Chapter 19 Good Luck
GOOD LUCK
Pushing at my shoulder, Sloane directed me toward Katherine’s suite, the two of us picking up the pace as more gunfire and explosions shook the house. Shoving our way into the room, we found Katherine and Ella huddled against the wall between the dresser and bed.
“What’s going on?!” Katherine screeched as she held her crying daughter close.
“We need to go! The house is under attack!” I told her, holding out my hand to pull her along with us.
Sloane quickly moved through the room, gathering various weapons from hidden compartments and strapping them to her body. She then reached into another secret cabinet and pulled out several armored vests, handing each of us one to secure to our torsos.
“What happened to Sloane?” Katherine asked quietly as she buckled Ella into the vest as tightly as she could fit her into it.
“Scott tried to kill me, so Sloane killed him.”
Katherine paused for only a second, her eyes widening at the news. “What?”
“I’ll explain later. Right now, we need to get out of here.”
After I knew Katherine and Ella were covered and I was good, I turned back to Sloane, who was currently strapping more guns to her side. I held out my open palm to her. When her gaze shifted from my hand to meet mine, caution echoed in her facial features.
“Two is better than one, Sloane,” I reasoned, stretching out my fingers.
Her jaw clenched for a moment, consideration flashing in her eyes before she nodded and handed me two Sig P938s with extended magazines.
“You’re right. Two is better than one,” she agreed, respect and sincerity gleaming in her eyes.
I smirked back at her as the weight of the guns hung from my palms at my sides.
Fuck, I was honestly going to miss this woman.
“Now, let’s move!” she ordered as she slung an M16 around her shoulder.
We followed her out of the room, Katherine clutching Ella to her chest. The armored vest was far too large for Ella’s tiny body, but it was better than nothing. I just hoped Katherine could carry the extra weight it held until they got to safety.
“What’s the plan, Sloane?” I asked as I stayed close behind her, the gunfire damn near constant. She kept her rifle up as she moved swiftly through the halls of the house, her head and eyes bouncing in all directions as she led us down the stairway.
If this was the attack Jason had organized, I didn’t want either of us killing any of his team members, so I needed to know where the hell she was planning on taking us. With how stacked she was right now, I hoped her plan would not require nearly that much firepower.
“We take the hidden tunnel off the property. There is a small boat house about fifty yards from the exit with supplies and transportation. Hopefully, it was outside the range of the EMP,” she answered quickly.
I nodded, wondering to myself how far I was going to follow her with this plan.
I couldn’t leave with them. I had to see this through.
Otherwise, I would be running for the rest of my life.
I had to make sure Darren didn’t survive this time if he happened to survive the diversion Jason and his team had planned. It had to end here. Period.
As we moved quickly through the lobby, we passed Scott’s body, his wide-open eyes haunting me with a strange finality.
I knew his loss would be detrimental to Darren’s organization.
He would have to start from scratch if he somehow survived all this.
But I was not planning on allowing him to make it that far ever again.
Despite all the gunfire and occasional explosions, we managed to make it to the secret stairwell virtually unscathed.
Sloane pulled some kind of manual hidden lever, and the door opened, her arms reaching around to usher us inside.
We followed her down the dark stairs that led to the tunnel at the lowest level of the house, the same one Darren had led me down when we entered the shack.
With the backup generators likely being damaged from the EMP blast, the lights flickered on and off, making the tunnel look like something out of a terrifying video game.
Sloane withdrew a small flashlight from her pocket and mounted it onto her rifle, the small light giving off impressive distance.
“Come on,” she ordered.
“Sloane, stop,” I said as I halted my steps just outside the door of the stairs.
My heart clenched at the realization that this would probably be the last time I would ever see Katherine or Ella again, but if they stuck with Sloane, I knew they would be fine. I knew they would thrive again. And that would be enough for me.
Because this was where I had to say goodbye.
Sloane turned back to me, her rifle still in her arms and irritated confusion on her face.
“We don’t have time to stop, Jaden. We need to go now,” she pressed, her voice taking on a sharp edge.
“I can’t go with you,” I replied sadly, placing my guns into the side holsters of my vest.
Katherine’s eyes widened as she looked back at me, fear and disbelief shadowing her gaze. “What do you mean, you can’t go with us? Jaden, you can’t stay here! Are you crazy?” Katherine argued as she set Ella down to stand next to her.
