“The inner fence was turned off!” one of the guards yells when they get closer. “These three got across and were headed this way.”
The wind whips against us, sending a cloud of dust into the air. A second later, the heavens open and rain dumps down, drenching everyone instantly. “Everybody inside!” yells Nursall. He and O’Donnell make their way up the steps supporting a weeping Avery between the two of them. Whit disappears inside the house with the doctor, and Blackwell and his men take shelter on the porch, in spite of the fact that the wind blows the rain almost horizontally.
I wait until Miles and my father are closer and, ignoring their guards’ protests, throw myself on both of them. “Miles! You’re here!” I yell, the noise of the storm snatching my words away. My father gives me a grim smile and kisses my forehead before continuing on with Holly toward the house, their guard steering them ahead with the barrel of his gun. Miles drops his defeated look and stands there looking supremely proud of himself. With a conspiratorial grin, he winks at me and then, prodded by the second guard’s gun, makes his way toward the house.
48
MILES
I TAKE THREE STEPS ONTO THE PORCH AND freeze. My dad is standing there under the porch roof, sheltering from the rain. We’re both surprised, but I’m staring at him like he’s a ghost, and his expression is more one of startled inconvenience. What is he doing here?
And then, it all falls into place. The phone call I heard O’Donnell make—he was talking to my dad. Of course, I should have realized it sooner! Who else had a vested interest in Amrit? Whit told us last night that he had only offered it to two people. This O’Donnell guy must have been playing both sides from the beginning. He’s probably the one who my dad called his “source,” feeding him information from Alaska, and alerting him that Juneau must be found.
Dad has known where we were heading this whole time.
I think of how I must look to him now: I haven’t showered, besides rinsing off in the river, for a week, and my arms and neck are still caked in mud. I’ve got to look pretty rough.
He marches over and, grabbing me by the arm, pulls me toward the front door. The guy guarding me yells and swings his gun toward us. My father’s men step forward, like they’re ready to tackle the guy, but Dad doesn’t budge—only stares him in the eye. “Follow us if you like. I’m not taking him anywhere.” My guard looks confused but lowers his gun and pushes us through the door into the entranceway.
The storm inside the house is wilder than the one raging outdoors. Avery’s fighting the doctor and Whit, who are both trying to subdue him. The guy who was guarding Whit is now in the office berating O’Donnell, as O’Donnell fumbles with the computer, trying to reset the electrical fences. Without orders, the two guards who brought us in seem confused about where they’re supposed to take us. And before they can do anything about it, Holly heads up the stairs on her own.
“Stop right there,” one of our guards says.
“Fat chance,” Holly replies, and continues climbing the stairs.
“I mean it, come back here—now,” he insists.
“Go ahead and shoot me,” she responds as she arrives at the top. She glances at me, questioning. I point to the right, and she disappears down the hallway. Stage One of our plan is complete: reunite Holly with Badger. Now to get both of them out of here and find a way out ourselves.
I glance over at Juneau. She saw the exchange between Holly and me and is staring like she doesn’t recognize me. I grin and she narrows her eyes. She can’t figure out what’s going on, and I know how much she hates not having complete control over her situation.
One of the guards leaves to follow Holly upstairs. The other gestures with his gun for the rest of us to move into the bookless library. My father keeps his grip on my arm and stands his ground. “My son and I need some privacy,” he tells the guard. The guy looks like he’s about to blow a fuse, but O’Donnell’s boss sticks his head out of the office and says, “Do what the man asks.” Dad’s already got the guards in his pocket. How unsurprising.
The guy gestures to the door next to the office and says, “You can use the bedroom. But don’t go anywhere else in the house.”
My father jerks me toward the bedroom. I turn to see Juneau’s guard wave her and her father into the library with his gun.