by Fall, Carly
As Hudson left the room, Blake hoped that Micah would die by the hands of Hudson. The bastard had been a pain in the ass since the first time Blake laid eyes on him in that damn government facility. Hindsight was always twenty-twenty, but they should have left the big fucker there.
He checked the computer again. Still nothing. Standing, he went to the cabinet and pulled out a new cell phone. After programming it, he went back to the computer and typed in some code so that when Sophia did turn on that phone, Blake’s new phone would ring and receive a text message. He’d be the first to know.
Chapter 49
After Hudson, Cohen, Annis, and Nico left the silo, Noah sent Blake back to his quarters. Megan sat on the carpet surrounded by Legos. She studiously worked on a building and glanced up at Blake when he shut the door.
“Hey, Megan,” he said as she smiled at him.
“Hi.”
“What’re you making?” he asked, getting down on his haunches. Without thinking, he reached over and pushed a curl behind her ear that had fallen in her face.
“A house.”
It looked more like a castle to him, but semantics didn’t matter. “That looks really good, Megan.”
“Thanks. I’m making it for my mama,” she said as she clicked a yellow piece to a red one and set it on top of the red-and-yellow wall.
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that,” Blake said, hoping like hell Sophia would see it.
He stood and walked over to the bed, laying his phone on the nightstand as he stretched out.
“Have you heard from her?” Megan asked.
Blake shook his head and closed his eyes. “Not yet. Remember I told her to turn the phone on in two days. Tomorrow will be two days. Where’s Killian?”
“He had to go take a nap. He’s young, so he needs his rest.”
Blake smiled and suppressed a laugh. Megan had a few months on Killian but seemed ages older.
“My mama used to live in a big house,” Megan said.
“Really?”
“Yes. She told me she was royalty on SR44, that she never had to do anything for herself. Now she has to do everything.”
Megan was right. From what he’d seen, Sophia grew her own food and cared for Megan by herself with no help whatsoever from that bastard Micah.
“Did you know that on Earth a person who has everything done for them is called a princess?” Blake asked.
“Really?” Megan asked.
“Yes, really.”
“I like that word.”
Blake laughed. “Most women do.”
Megan tilted her head “Can I be Princess Megan?”
Blake chuckled. “Well, we can call you that, but you still have to do stuff around here.”
“Like what?” she giggled.
“Well, like clean up the Legos,” he said, “and as you get older, you’ll be asked to do other chores around here.”
“I can do that. I could start a garden if you want me to. When Mama gets here, we can do that and tend to it.”
“That’s a great idea, Megan,” Blake murmured, taking her hand in his. Why didn’t he dislike this child? Maybe he really did like kids and just hadn’t given Killian a chance.
She crawled up on the bed and snuggled into his side. At first, he was shocked by how comfortable he was with it, but they had been through a lot together in such a short time. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he draped his arm over her small body and closed his eyes.
“Do you think Mama is okay, Blake?” she whispered.
He didn’t know but decided to remain positive. “Yeah, I do,” he answered without hesitation.
“I think so too,” Megan said, yawning. “I’m really tired.”
“Then go to sleep, princess.”
Megan giggled. He could count the amount of times he’d seen her smile on one hand, and here he had elicited two giggles from her in a few minutes’ time.
Go him.
The stress of the escape, the new house, and the new people had finally caught up with her. Hell, she probably suffered stress her whole life with Micah and Jael coming in and out of it.
And what kid didn’t know about Legos? What did she have to play with, or didn’t she have toys? Anger ripped through him at the thought of a childhood without toys, but he reminded himself that Sophia didn’t know any better and all the shit Megan had been through laid squarely on Micah’s shoulders.
Sophia’s face flitted under his closed lids. She wasn’t a regal beauty like Beverly, nor was she naturally gorgeous like Abby. She certainly didn’t have an ounce of cute in her that overflowed in Liberty, and exotic didn’t describe her as it did Annis or Alaina. And Faith . . . well, she held the “legend” status, so there was no comparison there.
