All Is Silence - Deserted Lands #1

Chapter 30 - Part I

ZACH SHOT AWAKE, ADRENALINE ANSWERING in his veins. Nev’s phone buzzed glowing through the jeans on her hip.

“Okay, this is it,” Nev said.

Zach tried to sense everything in every direction. Lizzie had said there would be a diversion. What the hell was going to be the diversion? “Nev?” he whispered. “Are you ready?”

“I hope so.” Nev shrugged. “Never tried it with real cop cuffs.” Nev twisted her hands inside the cuffs.

Zach watched her hands become slimmer as her thumb bent at an odd angle. She was free. Zach and Spike and Charley were still handcuffed together.

Nev gasped and her eyes widened. Zach followed her gaze. An ethereal shape passed on the edge of the freeway. It was Lizzie—her body clothed only in moonlight. Shit, Lizzie, that is crazy. It was crazy, but the guard stood and followed her.

“Let’s go,” Nev whispered. “Now.”

Zach tore his eyes away. He held onto the loose cuff Nev had occupied, so it wouldn’t make any noise. He motioned Charley to do the same. Nev led them, jogging toward the freeway. Zach, Spike, and Charley followed in an awkward three-legged-race stumble. Spike kept twisting to look at Lizzie and Zach had to tug hard on the cuffs to keep him going forward.

At the freeway a dark form detached from the shadows. They all stopped, frozen.

Then Zach recognized Duke. The handcuffs jerked Zach forward, as Spike launched at Duke.

“Spike,” Zach hissed. “Not now.”

Duke jumped backward, beckoning them to follow. They moved fast with Spike chasing Duke more than following him.

“It’s okay, Spike,” Charley soothed. “It’s gonna be okay.”

When they reached the tree line Duke stopped. He bent down and came up with guns. He handed Zach and Nev guns.

“What about Lizzie?” Zach hissed.

“She’s gonna circle around and meet us at the house.”

Zach nodded, reluctant to leave Lizzie behind without knowing she was away from danger. He spun all the way around, dragging Spike with him in a half circle.

Zach saw the guard carrying Lizzie draped over his arms. “Jesus fuck.”

“What the hell is she doing?” Nev asked.

“Shit, Lizzie.” Zach tugged at the handcuff chaining him to Spike.

Duke stared. “She really is crazy.”

“Yeah.” Zach gritted his teeth.

Duke’s hands were white-knuckled on the barrel of the rifle. “There are only four of them.”

Nev shook her head. “There are more coming. I overheard their leader talking about another crew meeting up with them at 4 a.m.”

“Then we get out of here.” Zach picked up Lizzie’s clothes. “Figure something else out.” A cell phone fell out of the pile and onto the ground. Zach retrieved it. On the screen was an unsent text intended for him. Sorry 4 tricks. Gotta find my dad. Zach read it aloud. “They have her dad, too.”

“She thinks she can get to him,” Duke said, “by being captured.”

Zach sighed.

Yelling erupted behind them. Their escape had been discovered.

Zach said. “We’re out of time.”

“Okay, let’s move.” Duke led them at a hard pace through the trees and snow.

They broke out of the woods in a suburbia. Duke ran across a couple yards to one of the houses with a porch light on.

Rachael opened the door with Saj in her arms. She didn’t protest as Nev took Saj and kissed his head.

Zach pulled the other handcuffed males to Nev and the baby, checking him like a worried parent.

“You’re with us now?” Zach turned a skeptical eye on Rachael. “That’s convenient.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, casting her eyes down. “I didn’t want to help them.”

Zach’s anger wavered. Why am I pissed off at her? Rachael shouldn’t get the blame for the grudge he held against what those idiot Caldwell people had done. She had been as much a prisoner as Saj.

“Okay.” He nodded once and said, “Now, how the Hell do I get these cuffs off!” He rattled his wrist at Duke.

Duke arched an eyebrow. “I’m supposed to know? I’m no criminal.”

“I got Internet,” Rachael said. “I’ll see if I can figure it out.”

“I got mine off.” Charley grinned, holding up his hands. “Guess having little wrists helps.”

They went inside the house and Rachael turned on a computer in the den. Zach’s eyes swept the room. Spike jerked at the end of his tether and the cuff bit into Zach’s wrist. Zach sighed. Of course he would end up literally chained to the hyper mutt.

“Dammit, Spike.” Zach jerked his arm back toward himself, tugging Spike to a heel. “Charley, can you tell Spike to chill?”

Charley pulled Spike’s hands toward him and made signs.

Rachael’s fingers clacked at the keyboard. “Got it. There’s a video.”

She and Charley stared at the screen. Duke had disappeared to ‘check the perimeter’. Zach sat on the couch. Spike had calmed down, but every time he exhaled he whined. Charley patted his leg and continued to distract him with sign language.

After watching the video over Rachael’s shoulder and finding some bobby pins, Nev tinkered with the cuff between Zach and Spike. It took a few tries but eventually the cuff binding him to Spike popped open and he was free.

Zach picked up Saj and walked, the handcuff that had linked him to Nev still dangling from his wrist.

Nev followed him. “You okay, Zach?” Her hand touched his shoulder.

“No.” He shrugged away from her. “Fucking pissed.”

“Let me finish getting these bracelets off.” Nev opened the door to a bathroom and flipped on the light. “Come on. The light’s better in here.”

“Thanks,” he growled.

“Lizzie saved us.” Nev poked and wiggled in the keyhole with the bobby pin. “Do you think she’s in danger?”

“I don’t know. The Boss guy didn’t want us hurt. Just taken to their glorious city.” He hugged Saj. “It’s control. I don’t want anybody telling me what to do. And I sure as hell know Lizzie doesn’t want that.” He gave a dry laugh. “But she set this up.”

“Bingo,” Nev said as the other handcuff released. Then she, quiet for a moment, searched his face. “Shouldn’t we follow her?”

“As far as I am concerned, Lizzie made her bed and she can lie in it! You fucking bail her out.” Immediately, Zach wished he could call back the words. “Nev-”

“Fuck you, Zach.” Nev took Saj from his arms and stomped off.