by A. M. Brooks
“I hate him,” Ciaran spits into the gravel.
“ROGUE! We have a problem.” Reed’s voice suddenly yells into our earpieces. “There is a huge wave of unidentified vehicles breaching the southern border of town. All sensors are going off! We’re under attack!”
Oaklynn
We’re being attacked. Again. My heart beats loudly in my ears, while I follow my mom and Kelly into the basement. Kelly glances over all the screens and hits the red button on the left wall. A tornado siren goes off in the distance.
“The town will shut down,” she whispers, going through each step from memory. I watch with Saylor as Kelly and my mom call the Sheriff’s office and hit a yellow button. All the safe houses on the map in our area flash from green to red.
“All the panic doors are closed.”
“What about us?” Saylor’s voice cracks.
Kelly turns to us. “You, Mila, Lux and Reed need to stay down here. Close the panic room door and keep in contact with Matt.”
“Mom.” Saylor grabs her hand.
“I’ll be fine, sweetie,” Kelly reassures us. “Reed, pull up the cameras when they get past the first layer. We need to know who we’re dealing with so we can let the guys know.”
Mike, Janise, my dad and Ollie join us moments later. “Who is it?” Mike asks, glancing at Kelly.
“They’re almost to the second layer,” Reed answers, his eyes glued to the computer. The minute the sensors go off, Reed hits a button on the keyboard and the cameras flicker to life. Reed starts clicking on faces, and profiles start loading on the side.
“Dad.” Mila’s voice is a whisper, her eyes focused on the screen. I hear Saylor’s intake of breath and Kelly’s curse.
“A Connely army.” Mike’s voice is destroyed, his eyes glossy while he watches the screen.
Reed’s facial recognition system keeps dinging. I glance at the boxes and read the rap sheets on a few of the crime family’s members. I flinch, knowing we are outnumbered and outsourced. Their vehicles are loaded with weapons, and only a handful of us have one, let alone know how to use it. There is no way Kai and the guys will make it back in time. Even with a private jet, the trip is too far.
Kelly’s head bows over the table, and she breathes in and out deeply. “They’re here for my girls, Mike.”
Mike’s aged-face drops in concern. “They won’t forgive you if you take this fight out there with them gone.”
“They’ll keep getting closer. Calvin knows where we are. He knew what he was doing the minute he set foot in Minnesota.” Erika’s voice reasons.
Kelly’s shoulders grow taut, hearing the truth in Erika’s words. I glance at my best friend and watch her move toward her sister. They both are crying silently, holding each other. I notice Reed watching them as well. My arms wrap around my waist, holding in the screams that are threatening to climb out of my throat.
“Kell,” Erika turns to Kelly, “we can close off the town and create the Hail Mary.”
“You’re effectively destroying the town that way,” Mike interjects.
My mind scrambles to keep up with the conversation, not having a clue about anything they are saying or the codes they are using.
“The tornado siren has already been used,” Erika reminds them softly. Mike sighs and Janise wraps her arm through his.
“It might be the only option.”
“Rogue just boarded their plane,” Reed updates everyone. A clock flickers on above the screens. “We have three hours and fourteen minutes until they touch down.”
“Plus another forty-five minutes of travel here,” Erika responds.
“Hail Mary. God, that is such a stupid code name.” Kelly chuckles softly, lost in her own thoughts.
“Mom,” Saylor calls, and Kelly’s eyes lift to her girls. As an outsider looking in, I can see the minute Kelly makes her decision. I stalk over to Saylor and wrap my arms around her, knowing she’s going to need my support for whatever happens next.
“Activate the warning signal,” Kelly instructs Reed. He pushes a few buttons and another tornado siren goes off in the distance. The air becomes eerie.
Everyone’s eyes focus back on the screen as the small army continues its way closer to town. I watch as another layer of sensors is breached. “Activate...Hail Mary.”
Reed plugs in a sequence of codes on his computer and each safe house lights up blue. My brow rises, having never seen this color on the board before. Kelly and Erika move to the cage and start pulling on Kevlar vests and holsters. Mike and Janise join them.
