Chapter Twenty-Four

Maddox

He hadn’t just been mean; he’d been horrible. Maddox had let Juno believe he didn’t care. He’d let her walk away without telling her the truth.

But he had to. He had to make it look convincing. If Theo even thought Maddox was seeing Juno, he’d tell the entire community. Juno would be at risk.

And for all he knew, Theo had been following him. He might have followed him all the way to the bridge just to make sure Maddox did his part.

It was only temporary, he had to remind himself. Hopefully, she’d move to the bridge today, and sometime in the next few days, maybe next week, he could find her again. She’d be safe out here, wherever she chose to live, and he’d tell her how sorry he was. That he was trying to keep her safe and this was the only way he knew how.

And he’d tell her more. That he…

Maddox cleared his throat as he walked back into his community with a bag full of rats. Well, he had feelings for her. Strong feelings. Which meant keeping her safe was that much more important.

He stopped at the fire pit outside the dining hall and set down the bag of rats. But he knew he’d devastated her. He hated that look on her face. Hated that he hadn’t found a better way to let her down.

How was he supposed to live with what he’d done? He was hurting the only person he’d really let himself care for in a long time. What if she never talked to him again? What if she wouldn’t even let him apologize?

The long poker clanged against the metal of the grill when he snatched it out. “Damn it.”

Cooking rats was the last thing he wanted to do right now. He didn’t want to eat. He didn’t want to sit with his mom and Theo and the rest of the community. He wanted Juno.

Maddox ran a hand through his hair and released a breath.

“Screw it,” he murmured, jabbing the fattest rat he could find in the bag.

He’d find her tomorrow. Or the next night. However long it took to apologize. She’d probably turn her back on him. She probably hated him. But he had to try.

He had to let her know how he really felt and tell her that the only reason he’d given her the cold shoulder was because of Theo.

Maddox finished cooking the rats and brought them into the dining hall. He looked around at the tables with a frown. His mom wasn’t there, and neither was Theo. In fact, hardly anyone was there.

He set the plate down and walked to the closest table. “Where is everyone?”

The man looked up from his bowl of vegetables. “You didn’t hear?”

Maddox’s heart almost stopped. He’d almost forgotten that the other community had one of their people. He glanced out the door—Theo could be over there right now, starting a war.

“You mean…” He cleared his throat. “About the other side…?”

“Yeah. They sent someone to the border earlier with a demand. They’d give James back if we gave them all our supplies.”

Maddox’s blood turned cold. Supplies. No. No way. This couldn’t be how everyone found out.

He left the plate and ran out the door, jogging across the courtyard and around the corner. He hit a wave of people all talking at once. Voices were panicked, angry.

Fearful.

“What’s going on?” Maddox asked, though he already knew.

“Someone stole our supplies,” came the first reply, followed by, “our supplies are missing,” and, “the others must have taken them.”

Maddox shoved through the crowd, trying to find Theo or his mom. He knew both had to be close by. He tripped over someone’s foot and stumbled, but he didn’t stop until he reached the front.

Theo and Alice stood inside the mostly empty storage room, hands on their hips. Both glanced over when he appeared.

Theo gestured to the inside of the room. “Have you seen this?”

“It’s… I should have said something before,” Maddox blurted.

Alice’s eyes widened. Then she shouted at the rest of the group. “Get your dinner and give us some space to figure this out!” She grabbed his arm then shut the door, leaving them alone in the empty room.

A small amount of sunlight filtered through the slats at the top of the walls, but it was dim and dusty inside.

“What the hell is going on?” Alice asked him.

Maddox released a long breath. “I noticed the supplies were missing several weeks ago.”

“Weeks?”

He nodded, glancing at Theo. His brother still had his hands on his hips, his jaw locked.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Theo asked.

“Because I was trying to figure out who did it.”

“You have an idea who did this?” Alice asked, eyes flicking to the rest of the room. “How did they get in?”

He swallowed and glanced at Theo again. “The lock was open like—like someone picked it. Or—or…I don’t know.”

