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  Ozzie snickered quietly to himself. Leave it to Oz to laugh at the trivial things. His infectious chuckling almost made me laugh too. Almost. My still-broken heart wouldn’t let me.

  “I used to be one of ISAN’s security techs. When I found out ISAN had created teenage soldiers, I knew which side I would fight for. I did favors for Zen and found a route for his escape, along with many teens.”

  “Were there any complications?”

  I recalled how badly ours had gone and wanted to take the question back. Had I asked to punish myself? To know I could have planned better so Ava wouldn’t have felt the need to sacrifice herself.

  Stop. Can’t dwell on the past and the what-ifs. Look ahead for the future and strategize better.

  Someone had ratted us out, though I had no proof. When I found out who had done it, no amount of begging would save them.

  “No complications when we left, but they found our base. We had to split up. I don’t know if ISAN caught anyone with Zen’s group. I didn’t know if he was alive, to tell you the truth, until you confirmed it. He escaped first with a handful of assassin trainees. We couldn’t all leave at the same time. It would have been obvious.”

  Perhaps that was our mistake. Most of us tried to escape at once. But I had seen no other way. There would have been more guards after the first group left, and our only means of escape, the trash chute, would have been sealed. As I was sure it was now.

  Frank asked questions and spoke most of the way. Sometimes I wanted to shove a rag in his mouth to shut him up, but it did make the time go by faster.

  When we arrived, Cleo rushed out first to greet the men on duty. She asked one of them to find her father and then sent three trucks with armed drivers to the Abandoned City to rescue the others. I didn’t feel comfortable taking Frank into Zen’s private compound without direct permission, so we waited outside.

  “Zen lives here?” Frank’s eyebrows met at the center.

  I didn’t blame him for the question or his confusion. Nothing to see but masses of broken buildings, worse than the Abandoned City.

  “You’ll see.” I crossed my arms and widened my stance. Relaxed but ready. I learned that habit from ISAN. “You’ll see,” I repeated for no reason in particular, except I was bored waiting for Zen.

  Patience was one virtue I needed to work on.

  I rocked on my heels, my tolerance wearing thin. I wanted to do some research and find out more about the gala Ava would be attending. Just as I decided to go find Zen myself, he came out of a space between two collapsed concrete walls.

  The passage was so narrow, he had to fold in half to emerge. Nobody would suspect a home could be built underneath. Astute old man.

  “Frank! It’s good to see you, man.”

  I had never heard Zen express such delight before. Sounded strange from a man of his age, one who gave orders with a commanding tone. Ozzie and Reyna must have thought the same, for they too cocked their eyebrows and directed smiles at me.

  “Zen.” Frank’s eyes lit up, and he shook his head as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

  They collided into a manly hug and broke apart, thumping each other’s backs.

  “You remember Hansh, Miguel, and Owen?” Frank sidestepped to clear the way for his men.

  “Yes.” Zen shook their hands. “I’m glad to see you, but this must mean the North has fallen?”

  Frank nodded gravely. “They found the main rebel base. We had to split up.”

  Zen’s face muscles strained, his body tightening. Then he wrapped an arm around Frank’s shoulders. “It’s good to see you. Come. Let me show you what I’ve built, and I’ll explain our limited resources. Maybe you can help pinpoint our weak spots.”

  “It will be my pleasure.” Frank followed.

  Zen crouched to enter the makeshift base, and I hung back to make sure everyone got in safely. Ozzie and Reyna shadowed me, but Cleo sprinted to her father, continuing to ignore me.

  I passed a section of dank drywall that reeked of soil. The tunnel divided into three sections at the dead end—an illusion to create confusion.

  Each of those passages looped back to one point where a tripwire bomb waited, ready to explode if an enemy dared to explore. Instead of entering a tunnel, I veered to the right behind a thick veil of vines, tailing Zen.

  Hope City materialized behind the cloak of darkness as the cocking of guns echoed to the ceiling. Birds nesting above fluttered away.

