“Did the EA hurt you?” I asked.
He shook his head, keeping his eyes closed. “They searched the woods where you escaped—”
“You mean where I was taken,” I corrected.
Kaden paused a beat, then cracked open one eye. “I helped you escape.”
“Being tied and gagged and taken against my will doesn’t fit the definition of escape, but whatever.” I propped my hand on my hip. “What else happened?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “You can take the girl out of Brighton, but you can’t take Brighton out of the girl.”
I bit back my ugly retort about his insensitivity as my blood pressure built. If I exploded, I knew he’d only make me wait longer just to see me squirm. No. I’d be the adult and keep my cool. “Just tell me what you know.”
“I see your wrist is better.”
I dropped my hand and let out an impatient sigh. “Just tell me what’s happening in Brighton, please.”
“Looks like Mom took care of it…” he finished.
I wanted to scream. Did he not understand the question? And why at a time like this did he care so much about my hand when he was the one responsible for my injury in the first place?
“Yes! She did a fabulous job. Now stop stalling and tell me.”
“There’s nothing to tell.” He turned to Memphis. “How are things at the colony?”
Memphis shrugged. “As good as it could be. Did you know Dad came home today, too?”
“Really?” Kaden scratched the stubble on his cheek. “Good. I need to talk to him.”
“You stickin’ around long?” Memphis asked.
Kaden frowned, his eyes finding me for the briefest of seconds. “Don’t know.”
I grit my teeth together. Seriously? After a week, all I was going to get was pat answers. “This isn’t fair. You can’t ignore me. I’m not going away and I deserve to know.”
“Know what?” Kaden asked.
“The truth.”
“I told you everything already.”
I let out a groan and slapped my hands on my sides. “That’s it. I’m done. I’m so out of here!”
“Abby,” Memphis called behind me in his jovial voice. “Don’t leave.”
I walked faster, each agonizing second dragging on as I hoped Kaden would at least try to stop me, at least show he cared. The fact only Memphis begged that I stay infuriated me even more.
“Abby, come back. This is silly.” Memphis’ sing-song voice sent me over the edge.
Nightmares or not, zombies or not, EA’s lies or not, I wasn’t sticking around to be the butt of their jokes, or to lead them into war with Brighton. Home had people who loved and missed me, who respected me, and that was far better than anything Kaden or my Complement had promised here.
Sharp male voices punctuated the air behind me. I turned momentarily as the two brothers’ facial expressions turned cold. Good. The thought that they were fighting gave me a sickening pleasure. About time their brotherly relationship took a toll after what they’d put me through.
Curious, I slowed for a moment to listen, but then let it go. This would give me ample time to get away and the quicker I put distance between Kaden’s colony and home, the faster I could get over what happened.
I marched on and instead of turning toward the farmhouse, I maneuvered through the orchard. The revolting breath that clung to the recesses of my mind brushed past me again and I looked over my shoulder, expecting to see the same zombie.
To my shock, Kaden jogged toward me.
Temptation to run overwhelmed me, but at this point I wanted him to catch me. He needed a piece of my mind before I said my final good-byes and good riddance.
“Where are you going?” he asked, barely out of breath.
“As if you care.”
“I do care.”
I swiveled on him. “Then act like it for once.”
“I am.”
Balling my fists, I took a calming breath. “Then tell me what happened.”
He lifted his chin. “There’s not much to tell.”
“I don’t care how trivial it is. I deserve to know!”
His shoulders sagged. “They looked for you, came up empty, and went back to Brighton. Okay?”
I blinked up at him, trying to stay the tears away. “Then they must have another tactic for a broader search. Maybe they’re using satellites.”
“Not likely.” He let out a long sigh. “Abby, they’ve given up. I promise. And it’s a good thing.”
My posture slumped, imagining the disappointment my parents must have felt when the EA came back empty handed. “So your decoy must have worked.”
“I highly doubt it.” He shrugged. “I don’t get why you’re so upset.”
“Maybe because my parents think I’m dead when I’m not,” I said, my voice hard.
Kaden inhaled a deep breath. “I’m sorry about that. Maybe once we get organized, we can get them out too.”
“Maybe my parents like their world. Like the conveniences. Like that it’s predictable. That it’s safe.”
He stopped and shook his head. “It wasn’t safe for you anymore.”
My mind raced. Somehow, I thought information from home would help me feel better. Instead I felt worse. I was lost and unsure, completely alone.
“You took a long time to come back.” Jewels came to mind again and I wondered where she was, when I’d finally meet her face-to-face.
“The choppers showed and I couldn’t exactly escape without them seeing me.”
I leaned forward. “We saw them, too.”
“You did?”
“They flew over the camp.”
Kaden’s eyes rounded. “Did they stop?”
“No.”
“Where’d you hide then?”
“Inside of a tree. Where else?”
His brows creased.
“In one of the tree forts,” I continued, but Kaden kept looking at me like I was bleeding out of my eyeballs. “One of those hollowed out closet things.”
“Oh,” he yanked his head backward, suddenly relieved. “You were at the outpost.”