“Mom?” Saylor questions, her frame shaking in my hold. I tighten my arm around her and grip Mila’s shoulder with my free hand.
Kelly moves in front of her girls. “I’m sorry.” She hugs them both, and I’m proud of my best friend for not caving. She bends down and wraps her arms around Mila, while Kelly, Mike, Erika and Janise run up the stairs.
“What is Hail Mary?” I ask my mom, who glances at me mournfully.
“Each safe house becomes a trap for anyone trying to get in.” Mom clears her throat.
My eyes turn to the screen that Reed is studying intently. There is a lot of banging upstairs then finally quiet. The group of people and Calvin keep moving closer to the house on the screens. Kelly was right; they do know where they are going, and the clock on the wall still indicates there is a lot of time left before the guys will reach us. I feel my heart rate accelerate, and my palms feel sweaty.
“It’s okay, Oak,” my mom murmurs to me, her arm sliding across my shoulders, and she gives me a hug. It doesn’t feel okay. Everything is becoming too much in the past few days alone. My eyes swing to Saylor, who is sitting and holding Mila’s hand. I move next to them again and drop my hand on theirs.
“I’m sorry, Mi,” Saylor whispers to her.
“It’s not your fault,” Mila answers, her voice breaking as tears slide free.
I glance at Saylor questioningly. She leans in and talks quieter, “Hail Mary means the town will destroy itself. When Calvin and his family are close enough...no one will get out alive.”
“My mom only said that the houses would implode,” I share, my eyes widening in concern. My mouth feels dry and I glance between the girls.
“If anyone breaks in, the house will explode. Including this one. There is already a system that will send a shockwave and cause explosions in the ground. It’s like a ripple effect and looks like a tornado ripped through the town when it’s over.”
My mouth drops open in surprise. “So it’s like a last ditch effort?”
“A Hail Mary and pray it goes well,” Saylor finishes my thought for me.
“He’s leading them right here.” Reed says through the quiet in the room.
“Goddamit, Calvin,” my mom whispers, her head falling into her hands. Dad rubs her back gently. Even though Calvin has majorly screwed up and hurt them all, he was still friends with my parents for many years. Even though he isn’t Saylor’s biological dad, he did still raise her for most of her life. I can’t imagine how any of them are feeling. I feel lost and scared. This world is so new to me and as much as I want to know what’s going on, I can see the immense pressure they are all under.
There is nothing else we can do except watch and wait. Eventually, I have to look away from the screen, knowing what is coming. As the first round of shots are fired, I hug Saylor tighter, while she shelters herself around Mila. From down in the safe house, words can’t be heard, but the sound of yelling can. I glance up once and see Reed transfixed on his computer. Mike and Janise are kneeling on the screen, hands above their heads while rifles are aimed at them. Someone holds Erika hostage and Kelly is at a standstill, gun aimed at Calvin while he has one aimed at her. I read the devastation on both of their faces. Some other man is also there and firing off directions at Calvin, but he ignores him, his eyes focused on the door of the house. The other guy turns his back to Calvin, attempting to get to Kelly, when suddenly, Calvin grabs him and wrestles him through the front
door. There is an explosion above us. I duck my head further into Saylor and Mila, who scream. Everything shakes over and over, the walls rattle around us. It feels like an earthquake. My lungs struggle to pull in air, my stomach clenches tightly, and my brain zones out, protecting itself from thinking about what is happening on the outside.
I lose all sense of time, and I lose a little piece of myself while all of this is happening around me. My family is in danger, my friends are in danger, and I am terrified that we are not going to get out of this basement alive.
“It’s over,” I hear Reed murmur, his voice quiet, laced with a small hint of concern.
I pull away from Saylor and Mila and run to the cameras. All that can be seen is a cloud of dirt and ash. My mom and dad jump up and we follow close behind, Reed picking up Mila and carrying her. Right as we go to the stairs, there is a bang from the closet, and a hidden panel in the wall opens, Erika and Kelly standing on the other side, covered in soot and blood.