  Zen raised his hand, and his crew backed away. A handful of young men and women situated at the front returned to business. Others were scattered about, planting, cooking, washing, and doing other necessary jobs.

  Like my team back at home, everyone lent a hand to get the job done. Unlike my base, where we inhabited private rooms, they lived in tents. Some were fortunate enough to have mattresses.

  Countless pillars of light penetrated the solar panels carefully placed between the cracks. Hope City was flat and long, whereas my base in the mountain was constructed in tiers.

  Frank raked back his dark curls and let his jaw fall slack. “Wow. You made this happen? It’s unbelievable. An underground city.”

  “Not quite underground. A lot of people worked hard to build this.” Zen strolled down the uneven path. “Drifters helped with labor when they weren’t lazy. I offered them food and negotiated with black marketeers to get supplies. But I couldn’t have done it without Dr. Hunt’s preparation. He was the mastermind behind Hope City. We originally planned it to be at the Abandoned City. He doesn’t know of this place, but I believe he would’ve been proud.”

  I clenched and unclenched my fists. He had never shared that information with me. I supposed it was irrelevant, but I could have told Ava. Anything to wake her, to tell her what her father had aspired to do. I ground my teeth over bitter words.

  No use. Stop thinking of what-ifs.

  After passing pitched tents to the left and makeshift rooms to the right, I rounded the corner to a spacious security room with high-tech TAB systems spread out on a rectangular table. Large holograms of the cities Zen monitored projected near the rocky structure, all powered by solar panels.

  Frank blew a wolf whistle, his eyes bouncing from one wall to another. “You’ve got some state-of-the-art equipment, boss. How did you do it?”

  Zen wrapped one arm around me and the other around Cleo—who hadn’t left his side—and squeezed us both. “Rhett and Cleo helped me.” He dropped his arms. “Let’s just say they know how to convince the black market sellers to give us what we want for a bargain. Again, I couldn’t have done this without Dr. Hunt. I gathered what funds I had, and Dr. Hunt transferred a large amount of 4Qs—our digital currency—which I stored in my chip. We knew the black market was the only way we could get our resources. We had to be extra careful.”

  “I understand.” Frank nodded somberly and directed his men to the TABs. “I’ll have them check it out and make sure everything is properly secured against the latest ISAN tech.”

  Ozzie, Reyna, and I exchanged glances again. They seemed to have the same reservations I did. I supposed since Zen knew Frank well, we should relax. But I’d be keeping my eyes on his men.

  ISAN played dirty. Who knew for sure whose side Frank was on? He could’ve been the one who tipped off ISAN about their base.

  After the tour, we adjourned to the dining room to get refreshments. Zen always stocked beer and sodas, his favorite drinks. They were buried deep in the soil to keep cool. Though Zen had mini refrigerators like the ones from the olden days, housing fresh food and preserving leftovers seemed to be a challenge.

  Everyone busied themselves at the table with small talk. I snuck away when Cleo left the room, trailing her at a distance.

  Cleo hiked up shattered pieces of cement—convenient stairs—and rounded the curve of the wall to her room next to Zen’s. Not a tent, but an actual room, sectioned off by collapsed sheetrock.

  I pushed through the curtain and Cleo pointed a Taser at my ches
t. Ignoring it, I glanced about her room. Though I knew where she slept, I had never been inside.

  Clean. Simple. But a bit dusty.

  Next to her mattress, there were Tasers, daggers, guns, and other weapons spread out like a display on a wooden table in need of a polish. Under the table was a rickety basket covered with cloth, where I assumed she stashed her clothes. The fabric sticking out validated my hunch. No photos and no keepsakes of her deceased mother as far as I could tell.

  I relaxed. “Are you deciding whether to Tase me?”

  She rolled her eyes, then gave me her back. “I should, for stalking me.”

  “I wouldn’t have to if you would just tell me what I did to piss you off.”

  She whirled around, her eyes piercing mine as if I should have known. I released a heavy sigh.

  Why did girls do that? They assumed men could read minds. We’re idiots. We’re probably missing the gene that detects a woman’s body language or something.

