired and dirty, but happy. “I’m glad you’re okay. I don’t know what I’d do if you left me here alone. You’re my only ally right now.”
Reckoning (New Haven Book 2) Page 22