I shook my head at the both of them.
“The road for me ends here. I have to finish this.”
Sloane stared down at me, her eyes soaking up my words as understanding finally hit her.
“Finish what?” she asked, her tone taking on a dangerous bite.
I exhaled my truth. “Finish taking back my life.”
We stared at each other for what felt like a lifetime, but as Sloane studied me, she seemed to finally come to the conclusion she had been previously warned about.
“Scott was right. You were a part of this,” she stated plainly.
I shrugged with indifference. “Yes and no. I knew the attack was coming when Sid told me about it yesterday, but I had no part in planning it.” Her brows furrowed at my revelation, so I quickly expanded it.
“I’ve been a prisoner here for the past four years, Sloane.
Everything I’ve ever known Darren has taken from me. And I want it back.”
Sloane was silent for a moment as she absorbed what she already knew. Deep down, she knew I hated this life and wanted out. And here was my opportunity. But was she going to be the one to stand in my way?
“Jaden, you can’t stay here while the house is under attack. You’ll get yourself and your baby killed! Just come with us. We’ll figure out what to do then,” Katherine practically begged.
I shook my head at her. “Don’t worry, Katherine, there is no baby. Turns out, there never was.”
Her brows connected and nearly hit the ceiling at the same time. “What the hell are you talking about?” she practically screeched. “What do you mean never was?”
“Sid was the true master of deception. He faked my pregnancy to appease Darren and spare me the pain of having to bear his child for as long as he could help it.”
Katherine and Sloane stood there in baffled silence, staring at me like I had grown three heads.
“When did you discover this?” Sloane asked. “Did Sid tell you this?”
I nodded. “He told me yesterday. Right before he died.”
I was met with more silence, neither one of them knowing what to say. But the following booms going off above ground shook us all out of the stunning reveal.
“You don’t have to worry about me, Katherine. I’ll be fine. But I can’t run from this anymore,” I reasoned gently. “If Darren is still alive, he will hunt me to the ends of the earth. And I’m not going to live like that. I can’t. It has to end here.”
Sloane took a step closer, clutching her rifle tightly. “Then I will stay to help you,” she replied firmly.
“No, I need you to get them to safety,” I argued, pointing at Katherine and Ella. “They need you more than I do.”
Sloane sucked in a breath of frustration, indecision and turmoil storming away inside her at the idea of actually leaving me behind, the woman she had sworn to protect.
But she had to know I would not go with her willingly, which would pose a risk for all of us.
She would essentially have no choice but to leave me behind.
“Jaden, please don’t do this,” Katherine begged, the airy desperation in her voice almost making me feel guilty. “Just come with us. Please.”
I folded my lips together, shaking my head at her request. A sad sense of déjà vu overcame me, recalling the heartbreaking decision I had to make to stay behind then too and convince Kayla to also leave without me. “I can’t.”
After a moment of fierce deliberation, Sloane held out her arm to me, her large palm outstretched for me to take. “It has been an honor to protect you, Jaden Davis. May fate smile upon you today.”
I smirked as I reached out and placed my hand firmly in hers. “It’s Wilder, actually,” I corrected.
Sloane matched my smirk with a nod. “Wilder. Fitting.”
“You never did tell me your real name,” I reminded her.
She folded her lips in indecision before she shook her head and smirked. “It is Mariya.”
I chuckled like an asshole. “Yeah, that doesn’t fit at all,” I laughed as she nodded in obvious agreement. “Thank you for everything, Sloane. Truly. You’re really an amazing woman.”
The second I released Sloane’s hand, Katherine nearly cried as she wrapped one arm around me while she held Ella’s hand with the other, the hug much tighter than I thought her capable.
“And you’re an insane one, Jaden,” she cried as she held me tightly. “But I get it, so thank you for everything. Thank you for being my friend.”
I tightened my own grip around her shoulders for one quick second before pulling away. “Thank you for being my secret ally. I wouldn’t have made it this far without you.”
“Oh, bullshit,” she countered with a sniffle, wiping at her eye. “You’re so much more badass than you give yourself credit for.”
My smile softened as I stared back at her. “Ditto, Katherine. And don’t ever forget it. Now get out of here while you still can, and don’t ever look back.”