Rebel Princess - Book 2 (The Hope Saga) (8 page)

I finally conceded and walked away, but I couldn’t help looking back over my shoulder as I did.

“You’re only torturing yourself,” she said.

“You’re right,” I said with a sigh. “I’m gonna go to work. Maybe playing in the dirt might will help me forget about this awful mess I’ve gotten myself into.”

“All right. We’ll catch up later.”

I turned right and headed to the greenhouse.

***

In the greenhouse, I quickly put my gloves on and began my work, secretly wishing they were boxing gloves that I could use to hit Carla in the smug, ugly face. Fortunately, the plants did help me take my mind off things for a while, and I eventually settled down. Something about dirt was therapeutic for me, as weird as that was, and I had no problem telling the tomatoes my troubles.

After a few hours, I heard the door creak open, and my heart jumped.

“It’s just me, babe.”

When I saw him, I ran toward him and jumped into his arms. “Brett!”

Smiling, he spun me around. “I missed you,” he said.

“Not half as much as I missed you. Besides, you had…company.”

He sighed. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. Carla likes to play games.”

“I cannot tell you the soul-wrenching torment it was seeing her with you.”

“Aw. Well, let me make it up to you.”

“With one of your mind-blowing kisses?”

He grinned. “Yeah.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist.

“I can’t stand all this sneaking around,” he said. “I wish I could see you whenever I want.” 

I cupped his gorgeous face and kissed his lips again, only to quickly realize that I hadn’t taken off my gardening gloves. “Oops!” I said, taking one glove off so I could wipe the potting soil off his cheek. “Sorry,” I said, laughing.

He winked. “Don’t be. I don’t mind getting dirty with you,” he said.

“Brett!” I squealed, giggling shyly.

He stared deeply into my eyes, and a serious look came over his face. “I love your laugh.”

I was captivated by his brown gaze, and I couldn’t deny that he was sexy as hell. I kissed him again, and he pulled me close. His tongue plunged in my mouth and began swirling around, exploring. My tongue hungrily caressed his; it was as if we were trying to devour each other. I didn’t know when I’d get another kiss, so I had to make the most of it. I had to enjoy, cherish, and treasure every moment I had with Brett. His touch, his kiss, his lips: All of him seared my soul, sending waves of passionate heat through my body.

“I love you,” I said.

“I love you more,” he parroted.

“We should meet like this…more often,” I said between breaths.

“Absolutely. Let’s get dirty.”

“I like dirty. That’s why I work in a greenhouse. How long has it been since we made out like this?”

“Um…just since yesterday.”

“Well, it’s felt like forever.”

As our passion ignited, I mindlessly stumbled back into a table, sending a pot of pink petunias crashing to the ground.

“You all right?” Brett asked.

I softly cupped his face. “Baby, don’t stop.”

His tongue traced over my lower lip, then my upper one, which he sucked lightly. His lips brushed against my cheek and chin, then slowly trailed down my neck. When he sucked on my ear, it drove me crazy. A warm puff of air against my ear pimpled my skin with goosebumps of pleasure, till I felt like I was on fire.

Suddenly, we were jolted from our ecstasy by the sound of the creaking door, followed by a familiar voice: “Sky? Are you in here?”

“Crap!” I whispered. “It’s Aunt Sarah. Hide!” I said, knowing full well how bad it would be if I got caught in a compromising position with Brett in the greenhouse. In fact, if anyone saw us together, we would be busted, and his dad would retaliate by following through with his threats in order to rip us apart.

Quickly, Brett slipped behind some towering boxes.

Sarah rushed over to me, visibly upset. “Sky… Oh, I’m so glad I found you!”

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I just… You can’t be in here by yourself anymore.”

“Why, Aunt Sarah? What’s going on? I always work by myself, and—”

“No, you don’t understand. It’s Macy Jones. Sh-she was… He strangled her!”

I gasped and held my hand over my mouth. “Macy? Are you sure?”

She nodded and answered, with trembling lips, “C’mon. You’re leaving right now, plants or no plants.”

“I only have a couple things to do here, and then I’ll come straight back to the apartment,” I insisted, hoping I’d have a chance to say goodbye to Brett. 

Aunt Sarah was going to have none of that though. “Not a chance,” she demanded. “Now let’s go!” She tugged me by the arm, giving me no choice in the matter. As she pulled the door open, she shot me a worried look. “Something needs to be done. They need to find this killer.”

“I can’t believe this,” I said. “It’s just…crazy.”

“Tell me about it. We’re stuck down here, and there’s a serial killer on the loose. There’s nowhere to run.”

“Why doesn’t Dante let us out of here? I’d sure feel a lot safer on the surface.”

“He made the rules, and the fool refuses to break them.”

“A fool? I’ve never heard you call him that before.”

She shrugged as we walked briskly down the corridor. “Maybe you’re getting to me.”

“I knew you’d see the light sooner or later,” I said.

A moment later, we spotted Mr. Tams, our governor, and called him over.

He touched my back gently, as if to offer support. “I’m so sorry about all this,” he said.

“It’s not safe down here,” I insisted.

“We’re investigating it as we speak. I’ve got all my best men on it, and I’ve reported everything to the proper authorities.”

“Investigating and reporting obviously isn’t doing any good, Ted. Three girls are dead!” my aunt snapped.

“We’re searching everyone’s quarters. I will get to the bottom of this. I assure you of that.”

“Who’d wanna do this anyway?” I asked. “I mean, what’s the motive? Humans are rare these days, yet somebody’s trying to wipe out the young ones. It doesn’t make any sense. We have to figure out who he is and lock his ass up.”

My aunt’s gaze drifted over to a gathering of sobbing adults nearby.

