Page 74 of We Will Rise

I roll my eyes and drop my head back, stretching out the sore muscles in my neck from where Caleb’s hands were a few moments ago. “Don’t treat me like I don’t know what I’m doing, Crew. This isn’t my first rodeo, as I’m sure it’s not yours.” The coldness in my tone surprises me, but I need to shut down my emotions. They have a time and a place, and this is not it.

He stares at me for long seconds, his jaw clenched as he wars with himself. He just wants to take care of me, and I love him for it, but right now the only thing that matters is us both walking out of here alive, and to do that we need to trust our guts.

“How did you know he would stop?”

“An educated guess,” I admit. “They’ve gone to too much effort to kill us quickly. They’re going to drag this out, and killing me during our first interaction would mean they don’t have a bargaining chip to make you behave.”

He looks like he’s about to reprimand me for being so reckless, and I wouldn’t blame him despite the fact I stand by my choices, but instead he sighs. “You’re right. I just don’t like seeing you hurt.”

“I know.” I nod solemnly.

“We’re going to get out of here,” he swears. “And then I’m going to punish you for everything you’ve done to provoke him.”

A laugh escapes my throat, and I wince at the pain. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

KOVU

Bishop listens to whatever Wyatt is telling him for a few moments, his eyes calculating as he processes what he’s being told.

“You’re sure?” he asks before listening intently to whatever he’s saying for another few beats, nodding along despite the fact he can’t see him through the phone. “Keep us updated.”

He pulls the phone from his ear and slips it into his pocket before looking up at Kaos and me. “We have a lead, but it’s not confirmed yet. We’re still here until we get something solid.”

“What is it?” Kaos asks impatiently.

“Wyatt believes he’s found some property that belongs to Caleb. It’s about a hundred miles out of the city, a large estate with too much security for most normal people. It’s owned under a shell corporation, which is about six times removed from the alias we believe he was using in the years he was ‘dead,’ but we haven’t been able to confirm that it’s legit, so we haven’t made any moves on it yet.”

“Should we go check it out?” I ask hopefully, my heart beating hard in my chest. There was a long time where I truly believed I knew what fear was and that I would never feel it again once my parents were dead. But loving Camilla has just proven how wrong I was. Rationally, I know she’s no wallflower and she’ll hold her own no matter what’s thrown at her, but my protective instincts are running wild at the idea that she could be hurt and I haven’t done everything in my power to keep her safe.

Bishop shakes his head. “Some of the Saint James men are heading up there now. They’ll watch the property and assess whether they believe that’s where Camilla and Crew are being held, and then they’ll report back.”

“But what if—” I start, but Bishop quickly cuts me off.

“If that’s where they are, we’ll make sure we have adequate backup available to us before going in. We won’t have that until our allies arrive overnight. And there’s still a chance it’s a decoy. Caleb and Charles have been one step ahead of us this whole time, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they have men protecting an empty estate right now just to throw us off their scent.”

I want to argue, but he’s right. That’s the worst fucking part. Waiting is the best option. It would be stupid for us to be on the streets when they’re trying to take us out, but that doesn’t make being stagnant any easier, especially knowing my little lamb is in danger.

I turn my back on them and start slamming my fists into the punching bag again. My knuckles are long past numb as blood covers the bag and drips onto the floor, but I’m past feeling anything but fear for Camilla and the only true father I’ve ever known.

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

CREW

The hours bleed together, and I’ve all but lost track of time.

I’ve been lucky over the years, never finding myself in the hands of the enemy while I wait for the rest of my family to rescue me, but clearly my luck has run out.

Camilla’s head lolls to the side as she sleeps restlessly. Her eyes started drooping closed after the outside halls fell silent and there was nothing to keep us awake, but I fight against the fatigue. I need to protect her in any way I can, even if push comes to shove, and there’s no way I’ll be able to do anything while chained to the ceiling the way I am.

I have no way of knowing how long we’ve been here, or even where here is, but the pain in my shoulders and toes is enough to keep me on high alert despite how tired my body and mind are.

I shift slightly, trying to outmaneuver a cramp in my calf, but it takes over anyway, and I bite the inside of my cheek to keep the groan from falling from my lips.

As much as I want to know what they have planned for us, I don’t want to bring them in here unnecessarily when the others need as much time as they can get to find us.

“You okay?” Camilla murmurs, her eyes flicking open to meet mine.

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