Sophia was what he’d call “earthy.” A natural woman who cared deeply for those who cared for her—someone who wanted to help others, a strong, capable woman who had trusted him with her daughter’s life.
Hudson’s words came back to him: When you’re thinking about that future, Blake, think about who you want in it, what it looks like. I think you may be surprised by what you see.
What did his future entail?
As Megan’s soft snores lulled him to sleep, he realized his future was a blank slate, and it was up to him to set himself in the right direction. He couldn’t help but feel that direction led directly toward Sophia. Even though he barely knew her, they were bound together. He was beginning to think that Sophia did visit him in his altered state. As far as he was concerned, she saved him from potential death, and he had saved her daughter. Yes, in a short period of time, their lives had become securely entwined.
Chapter 50
Blake’s phone rang, waking him from a deep slumber. At first, he was uncertain of where he was, but then it all came back.
“Hello,” he mumbled into the phone, trying to get a grip on reality. As he glanced around the room, he noticed that Megan had left.
“Hey, Blake,” Noah said. “Did I wake you?”
“Yeah.”
“Hey, I’m sorry, man, but you didn’t show up for dinner, and the search party is back. We were wondering if you left or if you were dead.”
Blake sat up, now fully awake. “Sorry, still here and alive and kicking. What did they find?”
The “kicking” part was an overstatement, but his heart still beat, so he’d gotten it right on the “alive” part.
“Why don’t you come up to the War Room and we can all be informed at once.”
“On my way.”
As he waited for the elevator, he prayed they hadn’t found Sophia’s body. The thought of delivering the news to Megan made his monster scream and yell.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed the button that would take him up to the War Room and leaned against the wall of the elevator, praying they hadn’t discovered Sophia’s corpse.
As the doors opened, he was greeted with laughter and squeals of happiness, as well as the sounds of seventies’ disco. Beverly, Faith, and Alaina were in the kitchen with Killian and Megan, all of them dancing, and Blake couldn’t help but smile. Megan’s cheeks were rosy, her hair a mess around her cherub face. She screeched and giggled, moving around to no beat or rhythm, just flailing her arms and legs as she wanted. Killian danced right next to her, doing the same, while the women moved to the beat and cheered the kids on.
Blake stepped out of the elevator and grinned. How carefree and happy they all were.
“Join us, Blake!” Beverly called over the music.
No. Fucking. Way. He didn’t dance, unless it was some slow groove that would get him laid.
“Come on, Blake!” Faith called.
Not going to happen.
“Blake!” Megan yelled, and ran over to him. “Come dance with me!”
As she led him over to their little circle, he wondered again what it was about this little girl that caused him to go all mushy and do stupid shit like dance to the Bee Gees?
The Bee Gees crooned “
Stayin’ Alive,” and Megan took both his hands in hers. As she moved in her little girl way, Blake grinned and moved with her. He loved to see her laugh and have fun, loved to watch her morph from that serious child he’d met a few days ago into this silly little girl dancing to disco.
When the song ended, she begged him for more. He bent down and said, “I can’t, princess. I’ve got a meeting to go to. We’re looking for your mom.”
Her face got serious and she nodded. “Go do your work, Blake,” she commanded.
He stood and glanced at the women. After Killian and Megan took off down the hall, they turned to him.
“Princess?” Alaina questioned, smiling.
Blake laughed. “She said her mom was royalty on SR44 and never had to do anything for herself. I told her that women on Earth who live like that are princesses.”
Alaina threw her head back and laughed. She was another one who started off in this house as cautious and reserved, but had grown so much over the past months. “That’s sweet, Blake,” she said.
“I’ll see all you lovely ladies later,” Blake called over his shoulder with a wave as he made his way down to the War Room.
