Waterproof (23 page)

“Can I go get her?” I asked.

“Wait here, I’ll do it.” Without giving me an opportunity to protest, he stepped inside.

I waited.
And waited. Not knowing if he was taking a really long time or if everything just seemed excruciatingly slow.  When the door clicked open, it took everything in me not to smile.

Vee wiped her hands on her pants and yanked her arm away from the guard. “What do you…” she stopped talking when she saw me. Her eyes widened and I could tell that she, too, was trying to hide her reaction. She cleared her throat
and plastered a scowl on her face. “What’s this?”

“Who knows,” the guard replied. “Riley wants another date on the roof or something.”

Vee snapped her head around to look at the guard at the same time I clenched my fists. Did he say date? A moment later she faced me. “Well, let’s go.”

I jumped into action, grasping
her arm. It felt so good to touch her and as I escorted her into the elevator, she brushed up against me. The second the door closed, she turned and her lips swallowed my own.

She pushed me back against the corner and wrapped her legs around mine. Without a second thought, I reached underneath her hips and pulled her closer to me.
Instantly excited, I knew Vee could feel it too by the way she moved her body against mine.

Reaching back behind her, she pushed a button on the elevator and we began to move. “We don’t have much time,” she breathed into my ear.

“That’s okay,” I said back, barely able to speak.

The elevator made a noise each time it passed another floor. I had no idea how long this ride would be, but I intended to make the most of it. Lifting Vee up higher, I turned her around so she was pressed against the corner. Her hands fumbled with my belt and zipper as I tried to remove her pants. Smothering each other with kisses and moans, we finally realized how much time we were wasting.

I set her down and unhooked my pants just far enough for access. Vee dropped the bottom of her uniform to the ground, leaving one leg free to wrap around me again.

“I love you,” I said, trying not to leave her lips for too long.

“Stop talking,” She reached down and grabbed a hold of me tightly. I let out a gasp as her hand rubbed back and forth. In all of our time together, I could only dream about feeling this good again.

Her lips grazed my neck and nibbled at my ear. I let my hands glide up under her shirt to feel her warm breasts. I squeezed and pinched while she moaned and rubbed me harder. The elevator pinged as it passed another floor and I couldn’t wait any longer.

With one thrust, I pushed inside of her and we both stopped breathing. Never in my life have I wanted anyone like this. And even though it took us years to get here, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

“Zach,” she breathed and pulled me even closer to her. I swallowed her mouth again, unable to get enough. Her hands roamed my body while I pushed her against the wall over and over, each time bringing me closer.

She tilted her head back and cried out. Her body tensed, legs squeezing me and hands pulling on my hair. The look on her face did me in. I buried my head in her neck as I shuddered with release, knees almost giving out with the pure ecstasy I felt.

Vee chuckled. “You okay?”

I looked into her bright blue eyes and smiled. Resting my forehead against hers, I slowly let her slide back down to standing. “I’m good.”

She laughed again. “I love you, Zach.”

I kissed her, this time nice and slow. Her hands grabbed my face before she pulled me into a hug. “I didn’t want to die tonight without having one last moment with you.”

I squeezed tighter. “We’re not going to die. We’re going to get out of here and back into our forest.”

I felt her body shudder and didn’t know if she was laughing or crying. But I held her tight until the elevator stopped. “Where are we?” I asked.

She twist
ed away from me a little and looked at the panel. “I don’t know, the roof maybe?” She pushed another button and we began to drop.

I thought about her “date” on the roof with Riley for about two seconds before I stopped myself and focused on the here and now. There w
as no denying how much Vee wanted me and no one else.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked with a smile on her face.

“Nothing,” I said and kissed her again. “We’re going to get out of here and when we do, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“Deal,” she said.

My heart flipped and fluttered and did some crazy things as I watched her get dressed. No one had ever done this to me before, and now that I admit it, Vee was the only one who ever had that power. I loved her more than anything.

As the doors opened and we stepped out of the elevator, I grabbed her arm like a
guard should and we walked to the prisoner quarters. “Sorry, but we only have to pretend a couple more hours,” I said.

She smiled quickly before a passing guard could notice,
then briefly brushed her hand against mine. “A few more hours,” she whispered. “I can’t wait.”

TWENTY FOUR

Vivienne

Zach left me once we’d reached the sleeping quarters. I had a hard time letting him go, but I tried to hold on to the moment we shared in the elevator and the knowledge we were leaving very soon. I’d meant what I said to him. If we didn’t make it out alive, I’d forever have that last memory of him.

With
no clock near the beds, I could only estimate the time. One by one, we prepared to leave the area with the excuse of needing the restroom, and in the hopes no one would notice. I’d sent Sasha and Hunter ahead of me with plans to meet up in the tunnel. Hunter wanted to be the one to get Trevor and Sasha wanted to watch over both of them. It was nice to see her jump back into leader mode.

When it was my turn to go,
I counted to sixty ten times over and prepared to sneak away. But just as I got the courage to stand, Riley stepped through the door. Our eyes met for the briefest moment and I saw something in them that sent my stomach into flips. This was really happening.