“Of course I was,” I exhaled. Why was this so difficult to grasp? “Where else would I be? Memphis took me to a checkpoint and then one of your wonderful kind soldiers drugged me before they took me there.” Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen him since arriving at the beach camp. “So far it’s not been the Ritz experience Memphis promised, let me tell you. Don’t get me started about my introduction to poison oak.”
He lifted his brows. “They drugged you?”
“Stop playing like you didn’t know that would’ve happened.” I pushed into his chest with my fingertips. “Yes, they drugged me, and that’s not even the half of it.”
“Wow.”
I paused momentarily, shocked. “All you can say is ‘wow’?”
“I…” he stopped. “I’ve been busy.”
“Busy?” I let out a long sigh. “Well if leading them away from my trail was your plan after you abandoned me, it didn’t work, sweetheart.”
He frowned. “I did the best with what I had and I didn’t abandon you. Memphis has been taking care of you this entire time.” He walked in a small circle. “If I had more than just a scrap of your clothes, it would have worked better and more blood, maybe.”
“Blood? And when did you get my clothes?”
“When you were sleeping, I ripped off a piece of your pajama bottoms. The blood belonged to a rabbit.”
“You’re sick.” I moved away from him. “They’re never going to believe that was my blood or that I’d died because they found a scrap of my clothing. They’d test it and they’d know someone hid me.” I looked upward. “They’re covering more ground with satellites then.”
I didn’t understand why I secretly really wanted them to find me.
“I doubt it.”
“Of course they are.”
Kaden exhaled hard and worked his jaw. “I stare at the sky every ni
ght, Abby, and I haven’t seen a satellite since I was a kid.”
“What?” I stammered.
“Don’t you think they would have found us by now…?” He held out his hands. They were filthy and torn up. “My guess is that Brighton doesn’t have the technology to send new ones into space and the old ones are burned up.”
My mouth fell opened. “Then why did Memphis go through all the trouble to dress us up like Sasquatch so we’d be hidden from them.”
Kaden looked at me sideways. “He did?”
“Don’t tell me that was a trick, too.” My eyes slipped closed as I squeezed my fists.
He groaned. “Probably a test of your loyalty.”
“I’m going to kill him. I’m going to kill you!”
Anger coursed through me as my restraint snapped. I couldn’t trust either of them. Everything was a lie, or a stretch of the truth, or a joke at my expense.
Before I could stop myself, I took off running.
“Wait, Abby.”
Bolting as fast as I could, I willed him to leave me alone as tears burned my eyes. Lies, all lies.
“Abby!” Kaden caught up and grabbed my sore wrist.
I cried out in pain as I pulled away from his grasp. He wouldn’t let go. The tears hung onto my lids as my chest heaved. He pulled me closer until I stopped moving.
“I want to go home,” I whispered.
Without a word, he put his arms around me and hugged me tight. Paralyzed under his touch, I didn’t know what to do or say. I just liked being there. This felt safe to me.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered in my hair. “I would have come sooner if I could.”
I smelled his shirt, the scent I’d lived with the first few hours when he’d wrapped my arm up in a sling. Something about him made me crazy inside, alive, and I wanted to throw away everything I’d believed about love and life, and take a chance on him. The feeling shocked me.
“I know things haven’t worked out as I planned—” he continued.
The beauty we shared faded as the words processed in my head. A plan? Since when did he have a plan? I pushed away from him.
“You said you didn’t have a plan.”
He blinked at me, when the hardness I’d seen so many times slammed into place.
“No, I said your future self didn’t have a plan.”
I laughed. “You rip me from my bed, from my home, from parents who love me and dump me off with strangers. Strangers who drugged me.”
“I said I was sorry about that.”
“Yeah,” I swiped my sleeve over the angry tears. “Well, I’m not ready to forgive you. Not yet. Not only did I sprain my wrist, I got poison oak, too. I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep with all the noises, and if I eat another piece of fish... And I am done being your hero.”
He reached out his hand. I slapped it away.
“No, Kaden. You don’t get to just come back and say, ‘I’m sorry,’ hug me, and think that fixes everything. Your mother hates me. And your brother is so over protective, I can’t get a moment alone. And you’re off somewhere with Jewels. Doing what?”
Kaden smiled. “You sound like you’re jealous.”
“What?” I swallowed down my horror and stepped backward. “Of course I’m not. You… you’re insane.”
I turned again and tripped over a boulder, practically falling into an apple tree.
“I was late because Jewels and I were also making sure the EA didn’t find the colony, Abby. It’s something I do every day—for our survival. And you can be mad at me for that, or whatever, but helping you escape was more than just a huge risk for you. I had to make sure I didn’t jeopardize anyone in the process. It was necessary to protect us, which keeps you safe, too. The EA knows no bounds to their tactics.”
Safe. I felt far from that.
“I’m supposed to believe that?”
Kaden’s face hardened. “The EA is not your friend. All they care about is their power and once you threaten that, your days are numbered.”
I rubbed my wrist, missing my DOD watch. “At least I knew where I stood there.”