When he entered, the bright eyes of those around the table bathed the room in a variety of colors. A part of him wished he was as special as these men, but he wasn’t. He was simply Blake, the traitor to his country, and the junkie.
“You’re looking better,” Noah said, gesturing for Blake to sit in his regular chair.
“Thanks, Noah.”
“So, Hudson, fill us in on what you found at the house.”
Blake took a deep breath and crossed his arms over his chest.
“We found a body in the back shed,” Hudson said.
Blake’s monster roared, promising that a hit of heroin would calm him and make his stress dissipate. He closed his eyes for a moment. Hudson hadn’t said whose body they found, so there was no use jumping to the worst possible conclusion.
“Who was it?” Jovan asked. “Did you know them?”
Cohen nodded. “It was Simon of the Platoon.”
Blake looked at Cohen, totally surprised.
“Did you have anything to do with that, Blake?” Cohen asked. “It was a clean shot to the head. Instant death.”
“No, I didn’t,” he answered. Blake knew Cohen hated death, especially among his own people.
Cohen’s eyes narrowed as if he tried to see through Blake’s lies. There were none to be found. “I didn’t even know Simon was there,” Blake continued. “When Megan and I were waiting for the right time to get away, all I heard was Micah and Jael.”
Cohen nodded and turned his attention to Noah.
“So, if Blake didn’t kill him, that leaves two choices: Sophia, or one of the Platoon turned on him,” Noah speculated.
Blake didn’t think Sophia had it in her to kill another, but he also never imagined she would send him on his way with her daughter. “My guess would be the Platoon,” he said. “Based on what I know of Sophia, she’s not a killer.”
Noah rapped his knuckles on the tabletop. “So, I guess we just wait.”
Blake sighed. His monster howled and writhed within him, wanting to be fed. He needed a distraction. “I, uh, I was wondering if it would be okay if I went to the gym? I know you don’t want me having free roam of the place, and I get that, but I’d like to get in a workout.
There was a beat of silence, and finally Jovan answered. “I’ll go with you, if it’s okay with Noah.”
Noah nodded.
“Obviously, you’re going to take it slow, right?” Jovan asked. “You don’t look like you could beat the stuffing out of a pillow, Blake.”
There were chuckles around the table from everyone but Hudson, and Blake figured it was a good time to come clean.
“I know I look like shit,” he said. “I know I’ve lost a lot of weight, and Liberty could probably knock me out with a couple of well-placed punches.”
The table went quiet.
“There were . . . a series of events that went down,” he continued, staring at Annis, “that really fucked me up. No matter how hard I tried to get over them, or ignore them, nothing worked.”
Annis’s golden stare pierced him, and yet he didn’t feel the normal pain he had felt for so long. “I turned to drugs . . . heroin and cocaine, to be precise.”
There were gasps around the table, and Blake glanced at Hudson, who gave him a small smile and a nod of encouragement.
“Heroin?” Rayner asked.
Blake nodded. “I’m not going to go into those circumstances. I’ll discuss those with the people involved when the time is right.”
He took a deep breath and turned to Cohen. Time for the mea culpa. “I just wanted to apologize to all of you for my behavior, my actions, and lack thereof. I was completely out of it, running on half a brain, and I’m sorry for the pain and misery I caused everyone in this house.”
Annis reached for Cohen’s hand, and their fingers intertwined. Blake recalled how his own fair skin used to stand out against Annis’s dark tone when they held hands, and how beautiful it had looked. But again, there wasn’t any pain at these thoughts, just sweet memories.
Silence filled the room at his words, and he focused again on the table.
“Blake,” Noah said, “I wish you would have said something to someone.”
He shrugged, knowing he never would have admitted his dependency or pain to anyone.
“We could have helped you,” Noah continued. “We could have saved you from your . . . implosion.”
“Let’s head down to the gym,” Jovan said. “The first thing we need to do is get you back into fighting shape. Right now, Megan could kick your ass.”
