Rise: Populations Crumble, Book 2 by Gandy, A. (read book .txt) 📕

start over. We can tear this place apart, and make sure it never happens again.” His voice is fierce, and the menacing intent gives me goosebumps as he cups my cheek in his hand.

“Thank you, Patrick. Thank you for helping make this right.” Tears well up again, but this time, it’s gratitude. Gratitude that even though I never intended to have a match like Patrick, he’s the right man to tackle this problem with me.

“Don’t thank me, Sadie. It’s the right thing to do—what anyone should do.” His jaw is set in grim determination, and I can tell he’s questioning his father’s involvement again.

It’s my turn to reassure him, so I lay a hand on his shoulder. The tension I feel could snap a branch. “Patrick, I am sure when we find out who is doing this, it’s not going to be your dad. We will figure it out as soon as we can, and then we’ll let him help us fix this. Surely he’s in a position to help make this right, as quickly as possible.”

His shoulders sag almost imperceptibly under my touch. “I hope you’re right.”

“I’m right. Now, what do you say we go get some breakfast? I’m starving. Also, we have a urine sample to deliver.” I roll my eyes, which draws a chuckle out of him.

✽✽✽

Breakfast, as always, is delicious. The wait staff have become accustomed to our preferences now, so most things, we don’t even have to ask for. Peter joins us, and Martinez hovers in the doorway, looking bored. I’ve just leaned back from the table, rubbing my very full stomach when Peter changes the subject abruptly.

“So, are you two ready for your outing today?” he asks, and wags his eyebrows at us.

“What outing? It’s not more hiking, is it?” I look at Patrick, feeling cold even thinking about hiking in this weather. It’s gray and gloomy outside, with whipping wind.

“Peter, my man, you’re killing my surprise here,” Patrick complains, but doesn’t sound angry. He shoots an exaggerated cut-it-out look at Peter before addressing me. “Sadie, I scheduled something new to get your mind off of things. We’ve got a shuttle to catch, as soon as we’re done with breakfast.”

I lean forward, interest piqued. “What kind of outing are we talking about? You have to tell me, I hate surprises!”

He shakes his head stubbornly. “No way, no how. You’ll have to wait and see.”

“Oh, come on! Peter knows! How is that fair?”

His grin is devious. “Peter has to know, to make sure it’s safe before we leave the property. You’ll find out when we get there.”

“Ugh, fine. Well, let’s go now, then. I’m done. You’re done, too.” I gesture at his empty plate.

“Not yet, I still have half my coffee left!” He gestures to one of the staff for a refill, but I wave them away before they take two steps in our direction.

“No way! You torture me with a surprise, you don’t get extra coffee. Peter, you should go call Todd. We’re ready.”

Peter laughs, but doesn’t budge. “Ahh, baby sister. Torturing you never gets old.” His grin is the biggest I’ve seen it since the first day he got here.

“Peter, you cannot be on his side. You’re my brother, for Pete’s sake. Come on! Where is your family loyalty?” I cross my arms over my chest.

He shrugs noncommittally. “Patrick’s a good guy. He’s grown on me.”

“Well, if you’re not on my side anymore, I guess next time I see Mom I’ll have to tell her about the time that Nancy Locken grew on you your senior year. I feel like that story still has the shock factor, no matter when it comes out.”

He stills, jaw dropping. “You wouldn’t. I swore you to secrecy! Plus, I had no control over that. She was nuts! How was I supposed to know she’d climb through yourbedroom window looking for me on Christmas Eve?”

Patrick barks out a surprised laugh. “Who’s Nancy Locken?”

“I was so excited, thinking it was Santa coming in with presents. But was it Santa Claus? No. It was Nancy Locken wearing a Santa Claus costume.”

Peter drops his head into his hands. “Please don’t tell Mom this story. I’m pretty sure she’ll retroactively kill me.”

Feeling my imminent win, I continued. “She was obsessed with Peter, and he let her think he might consider going out with her in the New Year after break. She couldn’t wait and decided to try to speed things along. She not only scared the living daylights out of me, but she ruined Santa. I was eight.”

“We’re going to do a tour of the farm down the road that supplies all the produce here.” Peter’s voice comes out muffled through his hands, but the victory is sweet regardless.

Patrick looks between us incredulously. “Just like that, seriously Peter? One little story and she gets whatever she wants?”

I pump my fists in the air with excitement. “Yes! Farm tour! Let’s go already!” I grab Patrick by the arm, and he reluctantly puts down his mug and follows me.

Peter pushes back his chair with a scrape and stands to follow us. “Sorry, man, my mom can never know about Nancy. That story is going with me to my grave.”

I’m still grinning ear to ear as we board the shuttle a minute later, and Todd greets us politely. Patrick’s look is speculative as we choose the loveseat in the middle of the shuttle. “You have a devious side to you, Sadie Royce.”

“Dang straight. And don’t you forget it.”

✽✽✽

We drive for nearly an hour, and the surroundings get shabbier the further we are from the resort. Immediately outside, everything was nicely manicured and kept up. After about ten minutes, you could tell the closers had done their jobs, and everything looked frozen in time, like an unruffled snow globe. But this far out, the area is starting to go back to the wild. The last few houses we’ve passed have trees sprouting through them, collapsed roofs, and were so wildly grown up in some