“That’s not what I meant, Little Minx. I knew you had to go back to get Ash and do what you felt you needed to do about the elders. I didn’t know anything about those plans, so there was no way I could safely bust in the compound. What if I screwed up something you already had in place? So, tonight resulted out of necessity.” His hands fall to my arms, rubbing them for warmth before he continues. “Lord Mateo found out the Titans planned to attack last night. He knows how I feel about you so he told me, and I didn’t know what would happen to you in the attack. I had to come.”
“How do you feel, Luke?” I had to ask. I need to know.
A sly smirk cracks his lips as he leans down, brushing his lips across my nose.
“Guys, I think he’s waking up!”
I’m gonna kill Cody, and Chase for that matter. How dare he wake up right now!
***
ANNA
When we walk in the main room of the house, Chase is just trying to sit up. Cody is on the floor next to him, trying and failing to keep Chase still, and Tommy is knelt down beside the two of them trying to explain that he most likely has a concussion.
“I don’t give a shit if I have a concussion. Where the fuck is Ash?” He tries again to stand and fails, falling back on his butt on the wood floor.
Dropping down on my knees next to him, I try to get his attention. “Chase, I think you are the only one that can answer that right now. Tommy found you a couple hundred yards from the compound. Someone had hit you over the head, and Ash was nowhere to be found. What happened? We thought you two were right behind us.”
His eyes are glassy, his skin looking peaked, and I think he might pass out again but instead he speaks, “Who the hell is Tommy?”
I almost giggle despite the circumstances, because yeah, we didn’t know Tommy before tonight, or the other two men that came with Luke to help us. In fact, I still don’t know their names.
Tommy gives Chase a little wave before introducing himself. “I’m Tommy, man. Luke and I are friends, both members of Diablo. I’m the one that found you.”
Chase seems to process that, and then quickly moves on.” Okay thanks, but I honestly don’t remember anything at all. The last thing I remember is us leaving behind Elder McGee and running through the hole in the wall. I know Ash and I were holding hands, running, and you were in front of us. That’s it. That’s where it goes blank.”
“Well the only reasonable answer is it was someone from the compound. Probably hit you over the head first, then grabbed Ash and took her back inside. If I was to guess, they’ll use her to get to you, Anna.” I had almost forgot Luke was behind me until he spoke.
I don’t understand what he means, so as he steps further into the room I ask, “What do you mean, use her to get to me?”
“I mean just that. They took her back, and will most likely try to use her as bait. Either directly or indirectly. We are looking at one of two things. Either they’ll get a message to you that if you don’t turn yourself in, they’ll hurt Ash or worse, or they know you’ll come back for her, so all they have to do is sit and wait. When you try to rescue her they’ll be waiting.” Luke curses under his breath, squatting beside me and shaking his head.
I look to Cody, then Chase. Not one of us is willing to just leave her there. It’s written all over each of our faces. With Cody, that’s his sister, and with Chase, she’s the love of his life. For me, that girl has been my number one since day one. I’ll be damned if I let them so much as lay a pinkie finger on her.
“Why do you think they care though?” Cody says turning to Luke. “I mean, Anna is one girl. If she wants to leave, what’s it to them? Wouldn’t it be easier to just let her go?”
“It would be if she wasn’t a security risk. She knows all their dirty secrets. They can’t just let her go, and Ash is their insurance policy,” Luke answers, crossing back to the front door. “I’m gonna go check on Taron and Easton.” As he gets to the door, he turns back over his shoulder and says, “We need to leave within the hour.”
Leave to go where?
Chaper 2 - Dick-Tator
ANNA
After Luke said we were leaving in an hour without so much as a where to or why, I couldn’t help but be irritated. You can’t drop a bomb like that and then just walk out the door. It’s not like I thought we could just set up shop in this dilapidated house, but this is not how we do things. We’re a team. We discuss things as a group before making decisions. So who the hell died and made you dick-tator?
So when the hour passes and Luke stomps through the door barking orders for us to get our shit we’re leaving, I have no choice but to give him a piece of my mind.
“Whoa, slow your role. Team Snowflake discusses things as a group before going off all halfcocked.” I hear Chase and Cody both shoot down my latest team name, but there’s no time for it, I’m in the zone. “You may have helped us escape, Luke, but we need to get something straight. We were already escaping, and while we appreciate your