He spoke to one of the guards on duty before walking over to me. Most of the deserters in the sleeping quar
ters were in their beds and only the smallest nighttime lights illuminated the space in a hazy artificial yellow.

“Are you sure
you want to do this?” Riley asked as he reached my side. He grabbed my arms and held me still. “It’s not too late to change your mind.”

I looked up at him in confusion and also fear that some nosy deserter nearby might hear us. “Yes, I’m sure.” His grip tighte
ned and it started to hurt. I glanced down at his hands. “What are you doing?”

He forced me still then looked into my eyes for the longest moment. A voice deep in the back of head warned me that something was off, but I couldn’t accept it.

“Riley, you’re hurting me.”

He suddenly
jumped back and dropped his arms. His lips trembled and I swear his eyes looked wet. “My name is Nate. Nathanial Riley.”

Confused
not only by his demeanor, but also his confession, I didn’t say anything at first. “Okay…”

He smiled. “I just wanted you to know that.”

“Okay,” I said again. When he didn’t make a move to do anything else, I added, “Can we go now?” He stared at me again, shaking his head and wrestling with something inside. I needed to act. “You’re still coming with us, right?”

“Do you want me to?” he asked immediately.

I hesitated. “Yes?” I knew I should have been more decisive but I didn’t really want him in our world. He belonged here. Although he would make a great addition to our group with his fighting skills and insider knowledge…

Riley chuckled in a way that made my skin crawl a moment before he held out his hand. “Come on.”

“We can’t walk out of here hand in hand,” I said.

“You’re right.”
Riley abruptly yanked me forward by the shoulder and shoved me toward the exit. But my foot caught on my pant leg and I stumbled to the ground. My hands smacked the concrete floor loud enough to cause a few heads to turn.

“
Ow,” I snapped. “Was that necessary?”

“Get up, now.” Riley’s command meant the show had begun. I was his prisoner and that would be the only way we could walk out of here together.

He pulled me up to my feet by my wrist and shoved me ahead of him again. At this point, we had an audience, especially with the guards that usually watched over us while we were sleeping.

“Did you see the others?” I whispered to him. But he didn’t answer. As we got closer to the exit, he amped
up his performance.

“I’m taking her for the night,” Riley said when he got a questionable look.

“Sir?” the guard asked, but his tone sounded wrong. There was almost a hint of camaraderie about it.

“She’ll be back in time for her shift,” Riley said.

The guard smiled and my instincts told me to run. If I hadn’t known the real plan, I probably would’ve tried to get away. I didn’t like the silent messages passing between these guys.

“Well, just make sure she’s able to walk in the morning,” the guard said and fist-bumped Riley. I almost puked.

Riley shoved me through the door and into the communal bathroom area. I hadn’t been able to take another shower since we only got one a week. For a split second, I wondered if we should just stay here and deal with whatever they threw at us in exchange for some basic human comforts. But then I remembered the hanging black boxes and twisted science and quickly pushed that feeling aside.

“Vee!”
Hunter barreled around the corner and slammed into me with arms spread. “I thought something happened to you.”

“We
need to keep moving,” Riley grumbled. Hunter glared up at the mercenary in a silent standoff, but Riley ignored him.

“Is everyone here?” I asked Hunter.

“Yeah, they are. They’re waiting in the tunnel.”

“Come on.
” Riley coaxed us along at a brisk pace until we were near the main entrance. Deep in the shadows, I saw the outlines of several bodies. One in particular caught my eye.

“Zach,” I whispered and saw his head lift t
o look at me. He and Jackson held a very weak Max over their shoulders, and it appeared they were struggling to keep him standing. Sasha and Trevor switched places with Zach, so that he could greet me.

Ignoring Riley, who stood a bit too close to my
side, Zach reached forward and grabbed my face in his hands. He bent over and kissed me, not caring at all that we had many sets of eyes on us. Hunter giggled.

“Is everything set?” I asked him, assuming he would know.

“I think so. Max isn’t doing too well though, and we couldn’t find Annie and Lew.” He ran his hand through his head and shrugged his shoulders. “I haven’t seen them for a couple of days.”

“We need to go now,” Riley cut us off. He walked over to the entrance and stuck his head around the corner. I remembered the soldiers in the towers.

“Here.” Zach shoved something into my hand before I could ask Riley how we were supposed to get past the sniper rifles. I looked down to see the ancient sword and felt a wave of hope wash through me.

I smiled. “You got this for me?”

Zach kissed my nose. “Of course. You’re our best fighter, remember?” He turned and made his way over to Max. It took three of them to lift him, and when they did, his head lolled at an unnatural angle.

“I don’t think he’s going to be able to do this,” Sasha said. For the first time in a long time, I heard defeat in her voice.
“Maybe the two of us should stay.”

“No, we’re all doing this together,” Zach said. “Trevor, come help.”

The three guys plus Sasha finally got Max to take a few steps and he finally seemed to wake up a little bit. “I’m okay,” he grumbled. It was the first time I’d heard him speak since we fought that night in the woods.

“Step back,” Riley said, but nobody moved. He pulled a syringe out of his
cargo pants pocket and plunged it into Max’s neck before anyone could stop him.

