Revolution (43 page)

             
Pastor's prayer this time had been short and sweet. "Lord, help us today as some of us head out into the lion's den." He had glanced at Rylee and looked sad. "We know that we need this. The end result is what matters now. Keep them safe, God. Keep them light footed and nimble handed."

             
And everyone seemed extra lovey with each other. Ryan and Ellie hadn't said anything, but were doing this little
half
snuggle thing. Jeff and Marissa couldn't keep their hands off each other
.
Rylee an
d Miguel stood close, not
touch
ing, but their glowers carried enough heat to light a birthday cake.
Poor Billings was all alone.

             
I held Merrick's hand tight
ly
and tried not to think about my goodbye with Lily. Lana had finally taken her to the back room,
Bones trailing behind and looking up at her with worried eyes,
but she
usually
never cried
when we left.

             
Tonight, she cried.

             
And Lillian. She had been so eager for us to come home last night, certain we'd found Cain. She was becoming less and less faithful to Marissa's vision.
When we ha
d come in late, t
he bunker was as
spotless as it
could be. She had made everyone's…pallets.
All the crates were stacked neatly against the walls. She said she just needed something to do. She also said that if Daniel hadn't found Cain by the next night, she was going after him herself. There was no point in arguing about it with her. I would have done the same thing.
At least she was trying to be productive.

             
All that
didn't set a good mood or tone for the trip for me. But we pressed on and as I climbed the ladder down, I thought about the
events that were about to take place.
Last night, everyone had been quiet and reflective.

             
It was a process, it seemed, to get ready for what could possibly be the last day of the Apocalypse. Just now, as Jeff spoke to everyone, even the ones staying behind, he had said, "It's either them or us. No more hiding and coexisting. No more being the underdogs in a fight that should have ended long ago. Today, we take the first step towards ending this thing. Tonight, we're more than just family. Tonight, we're soldiers."

             
I couldn’t have agreed more. I
felt
like a soldier. Or at least like a kid sneaking through the window. I felt like I could get caught any moment and that provided a rush in my veins.
A rush I needed.

             
"Hey, slowpoke," I heard and almost missed the last step. I turned to glare at whoever it was, but it was Jeff. So I glared up at his dark, handsome face causing him to laugh. "Whoa, nelly. I just wanted to make sure you were…all right with this tonight." He glanced at Marissa who stroked her belly anxiously. "Not everyone is taking the news of a war so easily."

             
"I can understand."

             
Merrick came an
d put an arm around me on my hip. "We don't have a choice," he said with conviction. "We have to be all right with it. It's now or never."

             
Jeff nodded. I put my arm through his and then my other arm through Merrick's. They both smiled down at me like I was something precious. It used to unnerve me, but now I go
t it. They were precious, too, t
o me.

             
"Ok," Jeff huffed and turned in the driver's seat. "What if they figured it out and this is an ambush?"

             
Billings laughed. "What if this Chesser fellow is just after the twenty thousand dollars and we're falling right into his plan?"

             
"Why would he wait 'til now and not have just taken me the first night?" I asked, bristling in defense of the man who sheltered and fed me for the night.

             
"This way
he gets more people do
es
n't he?"

             
I waved him off and turned to Jeff. "If it's an ambush….it is. W
e talked about this. This is it;
we can't just sit by and be outcasts and hunted anymore. Even if this doesn't work, we'll have to choose something else another day. We have to stop them. End of story."

             
Merrick
's
arms around me tightened. He kissed my temple in that
I don't
want to
agree with you, but you're right
way of his.

             
"Same as last time?" Jeff asked, but included a huff of exasperation. "We wait and lookout for you guys, you go and upload the tape?"

             
"Yep," Merrick said. "We get the easy job," he goaded and punched J
eff's arm. But then they locked
arms and silently told the other what couldn't be said out loud.

             
Jeff hugged me to him. "You could stay. Let the big boys deal with this," he offered.

             
I looked at Merrick. The hopefulness in his eyes that I would do just that was almost heartbreaking. "No," I said and switched my gaze back to Jeff. "No, I need to be there. What if something happens and they need to know who to trust? I won't be there to see who's lying."