He hadn’t gotten any further than suspicions. Once he’d started spending time with Juno, he’d barely thought about the missing supplies. He hadn’t wanted to think about them. He just wanted a normal life, and for once, it had felt like he had one.

“We know who did this,” Theo said. “It’s obvious.”

Alice glanced in the direction of the border while Maddox shook his head.

“No…wait. We don’t know that for sure.” He looked at his mom, knowing this was the moment to try to make them listen. “It’s more complicated than that.”

“What’s complicated?” Theo asked with a harsh laugh. “They’ve been on our side of the border before. And again this morning.”

Maddox’s anger flared. He locked stares with Theo, a fire of disbelief building inside of him. His brother wouldn’t blame Juno for this. He couldn’t. He’d only seen her on this side of the border once. Unless…unless he’d been following Maddox, spying on him like Maddox had asked.

“You saw someone over here this morning?” Alice asked.

“I did see someone over here,” Theo said, his eyes not leaving Maddox’s. His fingers inched toward his waistband where Maddox could see the bulge of the gun. “More than once. I don’t know her name, but I know her face.”

Fear strangled him. He had to warn Juno. But Alice was already nodding.

“No, Mom, wait,” Maddox said, holding out his hands in appeal. “She was over here because of the nets and—and then—”

“That’s half our supplies and extra food, Maddox,” she said, sounding resigned. “I know you don’t want us to fight with the other side, but we can’t let this go. And if you knew anything about this, you should have come straight to me.”

Shame washed over Maddox. He knew he should have. It might have stopped so many problems before they started. But how was he supposed to know? He thought he’d been doing the right thing. And then the right thing had turned into the thing that made him feel alive again, and he couldn’t see anything else but that.

“Justice,” Theo murmured, a glint in his eye that made Maddox shiver. “That’s what we need now. I’ll gather a group, and we’ll head over there right away.”

Alice sighed. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this.”

“Come to what?” Maddox asked, spinning to face her. “We don’t know someone from the other community did this. We don’t have any proof.”

“Who else would have done it?” Theo asked. “We’ve seen one of them on our side of the border, and now they have James. It seems pretty obvious to me. We need to tell them what really happened, so they let James go and the right person will be held responsible.”

“What are you going to do?” Maddox asked, his hands curling into fists.

“What needs to be done.” Theo nodded at Alice. “I’ll take care of this.”

“Wait,” Maddox said, following his mom when she opened the door. “We should think about this. Talk about this.”

Alice gave him a sad smile. “I know you want to believe the best in people, but not everyone is good like you.”

“I went on their side of the border,” he blurted, trying anything that might get her to change her mind.

Alice stopped and turned, her mouth open in surprise. “When?”

“Just before our supplies went missing.”

She rubbed her fingers on her forehead. “Please tell me you didn’t take anything.”

“Take anything? No. I was just looking at the nets to see how we could start fishing on our side. But…someone saw me.”

“Maddox.” Alice closed her eyes briefly, looking like she was trying to stop herself from saying something she might regret. “You think this is why someone stole our supplies? Because they saw you?”

“Yes. No. Maybe. I don’t think our supplies were stolen because of that. I’m just saying—”

“What? What are you saying?”

Maddox started talking, so fast he was practically babbling. “I don’t know. Just that—that maybe we should think about this before we do anything. I mean, maybe it wasn’t someone from the other side. Or—or—”

“Theo saw someone,” Alice said as though explaining things to a small child. “If you didn’t take anything from them, and no one came to discuss seeing you on their side of the border, then we’re still in the same place. Someone stole from us, and Theo’s pretty sure he knows who did it.”

“But he didn’t see them take anything—”

“It was after you were on their side of the border,” Alice said, her voice growing hard. “It makes sense. What’s done is done.”

He swallowed as he watched her walk in the direction of their house. When he whipped around to confront Theo, his brother was gone.

He didn’t have time to talk to his mom right now, not when Theo was already planning on heading to the other community to blame Juno.