Kaden groaned. “Then if you hate me and the colony so much, why did you stay?”
I pursed my lips. “I didn’t have a choice.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Now who’s lying?”
I groaned and moved around the rock, and put distance between us. “I’m not a liar.”
He walked closer. “I’m sure you were interrogated once arriving at the outpost. Mom sure as heck wouldn’t have kept you if you wanted to leave, especially after the choppers showed up.”
I lifted my chin and swallowed, feeling cornered. I would have left if my Complement hadn’t of shoved me.
“Why’d you stay?” He leaned in closer when I didn’t respond.
I tightened my lips.
“Tell me, Abby.”
“I wasn’t given a choice,” I said, which was true.
Kaden laughed and palmed his hair. “You have a crush on my brother. Don’t you?”
“What?” I frowned. “No.”
“Abby, I know my parents. I know my mother. She would have escorted you out personally if you hesitated in any way. Just you knowing we exist endangers us. Don’t you get it?”
I didn’t know what to say. He made the EA sound like global bullies who wanted to wipe anyone who didn’t agree with them off the planet. “Like I’ve promised hundreds of times, I wouldn’t tell anyone anything, unless you gave me reason to. I think it’s better for everyone if I go home.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head, mumbling, “What was I thinking?”
I knew what he was thinking. My Complement was pretty persistent when she’d made up her mind about something, including usurping my desires, but I was done with her. The EA was there to protect me, plain and simple.
“You can’t just change your mind and leave.”
I pinched my eyes shut for a second, the urge inside to just explode was becoming uncontrollable.
“I was about to leave,” I blurted out. “But she made me stay Okay? Happy? I didn’t want to—”
“Who? My mother?”
“No.” My eyes darted away from his. “Me. My Complement did.”
Kaden froze. “What?”
I sighed and rolled my eyes before I told him the entire story, from the helicopter to the shove. Kaden sat down on a nearby log like a deflated balloon.
I joined him on an opposing boulder, the fight knocked out of me as well. Watching him now, I noticed the mud covering his pants and shirt, the grease matting down his hair, the gauntness of his cheeks and circles under his eyes. His scruffy face. He had a much worse week than I did, and I was upset because the noise at night kept me awake.
“So now what?” I asked, afraid of the answer.
His eyes swung up to mine. “I don’t know anymore, Abby. I can’t make you stay here, and I certainly can’t make you believe me.”
“Why is it so important to you that I stay, besides rescuing your colony from Brighton in the future? Doesn’t that just sound crazy to you?”
He looked up at me and for the first time, I saw helplessness in his eyes and I hated that my question made him feel that way. “Because you’re going to be my wife, Abby.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
I couldn’t breathe. We were going to be married? How? When?
“Don’t look at me like that.” He stood with a frown on his face.
“Like what?”
“Disgusted.”
“I’m not disgusted, Kaden…” I stuttered out, “I… I’m shocked.”
“Yeah, well…” He turned his back and walked through the orchard toward the farm house. “Then you’re free to go.”
I blinked in shock. “Go where?”
“Home.”
I caught up to him. “Wait a minute. I can’t walk by myself and I don’t know where to go.”
“Memphis will take you.”
I sighed. “Kaden. Don’t.”
He blew out a frustrated breath, but didn’t stop walking.
“This doesn’t help me figure out what’s right and what’s wrong.” I worked to keep up with his long strides.
He stopped, then turned to me, eyes dark. “I don’t know how I can help you with that. I have things to do.”
I crossed my arms. “All I want is to talk to her. Please.”
“You act as if I can summon her with the snap of my fingers.” He shook his head. “Believe me, it’s nothing like that. She just appears… and most of the time it’s not convenient.” His cheeks reddened and I wondered what she’d interrupted during her last visit. “And she just said to me, ‘You need to save your wife?’ How can I not listen to her?”
I looked away. “I don’t know.”
“Exactly. So… just know… that’s how it happened…” He grunted. “I have no expectations, so if you’re into my brother, I’ll just… you’ll never have to see me again.”
My mouth went dry. “I’m… not into Memphis. I’m not into anybody. And…” I swallowed down the lump in my throat, “now that I know what she said, it makes better sense.”
No amount of backpedaling would take the awkwardness away.
“So what are you going to do?” Kaden exhaled hard.
I frowned, confronted with the obvious. How could he act as if he was into me when he’d been with Jewels this entire time? I wasn’t about to let him two time me. “What about Jewels?”
“What about her?”
“Aren’t you like…?” I felt stupid for asking since he hadn’t defined their relationship, especially after he’d just admitted he was to be my husband. “An item?”
He looked at me like I’d farted. “That’s disgusting… how could you suggest such a thing?”
I blinked in shock. Just when I thought he couldn’t be any ruder. My sympathies went out for the poor girl. “It’s just a question. Geez.”
He shook his head and turned, walking away.
Beyond him Memphis stood with the fishing gear. My shoulders slunk down. I guess I wasn’t running away, at least not today.
~~|~~
The three of us returned to camp and before I could speak to Kaden about my frustrations, his mother and father whisked him down the beach for a private discussion.
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