"Evelyn..." Adam trailed off.
I stiffened a little bit at hearing her name. He caught the movement and frowned.
"Everything will be okay." His tone held a promise.
I knew he was trying to make me feel better, but I got angry. It was a lie. He was lying. Everything would not be okay. As long as I was here, everything would never be okay. Nothing would ever be okay again.
I shoved myself up from the couch and stormed outside. Anger boiled in my stomach. I clenched my hands into fists at my side. My emotions were out of control. When I stormed straight towards the trees, Adam caught my arm.
"What are you doing? It's dangerous out there." He easily made me come to a halt.
"I am going on a walk." I kept my voice curt.
Adam grunted in annoyance. "No, you are not. You are going to come back inside." I could hear and feel the demand. His voice was authoritative. In a way, I wanted to listen. I was angry, though. I ripped my arm out of his hand.
"Evelyn." He stayed on my heels.
"Don't call me that!" I screamed. I turned around and attempted to shove him backwards. He didn't budge at all. He was pure muscle beneath his shirt.
Adam stayed calm and collected. His green eyes watched me closely. My face felt like a book and he seemed to be reading it.
"What should I call you then?" He placed his hands on my shoulders when I went to retreat.
"Brianna," I whispered.
Adam’s eyes trailed over my face. Dark shadows were underneath his eyes. He was as tired as I was. "Brianna it is."
He didn't question my name change. He just went with it. "Come back inside, Brianna."
Something inside me loosened at hearing my name. I felt relieved. I never wanted to be called Evelyn again. Ever. The sound of her name made bile rise in my throat.
I squeezed my eyes shut for a few seconds. I was searching for composure-strength to keep going. "Okay." I opened my eyes.
Adam led me back inside. He pulled out a water bottle from the fridge and handed it to me. I was surprised when it was cold. I didn't realize there would be electricity way out here. I didn't have it in me to question it. I gratefully took the water and gulped it down. I was dehydrated. We turned our heads when the door swung open.
Adam reached for his side arm. It was only David and Seth. David's hazel eyes landed on me. There was an emotion in them that I couldn't read. I could sense he wanted to say something, but he didn't. He rubbed his hands over his face and walked right back outside.
"What did I do now?" I wondered out loud.
Seth's dark eyes gave me a bleak look. "Nothing, Evelyn."
He went back to calling me Evelyn. I did not notice it when he first walked into the kitchen, but his cheek was red and swollen like someone punched him in the face. My eyes traced the mark. Had David punched him? It wasn't there before.
The red was a sharp contrast against his tan skin. Adam beat me to questioning him.
"What exactly are we doing here? We are sitting ducks waiting for The Unit to catch up with us." Adam leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms.
"We will have a ride by the morning." Seth did not elaborate.
He watched Adam when he reached an arm out and took my hand. I had a weird urge to pull my hand away, but I wanted the comfort. The human contact. Adam seemed to be my only friend.
"Who will be giving us a ride?" Adam questioned, holding my hand tighter. He was worried about something. I could tell.
Seth's eyes darkened. "A seeker."
Adam tensed. "A seeker? We won't even be able to get a word out before he snipes Evelyn."
I froze. "What?" I thought all a seeker was somebody you relayed messages to, not some kind of sniper.
Seth rubbed his jaw. "We will keep her hidden until David has a chance to talk to him."
Adam shook his head. "Not good enough. You know they scope the place out before they make any moves. They could come in in the middle of the night and slit her throat."
Fear danced down my spine. Who were these seeker people?
"I will be on watch." Seth's eyes had dark shadows underneath them. He looked exhausted.
I didn't trust my life in his hands.
"Remember what happened the last time you were on watch." Adam took a dirty shot at his brother. Guilt ate at my stomach at his hurtful words. I yanked my hand away from his, no longer wanting his comfort.
"That's a horrible thing to say." I declared, giving Adam a dirty look.
Adam gave a half shrug, brushing off my words. "It's true. This isn't a good idea. So many bad things can happen." Adam looked at me, sadness filling his eyes. "I just don't want you to get hurt."
