The Rules for Breaking (8 page)

I can’t help but laugh. “You want to do laundry or hang out with me?”

“Hmm…let me think….” He’s pulling me out of the laundry room before he even finishes. “You. Definitely want to be with you.” He leans in close and whispers, “I’ve got an idea that can get us out of our chores.”

We pass Mrs. Landry in the kitchen. Ethan says, “We’re going for a walk. I’ve got a gun and we won’t be long. I’m giving Anna another shooting lesson. Warn Dad and Mr. Boyd in case they hear us.”

She nods, and replies, “Don’t be too long. It’ll be dark soon.”

It’s close to dusk when we plunge through the thick brush into the woods. It’s hard to navigate with all the down trees and stumps, but each step we take away from the camp, the better I feel.

We get far enough from the camp to feel alone but not so far that I can’t find my way back. It’s quiet except for the few birds we spook as we crunch along the ground. Ethan finally stops, so I find a tree stump and sit down, pulling my knees up.

When Ethan drops down in front of me, he’s holding the same small gun I fired at the farm in one hand and several bullets in the other.

“Do you remember how to load this?”

I’m nervous and excited looking down at it. A group of birds takes off from the ground a few feet behind me, startling me, and I almost fall off the stump.

“Maybe you’re not ready for this again. I should have asked you first. We can go back to the camp.”

He gets up and I pull him back down. “Wait. I want to try it again. Just give me a minute.”

Ethan places the gun in my outstretched hand. I feel sweaty even though it’s cold outside. The gun is heavy and all I can think about is how loud and scary it is when fired.

We sit in silence for a few minutes. All of those awful images of Brandon and his dad threaten to return, but I control my breathing and force them away.

“Just sit there a minute. I’m going to find a stick or something we can use as a target.” He stands, and searches the ground.

I flex my fingers over the gun, trying to get used to the feel of it.

“This’ll work,” he says and lifts a small piece of wood in the air. He takes a step toward me then grabs his left shoulder with his right hand. He stands there a moment, a dazed look on his face, before he crumples to the ground, hitting it with a thud.

I race to where he is. “Ethan! Ethan!”

Shaking him does nothing. He’s out. Completely unconscious.

Oh my God!

Did he hit his head? I feel around but nothing, no blood, no bumps. I gauge the distance back to the camp and decide to run for help. It’s close to dark and if I wait much longer, it will be too hard to find him here on the ground.

I jump up and slam into something hard but warm. Hands form steel bands around my upper arms and the face I hoped and prayed never to see again comes into focus in front of my eyes.

Thomas.

Rules for disappearing
by Witness Protection prisoner #18A7R04M:

Be paranoid. The best way for the bad guys not to get you is to think the bad guys are always just about to get you.

New rule by Anna Boyd:

Paranoia isn’t enough.

throw up on his shoes. Not a lot but enough that he pushes me down to the ground and shakes the chunks off into the dead leaves.

“If you scream, I’ll kill him,” Thomas says in a controlled voice.

Ethan is still knocked out a few feet away. “What did you do to him?” I ask.

The gun in my hand is useless without the bullets. I search the ground to see if I can find where they fell out of his hand.

Thomas uses a stick to scrap off the last bit of puke from his running shoes. “Tranquilizer dart. He’ll be unconscious for a few hours.”

He uses a hard, clipped tone that’s different from the one that reeled me in when I thought he was a federal agent. And his movements are different. Everything about him is.

“Why are you here?”

He snatches Ethan’s gun out of my hand and puts it in his pocket. “You involved the U.S. Marshals Service when you shouldn’t have.”

“Me! You sent the flowers. And brought the journal back. It’s your fault they’re involved, not mine.”

He crouches down in front of me, his face just inches from mine. “Keep your voice down.”

My mouth snaps closed. Despite the heavy coat, a chill races through my body. I look at Ethan and watch the slow rise and fall of his chest. Thank God he’s breathing.

“Are you…you going to…to…to kill me?” I stutter out.

“Not if you do exactly as I say.” Thomas stalks toward Ethan and kneels beside him, while I scramble to throw myself across his body.

“Don’t hurt him!” I scream.

Thomas grabs my face, squeezing my cheeks until tears form in my eyes. He pushes me off Ethan and I fall back on the ground.

Flipping Ethan over, he pulls a zip tie from his coat pocket and binds Ethan’s wrists. Tears stream down my face. My heart races and I feel clammy. My mind is churning—
what do I do…what do I do
…. I’ve never been so scared in all my life.

Thomas finishes with Ethan and turns back to me. “Stand up.”

“Not until you tell me what you’re planning to do.”

Thomas crouches down and leans in closer until our noses are inches apart. I’m instantly more uncomfortable than I ever thought possible. The differences in him are alarming. His eyes are ice cold, and every move he makes is calculated. His gaze stays on me like he’s absorbing everything I’m thinking. It’s hard to believe he’s the same person who tried to befriend me just a few short weeks ago. I realize now just how naive I’ve been. No matter how many times I tried to convince myself that I’d rather face Thomas than run—that was a lie. This is so much worse than I ever thought it would be.

“The very nasty people who pay me to do very nasty things were not pleased when I allowed you to live. It was the first time I did not fulfill a contract. I assured them you would not cause a problem, but you have proven me wrong.” He runs a finger down the side of my face. I try to back away from him but he grabs the front of my shirt and hauls me back in.

I slap my hand over my mouth, praying I won’t throw up again. He doesn’t blink. Or move. His eyes bore into me and I know I’m looking at a monster. He flings me back and I land hard on the ground for a second time.

Thomas stands quickly and whistles. Within seconds another person emerges from the woods. The light is fading and I can’t tell until he gets closer that he’s wearing a black ski mask. I can barely make out his eyes from the tiny openings. He’s wearing all black clothes and black combat boots. I can’t quit staring at him. Is he one of the suits who Agent Williams thinks is the mole—Agent X?

