Free The Defiant by Lisa M. Stasse Page B

“I thought you said the house was empty?”
    â€œI did,” Kelley replies, pausing. “Why?”
    Sensing that something is wrong, my hand creeps back to my knife. “Someone is in there! I just saw their shadow. The house is definitely not empty.”
    Kelley doesn’t respond. Shawn doesn’t either. The two of them exchange a glance. My fingers find the knife’s grip, and slowly and silently, I begin to draw it out of its leather sheath. Have I been led into a trap?
    â€œWho’s inside that house?” I ask, keeping my voice very calm and low.
    â€œYou’ll understand when you get inside, Alenna,” Kelley says.
    â€œYou’ve been lying to me,” I say. “Why?” I pull the knife up higher, clasping my fingers around it. “Tell me what’s going on right now. Before we get out of the car. How do I know this isn’t an ambush?”
    â€œIt’s not what you think,” Kelley says.
    In the darkness of the back of the car, I begin raising the knife. This is it. I wonder if this is how we passed through the roadblock so easily. Maybe the policeman knew who we were the wholetime and let us through. But why? If it’s a trap, why go to these lengths? Kelley could have shot me and Gadya at the side of the dirt road and left our bodies there in the forest. Or she could have shot me once I was inside their car.
    â€œJust stay calm,” Kelley cautions, but I sense rising tension in her voice.
    â€œI knew I never should have been separated from Gadya,” I tell her, my fingers tightening more on the knife handle. “That seemed suspicious at the time. But it didn’t seem like there were any other options.”
    â€œThis doesn’t involve Gadya,” Kelley says. “It involves you. Gadya isn’t part of it.”
    I wonder if Gadya is even still alive. Have we been double-crossed? I don’t have time to think about any of that now. I just need to survive this moment or else there won’t be any mission.
    I whip out my knife.
    At the same moment, Shawn pivots in his seat to face me.
    He is holding a sawed-off shotgun. “Easy, Alenna,” he says. “If you stab me or Kelley with that knife, then I fire.”
    I’m frozen.
    â€œWhy are you betraying me like this?” I ask. “Why are you betraying the rebels? I thought you were on our side!”
    I’m not going to put my knife down yet, even if it means I get shot.
    â€œWe’re not betraying anyone,” Kelley says. She turns around to stare at me. Even in the darkness of the car, I can see her eyes glinting with anger and frustration. “You don’t understand yet. But you will soon.” She turns back to the imposing house. “Once you get inside.”
    I look at the house, at those dark mysterious windows, and Isee the shadow moving again on the second floor, behind shabby, torn curtains. I swallow hard. There has to be a reason why these people aren’t telling me who is inside there.
    â€œLower your knife,” Shawn says tiredly. Slowly, I do what he says. Then he swings his shotgun away from me. “We’re on the same team, whether you know it or not.”
    â€œProve it to me,” I snap.
    Kelley sighs. “We’re wasting time.” She opens her door and steps out. “Stay in the car if you want, Alenna.” She shuts her door.
    Shawn turns and opens his door. “It’s safe, I promise you,” he says. Then he gets out of the car too.
    I sit there for a moment, in the silent darkness. I don’t know who is inside the house. And I don’t know why Kelley and Shawn are being so strange about it. Obviously there’s more going on here than I was led to believe. I miss Gadya and Liam right now. I hope that they’re both okay. And I hope that Kelley and Shawn can be trusted.
    I get out of the car, clutching my knife. If anything unexpected happens, then I’m ready to