Seth scoffed under his breath. Adam looked up when he heard the sound. "What's that noise for?" His tone was now defensive.
"I left her in your care and not even a day later she gets taken by Rugter and attacked by the diseased." Seth's voice was stone.
When did he get so protective over me?
Adam's entire body stiffened. His green eyes darkened. "Rutger outranks me. I had no choice."
Seth smiled a cold slow smile. "Don't give me excuses. We aren't kids anymore. She looks like that because of you."
Self-consciously, I ran my hands through my hair. Did I look that bad? I looked back and forth between the brothers. I was getting between them and causing an argument. I looked down at the tile floor. I thought my day couldn't get any worse, but I was wrong.
Adam’s eyes blazed an emerald green and Seth's eyes were endless depths of darkness. One brother was light while the other brother was dark. One brother clung to innocence while the other brother lost all innocence. They were opposite, yet the same.
I interrupted their banter. "I'll have you guys know, I can take care of myself." I didn't need two guys having a pissing contest over my safety.
They both looked over at me as if they forgot I was even here.
"The last time you ran you couldn't even make it a mile away." Seth reminded me.
"I had just been blasted by a bomb. I'd say I did a pretty good job." I shoved my brown hair out of my face and glared.
Adam looked at my facial expression and chuckled. "Don't rile her up. She gets violent when you do."
My jaw dropped. I was not a violent person. "No, I do not!"
Adam lifted an eyebrow. "That night in the woods, I saw you chuck a flashlight at the soldier."
I forced myself not to smile. I almost forgot about that. "He deserved it."
The mood was quickly lightening. My body relaxed a little and it felt easier to breathe.
Seth watched our exchange silently. Something was going on in his head and I couldn't figure out what it was.
We turned our heads when we heard creaking down the stairs. It was Rugter. His blue eyes were bloodshot and his clothes were wrinkled. He had a blank facial expression. He moved with stiff movements like a robot.
"She could have been vaccinated." He stopped and looked at us.
He was talking about Jewel.
"What do you mean?" Adam pressed, moving out of the kitchen.
"Jewel. She could have been vaccinated. She didn't vaccinate herself when we stole the medicine from The Unit. She said somebody out there needed it more than she did." His laugh held no humor and it sounded choked. Forced.
My stomach tightened into a knot. I barely knew her, but her death made me hurt inside.
Seth sighed under his breath. "She was all for the people. Selfless."
Rugter nodded. "I know." He glanced down at his hands. "Does it make me a bad person for hating her for that?" His voice sounded empty.
I forced my feet to stay glued to the ground. He looked broken and empty. I wanted to give him a hug. I wanted to bring back life to those blue orbs. I knew I wasn't the person to do that.
"No." Adam responded. His voice sounded one hundred percent sure.
Rugter looked at me now. The emptiness in his eyes tugged at my heart. "I'm sorry for blaming you. It w
asn't your fault. My emotions were out of line and I let it get the best of me."
I froze. I wasn't expecting an apology from him. I felt like I should be the one apologizing. I couldn't speak. Something thickened in my throat and I fought the urge to cry. I gave him a nod of my head and a soft smile.
Rugter looked between us three. "I thought I was strong enough to do this. This revolution. I'm not. I can't do this anymore."
I could sense Adam and Seth were confused like me. I noticed Adam's back had turned rigid.
Rugter ran his hands through his brown hair and looked towards the ceiling. "I am going to leave. Travel by foot. I need to go. To get away from all this." He looked between the three of us. "I wish you guys luck and happiness. One day we will be real Americans again. We will have our freedom and our life's. I am going to leave. Don't follow me and don't try to stop me."
Until now, I didn't notice the back pack on his back. Nobody spoke as he walked the rest of the way down the stairs. He stopped in front of Adam and hugged him.
"Good luck." Adam spoke in a distant voice.
Rutger thanked him and walked over to Seth. They shook hands in a manly way.
