Page 7 of The Rise

“How do you expect me to get back here?”

“That’s on you. You decide how long it’s going to take to find out what we need. You stay there as long as that takes, and then you find a way out.”

“They keep kids, Ray. What makes you think they’re going to keep me?” Just as I say that, I hear a tiny whimper, and my head whips to the side. There stands Gabe with the little girl I’ve been keeping an eye on. She’s probably about four, but she won’t speak, and I don’t blame her.

“You’re going with her.”

“That doesn’t mean they’ll keep me,” I argue, pulling my eyes away from her and back to him.

“If they think you won’t leave her, they will. Think about it. If you’re attached to that kid, they’ll have no choice but to take you too.”

“This doesn’t sound like a very good plan.”

“No one fucking asked you!” he roars this time. I step toward him, ready for a fight.

“I don’t want to do it,” I tell him. His fist flies through the air colliding with my face and sending me falling to my ass. Gabe growls but makes no move to help me. Ray turns to walk off, grabbing the girl as he goes and leaving Gabe to me.

I push myself up into a sitting position, holding my face when he walks over. He kneels next to me and reaches for me, but I slap him away.

“Let me see it,” he demands.

“Fuck you, Gabe. This is done. We’re done.”

“We’re never done!” He roars. I shake my head and shove off the floor as he does the same. “You think you can leave me?” he asks, his tone low and dark. Not like anything I’ve ever heard from him before.

“Yeah, I do. They are sending me away anyway,” I tell him.

“Not forever, Lana.”

“Long enough,” I sneer at him. His hand snaps out, and he grips my upper arm roughly, pulling me toward him.

“You’re never leaving me for good, Lana. Get that through your fucking head, and if you think you are, I’ll just have to make you stay.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“I’ll be more like Ray if that’s what needs to be done. There’s no way you’re leaving me. Not now. Not ever.”

“And if I do?” Now, he leans in really close so our faces are nearly touching.

“I’ll hunt you to the end of the fucking earth and will make you pay for leaving me.” I can sense the darkness in him. He’s been around these men for so long that he’s starting to act like them. It wouldn’t surprise me if he made good on his word but for now, I give him what he wants. I nod my head before he presses his lips to mine. I don’t kiss him back, but he doesn’t care. He pulls away and releases his grip before walking out of the room.

I turn on my heel and go out the same way until I get to the next holding room. Then I step inside to see most of the kids are asleep. I already fed them dinner and made sure none of them were thirsty. Not that many of them say anything to me because they don’t. They mostly cry and keep to themselves. It’s probably smart on their part, though.

I walk over to the little girl as she sits in the corner where she always is and kneel next to her. I reach out and brush her hair behind her ear and smile at her.

“You have the prettiest hair,” I tell her. She doesn’t smile, doesn’t move. “I’m sorry you’re here, little one.” Before the tears can fall, I stand and hurry out of the room. Once I’m outside, I let it all out. I cry. I scream. I punch the fucking walls because this isn’t fair. It shouldn’t be like this.

When I calm myself down, I walk down the hall and back to my room, closing the door behind me. I walk over to the bed and drop down on it, curling into a ball. I know how they feel, and it kills me inside. I was there once. I was her. I was that little girl, and it breaks my heart to know what she’s going to endure if this plan goes wrong. What if those guys don’t get this shipment? What if Ray’s wrong?

I don’t know how long I lay in bed before Gabe came in. I watch him walk across the room and drop his gear before stripping out of his clothes.

“Does it even bother you?” I ask.

“What?”

“What you’re helping them do. Do you even care that little girl was me once?” I ask him, needing to hear it from his lips.

“It’ll never be you again,” he replies, not answering my question.

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