Blake chuckled. Jovan gave him a wink left the War Room.
His soul felt just a little lighter at his apology, and he wondered what his future would hold. Would the Saviors ask him to stay, or had he done too much damage? Would they trust him to remain clean?
He didn’t know, but at this point, it wouldn’t be very smart of them to trust him because he didn’t think he trusted himself.
Chapter 51
Sophia lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. As a female who had become accustomed to being on the move and always having something to do, this stagnation raked her nerves like nothing she’d ever imagined.
She’d tried astral travel, but couldn’t seem to relax enough to get into the proper state of mind. That frustrated her as well.
She fingered the cell phone in her jean pocket, wondering what time it was. Being in the windowless basement, she’d developed erratic sleeping patterns and lost track of time. She longed to turn on the phone, but she hesitated because of the battery life. Her senses told her that it wasn’t quite time to push the on button yet as Blake had instructed.
Unfortunately, being trapped underground gave her nothing to do but think. As she surveyed her circumstances, the more she believed Blake had been correct, however, she couldn’t get past that little nugget of doubt. She did now realized she’d been a prisoner in her home, her fear for Megan, as well as her own life, shackling her just as Blake’s cuffs had trapped him. Her reality had been blown to bits by not only Blake, but Micah’s actions as well, and she now sat in a true prison with four walls and a locked door.
The door at the top of the steps opened, and she sat up, removing the phone from her pocket and slipping it between the mattress and box spring. She strode out of the room, meeting Jael, who carried a tray, at the bottom of the stairs.
“Time to nourish up, Sophia,” he snarled, setting the tray on the coffee table.
Hunger twisted in her stomach and she eyed the offerings warily. Some type of gray meat and wilted green beans sat on the plate, and neither looked appetizing.
“If you’re going to produce a child from my seed, you need to feed your body,” Jael said.
Sophia looked at him, trying to hide the fear and the contempt she felt for the male.
“I’m thinking
we should practice for the mating cycle,” Jael said.
“That won’t be necessary,” she murmured. “I’m very well aware of what needs to be done.”
Jael stepped in close. “I think it is necessary, and I’m in charge of impregnating you now.”
Her stomach rolled, all hunger pains gone. She crossed her arms over her chest and met his stare.
He reached out and grabbed her hips, yanking her toward him. As he ground his crotch into the front of her jeans, she pushed on his chest and looked away, so relieved she had removed the phone from her pocket.
“No, we will practice,” he murmured, his shaft coming to life in his pants, his breathing becoming heavy while Sophia fought the urge to vomit. She smelled his acrid breath and the faint scent of body odor.
“Perhaps tomorrow, or the day after,” Jael said, releasing her, “as you still have that horrific bleeding between your legs, correct?”
“Yes,” she whispered, even though it was almost gone. “It’s been terrible this month.”
Jael nodded. “Well, we’ll see how you’re doing in the next few days.”
As he walked up the stairs, each footfall echoing down to her prison, he called, “Remember, Sophia—you do this for the good of your race. It’s imperative you produce children.”
Jael slammed the door at the top of the stairs, and Sophia swore she would not lay with him.
She looked around the room for some type of weapon. Slowly, she walked over to the tray Jael had brought, the gleam of the knife catching her eye. Picking it up, she turned it over in her hand, catching her reflection in the blade. She saw fear, yet determination in her eyes.
She would do whatever necessary to protect herself.
Chapter 52
Blake limped to his room, every muscle, fiber, and tendon in his body aching like nothing he’d ever felt before. He doubted he would be able to get out of bed in the morning.
As he opened the door, Megan’s hair gleamed in the bathroom light. Curled up on his bed, her thumb in her mouth, her pale cheeks held just a tint of rose color. She looked so sweet and so innocent, she reminded him of those paintings of cherub angels from the Renaissance period. If she sprouted wings and flew around the room, it wouldn’t surprise him.