"If you need me you know where to find me." Seth told him.
Rugter moved in front of me. He stared at me for long moments before pulling me into a bone crushing hug. I couldn't breathe.
"I know who you are." He whispered in my ear. "If you ever need to get away from all this, I'll be on the border line of Canada. Come find me."
Shock ran through my entire body. He backed away and left. Just like that. Like it was the easiest thing in the world to leave and forget all of your problems.
He knew who I was. Seth knew who I was. Jessica knew who I was. Dr. Lynn knew who I was. Everybody was finding out who I was without me saying anything.
Chapter Sixteen
After Rugter left, Seth, Adam and I all piled onto the couch. Adam and Seth were having light and easy banter. They were teasing each other in a friendly way. They were acting like nothing happened. All the problems around us and consuming us were being ignored.
I silently watched them. Adam's green eyes twinkled with laughter at something Seth had said. It was nice seeing him relax and laugh. Something eased inside of my chest. It felt easier to breathe.
"What happened with you and Chantel?" Adam's questioned pulled me out of my thoughts.
I looked at Seth. He easily blanked his face of all emotion. He looked like the man I met in the woods. Harsh. Cold. Distant. Seth tapped his fingers on his knees. "I broke up with her." He didn't elaborate.
Adam lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "You get shot, almost died, come back, and break up with your girlfriend?" Irritation flitted across Adam's voice.
Seth caught the irritation and frowned. His copper hair hung around his face loosely. Seth's jaw clenched. His dark eyes darkened even more, if possible.
"It was not working out. I can't have a woman going into hysterics every time I am in the line of battle. She asked me to demote myself." Seth calmly informed his brother.
Adam tensed next to me. I felt like I was watching a movie. Where was the popcorn?
"She thought you were dead and mourned your death. We all did. She is in a fragile place right now, Seth. She isn't thinking clearly."
Seth stared at Adam for a long moment. "I do not love her like that. I will never love her like that. I do not need her holding me back. I do not have the time for juvenile situations. We are in the middle of a revolution, yet she just wants to play house."
Adam blew out a breath and chuckled. "That she does."
Seth relaxed when the thick atmosphere dropped. "She asked me to run away and leave the rebels with her. She wants to start a family."
I fought back a smile at his words. How old was she? She already wanted to start a family?
Adam grumbled under his breath. "Who would want to have a child in this generation? Nobody can even take care of themselves."
"You guys are really just sitting there and talking about me like I am not even here?"
Seth and Adam's head whipped towards the stairs. Chantel stood there, arms crossed over her chest. Pain filled her eyes and her lower lip trembled.
"Chantel." Seth's voice sounded tired. He didn't seem to want to deal with her.
Chantel straightened her spine and gazed at Seth with her sharp brown eye. "I don't need you, Seth. I am not as dependent on you as you seem to think. You only ever wanted to feel needed, but I genuinely do not need you." She spun on her heels and marched back upstairs.
I bit the inside of my cheek. I felt guilty, yet highly amused. Seth stood up, as if to follow her, then shook his head and sat back down.
Adam looked at Seth. "She is upset. Go make her feel better."
Seth leaned further back into the recliner chair. "She doesn't need me."
I opened my mouth to intervene, but froze when I heard a crashing sound. Before I could stand up, smoke filled the entire living room.
Bullets blasted into the house. I coughed and dropped to the floor. In the back of my mind, I registered Seth ordering me to get behind the couch. The Unit had found us. I didn't hear a helicopter. They snuck up on us. What if they caught Rugter on his way out? Where was David?
My eyes were burning from the smoke. I didn't want to lay on the floor helpless. I dragged myself through broken glass. When a hand wrapped around my ankle, I opened my mouth to scream.
"Don’t scream." It was Seth's smooth, calm voice. He helped me to my feet and pushed me back against the wall.
His warm breath tickled my ear when he leaned in to whisper. "There is more ammunition and guns upstairs. Go get one and stay there. Do what you have to do in order to survive. If something happens, go to Canada. I hear things are different there."
