Sunset Rising (32 page)

The guards pulled me into the apartment and forced me down into a chair.
She walked over to me and pulled the hat off my head. My hair spilled down around my shoulders.

“I recognize this.
It’s Jack’s,” she said, looking at the hat. Then she looked at my hair. “Black?” She curled a few strands around her finger and rubbed it. “It’s coal! That’s ingenious, Sunny. And have you put on weight or…” She felt my shoulders and chest. “You’re still wearing that thing.” She laughed at the bulletproof vest. “Well, you certainly are a master of disguise. I mean, even on my wedding day you were absolutely brilliant. No one suspected a thing.”

She looked at me with laughter in her eyes.
I realized she was every bit as deranged as her father. Maybe more.

“What?
You have nothing to say for yourself?” she asked.

“What would I have to say to
a conniving little bitch like you?”

“You might want to be
a little nicer to your captor. I can do whatever I please with you.”

“Do what you like.
I’m dead anyway.”

“Brave words
.” She laughed. “But if you don’t willingly tell me where Jack is, let’s just say you’ll be begging me to kill you.”

“I don’t know where he
is,” I said, truthfully. At that precise moment, I didn’t have a clue where Jack Kenner was.

“Really?
Do you want to know how I found you?” Despite my disinterested expression, she continued. “I intercepted a tip from someone named Gina who was hoping to collect the reward. She said a tall girl by the name of Autumn Jones was working in laundry. I checked the name and found out Autumn and Benjamin Jones are living on the fourth level. So I sent Desmond to see if Autumn might be Sunny O’Donnell, and here you are. Now I’d like to know where your husband is.”

“I don’t know what you’r
e talking about.”

“I assume Benjamin Jones is Jack Kenner
.” She scrutinized my face to see my reaction. I averted my eyes from her gaze, afraid they might give away my emotions. “Or maybe you’re living with that handsome boyfriend you told me about. What did you say his name was?”

“I didn’t,” I snapped.

“Oh, touchy subject.
Here I thought you’ve been living happily ever after with Jack, but now I think maybe you weren’t.” I could almost see the wheels working in her head. “I’m sure Summer knows his name. I’ll have a chat with her while I’m at my father’s for dinner tonight. So here’s the deal. You tell me where Jack is and I’ll let your boyfriend live. You don’t and I’ll have him brought here and shot in the head in front of you.”

Crystal’s execution replayed in my head again
, and hot tears stung my eyes at the thought of Reyes being killed in front of me. I knew she would do it, but there was no way I would tell her where Jack was. My only hope was that Summer wouldn’t tell her Reyes’s name. Given that Leisel was a master manipulator, I knew my hope was in vain. She could easily trick that information out of Summer.

“Change your mind yet?” Leisel
asked. I remained silent. “I
will
get my way, Sunny. I want Jack so I can give my father the matching set. He’ll be so proud of me. He might even make me president right there and then.” She laughed with glee. “But now I have to meet him for dinner, so I’ll be nice and give you a few hours to think about our little deal. When I come back, I’ll have your boyfriend’s name. The choice will be yours.” She turned to Desmond. “Tie her up.”

“Do you want me t
o stay and guard her?”

“Obviously!
But stay inside the apartment. You’ll arouse suspicion standing around outside.”

Leisel watched Desmond tie me to a chair and pulled the rope to make sure it was secure.
Then she gave him a passionate kiss and told him again how good he was to her.

I got the impression
she was manipulating him, too.

Desmond eyed me warily
and then turned his back on me. He stripped off the rifle that was slung across his back and unsnapped his belt that held the tear gas canister and knives. He went into the kitchen for a glass of water and then took up residence on the sofa.

“It
seems
like Leisel really loves you,” I said.

He glared at me.
“Did I tell you to talk?”

“I was just making conve
rsation. I mean, it’s going to be a long night sitting here in silence.”

“Well, if you want to talk so much
, how about you tell me where Kenner is?”

“I really don’t know
. I’ve always been honest with Leisel. I don’t know why she doesn’t trust me now.”

“She doesn’t trust you because you’re protecting Kenner
.”

“Why would I protect him?
He’s just another no-good bourge who thinks he’s better than everyone else. The only reason I’m married to him is because Leisel tricked me into it.”

Desmond narrowed his eyes.
“Leisel thinks you two are hiding together.”

“If he’s down there, then someone else is hidin
g him.” I hoped he would believe my lie.

He eyed the ball cap that sat on the table.
“What are you doing with his hat then?”

“I took it
from his closet before I left.”

“Yeah, and I suppose you’re the one who knocked out the guards assigned to his apartm
ent. You’re lying.”