  Her eyes softened, but her crossed arms indicated she might still be upset.

  “It’s nothing. It’s just me, Rhett. Okay? Just let it go.”

  “What can I do to fix this?”

  I’d hurt her, and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. I loved Ava. Love can’t be forced or coaxed. It happened sometimes in the least expected ways. Sometimes, though rare, love happened at first sight.

  I reeled back through my past interactions with Cleo, and I couldn’t think of anything I’d said or done to give her the wrong impression.

  Cleo quirked her lips and tapped her foot as if debating. She stopped and paced about the length of her room.

  “I just need some space, Rhett.” She dipped her chin, her eyes straying from mine. “I thought maybe with Ava out of your life, you’d eventually forget her and maybe want to be with me. I gave you many signs, but you never responded. I suppose I shouldn’t have hoped. Ava didn’t seem real to me. I had never met her, though I saw her from a distance that day. She’s like a drifting phantom. When you finally found her, and then let her go, I hoped it meant we would have a chance. But Ava’s someone permanent in your life. You’re never letting her go. I saw how much you love her.” Cleo shuffled her feet, making a long streak in the dirt, and met my eyes again. “I have to admit, I’m jealous. I envy the dedication you have only for her. The way you love Ava ... that kind of love is hard to find.”

  My heart dropped to my feet, and it felt too heavy to be picked back up. As I wallowed in her hurt, I lifted her chin with my finger, forcing her to look at me.

  “I’m sorry, Cleo. You’re beautiful, talented, intelligent, and you deserve someone who can give you all of his heart.”

  I sounded like a mom or a dad or a therapist.

  Be real. Be true.

  “Yes, I love Ava. Had the escape gone right, she would be with me. She is my forever.” I had to lay it out once and for all, but this was so awkward.

  Ava was supposed to be here with me. She would have been by my side had she not sacrificed herself and run the other way to distract the guards. I would have changed places with her, but my hands had been tied. I couldn’t stop her in time, and I had no choice but to jump in when bullets whizzed past me.

  Guilt for leaving her haunted me like a growing plague. Not knowing if she was alive had gutted me anew on a regular basis. But Ava was here with me in a way. I carried our love and memories everywhere I went, like an extra weight.

  I heard her voice and saw her in my dreams. Everywhere I turned, I seemed to see her ghost. Sometimes I found myself saying the words she might have said. There were also times when the pain held me in a vise grip, and all I could do was close my eyes and let the agony of her absence ride its course.

  “I know.” She tugged on the hem of her shirt. “I just need time.”

  I closed the gap and embraced her. “I treasure our friendship. Please don’t hate me.”

  Cleo peered up, her eyes glistening. She lightly socked my chest and said through trembling lips, “I don’t hate you. I just don’t know how to get over you.”

  I knew that feeling all too well. I didn’t know what to do, so I released her. If she didn’t shake off her feelings for me soon, I would lose her friendship when Ava came back.

  Ava had to come back. I wouldn’t be able to breathe if she didn’t.

  “Rhett!”

  At Reyna’s desperate shriek, my heart palpitated hard against my ribcage. I dashed out of there, Cleo hot on my heels.

  “I’m here.” My feet pounded, dirt shifting under me.

  “Rhett! Rhett!”

  “I’m coming,” I shouted, practically sliding down the makeshift stairs.

  My friends come into view. What was so urgent?

  “What?” I panted, halting in front of Zen, Cleo at my side.

  Zen’s glowering eyes and the expressions on everyone’s faces said the news was bad.

  “What happened?” I placed a fist to my chest, preparing.

  Frank scrubbed the back of his head, his nose flaring. “We’ve been attacked. My men, dammit, they’re all dead.” Blood drained from his face as if the words hit home for the first time.

  I stared blankly.

  A bitter part of me didn’t like Frank for how he had treated us from the start, and the skeptical part of me didn’t trust him, but pushing those aside, I felt sorry for him. He’d lost all of his team members except the three who had fit in our truck.

  They’re all dead.

  Even as the words sank in, I refused to believe.

