I didn’t know how to respond. After struggling for a moment, the only thing that came out was, “Thank you.”
Lucy nodded and, not sure what else to say, headed for the passage.
“Good night, Miss Lucy.”
She turned back, looking like I’d given her the best present in the world. “Good night, Aspen.”
When she left, my thoughts turned back to America. She’d looked so upset today, but I wondered if she had any idea how her attitude changed the people around her. Her dad was right: she was too good for this place.
I’d have to find a time to tell her how she was helping people without even knowing it. For now, I hoped she was resting, unworried about whatever had—
I whipped my head, watching as three butlers ran past, one tripping a bit as he moved. I was walking to the edge of the hall to see what they were running from when the siren sounded.
I’d never heard it before tonight, but I knew what that sound meant: rebels.
I sprinted back and burst into America’s room. If people were running, maybe we were already behind.
“Damn it, damn it, damn it,” I muttered. She needed to get dressed fast.
“Huh?” she said sleepily.
Clothes. I needed to find clothes. “Get up, Mer! Where are your damn shoes?”
She flicked her blanket off and stepped right into them. “Here. I need my robe,” she added, pointing as she adjusted her shoes. I was glad she understood the urgency so quickly.
I found the bundled fabric at the end of her bed and tried to make heads or tails of it.
“Don’t bother, I’ll carry it.” She pulled it out of my hands, and I rushed her to the door.
“You need to hurry,” I warned. “I don’t know how close they are.”
She nodded. I could feel the adrenaline pulsing through me, and though I knew better, I jerked her back, embracing her in the dark.
I pushed my lips to hers, locking her to me with a hand knotted into her hair. Stupid. So, so stupid. But right in a thousand ways. It felt like an eternity had passed since we’d kissed this deeply, but we fell into it so easily. Her lips were warm, and the familiar taste of her skin lingered in them. Underneath the faintest hint of vanilla, I could smell her, too, the natural scent that clung to her hair and cheeks and neck.
I would have stayed there all night, and sensed she might have done the same, but I needed her to get to the safe room.
“Go. Now,” I ordered, pushing her into the hallway, not looking back as I rounded the corner to face whatever was waiting for me.
I unholstered my gun, checking in both directions for anything out of place. I saw the swish of a maid’s skirt as she ducked into one of the secret safe rooms. I hoped that Lucy and Mary had already made their way to Anne and were hidden in their quarters, far away from danger.
Hearing the unmistakable sound of shots being fired, I ran down the hall toward the main stairwell. It sounded like the rebels were contained to the first floor, at least, so I knelt at the corner of the wall, watching the curve of the steps, waiting.
A moment later, someone ran up the stairs. It took less than a second for me to identify the man as an intruder. I aimed and fired, hitting him in the arm. With a grunt the rebel fell back, and I saw a guard bolting up to capture him.
A crash down the hall told me that the rebels had found the side staircase and had made their way to the second floor.
“If you find the king, kill him. Take what you can carry. Let them know we’ve been here!” someone yelled.
I moved as quietly as I could toward the resounding cheers, ducking into corners and surveying the hallway repeatedly. On one of the peeks back, I noticed two more uniforms. I motioned for them to get low and move slowly. As they got closer, I saw it was Avery and Tanner. I couldn’t have asked for better backup. Avery was a hell of a shot, and Tanner always went above and beyond because he had more than most of us to lose if he didn’t.
Tanner was one of the few officers who came into the service married. He had told us again and again how his wife complained that he wore his wedding ring on his thumb, but it was his grandfather’s, and they had no means to resize it. He promised her it was the first thing he’d spend his money on when he got home, along with a better ring for her while he was at it.
She was his America. He was always focused because of her.
“What’s going on?” Avery whispered.
“I think I just heard their leader. Ordered men to kill the king and steal what they could.”
Tanner stood, holding his gun by his ear. “We need to find them, make sure they’re heading up and away from the safe room.”
I nodded. “There might be more than we can handle, but if we stay low, I think—”
At the other end of the hall, a door crashed open, and a butler raced out with two rebels behind him. It was the young butler, the one from the kitchen. He looked lost and horrified. The rebels were holding what looked like farm tools, so at least they wouldn’t be able to fire back at us.
I turned, steadied my weight, and aimed. “Down!” I shouted, and the butler obeyed. I shot, hitting one of the rebels in his leg. Avery got the other, but his shot, intentional or not, looked much more deadly.
“I’m going to secure them,” Avery said. “Find the leader.”
I watched the butler stand and bolt for a bedroom, not caring that anyone could easily get in or out. He needed the illusion of safety.
I heard more shouts, more guns going off, and knew this was going to be one of the bad attacks. My mind became sharp, more focused. I had one mission, and that was all I could see.
Tanner and I crept up to the third floor, finding several side tables, art pieces, and plants already demolished. A rebel, using something like lumpy paint he must have brought with him, was writing something into the wall. I quickly moved up behind him and butted him in the head with the handle of my gun. He dropped, and I bent to check him for weapons.
A second later, a fresh wave of gunshots came at the other end of the hall, and Tanner dragged me behind a turned-up couch. When the noise died, we peeked out to assess the damage.
“I count six,” he said.
“Same. I can get two, maybe three.”
“That’s enough. Remainders might rush. Or have guns.”
I looked around. Taking a shard of broken mirror, I cut part of the couch’s upholstery off and wrapped it around the glass. “Use this if they get too close.”
“Nice,” Tanner commented, then aimed his gun. I did the same.