“Of course he was the one who
took out the guards. I told him I would get him down to the Pit if he could get us out of there. And that’s what I did. I got him to the Pit and said goodbye. I don’t know if he stayed or if he left. But one thing I can tell you, bourge are not welcome down there. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s up here somewhere.” Lying was coming easier to me.

Desmond
studied me for a moment. “I don’t trust you.”

“You don’t trust
me
? You’re in love with a woman who betrayed her fiancé and used me to do it. Don’t forget, Jack Kenner thought she was in love with him, too.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I shrugged. “Nothing. It’s just that I can’t help but think if she could do it to one man…” I let him finish my thought.

“Leisel is in love with me
. She trusts me.” He was almost yelling.

“I’m sure she does trust you
.” I forced my voice to stay calm. “You’ve been very useful to her. Did I say useful? I meant helpful. You’ve been very helpful.”

He slammed his fist down on the arm of the sofa.
“I think it’s time for you to shut up.”

I could tell by how angry he was that
I should leave him alone. Now I just hoped the seeds of distrust I had planted would take root. If Desmond stopped working for Leisel, there would be no one to do her dirty work. No one to bother Reyes. The plan was weak, but I couldn’t think of another.

After a few minutes of silence, Desmond got up and paced the room. He was obviously deep in thought.
I had never manipulated anyone like that before and was surprised at how easy it was. Leisel was a good teacher.

I kept my gaze on the floor, glancing at Desmond every so often.
The look of confusion and anger on his face told me that my plan was working. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but I knew she would be back soon. Of course I had to keep in mind that Leisel really was the master of manipulation and she could easily calm all of his fears and have him wrapped around her finger again.

I nearly jumped when there was a sharp knock at the door.
Desmond was immediately alert and went quickly to the door.

“Who is it?” he demanded.

“Leisel sent me to pick up the prisoner,” said a male voice from the other side of the door.

Desmond gave me
a sharp look. I gave him my best “I told you so” look. Angrily, he pulled open the door and was met by the butt end of a rifle smashing into his face. He dropped to the floor, obviously dazed by the blow. A Domer walked in, letting the door close behind him. I recognized Jack under the visor.

Desmond sprang to his feet and reached for
Jack’s rifle with both hands. The two men struggled, sending a vase crashing to the floor. The noise was so loud I braced myself for more guards to come running in, but none did. Jack had Desmond backed against a wall and used the rifle like a bar to pin him there. With his visor still on, Jack head-butted Desmond, smacking his head into the wall. A vacant expression came over Desmond’s face, and Jack let him drop to the floor.

“Miss me?” Jack asked as he crossed the room and untied my binds.

“How did you find me?”

“I saw them take
you. I recognized Leisel’s pet.” He motioned with his head in the direction of Desmond.

“How did you get in here?”

“Leisel has the cameras jammed again, and I’m beginning to suspect she owns the guards on this level. It explains why they disappear whenever she needs them gone.”

“Did y
ou find Terra?”

“She’s fine.
Or I think she is. She was giving birth when I left to come up here.”

“Thank G
od!” I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. “Leisel will be back any minute.”

“Then let’s get out of here
.” Jack returned to Desmond and stripped the uniform off his limp body.

“Leisel is going to go after Reyes
.”

He handed me Desmond’s uniform
, and I put it on. It was too big for me, but with a few tucks and the added weight of the bulletproof vest, I could pass.

“What does
she want with Reyes?”

“She wanted to know where you were
, and I told her we went our separate ways after we escaped. But she knew that Autumn Jones has been living with someone and wanted to know who that someone was. When I wouldn’t tell her, she guessed it might be my boyfriend that I told her about when we were drinking wine in your apartment that night.”

“Does she know his name?
What other information did you give her that night?”

“I didn’t give her his name, but she’s going to try and
weasel it out of Summer. And I don’t know what else I told her. I was drunk. I don’t remember.”

“Yeah, you were pretty drunk
.” Jack chuckled.

Once I had the uniform looking like it fit, I put the belt with the tear gas
and knives around my waist. It was heavy, and I cinched it as tight as I could. It fell off.

“Leave it.
Maybe no one will notice,” Jack said.

I dropped it on the floor and slung the rifle across my back.
The final piece of the uniform was the helmet, and I took a moment to tuck my hair up inside it. Jack opened the door, looked both ways, and then motioned for me to follow him.

It took every bit of my will power not to sprint down the hall and out of view of Leisel’s apartment.
I breathed a sigh of relief when we made it into the stairwell and closed the door silently behind us.

