UTAH by Elle James

Author:Elle James [James, Elle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Twisted Page Inc

Chapter 9

Liza couldn’t believe what she was seeing, or rather, what she wasn’t seeing. Every vehicle that had been parked near the motor pool, even the ones she’d stabbed the front tires on, were gone. The big school bus with the blacked-out windows was gone, the trailer with the generator, the one with the water tank, the other with the fuel tank…all gone.

She ran toward the bunkhouse, a giant hand squeezing her chest, making it hard for her to breathe. The door was closed. When she turned the handle, she didn’t expect it to open.

It did.

Terrified of what she might find inside, she opened the door slowly.

Utah appeared beside her as she stared into the shadowy interior, her breath lodged in her throat.

Beside her, Utah held up his cell phone, the flashlight on it engaged, shining into the interior.

It was empty. Down to the wooden floor. The metal bunks were gone. The old wooden footlockers that had been positioned at the ends of each bunk were gone.

The recruits were gone.

Liza let go of the breath she’d held and sagged to her knees. “Thank God,” she said. “They took the recruits. I was so afraid they wouldn’t. That they’d…” She shook her head. “As long as they’re alive…” Liza looked up at Utah, “there’s hope.”

Utah held out his hand.

Liza placed hers in his and let him draw her to her feet.

They left the bunkhouse and found Hank coming from the mess hall.

“Every building is empty. They cleaned it out,” he said. “They didn’t leave behind so much as a paperclip. Come on,” Hank said. “We need to head back. I’ll have someone come out and dust for prints. Though I’m betting they even cleaned those off.”

Liza looked around the clearing where she’d stood the day before and thrown a knife at Tayla. The hay bales were gone. She bent to touch a few straws that had been missed. When she straightened, she shivered.

“Ten months, this place was our prison,” she whispered. “Now, it seems so…innocuous. There’s no one yelling, no one being punched in the gut. No one threatening to kill you.”

“It’s just a place,” Utah said.

Liza nodded. “A place I don’t ever want to come back to.” She headed for the helicopter and her reason for living. Tayla.

Tayla sat where she’d left her, silent tears slipping from the corners of her eyes.

Liza slid onto the seat beside her and hugged her around the straps holding her. “Told you we wouldn’t leave you.”

Utah climbed in beside her and held out his hand.

Tayla wrapped her fingers around his and brought his hand into the hug Liza was giving her.

“Mommy,” she said. “Can we go now?”

Liza nodded. “Yes, baby.” She buckled her harness and held Tayla’s hand as the helicopter rose above the compound.

She didn’t look down, didn’t look back. Her life had been on hold while she’d been a captive in The Camp. Now, it lay ahead of her.

She’d make it a good one for her and Tayla. If she had to leave Montana and go as far away as she could, she would.

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