             
"Fair enough," he said, but it sounded like he no longer believed it. He leaned closer and spoke in my ear. "Please be careful."

             
"Of course,
" I told him. "Save me a bear hug for when I come back."

             
He laughed. "Oh, you'll get a bear hug."

             
Marissa's eyes were already watering as I hugged her. I didn't say anything. I would cry if I did. So
,
I stepped out with Merrick and waited for the others.
Ryan and Ellie, Miguel and Rylee, and Billings piled out behind me; our usual band of
misfits for this kind of thing
lately.

             
Once again the club was raging, but we ignored it this time.
I noticed some new graffiti on the side of the club near the alley. It said, 'THE END IS HERE'.

             
I felt my hands shaking with excitement and anxiousness. This was it, literal steps to take back our fate and
put destiny back in our hands. Even the freaking wall agreed with me.

             
Merrick's grip on my hand startled me. I hadn't even felt him touch me. He gave me the look. The
I
have something to say that you might not like
look. "Baby, please stay by me. If anything goes wrong…it's my job to play hero."

             
"Merrick-" I started to argue, but he stopped me.

             
"No, I mean it," he said, his voice harder. "By. Me. I don't want to worry about you the whole time. I know this is kind of your baby or whatever, and that's fine, but if trouble goes down, you stick to my back, you got me?"
             
I took a deep breath, ready to plead my case, the whole bit. But he pulled me to a stop, right there in the middle of the parking lot. Everyone behind us stopped, too, and waited for…something. Merrick began and from his tone, both anxiety ridden and agonizing, I knew I should listen carefully.

             
"You listen to me," he said low. "I won't even take you in there if you're going to make me regret it." His face crumpled and I knew the exact next words out of his mouth as he took my face in his hands. "I was certain something horrible had happened to you and Cain. I thought you weren't coming home. I
know
you know what that's like." I flinched at the memory of watching him die. He had me there. "Don't make me go through that twice. It's not a man versus woman thing. It's an
I love you so much and I was built to protect you
thing."

             
"You're not my Keeper," I said softly and smiled, knowing what was coming next, but begging him to say it.

             
"Yes, I am," he provided and smiled, his thumbs caressing my whole cheek. "I was your Keeper the moment I first saw those brown eye
s, l
ooking at my charge like he was a disease and a blessing all at once." I barked out a laugh. "You two have been my life, my whole life. I've never felt the way I feel for you two and no matter what my brothers or sisters say, I know without a shadow of doubt that I was meant for this. To come here, protect you, send the Lighters straight to Hell and then love you and Lily for the rest of our lives. I plan to do all of those things."

             
I wanted to wipe the tear that clung to my eyelid, but his hands were in the way. Instead I just stared up at
my
Keeper and watched him watch me. The world faded into darkness and it was just him. He let his smile make my breathing cease to exist. His lips were beautiful magnets and I reached up on my toes to reach them. He kissed me reverently. It had been forever it seemed since we'd been able to
be together
. But this kiss reflected none of the frustration from that. He sucked on my top lip gently and let out heads rest against each other. "Sherry, you're everything there is for me. I love your spirit, I do, but you have to let me take the lead on this one. Please let me protect you."

             
What could I say to that, but, "Ok."

             
He pressed closer into the place where my breath was his and his breath was mine. "Promise me," he whispered.

             
He spoke right to my bones when he said things like that.

             
"I promise," I told him and accepted my reward. He titled my head a bit and slammed his mouth to mine, and I accepted every bit of him. My fingers wrapped in
his shirt front, his buttons in
between my fingers. His hands didn't
move
from my face. He just held me there, captive in his loving grasp, a willing prisoner.

             
"Hey, mates," I heard and
clung to one last kiss before breaking away. "That was a beauty, a real corker it was, but we've got things to do, eh?"

             
"You're right," Merrick agreed and grinned down at me. He growled, "This time when I say we'll finish it later, I mean it. Even if I have to embarrass myself to make it happen."

             
I blushed. I freaking blushed! I pressed my lips together to stop the smile. He ran his finger across the pink there making me blush harder. He groaned. "Oh, my… Wife, you're killing me. Do you have any idea how hot that is? After everything we've…done, I can still make you blush?"