“I have to go,” Mr. Tams said. “If you ladies will excuse me…” And with that, he scurried off, without so much as another word of explanation or assurance. 

Rachel saw us and hurried over. “Did you really think
that
was going to do you any good? Talking to him?”

I blew out a breath. “No, not really.”

Sarah looked at my friend and asked, “Rachel, would you like to come over and visit for a while? I don’t want you out here by yourself.”

“Sure. I’d love to,” she said, and the three of us walked toward our apartment. 

Chapter 11

My aunt took us back to the apartment, where she felt we’d be safe.

Rachel and I went to my room, because my cousins were playing, being louder than a bunch of freight trains. We sat on my bed, feeling somber and sad, grieving yet another loss.

Rachel hugged me, and I cried in her arms.

“We’ve gotta catch him,” I said, “before he hurts someone else.”

“We don’t have much to go on. I’m not sure anyone will catch him, unless he slips up.”

“I’ve got an idea.”

She blinked. “What?”

“Let’s just pack up and leave. Staying down here is a death sentence. What if he comes for you next, or me? We fit the profile perfectly.”

“You can’t be serious! What are we supposed to do? Hit some worker over the head and steal his boat? I’m starting to think you’re the one going stir crazy down here.”

“Hmm. I like it. We can pack a lot of stuff in a boat, maybe make a few trips up the chute.”

“Will you listen to yourself? I can’t leave my family, and you can’t leave yours. And what about Brett?”

“He’ll come with me.”

Her gaze narrowed. “We both know he won’t. His dad will never let him leave. You know how close they are.”

I threw my hands in the air. “We’ll see about that.”

“Look, Brett might want to choose you over his father, but if he does, he might resent you later, when he realizes he shattered his relationship with his family, burned all those bridges for you. Is that what you want? Do you want him to be with you, even with regrets that will eat away at him?”

“So what are we supposed to do? Sit down here like sardines in a can, waiting to be picked off?” I asked.

“Sky, no strangler would have a chance against you. You’ll kick his ass.”

“Well, whoever he is, I’d sure give him one helluva fight.” I paused. “But it’s more than that. I just want—no, I need to get out of here. I’m fed up with this place.”

“Well, that’s no secret, but try to think about this rationally.”

I blew out a long breath and shook my head, feeling defeated.

“You’ve gotta stay till you’re eighteen,” she said. “That’s the only smart thing to do. Just give the place a chance. They’re building Vita as we speak.”

“Sometimes, I don’t even care about that. Of course I want mankind to flourish, to rebuild. I mean, it’s all we ever hear, and I’m up for the challenge. But with Dante running things, I…well, I’m just not so sure anymore.”

“Look, if you still feel that way when we get up to the surface, I promise I’ll run away with you. We’ll pack up and explore the whole country if you want. I’ve always wanted to see Mt. Rushmore.”

“Who knows if it’s even still there? Besides, I don’t think I can wait that long.”

There was a gentle tap on the door, and then my aunt peeked her head in. “I’m taking the kids out for a while, to check on some of the others. You two stay here, and keep the door locked. Don’t leave for any reason, okay?”

I nodded. “Lockdown has been initiated.”

“I’m serious, Sky,” she said.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Be good,” she said with a nervous smile, then turned to leave and then left.

***

Just a few minutes after we heard my aunt close the front door, an idea struck me. “Let’s go see Brett,” I said.

“Seriously? With a serial killer on the loose?”

“I hate to say it like this, but I think he’s done for the day. If he follows his normal m.o., he won’t be on the prowl again for weeks.”

“Wow. You’ve been watching too many of those crime shows. You sound like a profiler, psychoanalyzing him.

“It’s just a guess,” I said, shrugging.

“Or maybe you’re a fantastic detective with incredible instincts. I bet you would have made a great cop in the old world, maybe one of those CSI people I read about.”

I laughed. “It’s not like I’ve caught the guy, Rach. It’s just an educated guess.”

“Sherlock Holmes never caught Jack the Ripper, but he was the best detective in history. Criminals can be super smart. That’s why they’re so dangerous. They are devious and clever enough to cover their tracks well.” She sighed. “Anyway, why do you need to see Brett right now? Didn’t you just see him at the greenhouse?”

I shrugged again.

“Wait. I know what this is all about. You wanna tell him about your plan, to invite him on your great escape.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “Rachel, nobody gets me like you do.”

“You need me to get him, right? I mean, since you’re not allowed at his apartment.”

“Please?” I asked. “I know it’s asking a lot.”

“Are you sure that’s where he is?”

“Yeah. I don’t know where else he would have gone.” I motioned toward the door. “C’mon.”

She followed me, and we headed toward Brett’s quarters. When we got there, I waited at the end of the hall. After a few minutes, I glanced down at his doorway and saw that Brett’s dad was inviting Rachel inside.

When the two of them came out, they met me down the hall, and we hurried to a private lounge to talk, constantly looking around to make sure no one saw us together. Rachel stood guard while Brett and I talked. 

“You’re shaking,” he said.

“Macy’s dead.”

He pulled me close, hugging me tightly. “I heard. My dad told me. His entire security team is on top of it. I’m so sorry.”

“She was strangled,” I said. “Just like the others.”

“What kind of monster’s living down here with us? It’s insane.”

“I think this whole setup stinks,” I said, something I’d said a hundred times before. “Dante and his minions get to go to the surface whenever they please, and we’re stuck down here with a homicidal maniac. How can anyone accept that? I hate being controlled like this. I don’t like it one bit.”

“You really want to leave, don’t you? I can see it in your face, baby.”

“They won’t let us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t just force our way out.”