He forced himself to nod, even though it made his stomach churn. Arguing with Theo wasn’t going to do any good. He needed to take action.
Alice held up her hands. “This isn’t an easy decision. We need to do what’s best for our community—”
“What’s best for the community is to set an example. She stole from us, and we need to make sure it never happens again,” Theo said.
Maddox’s hands clenched into fists. He was talking about murder. What else could he mean when he said he wanted to make sure it never happened again? He wanted to get rid of the problem—permanently.
James nodded. “I agree. Show them this is the last time they’ll be coming to our side of the border.”
Alice sighed, and it gave Maddox a flicker of hope when she actually looked regretful. “We’ll make this decision as a community. For now, we all need rest and to get our lives back on track. We’ll have a meeting tomorrow night. In the meantime, make sure she has food and water.”
Theo gave him a smug look as Alice turned toward their home. Tomorrow. They’d make the decision tomorrow, and it would be over. He had no doubt Theo would convince almost everyone of Juno’s guilt. In fact, he had already.
“I’ll bring her more water,” Maddox said. He needed to talk to her again.
Theo gripped his shoulder. “I’ll do it. Why don’t you get some rest? You look tired.”
“I’m not tired.”
“Still. You’ll feel better if you sleep,” Theo said, stealing a quick glance at James. “This will all be over tomorrow, and you’ll feel better.”
It’d all be over tomorrow. That’s what he was worried about. He forced another nod, hanging his head like he’d finally resigned himself to the reality of the situation. “Tomorrow,” he murmured, heading in the direction his mom had gone.
The more they believed he was following along with the crowd, the better chance he had of getting to Juno.
He listened to James and Theo head off to the storage closet, and it took everything he had not to turn around and follow them to make sure they didn’t lay a hand on Juno.
Once again, Maddox had to wait. At home, he made sure his mom was resting before he grabbed another jug of water and found as much food as he could. He stuffed it into a sack and then rummaged through the measly number of possessions in his room.
Then he turned and angled his head. He knew exactly what he needed. Maddox ducked down and found the box under Theo’s bed. He opened it and allowed for a small smile. Just what he was looking for.
He pulled out the knife, the same one Theo and James had taken from Juno when they caught her in the boathouse. She deserved to have it back.
She deserved a lot more, but right now this was the best Maddox could do. Save her, and then tell his mom everything.
He stuffed the knife in the bag as well and then sat on the edge of his bed, thinking. He needed to time it just right. Needed to make sure no one was nearby. But mostly, mostly, he needed to make sure Juno didn’t get caught.
Once he was sure he had a window, Maddox would make his way to the storage closet and fix things for good.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Juno
She listened to their voices outside the door for at least twenty minutes. Laughing and joking, clearly not concerned she was waiting for them. Clearly not concerned she could be dying from dehydration. When she was about ready to bang on the surface and demand they open up so she could talk, she heard the lock. Snick.
Juno backed up and nearly stumbled on the jug of water.
They had a flashlight, something she hadn’t seen in years. It was bright enough she could see the contempt in Theo’s eyes.
How was Maddox so different from his brother? How could two people who looked so much alike affect her in two completely opposite ways?
To her surprise, he held a can with what smelled like food inside. She had no idea what it was, but her stomach grumbled when she caught a whiff of it.
The other man stayed in the doorway as if he expected her to try to make a run for it.
“Here,” Theo said gruffly, holding out the can.
She balked, afraid it was a joke. Or worse, it was some kind of poison. They were going to pretend to feed her and then “get rid of the problem” at the same time.
“You don’t want it?” Theo asked. “Fine.” He passed the other man the food with a shrug. “Guess she’s not hungry.”
The other man didn’t hesitate to scoop the food into his mouth. “Her loss.”
Damn. It hadn’t been a trick.
“Guess you’d rather wait until tomorrow,” Theo said. “Though, if you ask me, that was a bad move.”
He went for the door, and she forced herself to choke out a few words. “No, wait.”
Theo turned, eyebrows lifted. “There’s no more food. You had your chance.”
“I know. I—I mean, I have an idea.”
Theo exchanged a look with the other man. “An idea? This should be good.”
Juno twisted her hands together, not sure what to do with them. She wished she had her knife. But what was she going to do with it? Fight two grown men?
Better than waiting here to die.
She cleared her mind, forcing herself to think positive. She did have an idea, and she had to make them listen to her.
“F—fishing,” she said, then cleared her throat and tried again. “I noticed you didn’t have any nets or—or anything to catch crab.”
A little lie, but that was okay. She knew they didn’t have nets or pots because Maddox had told her.
“So?” the other man said.
“So I could help make them and set them up. Once it got going, you—you’d have fresh food every day.” She swallowed and, when she saw the flicker of interest in their eyes, forced herself to add, “Then I could pay off my debt.”
Theo shined the flashlight into her face, making her hand come up to block the light. “Why would you do that?”
“Like I said. To—to pay off my debt.”
He narrowed his eyes.
