53. Kane
Chapter 53
Kane
The cold wind swirled into the back of my coat, making my skin break out into a round of goosebumps. I cursed again—the warm sun and beach beckoned me, and I couldn’t wait to go back to the place I’d called home for almost ten years. Hawke had kicked my ass every day at my request. I had to become better than everyone if I was ever going to find Ash and destroy Maximus—I knew that at a young age. When the opportunity arose to infiltrate their ranks, well, it was too easy.
My family: Will, Hawke, my mother, and even Liam. We’d built Bayview from the ground up. A haven for blondes. As soon as we could, we began searching for other blondes, bringing them back with us to protect them, rallying people from all over the country to help our cause. Henry, I learned, had built up a great deal of followers before the raid, but people had become too afraid to help. Plus, they had nowhere to go previously, except to try to hide from the King in the outskirt towns. But now, we had Bayview, and our numbers were larger than ever.
Once I gained my new position, I was able to bring in more blondes and help more people. I had filled the ranks of the bounty hunters with sympathizers, as well. Too bad Waylon and Rex weren’t some of those men. It would’ve been easy to get Ash out of the hunters’ house if they had been. Just thinking about Rex made my blood boil. He’d always pushed his luck with me, and seeing the bruise on Ash’s face that day had put me over the edge.
After I let Ash and Etan escape that night, I directed the soldiers off her path and dragged Waylon back to the hunters’ house before I decided he knew too much and ended him. Then, just like that—just like all we had worked for had walked away—William and I let her go. William convinced me it was for the best, that it was what Liam wanted, and I knew he was right. She deserved to be happy and not be involved in any of this, even if it meant being with another man. Liam never wanted me to infiltrate the King’s men; he said it was too dangerous. He was a bit too soft for my taste. He never wanted to find Ash either, after she turned eighteen. He said she was better off wherever she was, but I had to know. William and I went directly against his orders and kept searching for her. When I found her and held her in my arms that first night in the rain, I knew Liam was right. She loved another man, and she was relatively safe and cared for. She didn’t deserve to be dragged into this, and I didn’t deserve her. She was too pure for all the things I had done.
I had sent William back to Bayview to get word to Liam that we had found her and she was safe, while I went back to working for the King and questioning my sanity. I lasted forty days before I found my feet moving back toward Cedar Hill—like a magnet was drawing me back to her. I was going to tell her everything and give her a choice, but I was too late. And now, here we were—trapped in this situation because Liam was too afraid to tell Ash the truth and begin the rebellion sooner.
I strolled through town, people bustling about as the celebration began. Twinkling light streamed from the buildings, and warm, delicious scents leaked into the air. Working my way toward the Pit, the streets became less and less crowded. No one noticed when Caleb slipped into position beside me on the bare stretch of road between Hope and the Pit.
“Everything set for tonight?” I murmured, keeping a little distance between us.
“Kane…we can’t find Liam.”
“What?” I clenched my fists in my pockets and kept walking.
“All the men are ready and set at the bunker, but Liam isn’t there.”
I glanced at the sun, which would soon be setting.
“When did you last see him?”
“This morning. He said he was going to go visit April’s grave, and he never came back.”
“He’ll come. He probably just needed some time today. It’s still early. Go see if he’s back, and if not, follow through with the plan. Did you do what I asked?”
“Yes, we took out any known snipers in the Dark Rise’s ranks and took their weapons. We will have eyes on her all night, I promise. We won’t let anything happen to her.”
I nodded. “Thank you. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
He dipped his chin and disappeared, but something made me uneasy. After all the planning and all this time, why would Liam not be there? I was confident he would show. He wouldn’t leave Ash; he wanted to get her out more than anyone else, except maybe me.
I approached the fence that surrounded the Pit—the guards watching my every movement. When I reached the gates, the soldiers nodded and stepped aside, letting me through. I remembered the first time I walked through these gates and saw what lay inside. Tonight was different. Something in the air murmured change.
I walked past the building with the interrogation rooms, where we held Seth not long ago, and the other building, which was heavily guarded. Even I wasn’t allowed up there, but I’d seen the King enter several times lately. I suspected that’s where they housed the blood that they drew from the blondes and where Jones did his dirty work, but it was still a mystery, what was really up there.
I prowled through the buildings like I was searching for someone to drag back to the interrogation rooms. Night fell, and it wasn’t hard to step into the shadows and away from prying eyes. I entered the building where most of the blonde men and women who knew my true motives, lived. This building was their home for a reason. It was the most run down of all the structures and the least guarded.
I kept my head bent low and my hood up and only caught the eyes of Roland, my blonde leader on the inside. As soon as he saw me, he stood, signaling to the other men and Kyra. They all followed me up to the room where I had left Seth—Roland’s room.
Several people entered behind me. Someone shut the door, and I pulled off my hood, shaking the hands of those in the room. My breath stopped in my throat when my hand clasped with Seth’s. He looked worse for wear, but he was alive, and hopefully tonight, he would be free once again. I also shook the hand of his brother, who looked like he had avoided any hardship here.
“What’s going on, Boss?” Roland asked.
“It’s happening tonight. We’re getting the blondes out. Have you done all that I asked?”
He nodded. “I’ve talked to as many people as I could in the last months. They know it’s coming and they’re prepared. We’ve just got to spread the word.”
“And the fence?”
“The best bet is the northeast section. It’s the least patrolled, and there’s no light there. The weakest portion in my opinion.”
“Good. Kyra?” I asked, looking at the tiny woman. She may be tiny, but the look on her face scared even me. “Are you quick enough to spread the word before it starts?” She smiled an evil smile, and then, in a blur of movement, she was gone. “Go,” I said to the remaining men. “Start telling everyone who is in an unguarded building to go northeast when they hear or see the explosions in town. It’s going to be soon. Go now.”
Men scuttled out of the room in a hurry to carry out my orders. I felt twitchy; something still seemed off.
“Roland, you got this?” I asked.
He gave me a solemn nod. “I’ll get as many as I can out.”
“When Hope erupts in chaos, most of the guards will leave. That will be your shot. The fence will lose power. Get them out. Whatever you do, just get them out.”
He put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “I got this. Go to her.”
The worry gnawing at my gut must have leaked out onto my face, but I knew he was right. I gave him a solemn nod and rushed away. As I hurried back toward the gates, my thoughts spiraled. The first explosion shook the night air when I was almost at the gates. The guards looked at each other in shock and confusion, and a few turned and ran toward the town.
The plan was working, but where was Jerek? The explosion in the substation should have happened by now. It was supposed to happen only a few moments after the one in town. I waited. Still nothing.
Something was wrong. I worked all the information through my head again, until something sparked in my mind. He said he went to visit April’s grave. Only, April didn’t have a grave. Shit. I started running. The King usually visits the cemetery the night before the winter solstice, but he changed it to this morning. Ash told me what Ryan had shared and why she went and stole the medicine when she did, and I had told Liam. Liam, you fool! He had gone to talk to his father and never returned.
I could clearly see the King’s cunning, but it was too late. Maximus had changed his plans on purpose. He assumed Liam would come and specifically targeted Ryan as a test. I could see the purposefulness behind his decision, and I knew exactly where Jerek was. The King had been ahead of us this whole time, and Liam played right into his trap.