  Cleo dug her nails into my arm and sucked in a breath. Ozzie and Reyna slid closer to me, terror on their faces. As for me, I’d seen horror and death. I’d experienced loss and pain. But every time felt like it was the first.

  “How? We were just there. They were safe. Who told you?” I finally got my tongue to work. Guilt slammed into me, and then reality set in.

  “I was there.” One of the drivers stepped forward, blood caking his head and clothes. He was covered in white dust as if he’d been buried under Reyna’s powdered doughnuts. “I don’t know how they knew, but ISAN ambushed us with a ground assault and then the bombs dropped. We had no chance. The building ...” He swallowed and winced as if that movement hurt. “Collapsed. I managed to get out. I hid between two boulders until they left. I tried to find survivors but ... everything was destroyed. I went on foot in the direction you all drove, and that’s when Scott found me.”

  “I sent Scott when the trucks didn’t arrive at the designated time.” Zen combed his fingers through his hair. “Frank was worried and so was I. We can’t travel through the Abandoned City anymore to get to Cleo’s bakery. We’ll have to take the longer route. We can’t risk leading them to Hope City.”

  “How did they know?” Layla, one of Zen’s team members, asked.

  Zen pressed the heel of his palms on his temples as if to relieve an ache in his head. “Lucky guess and the right timing.” He locked his eyes with mine.

  I knew that look. A question.

  “No. Not Ava,” I said with conviction.

  Ava wouldn’t have told. She couldn’t have. Sure, she might have been confused, but I had gotten through to her. She knew ISAN’s motives.

  They might have gone back to sweep the area around the spot where they had captured Ozzie, hoping to find our base, and stumbled on Frank’s group. There had to be a reasonable explanation.

  “What do we do now?” a man in the back asked.

  “We stay low. Let them think they’ve destroyed our base.” Zen placed a hand on Frank’s back. “We’ll go to the Abandoned City at first light tomorrow and search for survivors. Everyone, go back to your duties. Tonight, we’ll plot our next move. After we get our revenge, then we’ll mourn the loss of our fellow comrades.”

  Zen always said, “When shit hits the fan you don’t have time to grieve. You move forward to make things right, and then grieve later.” These were the same words drilled into all of us in ISAN. And that was what Frank and his
men would do.

  People began to stir and drift away, and I did the same. I needed to get to Zen’s computer to message Ava that I was fine. She’d be devastated, or at least I hoped. It had taken me six months to be sure she was alive. Like hell I would make her wait that long.

  Someone grabbed my arm. When I whirled, I locked eyes with Zen.

  “She didn’t squeal.” My belligerent mood caused me to raise my voice.

  Zen had been against Ava’s kidnapping from the get go, but I had convinced him she would be valuable to our team. I wondered if he regretted helping me.

  “I’m not accusing her, Rhett. But I need you to hear me out.”

  I matched his intense stare and listened.

  “I know you want to message her, but you can’t.”

  “Why?” I glared.

  “ISAN is monitoring her in every possible way. They have to know of the messages on her TAB by now.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “It’s what I would do.”

  I released a sharp sigh, clutching a handful of hair. “Then what do you suggest I do? I have to let her know. We’ve come this far. She might give up, or ...” I couldn’t finish the thought.

  Zen slid his eyebrows together uncertainly. “One message and that’s the last. But it will put her in jeopardy, and besides, they think they’ve destroyed us. We can’t let them know they’ve made a mistake. I’ll let you do this, but you have to wait one week. We need to keep low.”

  “Fine.” I gnawed at my bottom lip, annoyed at the compromise. “One week. I’ll wait one week and no more.”

  My racing pulse started to slow, and I released a pent-up breath. Zen was someone I admired and respected, the father figure I’d wished for during my adolescent years, but if he wanted to accuse Ava of snitching without evidence, I wouldn’t hear it.

  Zen grabbed my elbow again, swinging me back around to face him. “You have to be encrypted. What are you going to say?”

  I knew the perfect words. Whatever it takes. That was our mantra, but I didn’t disclose that to Zen. He didn’t need to know.