Page 81 of Bound By Water
I point to the doors. “What about them? We can’t leave them.”
“We’ll tell Oliver when we get back. See if he can send men to get the rest,” he promises me. “Please, please hurry. This is my only chance to get them out.”
“River,” Lily says with a shake of her head. “She’s right. Every one of these people has been here with us since the beginning. We can’t leave them.”
River glares at us both but doesn’t reply. He simply speeds up. A minute later, he stops at a door. I look back. It’s a long way to the exit.
He wheels his sister into the room, and I follow. “Mom.”
The body on the bed slowly turns over and stares at him for a solid minute before recognition slips into the depths of her light blue eyes. “River. I knew you’d come. Come give me a hug. I’ve missed you.”
He bends down and wraps his arms around her small body. “I’m here to save you,” he says, tears muffling the words. “I should have done it a long time ago, but I was too scared to go against him. I’m sorry. So sorry.” He breaks down, clutching her to him.
“Hush,” she tells him, wiping the hair back from his face. “My beautiful boy. You’re here now. That’s all that counts.” Like Lily, she has a head of white-blond hair. Supposedly River does, too, although I’ve only seen him with the brown.
“We need to go,” Lily interjects in a worried tone. She turns toward me. “Please.”
Taking a deep breath, I push the wheelchair over to the two on the bed and touch River. “We have to get them out of here.” He flinches, but I gently tap his mom on the shoulder. “Let me help you into the chair.”
His mom looks up at me and tentatively smiles. “Introduce me to your friend, River.” It’s clear she isn’t sure whether to trust me or not.
Lily leans forward and whispers, “This is his girlfriend, Greer.”
Not technically, but with a shrug of acceptance, I look at his mom. “Nice to meet you. Unfortunately, we need to leave right now.” I lean over and help lift her fragile body into the chair. “There. Let’s go.”
“I’m Susan,” she replies, then catches River’s hand in hers. “You’ll never make it with me tagging along. Save Lily. Please. Do it for me. Knowing my children are safe is all I’ve ever wanted.”
I pull his hand out of her tiny one. “We’re all leaving together.” I know I’m being abrupt, but honestly, I’m not sure I can leave her behind either. With a twirl, I turn the chair around and head straight to the door.
“I like her,” Lily says with a snicker. “River. Now.” She knows it’s urgent we leave immediately.
We walk quickly down the hall but not too fast. A couple of guards pass by, but none stop. Each time I hold my breath, and I hear his mom do the same. I squeeze her shoulder. Skin and bones are all I feel beneath her thin gown.
Anger builds every time I look at Lily and Susan. Innocent. Tortured almost to death. Why? For revenge? Or something more sinister? Hightower’s an evil, evil man. So was Trent. Warped by the same mindset as his father.
River slows at the janitor’s closet, and I reach in and grab my bag. I tuck it in the chair with his mom, then follow him to the break room. When we get near, several soldiers walk out. One looks at us, and his eyes narrow. In response, River continues walking down the hall to throw him off.
“There’s another exit up ahead, but it will put us too far from the park,” River murmurs to the three of us once we’re past the soldiers. “We need to go back.” He slows, looking behind him, then turns the chair around when he doesn’t see anyone.
I do the same. Please, please let us get out of here. But when I turn, the guard is coming back around the corner, several armed guards with him.
Lily curses and raises her hands. Locks click up and down the hallway, releasing the prisoners held inside. Weak and wearing collars, they shuffle outside, but the second they see the soldiers, they launch themselves at them like rabid dogs, tearing into them with their hands and teeth. The collars restrict their powers, but do little to restrain them, giving us precious minutes to escape.
We roll through the break room and out the door. Thankfully, there’s nobody waiting for us, but the tree line looks so far away. Even if we make it, how are we supposed to run with the guards right behind us?
I look at River. This is hopeless. “How?”
His eyes grow brighter. “With nature’s help.” Vines slither out of the park and hoist the two wheelchairs in the air. “I’ll get…” A shot rings out, and River’s body jerks. He drops to one knee, and the wheelchairs crash to the ground.
I run to help Susan into a chair, then Lily.
Soldiers hurry out of the building and push both wheelchairs away from us. One grabs my arm, while two others grab River. With little effort, they haul us toward the front of the building. I search the grim faces around me. Nobody looks at me, but they’re watching River very closely.
Once in the front, they shove us to the ground. Clapping echoes in the dawn air. Confused, I look up and see Senator Hightower himself, standing there with a broad smile on his face. Dark wavy hair, perfectly combed, tall, with an athletic physique; he’s an older version of Trent. Fury rises in me.
Next to him is a dark-haired man with the darkest of brown eyes, almost black in color, around five feet nine inches tall. Dressed entirely in black, he gives off a menacing air, but when his gaze moves to me, there’s a look of… anticipation in his eyes. They almost sparkle with excitement. My head pounds every time he looks in my direction. Why does he look so familiar? What does he want? His face smooths of all expression when Hightower turns toward him.
“Right again, Hernandez,” he says, then turns away, clearly dismissing him. The man steps back but doesn’t leave. “River, I have a conundrum. On one hand, I’m very disappointed in you, and you know how much I loathe disappointment. It’s clear you were trying to defect, and I told you a long time ago that wasn’t going to happen.”