Her stomach twisted. She had no idea how she hadn’t seen it before. His stance, the way his jaw shifted, even the color of his eyes was just like Maddox.
“How much fresh fish?” he asked.
“Enough to feed several people. And crab, too. You—we—could make pots and then you’d have crab for meals later in the day. Something different from…from”—she almost said rats, but she wasn’t supposed to know what kind of food they ate over here—“from vegetables.”
Theo glanced at the other man. Then he straightened his shoulders. “We’ll think about it.”
“But—”
Theo lifted the hem of his shirt, and light glinted off something metal there. Her breath caught. A gun. “I don’t think there’s anything left to say.”
She kept her mouth shut as he turned for the door, taking the light with him. Once she heard the lock, she released the breath she’d been holding. She’d done it. He said he’d think about it—which meant she had a chance. Not just to get out of here, but a chance at surviving.
Then she heard their laughter. Deep, hearty chuckles that made her slump against the wall. They didn’t care that she could help them. They thought she was a joke.
Juno gritted her teeth. No, she couldn’t think like that. She’d convince them they needed her. She had to.
She started to sink to the floor where she’d been sitting most of the day when she heard a noise at the door again, a muffled thump that started her.
Her heart stuttered in her chest. They came back. What did that mean? They already decided they were going to let her help? They were going to let her out?
Or maybe they’d decided she couldn’t help at all and they were through with her for good.
Juno searched the room for a weapon just in case but couldn’t find anything fast enough. All she had time to do was grip the handle of the lantern.
When she saw the dark head of hair, she figured it was T
heo, but then she heard his voice.
“Juno,” Maddox said.
A lump formed in her throat. She’d thought she’d never see him again.
That would have been easier.
He closed the door most of the way. It wasn’t until then she noticed he had a bag slung over his shoulder. “I know you’re mad at me, but I need to talk to you.”
She clutched the lantern tighter and finally found her voice. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
“Please. If you don’t want to talk, just listen. This is important.”
He faced her again, and it was like those nights at the dock. She couldn’t see most of his face, just shadows where his eyes were and the gentle movement of his mouth as he spoke. Emotion choked her, and she was suddenly grateful he couldn’t see her, either. She didn’t want him to know how hard it was for her to be this close to him.
“You have to leave,” Maddox said, his breath coming out in a rush. “You have to get out of here.”
Her mouth dropped open. When he stepped closer, she tensed. “I—I can’t just go. I’m dealing with this on my own, Maddox.”
He winced at the snap in her voice. “Please, Juno. This isn’t going to end well.”
“I talked to your brother. I told him I’d help with fishing.”
“It’s not going to work. Theo has already convinced everyone you’re a thief,” he said quickly. “They’re going to decide what to do with you tomorrow night. They’ve already set a meeting.”
A shiver rained through her. Tomorrow night. Something more than hunger gnawed at her gut now.
Fear.
“Where am I supposed to go?” she whispered.
“Wherever you were going before. By the bridge. Somewhere safe.”
Her jaw shifted. “I don’t have anything. All the supplies I was supposed to take are still back on the other side of the border.”
Not her side, just the other side.
Maddox stepped forward, his shadow filling her vision. “I have supplies to get you started. I want to help—but we have to go now.”
“Why?” she choked out. “You wouldn’t even talk to me. That day on the bridge—”
She broke off when tears welled in her eyes. Everyone had turned their backs on her. Did it really even matter whether she got out of here?
“Juno,” Maddox whispered. He brushed his thumb on her cheek, and she let him. She had nowhere to go if she turned away. “I had to.”
She didn’t answer. She couldn’t.
“Theo found out about us. He knew we were meeting—he even saw you and Pillar that morning in the fog. He told me if I didn’t break it off with you, he’d tell everyone…” Maddox dropped his chin. She didn’t have to see his face to know there was anguish written all over it. “And he ended up coming after you, anyway.”
One tear spilled over, and she let it trail all the way down her cheek. He’d ignored her to protect her. But what about the rest?
“He came after me because of the supplies,” she said, voice barely more than a whisper. “Did you tell him I took them?”
“No. I—” He swallowed. “He saw you and said it was you who’d taken them. He blamed you because he saw us together. I swear I didn’t say anything. I’m so sorry,” Maddox continued. “If I would have known, I would have fixed this. I would have come for you and told you—”
She cut off his words with a kiss. She felt him stiffen in surprise, and then his arms came around her, clutching her so close she could barely breathe.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, lips brushing hers with the words. “I’m really sorry—”
“Don’t. I know you’re sorry. I should have known you didn’t do this.”
His fingers tangled in her hair, and she closed her eyes, almost able to block out everything with his touch. His breath bloomed on her cheek, and she trailed her fingers down to link with his hand.
“You have to leave,” Maddox said, urgency in every word.
Juno opened her eyes, and the reality rushed back in. “How do I get out?”
Maddox squeezed her hand while he tugged her to the door. “You’ll be careful. I think they’re all distracted right now anyway. You just have to leave as fast as possible.”