He looks nervous, eyes darting back and forth between me and Thomas.

“Pick him up,” Thomas says to the masked man.

“No.” I stumble forward, trying to get to Ethan before the other man does. I can’t even think about what Thomas has planned for him. My fingers dig into the rough ground as I claw my way back to him. Ethan’s warm breath hits the cool night air and I take comfort in the fact he is still breathing. I cover Ethan’s body with mine, offering him any protection I can. I’m praying one of the dads will appear, shotgun in hand, but so far it’s just us out here. Even if our families hear something, they probably won’t come looking since they think Ethan is teaching me how to shoot a gun.

The masked man stands over us but doesn’t move toward Ethan. He looks back at Thomas as if asking how he’s supposed to pick Ethan up since I’m draped over his chest.

Thomas pulls me off of Ethan, restraining my arms. As much as I struggle, I can’t move an inch. “If you continue to fight me, your boyfriend will pay the consequence,” he growls.

I stop moving instantly.

The masked man struggles lifting Ethan until he finally gets him over his shoulder.

“You don’t need him! Take me! Leave him here!” I shout.

Thomas squeezes my arms so tight behind me I think they’re going to pop out of the sockets.

“Be quiet. This isn’t just about you anymore,” he whispers in my ear.

Thomas pushes me in the back and we follow Ethan and the masked man into the darkening forest.

“Where are you taking us?”

“Those nasty bosses of mine…they’ve hired my replacement to finish the job,” Thomas sneers.

I suck in a deep breath and stumble over a small log.

He steadies me before pushing me again to keep me moving.

“What does that mean?” As afraid as I am for him to answer this question, I have to know what we’re up against.

“That means,” he grits out in a harsh tone, “not only are there contracts out for you and your boyfriend, but for my friend and me as well. My boss decided the best way to clean up this entire mess is to get rid of all of us.”

I crumple to the ground. Oh. My. God.

Thomas jerks me back up and pushes me forward.

“But I don’t understand. Why are you here? Are you turning us over to them?” My mind is racing and I can’t seem to get a grip on what’s happening.

He ignores my questions completely.

It only takes a few more minutes until we reach an all-terrain vehicle similar to what Ethan uses on the farm.

“Where did you get that?”

“We borrowed it from one of the camps last night.”

Last night? How did they get here? Or know we were here to begin with?

Masked man dumps Ethan in the cargo area, but Ethan doesn’t even flinch. There’s no telling how sore and banged up he’s going to be when he finally comes around.

With gloved hands, Thomas grabs a small black object from the front seat of the vehicle.

It’s a video camera.

“You will say exactly what I want you to say and nothing more. Do you understand?”

My body is shaking so hard, it’s tough to nod.

“You will tell them I have taken you from this island. You will tell them they have my word I will not kill you unless my orders are disobeyed. Your father and the Landrys are not to leave the island. They are not to contact anyone in any way. If they do not follow my orders, then I will break my word.”

He presses a button and a little red light blinks on, then a bright light beams from the top of the camera, chasing away the impending darkness. I’m staring at the lens and everything he just told me to say jumbles in my brain.

“Umm…Thomas wants me to tell you he is taking us off the island.” My voice sounds rough…unfamiliar and I have to brush away a stray tear that slips out of the corner of my eye. “He said…”

Oh God, I’m drawing a blank!

I look at Thomas and he is mouthing the words he wants me to say.

“Um…he said you have his word he won’t…kill…us if you follow his rules.”

I swallow the lump and try to remember exactly how he worded the next part.

Thomas moves the camera in closer and the bright light blinds me for a second. He’s moving his finger in a circular motion, wanting me to get on with it.

“Rule number one: You are not allowed to leave the island. Rule number two: You are not allowed to contact anyone.”

I take a deep breath before I finish the last part. “If you break his rules, he will break his word and kill us.”

And then he ends the video, flips the screen, and reviews what he filmed. I can’t see it, but I can hear my shaky voice and can only imagine how awful it will be when Dad and the Landrys watch this.

“Get her the paper and bring me the box,” he says to the masked man, then turns to me. “Write:
Push play
on that paper.”

I do as I’m told and he takes the paper and the camera and puts it in a large white box.

Handing it to the masked man, he says, “Leave this closer to the camp. Be fast, we need to get moving.”

Masked man runs back the way we came, the box in his hands so white it’s glowing in the darkness. There’s no way our parents won’t find it when they start looking for us.

I’m so mesmerized by the box, I don’t realize Thomas has zip-tied my hands behind my back until it’s too late.

The masked man returns and sits in the driver’s seat, then Thomas throws me inside the vehicle—I’m sandwiched between him and the masked man on the small bench seat. Masked man’s breathing is heavy, probably from carrying Ethan and running through the woods, and a scary image of Darth Vader pops in my head. Soon I can’t think of anything else when I see him. There’s no space separating any of us, and it makes my skin crawl. Vader cranks the vehicle but doesn’t turn on the headlights.

“Sissy?”

I freeze. Spinning around, I see Teeny step out from behind a tree. Oh. My. God. She must have followed Vader back after he delivered the box.

“RUN, TEENY!” I scream.

Thomas mutters something under his breath then bolts out of the vehicle, pulling his gun out of his waistband.

Teeny panics. Doesn’t move a muscle. Before I can make it off the bench seat, Vader throws an arm around my chest and pins me to his side.

“Da—” His other hand slaps over my mouth before I get the rest of the word
Dad
out.

Thomas raises his arm and fires. Teeny drops to the ground. I let out a muffled scream. Thomas walks back to the vehicle and aims the gun at me.

Everything goes dark.