Free Escape (Alliance Book 1) by Inna Hardison Page A

floors in the chute, locked up the cleaning supplies, and ran from the room to the guard tower, making sure she stayed in the shadows of the wall. She couldn't risk it now. She had to be careful, and so she was.
    The light in the cabin at the top was out. Drake was likely asleep at his post, not an uncommon thing for him to be doing in the middle of the night. She climbed, ignoring the sick feeling in the pit of her belly, daring herself not to look down. She forgot the whole fear of heights thing, but there was no other way to get to Drake's. If nothing else, she'd know the girl was lying for some reason, and she wouldn't have to worry about it so much anymore. She would go back to this life she was now inhabiting, not quite hers, but not as terrible as some had it outside these walls.
    She made it to the door, still not looking down, and knocked, not too timidly. She had to wake him up. He owed her at least that for letting him cheat on his exams and for telling everyone in school to lay off of him. And the damn kitten that she had to pull off his roof and make pretend he did it, because she didn't want them to keep picking on him. Drake was far too nice and far too easy to pick on. The door swung open just enough for her to see two sleepy brown eyes staring at her, and immediately swung all the way open. He knew her. That was a start at least.
    "You've come about Riley?" He didn't mime it or write it down. He said it, just like that. She knew she was staring at him. But this, this didn't make any sense. Everyone working at the compound but the essentials were mute. Everybody knew that. They sat you down in this white room, strapped you in and talked the speech right out of your voice box. They talked you to sleep and you couldn't fight it, and so you went to sleep with your voice and woke up without it. Just like that. It only took a few minutes for them to do it, too. They were all about efficiency with non-essentials. Yet, he just spoke to her. Asking her something. Something about Riley.
    She looked about frantically. She needed a piece of paper and a pen or anything really to write with. She didn't think to bring one of the pads from the med floor. She hoped Drake had something. He did. "Is he here? Is he injured?" She handed the crumpled up sheet back to him.
    "He came looking for you a few days ago. Hassinger got him. She hurt him, Ella. I'm so sorry, but she did, and I couldn't stop it. And then he ran, back outside the wall. He had to, but he meant to come back for you. He will come back for you."
    She grabbed the paper from him again, "A girl came to see me seeking HealX and pain meds. She said it was for Riley. If he is back here already, where would he hide? Where would you hide?" She shoved it at him, impatient with her inability to speak getting the better of her. She needed to calm down. Drake was a friend. An old friend.
    "I'm not sure, El. The library or the loft. Nobody here ever uses either. The loft would be better to hide in, it's higher than anything else here but the roof. But I don't think he is back. I would have seen him coming over the wall. He would have needed my help to do it. They will kill you if you aren't where you are supposed to be. Your being here now isn't so smart. These things, the bands, they track you. I'll go looking for him, but you can't, not yet, not until the band is off. Please..."
    For such a big man, he sounded like a pleading child. Or maybe he really cared about what happened to her. She wished she had that gift - to care about what happened to her - but she lost it years ago. Riley, him she could wrap all her caring around. She could spend every moment of every day looking for him. She could find the girl again, maybe. She had to. She looked at her old friend. He was shaking his head, in that way he used to as a kid, when he didn't want the kids to ruin his screens that had his lessons on them. He'd shake his head, slowly, smiling at them, and they'd do it anyway. They'd