“What was that?” Sasha screamed in a hushed tone. “What did you…
”

Her voice trailed off as Max, like the old Max we all knew, suddenly appeared.
He pushed everyone off of him and shook out his body like a boxer prepping for a fight.

“Max?” Sasha whispered.

When she spoke, his face changed. His eyes lit up and the largest smile I’d ever seen on him spread wide across his face. He grabbed Sasha in a bear hug and kissed her like no one else was around. I could hear her muffled laugh and happy sobs as she returned the gesture.

“What did you give him?” Trevor asked Riley.

“Adrenaline,” he said. “I figured he might need a little boost.” Riley turned back toward the entrance and waved us forward. “We have to go now.”

We all lined up at the mouth of the tunnel, being sure to stay hidden in the shadows. Riley waved Zach and Jackson forward. “You see that truck over there?”

I stretched my neck to see past them and into the darkness. “You mean the one under the security light?” I asked.

Riley shot an exasperated look in my direction and Zach chuckled. “Yes. But if you stick to the side, you’ll be out of the light.” Riley pointed to the guard tower. “They shouldn’t bother us.”

“How can you be so sure?” Zach asked and earned himself a glare.

“Because I took care of them.
They’ll be busy with their magazines for a while.” Riley took a deep breath. “Besides, it’s late and they’re on the graveyard shift. They don’t want to see anything.”

We had no choice but to trust
him.

“
At one in the morning, I’ll drive out the gates on a regularly scheduled nighttime patrol. Get to that truck, climb in the back, and wait for me. Vivienne and I will arrive last.” Riley gave orders like the leader he’d been trained to be.

“Why?” Hunter asked, grabbing my hand. “I want to go with Vee.” My heart softened at the use of my nickname. Zach looked at me wi
th so much love, I almost cried.

“I’ll be right behind you,” I assured Hunter. “We can’t all go out there at once.”

He didn’t look convinced. Trevor finally walked over and pulled him away from me. “We’ll go first.”

I nodded, Zach smiled, and Riley muttered his approval. After another glance around the darkened area that sat between us and our freedom, Trevor and Hunter bolted from the tunnel and into the
shadows. Several agonizing minutes later, we caught a glimpse of them in the light just before they dove under the front of the truck. They crawled on the ground, hidden from the light by the massive hunk of metal, until they reached the rear. Trevor pulled open the tarp just long enough for the two of them to jump inside.

I held my breath and watched the guard tower. No movement. Two down,
six to go.

“You’re next,” Riley pointed to Sasha and Max. Where I though
t there might be an argument from our leader who would normally want to make sure everyone else is safe first, she grabbed Max’s hand and pulled him outside. Sasha deserved to be selfish every once in a while. I smiled when the two of them climbed into the cargo haul.

“Go!” Riley commanded. Jackson started forward but Zach didn’t move. “Go!” Riley whispered louder.

A shadow moved past the window in the guard tower and both guys froze. None of us breathed as we waited to see if we’d been caught.

“Get your ass moving or we’re all
dead,” Riley said and then shoved Zach out of the tunnel. He stumbled a few steps and something metal fell from his hands.

He instantly turned back to Riley, itching for a fight. “Zach, go. Please,” I begged. I didn’t know how much more time we had.

“I’m not going without you,” he said.

“Stop being an idiot. Go!” This time Riley yelled and I cringed. Someone would surely hear that.

Zach reached around Riley and grabbed my hand. He pulled me forward and out into the night. I spotted Jackson hiding against the fence, face creased with concern. I waved him on, then bent forward to pick up the object Zach had dropped. It looked like some kind of knife.

Just as I stood up, I felt a pair of arms wrap around my torso. Riley kno
cked me off balance and I tripped against him. “What are you doing?”

Zach didn’t waste any time, and immediately pulled me free of Riley’s grasp. “Get a grip, man.” We started moving toward the truck just a sharp crack of a bullet ricocheted off the ground near our feet.

Zach froze and my heart plummeted. A split second later, Zach dropped to the ground at the same time I heard the gun fire.

“No!” I cried out.

A spotlight blared down on us, quickly followed by a dozen more. They came from all different directions. We were surrounded. It was just like that last night in the forest.

I fell
to my knees to get closer to Zach. In the bright light, I saw the blood oozing from his right shoulder and his face contorted in pain.

“Zach, are you okay?”

A pair of heavy feet hustled to our side and Jackson pressed down on Zach’s shoulder. He cried out in pain. “Stop being a girl, Zach, I need to stop the bleeding.”

Zach managed to roll his head to the side and smile. “I thought that was your line?” he said to me.

Tears blurred my vision and pain clawed its way through my heart. We had been so close.

“Hands up!”

I looked around to see who made that sound, but the lights blinded me.

“I said put your fucking hands up or we’ll shoot again!”

Jackson and I sha
red a look before we slowly lifted our hands over our head. As soon as mine reached their full height, Riley yanked me off the ground. I staggered backward, nearly falling on my butt several times.

“Let go of me,” I said, eyes never leaving Zach. Four mercena
ries rushed to Zach and Jackson’s side and lifted them up to standing in a not so gentle way.