“We can’t go back.
She knows where we live,” I said.

“I figured as much
.” He started down the stairs.

“Where are we going?”

“To the Pit.”

“What’s happening in the Pit right now?
Are they still fighting?”

“It’s on lockdown, although not many people went willingly to their homes.
It’s not pretty down there.”

“Jack, we can’t go back down there.
We might start another riot if a guard recognizes us and tries to take us into custody. Everyone’s been through enough with Crystal’s execution.” My voice was hoarse with emotion. I didn’t want to start crying now, not while we were trying to escape Leisel. But regret for not coming to Crystal’s rescue earlier plagued me. Why did we wait?

Jack stopped suddenly and walked back up the few steps separating us.
He pulled me roughly into his arms. “What happened to Crystal is
not
going to happen to you. I won’t let it.”

I could plainly see that
her execution had affected Jack just as much it had me. If watching her die wasn’t horrific enough, we both knew we were doomed to the same fate.

“
Jack, you might not be able to stop it.” I pulled away just far enough to look into his eyes. “But that doesn’t make it your fault. If anything happens, you need to understand this was out of your control.” A series of emotions played across his face until he hardened his lips into a straight line.

“I’ll do everything I can
. As long as we can get back down into the Pit we’ll be okay for a few hours. David and Terra are waiting for us.”

“We can’t put them in that ki
nd of danger.”

“It’s safe.
Even if the guards run a routine check-in during the lockdown, no one is going to come in and search the apartment. There’s no reason to.”

I hesitated, but had little choice left for a place to hide.
I followed him down the ten flights of stairs and out into the main lobby. We walked through the lobby as if we had every right to be there. No one questioned us. When we got to the door, a guard asked us to scan in. Jack kept going right past him, and I kept pace.

“No time.
There’s an emergency down there,” Jack said gruffly and quickened his pace. Domers outranked guards assigned to the Pit and reception duty, so the guard didn’t question Jack any further.

We strode through the doors to
the Pit and descended the stone stairs. I could hear a distant hum of voices, and as we came closer to the first level, I made out hundreds of voices singing Crystal’s song, just as they had the night before. The emotions bubbling up inside me threatened to cut off my breathing, but I fought back the tears and won.

I wished with all my heart I could ju
st go back to our apartment, curl up beside Jack on our bed, and have a good cry. But we didn’t have a home anymore. There was nowhere left to run.

As we passed each
level, I saw at least three or four Domers still on duty. I guess with everyone singing about rebellion they weren’t going to take any chances. I was relieved to see the army gone. I wondered how many people had lost their lives that day. How many more would follow. The fighting was so senseless. All we were asking was to be treated with respect, but they couldn’t even grant us that.

Jack left the stairs on the fifth level
, and I followed. I didn’t see any Domers on this level, just guards from the Pit. Jack raised his visor and nodded to them. They were with the Alliance. He walked a short distance down the hall before he stopped at an apartment and knocked on the door. David opened it and motioned for us to come in. I was surprised to see Bron there, too.

“Are you okay
, Sunny? Did she hurt you?” Bron asked as soon as David closed the door.

“No she didn’t hurt me.
But she might come looking for Reyes. She was going to try and use him to get information out of me. Hopefully, she leaves him alone now that I’ve escaped, but she might go after him if she thinks he knows where I am.”

“We’ll keep a close eye on him, although Reyes can look after himself.
He’s been doing very well in training,” Bron said.

“How’s Terra?
Did she have the baby?”

“She and the baby are fine,” David
said with a smile. “They’re in the bedroom if you want to say hello.”

I walked over to the bedroom and peeked in.
Terra was lying on the bed gazing down at the sleeping infant beside her. I knocked softly at the door, not wanting to wake the baby.

“Sunny!” Terra whispered excitedly.
“I thought I heard your voice. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. How are you?” I asked, coming into the room.

“I didn’t know what to do when they took you. I wanted to help you, but I couldn’t even stand up.”

“I’m just relieved you didn’t end up having the baby in the hallway.
Jack told me that David was able to get you home in time.”

“David was beside me a few seconds after the Domers took you
, and then Jack was running after you. David took me straight home, but with all the fighting, he couldn’t find a midwife and ended up helping me himself. I don’t know who was more scared, him or me.” She chuckled.

I looked down at the tiny little bundle.
“The baby is adorable. A little boy?”

“A girl
.”

“I know you wanted a boy,” I said gently, hoping she wasn’t disappointed.
But by the misty-eyed look of love in her eyes, she wasn’t.

“I’m going to name her Sunny
, so she knows to fight back if someone doesn’t treat her right.”