Remains Brave {New War Series Book 1}

Chapter 6: The New Jim Crow

September 9th, One

"We have to get out of here. C'mon," brother shakes me awake. I sit up startled to find the room empty, of the horses and the crew. I look at him with a confused look, and I'm met with a look of fear in his eyes. Something is wrong.

"What? What's going on? Where are the others?" I ask.

"They're downstairs. The feds showed up about ten minutes ago, so Tez told us to go through the tunnels he has in place for an escape route. We have three minutes roughly before the feds search his property. We have to leave now," he says with panic hinted in his tone. I stand and without another word we start running down the hidden staircase to the underground tunnel Tez had shown me when I visited the last time before the war officially started. The icy darkness was chilling, and I felt sick from the anxiety. Tez was smart though. All of his actual property is hidden behind hidden doors and staircases. He knew how to be incognito while being in plane sight. He hated the feds, and he will be pissed that they showed up unannounced.

We sprint through the tunnels and after five minutes we meet back up with the group. It dawns on me that they left while I was still asleep. Why hadn't I woken up? Rus hands me Remi's reins.

"Nice to see you woke up, sweetheart," Jax says. I scowl at him, wondering why the hell they left me there to sleep.

"Why the hell did you leave?" I ask, clearly annoyed. I look over at Dak, who keeps his eyes diverted away from me.

"Well when you go missing, and nobody knows where you are, we all have to come to the conclusion that our lives are more important than yours. Don't give me attitude, you were the one who didn't tell us where you went. Tez stole you away and by the time you came back we were all asleep. Nobody's fault but your own. It's a good thing your brother found you, or the Bene's would have your ass right now," Jax snarls back.

"I had business to take care of with Tez," I reply, refraining from unleashing anger for something I was at fault for. He doesn't reply, but instead continues on in silence. The rest of the group follows suit, and we finish the tunnels path without another word.

The tunnel leads to a cave on the outskirts of the Jefferson National Forest. It's a few degrees temperature difference once in the actual cave, and there is water dripping down from various cracks in the stone structure above our heads. Each movement of the group echoes through the darkness, and we continue to walk toward the light to get to the entrance.

Once out, we make it away from the cave in case the feds find the entrance of our exit route. We mount and ride a few hundred feet within the tree line along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Three hours in and we still haven't stopped to rest. I slow to a stop because I can't feel my ass. If I can't feel my ass, I know brother and most of the others must be hurting too. The horses need a break too. The area was thick with brush, and it was getting dusk. It was the point in the evening where wooded areas were a hazy dark while still having a hint of light to keep from needing to use flashlights. I was hungry, so I dismounted and grabbed my food bag. I hear the rest of the group jump down from their horses, and I see a few of the guys walk off to relieve themselves. Brother and Dak stand close to each other, reading a map they had acquired from the auction house. Based on where the Marino library was, I'd assume we were about twenty miles from Milli and Vitz Stable by this point. It would take us about four hours of riding to make it there tonight.

"We filled your bag up before the guard told us that Tez was dealing with the situation that sent us running. I hope you don't mind the ham; I know Dak said you liked turkey more, but that's all they had," Ash says from a couple feet over. I look over at him to catch him looking at a picture he had pulled out of his bag. From the glimpse of it, I could see the cliché prom picture pose of him and a beautiful brunette in a navy dress. From what Ash told me, I assume it's his fiancé. He looks sad for a moment, before tucking the picture back into a book he's carrying.