“Liz!”
He wasn’t young enough to catch up with her. Liz used that to her advantage and roamed the stronghold, searching for Zeke. She had to convince him that he and her father were wrong. There wasn’t anything the matter with her.
So what if she’d fainted in the Jeep—something she still couldn’t accept. Anything could have caused it. Exhaustion. Continuing terror at what Carreon would do. Any freaking thing.
Even if it were more than that, she had to heal no matter the consequences. She couldn’t just let the people she loved slip away while she remained safe. How could she live with herself after that? Losing her father was unthinkable. Never seeing Zeke again was a possibility she couldn’t endure. There was no way she wanted to go on without him.
There had to be a solution to this. If she began slowly, tending to a small cut perhaps, then working her way up to more serious injuries, surely nothing bad would happen. Zeke would see that she remained alert and alive. He’d stop this nonsense, no longer keeping her from fighting at his side to insure his safety.
In the kitchen, women and men were preparing food. Upon seeing her, they exchanged glances, then stared without offering any greeting or challenge. Liz couldn’t recall which of these women had voted for her and her father to leave the stronghold.
“Hi,” she said, having no other choice than to speak first.
No one offered a greeting in return.
Liz hadn’t really expected one, but there had still been some hope, which she dismissed quickly. She spoke on a sigh. “I’m looking for Zeke. Do you know where he is?”
Each of the women and the few men shook their heads.
Whether they were lying or not wasn’t something Liz could determine.
She checked the dining hall next. Not there. Nor was he in the large communal room where the youngest of the children sometimes played while the adults relaxed nearby.
Liz recalled the last time she’d been in the bosque, an area of thick vegetation hidden between the mountain’s many peaks. There the older children had a chance to play outside, run off their energy. Salt cedar trees and cottonwood provided shade and some relief from the blistering temperatures.
Today, no one was out here. Leaves rustled in the scant breeze, parting momentarily to allow the brutal sun to shine through.
After returning inside, Liz went down countless halls and finally ended up in an area with a long table and numerous chairs, reminiscent of an office’s conference room. It was also empty.
Where was everyone, aside from those in the kitchen? Especially the men? Did Zeke have them on guard duty to make certain the stronghold was safe since Carreon’s last attack? Had they holed up in some hidden room, while they planned an assault on him? What if Zeke got injured…or killed…during the strike? What if Jacob or the other men couldn’t retrieve his body and bring it back for her or her father to reanimate?
How many hours or days after death would it be possible to bring Zeke back to life? The time limit wasn’t infinite. If his people were anything like hers, his body would retain its heat, there’d be no decay, making him seem as though he were only sleeping. However, within weeks he’d crumble to dust.
Taken from her forever.
Liz wrapped her arms around herself and gasped at the sudden pain in her belly, driven by intolerable sorrow. She tried to calm down but couldn’t. Her thoughts…her worries…continued to bombard her.
Even if her father could save Zeke dozens of times, that couldn’t last forever. When her father passed, she’d be the only one who could heal Zeke, Jacob and their clan.
And she would. If anyone tried to stop her, she’d fight them. What other choice did she have?
Ignoring the pain in her gut, Liz hurried down other halls and checked as many rooms as she could. During the assault, Carreon’s men had shot off the locks. The few times she’d reached doors that were still intact, she found them bolted, not allowing her entrance. Within a couple of those rooms, she’d heard voices and had knocked, then asked, “Zeke, are you in there?”
The voices went silent. No one answered.
Jacob’s room proved empty. So did the one that must have belonged to Kele. Pictures showed her, Jacob and other clan members at various events. High school graduations. Dances. Parties.
This didn’t make sense. Where in the hell was everyone?
Liz returned to her father’s room, thinking—hoping—Zeke might have come back looking for her. The room was also empty, the door to the bath closed. Someone had laid fresh clothing on the bed, no doubt for her father to use after he finished his shower.
Not knowing where else to go, Liz ended up in Zeke’s room. He wasn’t in here either. She sank to the edge of the mattress and fought a sense of dread. No matter how secure this place was, how much he wanted to protect her, something truly awful and unexpected was about to happen.
Within seconds, the feeling became so unbearable, Liz fled the room, determined to find Zeke. To make certain he was all right.
The meeting room was one of the few places Carreon’s men hadn’t shot up. Its distance from the living spaces had kept it untouched, the same as the dining hall and the area where all the stronghold’s systems and computers operated.
Thankfully, the Others had made that location as inaccessible as possible. Zeke and his men had put in additional safeguards. Their thinking went that if anyone did breach this place, they wouldn’t be able to access any of its systems. They’d be trapped in a maze of halls, easy pickings for Zeke and his armed clan.
Precisely what had happened during the attack with Zeke’s people winning. This time.
Several of the men and elders sat at the long table. Among them, Isabel. Her expression revealed nothing of what she thought of this newest problem. The younger clan members, who hadn’t been able to get a chair, stood near the walls.
On Zeke’s left side sat Kele. On his right, Jacob. Across the table from them was Diaz.
Samuel and Paul had their assault rifles trained on the young man, prepared to fire if Diaz threatened anyone in the least.
What he’d just revealed was more troubling to Zeke than any move he could have made.
“I went into hiding when Carreon took over,” he’d said a few minutes before. “I heard Carreon’s other male siblings did the same. We knew he didn’t want to share his so-called kingdom. Not that any of us wanted it.”
He’d leaned forward, then sat back quickly as Samuel stepped closer—his knees fully healed by Dr. Munez. Samuel pointed the muzzle of his rifle at Diaz’s head.
“I wanted nothing of my brother, just for him to leave us alone,” Diaz had explained, glancing from Samuel’s weapon to Zeke. “I was running my aunt’s carniceria when Carreon had our father assassinated. My mother and her brothers had already died in previous battles. The only family I have left is my aunt and cousin. Pedro’s only thirteen.”
“Why are you looking for Liz?” Zeke asked.
Jacob spoke before Diaz could answer. “You’re lying about how you found our stronghold—or almost found it before we surprised you.”
“That’s not true.”
Diaz leaned up again, this time ignoring the rifle’s proximity, its muzzle nearly touching his temple. “Carreon’s men are as arrogant as he is, believing everyone else is stupid. I used that to my advantage so I could find Carreon and hopefully Liz. She wasn’t at her practice when I called. A lady there told me she was away on a family emergency. Didn’t know when she’d be back. I sensed it wasn’t true, that Carreon was keeping her a prisoner just like the rumors I’d heard about her father. What other choice did I have than to follow Carreon’s men to his stronghold? It’s exactly as I told you; I’ve been tracking their movements, waiting for an opportunity to hopefully see her. Last night when I arrived, Zeke was already driving away with Liz and her father, leaving Carreon’s stronghold. Fleeing, I thought. I was too afraid to tail them. I didn’t know what Zeke would do if he saw me, so I waited, then simply followed the Jeep’s tracks.”
“In the dark,” Kele said, her distrust evident. “On foot, no less.”
Many members of the clan murmured, their comments equally suspicious. Isabel said nothing. Her full attention remained on Zeke.