I reached my hand out and froze when it connected with his stomach. He was bleeding again. Was it a new shot or did he tear his stitches open?
“You’re hurt.” I stated.
Seth ignored my words and gave me a small push towards the stairs. My chest felt constricted. I couldn’t breathe again. What if he died? Where did Adam go? Tears filled my eyes as I made my way up the stairs. I just wanted to be back in Seth’s presence. I wanted to know that he was okay.
I paused at the last step. Some of the smoke from down stairs had filtered up here. The hardwood floor was covered in dust. I saw small footprints leading to one room and bigger footsteps leading to the other.
Everything was perfectly quiet and still. My breathing sounded like loud booms across the still air. I followed the dusty foot prints to Chantel’s room. Her bedroom door was open. She was lying on an old cot with a sniper rifle in her hands. She was aiming outside. Although they described her as little and weak, I could see the soldier within her.
She was perfectly relaxed, lying there, ready to murder someone.
I looked out the window and almost choked on the spit in my mouth. Jessica was perched in a tree unarmed. She was just sitting there swinging her legs back and forth as if she was watching some kind of movie. Her body language was at ease. She was not worried at all. I had forgotten all about her.
Hearing my small choke, Chantel dropped the sniper rifled, turned around, and aimed her handgun at me. She didn’t lower her weapon when she saw it was me.
I took a step back.
“I hate you.” She informed me.
Oh, God. Was she going to shoot me over a boy? Over uncontrolled emotions? “Lower your weapon.” I cautioned.
Chantel's brown curls sprang as she stood up gracefully. She was the same height as me, but a lot more slender. Where she had bones, I had curves. Well, what was left of my curves. She was smaller boned than me. Her movements were slow as she approached me.
“You know all I have to do is say is you snuck up on me and I pulled the trigger. Honest accident. Everyone would believe me. These men have known me for many, many years.”
I held my hands together when they shook at my side. Every day I got
a gun pointed at me. “They have known me.” I pointed out. It was a terrible comeback to what she was saying. They all hated Evelyn.
She gave me a slow smile. It was a cruel one. It didn’t look right on her innocent face. “I want you to know at any given moment I can kill you. Seth is mine. He will always be mine. He is confused right now, but he is mine. Stay away from him.”
She placed the handgun in my hands and resumed her position. In that moment, I realized something. Chantel was bat shit crazy. I backed out of the room slowly, afraid she would shoot me in the back once I turned around.
I sat next to the top of the stairs, ready to fire at anyone who came up here. The smoke had dwindled down to a small looking fog. Nobody was shooting. Everything was perfectly quiet. Too quiet. I took in Chantel words. She had warned me away from Seth.
I was not going after her man. Yes, I cared for him. Yes, on the occasion, I felt an odd attraction towards him. He was not what I wanted. Now was not the time to get mixed up in some kind of love triangle. I spent the last twenty years of my life without a man and I sure as heck didn't need one now.
I froze when I heard a creak on the stairs. I kept my gun lowered, so that if I had to shoot it would hit the person in their knee cap. I did not want to add another body to my list.
Once I saw the pants, I knew it wasn't anyone on our side. The person was wearing faded blue jeans. The rebellion wore all black. I pressed the trigger on my gun when he made it up the last step.
Except, the jokes on me. My gun jammed. I looked up into ice, cold eyes. My mouth dried and a tremor shook through my body. This man looked ruthless. A jagged scar went down the right side of his face. His skin was a dark shade of bronze.
He wore a fitted black tee shirt that easily showed off the muscles in his torso. His biceps were the size of my thighs. This man was huge. He stared at me as I shook on the floor. Although his eyes were void of emotion, I knew the image he was staring at was not what he had expected to see.
I took a deep breath, trying not to panic. He could easily snap my neck with his hands.
His eyes darted over the baggy uniform I was wearing. Was he a part of The Unit? He didn't appear to be one of them.
Revolutionary Love (The Revolution Series Book 1) Page 15