Maddox raced to the dining hall, didn’t see him in there, and ran back to the courtyard when he heard a shout. Theo already had another man with him—Tim, a friend of his mother’s.

“You don’t have to do this,” Maddox said, catching up with Theo as he crossed the courtyard.

Tim snorted. “You know we can’t just let this go.”

Maddox tried to keep a note of respect in his voice when he addressed the older man. “But we don’t have any proof.”

“Someone inside our border isn’t proof enough for you, son? How about a closet of missing supplies and a missing man? That enough?”

“Wait.” Maddox stepped in front of Theo. “Hold on.”

Theo gritted his teeth. “Get out of my way.”

“I’m going with you,” Maddox said, desperate. He hoped to God Juno was already gone, but he wasn’t going to take that chance.

Theo crossed his arms. “You should stay here with Mom.”

“Mom is fine without me.”

Tim clapped Theo on the shoulder. “Come on, let the kid go. That’ll make three of us. Less of a chance they’ll put up a fight.”

Maddox cringed at the word “fight.” There wouldn’t be any fighting, not if he could help it. He’d tell the truth—all of it. About him crossing the border and looking at the fishing nets, about him and Juno meeting to figure out who the thief was—he’d lay it all out there.

What if Juno gets in trouble for spending time with you?

He’d leave her name out of it. He’d take the blame. He’d do what he needed to do.

Theo tapped the gun at his belt. “They won’t put up a fight. Not with this.” He narrowed his eyes at Maddox but then nodded. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Maddox kept up with their long strides, staying vigilant and trying to think of any way he could make this situation better. He didn’t miss the hard set of Tim’s jaw or the way Theo kept his hand on his gun as if the enemy were just around the corner.

When they reached the border, Maddox spotted two guards immediately. Theo put his hands up.

“We’re here for a discussion,” he said.

The guards walked over, keeping a safe distance inside their border. “Discuss what?” one asked. “You have our supplies like we asked?”

“Our supplies were stolen by one of your people. She was spotted on our side.”

The guards exchanged disbelieving glances with each other. “Who was it? The one you supposedly saw over there?”

“I don’t know her name,” Theo said. “But I’d know her if I saw her. And I’m willing to bet our supplies are somewhere inside your community.”

Both guards looked at each other again, then the older one nodded. “Follow us.”

They were close enough to the beach to hear the waves and the gulls as they flew in circles over the water. But this time, they walked on pavement. It was the closest Maddox had ever been to any of the buildings on this side of the border. The first time he’d ever been on this side without sneaking in.

He wondered how many times his mother had been over here. Or Theo, even. Did his brother remember a time when there weren’t sides? Did he remember anything good about this place?

Maddox couldn’t read much from his brother’s expression, just determination. Maybe Theo truly believed someone from this side had stolen their supplies, but for him to think it was Juno without even talking to Maddox…?

It was wrong.

Maddox had done exactly what he was supposed to. He’d stayed away from Juno—he’d even hurt her to make sure she wouldn’t come around anymore. And all for what?

They reached the boathouse, the familiar building he recognized from off the beach, the same place Juno always came from when she’d meet him at the dock. There were people outside talking and laughing, wearing clothes similar to his—holey and frayed at the ends. When they saw him and his group, they froze, eyes wide.

One of the guards said, “Get Rand and Stef,” and someone ran off quickly.

“You can have your meeting in here,” the same guard said to Theo.

Theo nodded and stepped inside the door. There were cots set up near the window, and he spotted a familiar girl. Pillar.

He gritted his teeth, wishing he could warn her. Get out of here! He didn’t want her caught in this mess, either.

Theo tensed every time he heard a noise. “Stay on guard,” he murmured. His eyes swept over Maddox before he narrowed his gaze on the door again.

After a few minutes, a woman and a man the same age as his mom walked through the door.

Theo straightened, but someone else walked inside just after them.

Juno.

Her eyes locked on his, and she froze in her tracks.

“That’s her,” Theo said, stepping forward and pointing. “She’s the one who stole our supplies.”