“Come on.” They usher us out the door and up some stairs. I see a beam of light, and Mike is standing with a flashlight.
“I forgot there was an escape door here,” my mom says, the relief evident in her voice.
When my feet land on the grass, I see the devastation around us. The house is almost completely leveled and half of it is in flames. I can hear a fire truck siren in the distance, as we all stand there completely unsure of what to do next. Saylor runs to her mom, who is being hugged by Erika. Reed sets Mila in the grass and the girls fall to the ground by her.
“Calvin?” I ask, my eyes searching my mom’s face. She shakes her head. I glance at Saylor, Mila, and Kelly, all mourning for different reasons, as they hold each other tightly. I feel like an intruder on their personal affairs. Averting my eyes, I, once again, look at the orange and yellow flames dancing inside the home. The whole area where the house stood is leveled, as if a giant tornado plowed through it. I guess Rogue really does plan for everything.
We stand there for a long time, while firemen run in and out of the house. An ambulance arrives and the Sheriff’s office is next. I pick up bits and pieces of information along the way. Bodies. Deceased. Lucky. Rebuild. At some point, someone throws a blanket around my shoulders and I start to realize that I’m in shock. Lux grabs my hand, and eventually, Saylor takes the other. We’re alive and another one of Rogue’s threats has been handled.
Saylor turns to us and whispers, “I don’t know if they’ll recover from this.” Truthfully, I don’t know how any of us will move on from all that’s happened.
Kai
We were too late. By the time our flight touched down in Minnesota, the storm had already arrived at our door. The house was destroyed, and Calvin was dead. We were left with the wreckage. Kelly felt responsible; she knew what Calvin was planning to do the minute he arrived in town with his family. He was there to die, to spare them and to wipe another threat off our board. In actuality, he wiped out two. With the Connely heads gone, and the loss of half of their men, the DeMucci family was backing off. Add in the dismantling of The Establishment and the crime family was now in hiding, convinced that Rogue would be after them next. With the Connelys gone, they seemed to care less about needing an heir as well.
Saylor and Mila both grieved for Calvin, but they also felt relief after what he had done to their family and the pain they all endured because of him. Ciaran was wound tightly; anytime Saylor even frowned, he was on guard. She held it together though. Which was good, because the destruction was city wide.
It was going to take months to clean up the house, let alone the entire city. My mom’s house had been spared and the majority of the buildings downtown were still standing. Matt was already calling in help. Erika was going to stay and help rebuild. Kelly was back and ready to help as well. It was like living in a parallel universe. If things hadn’t been so complicated when they were younger, this is what our team would have looked like. At least according to my mom anyways.
Overnight, the leaves changed and we were now a week away from leaving for bootcamp, which also meant the Saffrans were leaving to head back to New York. With all the chaos and being busy on the rebuild, I hardly had time to talk to Oaklynn. I felt like she was avoiding me too. I couldn’t go into fall like this. I couldn’t be away from her for months, not knowing where we stand. I always knew this conversation was bound to happen; I just wish the summer hadn’t gone how it did, and I could go back and change the way Oaklynn found out. My time with her has officially ran out.
Me: Can we talk before you leave? Please Oak.
The message sends and I wait to see that she reads it. An hour goes by before the three dots start dancing on the screen and I know she’s responding. I hold my breath, not sure at this point which way things will go.
Oaklynn: Sure. When?
Her lack of warmth doesn’t go unnoticed. I’ve never received a text from her this short. My head hangs down.
Me: Tonight?
She takes a few more minutes to respond, and for a second, I almost give up, staring at the screen.
Oaklynn: Ok
Me: I’ll pick you up at 8.
That did not go well. I can feel the iciness through the phone. I’m going to need something big to win her over tonight. I look down at my watch and realize I only have an hour and half until I pick her up. Jumping into my car, I drive to Ms. Gainsfield’s home, hoping I can cut some of her prized roses from her rose bush. Normally, I’d have stopped at the flower shop in town, but it was destroyed when Rogue Auto Repair was. Thankfully, the older lady takes pity on me. All that snow plowing I did for her last year left a good impression.
