High Society - Page 74

That was true.

“When are you jumping?” she asked. “There aren’t many tall buildings left around here, except back where the humans were being processed.”

“That’s where it’ll have to be, but I’ll wait until it’s a little closer to dawn. I don’t know what kind of security presence Victor has trained on the building.”

“I can help with that,” she volunteered. “I’ll see you off and be here waiting when you get back.” She offered a sweet smile and my heart melted.

“Thank you. For all you’ve done.” I looked deeply into her eyes, willing her to see my heart.

“I thought you might be in love with Eve,” she added abruptly, “so I never ventured too close, even though I wanted to. I’ve wanted to talk to you a thousand times over the years.”

“I do love her,” I admitted, “but only as a friend, a sister. We’ve been through a lot together, but I don’t love her in a romantic way. I’ve never had much personal time and wasn’t sure you’d be interested even if I did. But now that I know how you feel, I’m really glad. And when I get back, I’ll make time for you.”

* * *

Dawn came too quickly for my liking. Yarrow and I carved a quick path to the intake building while most of the refugees in the human Haven were still asleep. The intake center was a former office building. The front doors weren’t even locked.

“We’re being recorded,” Yarrow whispered.

“It won’t matter in a few minutes.”

We took the stairs up four flights and exited onto the roof. A red, white, and blue flag waved proudly from a pole, boasting thirteen alternating stripes and fifty stars. The symbol of a nation that had long ago been crushed and was taking its last breaths.

Yarrow stood beside me and stared, just as mesmerized as I was by the reminder of our nation’s past. “I didn’t realize a vamp who tore a nation apart would appreciate its sacred symbolisms.”

“Me either.”

The sky was lightening quickly. I walked to the ledge of the rooftop just as the sun peeked from behind the crumbling buildings to the east. The Compound sat at the heart of them, the pulse of Verona.

“Maru,” Yarrow called out, pointing to the streets where Enoch was leading another of Victor’s units away from him and welcoming them into the Haven.

“Victor won’t let this go. He’ll attack. He might not know exactly what’s happening to his troops, but he’ll find out soon enough. When he does, he’ll level the Haven and everyone in it for dissention. He won’t even need the military if he has enough bombs.”

“Then we can’t let him find out,” Yarrow declared with finality. “I can help Enoch with that. We can send Victor off the trail and keep him busy enough.”

“To what end? Eventually, he’ll find out.”

“Then we’ll make a plan and act on it,” she answered doggedly. “Maybe… maybe we can fight back. If everyone knew that Victor and Kael only staged this war to make names for themselves, or if we broadcast some of the videos they fabricated – Maru, they would be hanged for treason.”

“Please be careful,” I warned. “Don’t forget, Victor still has a clone army stashed somewhere.”

“I will, but don’t worry. I’ll figure it out while you’re gone. Just don’t take too long. Find Eve – I programmed your tech to draw you to her, so you’ll land relatively close. Find her and get her the hell out of there.”

“I’m not even sure where there is,” I scoffed.

“Does it matter? She’s lost and you’re the only one who can find her,” she stressed. “She needs your help.”

Yarrow looked up at me with a serious expression on her face, the beginnings of a hundred sentences flashing through her eyes. Instead, she opened her arms and I gave her a tight hug.

“Thank you,” I whispered into her ear. Without taking another minute to think through how stupid this idea was, I climbed onto the ledge and activated the tech. The plutonium was primed and so was I. I looked down at the ground to see Enoch waving his arms above his head, then he cupped his hands and yelled something up at me. Though I’m sure he had wisdom to share, I couldn’t listen to him. I had to do what was right, which meant following my heart and saving Eve.

I jumped.

The wind rushed around me, buffeting my face and causing my limbs to fall back behind me. My suit kicked into gear, and just before my vision blurred, I caught sight of something terrifying: the boy with the blue eyes from Kael’s lab, the telepath, was standing behind Enoch.

There was nothing Yarrow could do now. Kael already knew where everyone who disappeared was going.

An intense pain screamed through my body before everything went black.

To be continued in High Noon….