Revolution (13 page)

             
I inched to Sherry quietly and palmed her
warm
behind. She jumped, gasping, but smiled when she saw it was me.
I bent so she could reach my neck and she wrapped her arms around me. I wrapped mine around her slim waist as well and then palmed her behind again. She giggled and squirmed. "What's gotten into you?"

             
"Those jeans," I said and heard the low notes in my voice. "That's what."

             
She didn't laugh, but smiled at me like she understood. She brought her hands down and rubbed my bare chest
, my bull tattoo actually,
with her fingers.
He fingers inched to the red mark on my arm; my reminder
that Markers and Keepers don’t
mix.
"I am going to miss our little room."

             
I chuckled. "Me, too. Never thought I'd say that."

             
"Me either. But it's true." She sighed and bit her lip as she looked up at me. "I wish…we had time for one more go, ya know. With privacy."

             
I felt the blood jolt in me. "Mmhhmm." I leaned down to nuzzle her neck. "Who says we can't?"

             
She laughed and pushed me back a little. "That one says."

             
I peeked behind me to find Lily covered in chocolate. Knees to face. I smirked guiltily, but Sherry just laughed and called Lily to her. She hoisted her on the countertop and cleaned her up. Then she let Lily run off to play and came back to me. She pulled me down again and kissed my
lips gently. "Love you
."

             
"I know," I sighed in happiness.

             
"
I know I need to stop cleaning." She looked around the uselessly clean kitchen. "I just can't imagine Mrs. Trudy leaving it any other way." She licked her lips. "Max is having a hard time."

             
"I know. I heard, but there's not anything to do about it.
He's acting really
strange
lately anyway.
"

             
"Yeah," she half heartedly agreed.

             
"Hey," Danny said from behind us and jumped to sit on the counter. "What's up?
We heading out or what?"
Wow, that kid looked weird with a beard and shag head. He wasn't as hairy as the rest of us, but for someone who had shaved twice a day before, he sure looked different now.

             
"We're heading out," I said with certainty. Max nor anyone else was going to stop me from getting my family the hell out of here. In fact…

             
I don't know what the hesitation is about, but we're leaving today
. It's the best thing to keep everyone safe. It's daytime, they won't be expecting us to move in the day. Honestly at this point, I don't care if someone decides to stay or not; we're going.

             
No one has a problem with leaving now,
Jeff intercepted.
W
ho has a problem?

             
Max sighed.
I have my reasons. I think I'm the only sane Keeper in this group anymore! Everyone else's heads are crammed up some human's butt.

             
Now hold on just a minute!
Kay yelled, making me squint.
Maxwell, just because your charge is gone doesn't mean that we're wrong for still being close to ours.

             
I didn't say that!

             
I butted in with,
Listen, I wasn't trying to start the great
debate, I'm just saying,
my family
and I
are leaving with or without you. I hope you come, but don't try to talk us into staying. We need to get out of here as soon as possible and I'm not going to wait around because someone's trying to change everyone's minds.

             
Duly noted,
Max barked.

             
I let my eyes focus again and Sherry was watching me with a curious expression. "It's so weird how your eyes are still open, but you blank out like that when you talk Keeper talk."

             
"Sorry. I just remembered something I wanted to tell everybody."

             
"No, it's fine."

             
Danny said, "Well it's not cool with me. Rude, man." He grinned and then laughed when Sherry slapped his leg.

             
"Where's Celeste?" Sherry asked.

             
"She's crying in the second room."

             
We jerked to look at him. "What?"

             
"Yeah," he sighed. "She's pretty upset. She doesn't want to leave, she's scared, she'll miss this place 'cause Mrs. Trudy was here
...and her mom
."

             
"Well then go and hug her, you idiot!" Sherry yelled and glared.

             
"I did!" he defended and dodged her swat. "She said she was fine, that she just needed a minute."

             
We heard a loud sniffle from the door and turned to see Celeste. He was telling the truth. She looked wracked.

             
"Celeste," Sherry sighed and opened her
Mother Hen
arm
s
up to her. She went right into the semi-circle her arm
s were
making and I stepped back a step to give them some room.
She sniffled again and let Sherry stoke her back. "Now
,
what's wrong?"
             
"Well, M
om…" She didn't finish.

             
Sherry hugged her for real and I ticked my head to Danny to follow. He pressed himself to Celeste's back and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and he kissed the side of her neck before following me out.

             
"Dude, this sucks."

             
"Yep
,
"
I said, letting the 'P' pop to show my annoyance. "I'm just ready to get you guys out of here."

             
"I'm right there with you, Pops."

             
I looked at him sideways with my
What The
face. I knew what the little twerp was getting at.
"I am not your father."

             
"I know." He chuckled a little bitterly. "
You're
here."

             
"Danny, look." I stopped us. "I know things are rough right now and everybody seems to be going down memory lane, but I've got to tell you, I need you, man."

             
"Ok," he said and crossed his arms. "What's up?"

             
I sighed in a groan. "We are going to have to trek it back to that dilapidated dying facility with all the girls and kids and Specials, right there in the open daylight." I hoped he understood my urgency. "
One wrong move, one person who thinks something's out of the ordinary, one thing. That's all it will take and we
're
done. I need you, you get me?"

             
"I got you," he said strongly. "I get it."

             
"Good. Now go get Celeste and make sure you have everything." I turned to go make sure everyone was ready. "Because we aren't ever coming back," I called over my shoulder.

Right Place, Right Time

Sherry
             

             
Lily was on my lap as Jeff cranked the engine and
began to pull away. She wasn't buckled in, but I could
've
give
n a rat's patootie about that right then
. If we got pulled over by the cops, her seatbelt would be the least of our worries.

             
Besides, we were all crammed into the vehicles like disgruntled sardines anyway, there was no room for law abiding citizens anymore.

             
The Enforcers were in full swing, but Billings, who was in the front seat making a Marissa sandwich
with Jeff,  had conveniently wo
rn his uniform and said he'd tried all he could to deter them if we did get caught on the way there.

             
I couldn't help myself. I turned in my seat to watch as the store got smaller behind us. It was just a stupid gas station. An eyesore, a place that held some of my worst memories…and some of my best. It was bittersweet with a side of heartache to leave it.

             
I felt Merrick's hand on my shoulder and I turned to look at him.
He had that look on his face, l
ike he could read my thoughts.
"The new place is even better."

             
"Really? I thought you destroyed it?" I teased.

             
"Kind of," he said and grinned. "Actually it was your brother's fault."

             
"I'm not surprised,"
I
quipped and leaned
my
head on
his
shoulder. I peeked as a car passed us. It was Cain and Ryan along with their ladies and Calvin in the Jeep. Show off.