At a quarter to, I head over to Matt’s to pick up Oaklynn. She is waiting at the end of the driveway and dressed in sweats and a jean jacket. My brow rises, because in all the time I’ve ever spent with her, she’s never looked this casual. Her face is bare and her hair is wrapped in a knot on top of her head. She still looks gorgeous, and my heart tightens. She gets in the car and takes the roses I hand her, laying them across her lap.
“How are the living arrangements?” I ask her, trying to make light conversation. Ciaran and Matt have been using the camper while Saylor, Mila, and Kelly stay at Jason and Silas’. Erika and the Saffrans have set up living quarters in the previous safe room, while the house is being rebuilt.
Oaklynn shrugs. “It’s only temporary, so we’re managing.”
I nod. “You guys are leaving soon.”
“Friday,” she confirms, before looking out the window.
The rest of our drive is fairly silent, only me asking questions and her giving one-word answers. I can feel Oaklynn slipping through my fingers, and it’s starting to terrify me. I pull into the parking lot near the lake and park. Coincidently, Prince’s “Purple Rain” starts playing on the radio when I turn to face her.
Before I can open my mouth, Oaklynn slides out of the car and walks toward the water. Despite her jacket and sweats, I see her shiver from the slight breeze. My eyes roam over her frame, noticing the tightness in her muscles, the way she’s holding herself, so guarded. “What did you want to talk about?” she asks.
I laugh harshly. “Seriously, Oak? We haven’t talked since Rogue fell apart. You’re leaving on Friday and I have no idea where you and I stand. Have you forgiven me? Are we going to work on things? I leave for basic next week. Do you even care?”
“Of course I care,” she huffs, then sighs, “I don’t know, Kai. Okay. You lied to me. You kept a huge part of your life from me and can’t even answer if you were going to tell me or not.”
“I was going to,” I stop her, my hands grabbing hers and holding on, “I was. I just didn’t know how. I was scared you would run if you found out the truth about what I do or who I am.”
“At least it would have been you! I feel like I don’t know you at all!”
“Everything I’ve ever told you is me, Oak. I just omitted the part about Rogue and what my future looks like in Rogue.” I give her hand a li
ttle tug, moving her closer to me.
“That’s a huge part of you, though, Kai. Your future is Rogue. So while I’ve been planning on college in New York and what apartment I could buy, hoping I’d see you more than once a year, hoping I could persuade you to change your mind about the military even, none of that can happen. The military isn’t negotiable, it’s necessary for Rogue,” she explains further, dropping my hand and turning her back.
I step up behind her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her against me. She freezes before sinking back into me and I tighten my hold. “You’re right. I know that now. This is all new to me, Oak. I’ve never done relationships or planned for anyone else in my future. I guess I just thought it would all work itself out. Do you hate me?”
“I don’t hate you.” She shakes her head and steps out of my hold, turning to face me. Tears stream down her cheeks and I cup my hands around her face to wipe them away. “I don’t hate you. I hate that I fell for someone that doesn’t really exist.”
“I do exist, Oak!” I lean down, but she pulls away. My chest squeezes and I feel like my world is crumbling. “This is me. All of me. All the fucked-up parts. Yes, I have to be in the military and yes, I plan to run Rogue, but we can still work on things. I want you to be in my life. I love you.” I take her hand and place it on my chest, right over my heart, hoping that if she can feel it beating then things will magically change. She’s the light to my darkness. I can’t let things end this way.
Pain flashes in her eyes and more silent tears fall. I feel her pulling away and shutting me out before I can even open my mouth to talk my way out of it. Her hand slides out of my grasp and away from my chest. “I can’t do this anymore, Kai. We’re moving in two very different directions with our lives and I don’t know if the futures we truly want align.”
“You mean Rogue?”
“I mean everything. I’m from New York. I love my city. You never even asked about how I would feel leaving it. Just like I never knew moving from Minnesota would be impossible for you,” she counters.