“But…” She wasn’t sure why, but she’d pictured him coming with her. Pictured them running away from all this together, supporting each other and taking care of each other.
“I have to fix this, and it’s…” Maddox shook his head. “We might not have a lot of time. We should go now.”
She only hesitated for another moment and then followed Maddox to the door.
“There was someone out here,” she said, hesitating.
Maddox shook his head. “I told him we saw someone by the border and we needed his help. Once he ran off, I turned back.”
He caught her hand again and pulled her into the shadows at a run. They stopped every several feet to scan the area. Her breath came in sharp pants as they crept through the night. Any minute now, someone could come along and catch them.
Once they’d cleared most of the buildings, they were still cautious as they hurried along the border.
“You’re going to have to hide for a while. Be careful and lie low,” Maddox said.
“What about you?” Juno asked, breathless.
Maddox slowed, his eyes glinting in the darkness. “I’m going to take care of this—make sure they don’t come after you.”
“How?”
He didn’t answer, just kept tugging her hand.
She pulled him to a stop. “Even if you convince them to stop looking for me, then what?”
He faced her, features still shadowed. His fingers tightened on hers, but just briefly. “Then… I don’t know.” His voice came out rough. He cleared his throat before he spoke again. “I just can’t… I can’t keep putting you in danger like this.”
Her heart stopped in her chest. That’s all? After everything they’d gone through, he was just going to walk away? Or was that even what he was saying?
“That’s…” Juno pulled her hand from his grip. “That’s not going to fix this. We’re in this together.”
“You’re in this mess because of me. I—I’m sorry, Juno. I need to stay here and do what I can to make things right.”
She barely realized he’d kissed her on the cheek before he pulled away and shoved his bag into her arms.
“Here’s some food. Enough to last you the rest of the week, I hope. I’ll…” He looked away, chin dropping. Then his breath jerked in.
She followed his gaze and saw shadowy figures running their way.
“Now, Juno. Go now.”
Her brain battled with her heart as adrenaline surged through her body.
“Maddox—”
“Run, Juno. Run!”
She squeezed the satchel tight and spun in the direction of the bridge, her brain screaming at her to run as fast as she could.
Voices shouted behind her. Angry voices. What was going to happen to Maddox?
She stumbled on a rock and nearly fell to her knees. But in a flash, she was back up and racing toward the shadow of a building.
She let herself glance back just once. When her eyes made out figures, her breath caught again. It looked like they were about to fight—at least three of them.
And Maddox was right in the middle.
With a soft sob of frustration, she darted to the building to stay in the shadows and refused to look back again.
This was her only hope of survival, even if it meant leaving behind the boy she’d fallen in love with.
Chapter Thirty
Maddox
Tim nearly knocked him over as he came racing to where Maddox stood. “What the hell?”
Theo was right behind him, eyes on Juno. Maddox stepped in his way and held up his hands.
“Don’t,” he said, breath coming out in a rush.
Theo snarled, “Get out of my way.”
“It’s not her fault. She didn’t do anything
,” Maddox said, glancing at Tim, trying to appeal to him since Theo didn’t seem to want to listen.
“Where did she go?” Theo asked, eyes searching the darkness. A few other members of the community walked up behind him with lanterns when they heard the shouts.
Maddox blocked his brother when he tried to dart forward again.
“Stop it!” Theo snapped. “Tell me where she’s going right now.”
Maddox’s hands clenched into fists, a battle raging inside of him. He’d fight his brother if he had to—whatever it took to buy Juno time to get away.
He hoped she found a high rise that no one expected, somewhere safe away from the mess this had become.
“It’s not my fault if you lost your captive,” Maddox said, keeping his voice controlled.
“We didn’t lose her. You let her out,” Tim said. He turned to the rest of the group. To Maddox’s dismay, more people walked up, some holding lanterns or torches, almost like they planned on hunting Juno down.
They talked amongst themselves, but a few voices rose, asking questions about the prisoner.
Maddox swallowed, realizing he was facing half a dozen people who wanted to know the truth. “It’s too late to deal with this now,” he said, hating it when his voice shook. “Let’s talk at the meeting tomorrow.”
Theo lunged forward and grabbed a handful of Maddox’s shirt. Maddox’s arms shot up automatically, shoving Theo back.
“Get off,” he hissed, breathing heavy.
“You let her out, didn’t you?” Theo asked.
Maddox couldn’t take it anymore. “She wasn’t supposed to be in there!”
Theo froze, his eyes locking on Maddox’s. Then he rubbed a hand over his face with a sigh. “Why? Why don’t you want to do what’s best for your people?”
Maddox had expected anger—another confrontation even—but instead Theo sounded resigned. He sounded like an adult who didn’t understand the actions of a little kid. For once, he sounded like Maddox’s father—a position he’d been trying to fill since they were young.
“She didn’t deserve to be in there,” Maddox said, his voice almost a whisper. “You know that.”
Tim turned to the rest of the group. “She deserved it just like the rest of them, right?”
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