“Hold up right there.” I heard an unfamiliar voice, one of the men who had just killed the soldier. “It's late for a kid to be out at this hour.”
“I'm no kid. Name's Olivia Parker,” I answered as I lifted my hand to show my dagger. “Part of the rebel alliance,” I announced. “And you are?”
“At your service.” The first one bowed and then laughed. My stomach twisted with dread. “I'm Jordan and this is Joel. Jaxon told us you'd be coming. We're working on gathering more troops to strengthen the rebel alliance. What do you need from us, Olivia?”
If they knew Jaxon, then I could trust them. “You read my mind.” I offered a weak smile. “What do you intend on doing with the soldiers who won't back down?” I already knew the answer, without having to ask.
Joel's face hardened. “We kill them.”
Jordan shot Joel a quick look, I wasn't quite sure why. “Listen.” Jordan rested a hand on my shoulder as he walked me further into the shadow beneath the trees. “I know you're a part of this, whether you want to be or not.” His eyes locked on mine. “But these men are ferocious: they'll stop at nothing. They'll shoot you before they even know which side you're on.”
I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. “What if you're wrong? What if there are soldiers who don't want to fight for Cabal?”
Jordan frowned. “I don't believe that to be the case.”
“I have information.” I turned and shifted on the balls of my feet. I lifted myself as best I could on my tiptoes to meet his stare, come face-to-face with him at eye-level. “The soldiers are coming from a town outside of here, Torv. Those men, they just want to go home. Give them the option first. If they don't take it…” I paused. “Do what you must.”
Jordan shot Joel a quick look and then nodded towards me. “Looks like someone grew an inch or two,” Jordan smirked. “I'll see what I can do. What are you going to do?”
“I need to see if Dylan Warren is still alive.” I didn't wait for an answer.
I jogged to the Warrens’ house, knocking repeatedly on the door. “Go away!” I heard a shout from the inside.
“Mr. Warren, it's Olivia.” I wasn't sure that would be enough to let me in. Maybe I should have pretended to be his daughter again.
Slowly the door unlatched and he opened it, only to pull me inside and slam the door behind him. Already we'd broken the rules. I wasn't allowed to step foot in another's home. It was improper and illegal. Not that the rules had stopped Dylan a few weeks ago. “Where's my son?”
“Honestly, I don't know.” It was the truth. “Last I saw, he was okay though.” I did my best to assure him. “We need your help, Mr. Warren.” I offered him the best smile I could muster, as I reached out to rest a hand on his arm. “You owe me.”
“What?” He scoffed at the idea. “I don't owe you anything, Olivia.”
I rolled my eyes in frustration and glamoured just long enough that he could see me shift into Jacqueline. His eyes widened. “It was you, all along!”
“I guess you could say that,” I smirked. “You owe me. I didn't rat you out to Craynor.”
“Anita's dead. You keeping your mouth shut doesn't change any of it.”
“I didn't kill her!” I gasped. “It was your fault. You couldn't hide your indiscretions better. Besides, I could have told Craynor in the hallway that you admitted to knowing who I was. That wouldn't have ended well for you.” I put him in his place.
Dylan huffed. “As if it matters anymore. Not a chance I'm doing anything for you. I lost my wife, my daughter, and my son. I can assure you, Olivia, you are not at the top of my list of people to help.”
“Don't blame me for the situation you put yourself in,” I retorted. “All this,” I gestured, “is because people are unhappy with the way things are. You can't make children in a lab and not expect consequences, especially when you send the second born away. Or worse,” I continued. “When you force people who don't love each other to marry.”
Dylan's eyes narrowed. “None of that was my fault or my doing.”
“Do you tell yourself that so you can sleep at night?” I shot back. “I'm sure Joshua would love to know the truth about his father.”
“What truth?” He had no idea what I was talking about.
“Seriously?” I laughed, the dagger twirling in my hand. “You're joking, right? Was Anita a willing participant? I'm guessing you didn't give her a choice and then she was murdered over it. You disgust me,” I snarled. “Maybe he's better off knowing who his father is, even if it means losing you.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Listen, you little brat.” He dropped his hands to his side. “I don't know why you're here or what you want, but I can assure you, what I had with Anita was consensual.”
“I'd ask her but it's a little too late for that,” I retorted.
“In a few weeks, it won't matter anymore. No one will care.” He walked towards the window, casting the shade aside as he glanced outside. “Everything's changing.”
“Yes, everything is,” I agreed. “You want your son back in your life, you'll do as I tell you.”
Dylan sighed as he shifted on his feet. “Fine, what is it you want from me?”
A few minutes later, I walked alongside Dylan Warren as we approached what had once been the Governor's mansion. It was no longer engulfed in flames, but a mess of rubble strewn across the lawn.
My stomach flopped as I surveyed the damage. I was thankful Jaxon's body was moved, but saddened I had no idea where he'd been taken. Some Cabal soldiers dug through rubble, looking for survivors. I guessed they were searching for their leader.
“What do you expect from me?” Dylan stopped walking, watching the aftermath of our destruction.
“All in due time,” I answered, confident of my actions. I had to be confident; I had no other choice. Showing weakness would get me killed. To the right of the rubble, I could see Jordan and a small band of followers he'd managed to round up. I didn't know how many were originally part of the rebel alliance but at least our numbers were growing in Genesis. He gave me a brief salute, letting me know he saw me. “This way.” I led Dylan towards Jordan and the mix of soldiers. There were twelve in total, three wearing the Cabal uniform and the rest of them neighbors.
“Where's Joel?” I inquired, taking a quick headcount of our small army.
“Trying to rally more support.” Jordan glanced around. “We have another dozen soldiers with him.”
“Cabal soldiers?” I asked, surprised.
Jordan smiled. “Yes, ma'am. They just want to go home and seeing as how all the governors are dead, the tide seems to be turning.”
“So it is,” I mused, glad the soldiers accepted our terms. Even with an army of two dozen, we wouldn’t have enough support if an air strike occurred, or if any additional men from the Cabal army rode into town. For now, it would have to suffice.
CHAPTER 25
“We got incoming!” From atop the stone wall, a rebel sat watching for troops.
“Everybody get in position!” Jordan shouted orders as the rebels raised their shotguns and pistols they'd stolen off dead troops. I refused to use a gun. I hadn't been trained with one, and so long as I wasn't on the front line, I'd be fine. At least, I hoped as much.