Her Rebel

“And get much-needed supplies that we don’t have access to. We also use it to communicate with allies on the inside and help people on both sides disappear if the Regime is looking for them.”

My uncertainty starts to slip away at his words. “Where does it come out on the other side?”

“The library basement. Our ally on the other side, The Librarian, helps us. We don’t know her real name and she doesn’t know any of ours. It’s safer that way.”

“You mean in case this tunnel is discovered and she’s brought in for questioning? She can’t rat you out?”

“It means that the less information she has, the less likely she is of being executed for treasonous acts against The Regime.”

“I don’t like being affiliated with the Insurgence,” I admit.

I like some of what the group does. Getting goods needed on this side is one thing I agree with. I just don’t care for some of the violence that I know can go along with it. It’s hard for me to swallow. I’ve spent my life either healing people or learning how to heal them. Violence isn’t a part of who I am.

Owen stares at me as if thinking his words over. “Do you still want to provide a black-market service to the elites? Because if you do, you’re part of the Insurgence whether you like it or not.” He pulls me into him and bends closer. One of his hands goes between my legs and strokes me possessively. “And you are more than affiliated with the Insurgence.”

I gasp at the sensation and try to pull away, but he holds me tighter and tugs at the neckline of my shirt. His mouth goes to my bare shoulder and he sucks hard, marking me as his hand dips down inside my shorts. He strokes me while he sucks on me and I’m lost in his control. My body is wound tight and within seconds, I’m coming apart in his hand and crying out his name.

He places a soft kiss on my shoulder before pulling his fingers out and licking them clean.

“You’re not affiliated with the Insurgence. I am the Insurgence, and you belong to me. You’re entangled in all of this, and you can’t go back now.”

I know he’s right. A part of me will always belong to him and I can never deny that. He’s been a part of who I am since I was a young girl. And now he’s a part of it until my last breath. I need to come to terms with how far I’m willing to go for the cause. For him. I have a feeling I will do anything. I may not call myself an Insurgent, but I still do things that break the rules, like providing medical help on my side of the wall, using the skills they taught me to help non-elites.

“Your class isn’t the first of its kind being taught on the other side of the wall. Anything the Regime has made illegal has been going on for decades underground, with a vengeance. They pop up here and there, then we shut them down when we’re close to getting caught. People on the other side desire these things. In return for these classes, they need to give us much-needed supplies that only they can obtain. It’s an easy trade, and a way to get goods without stealing them. Or fighting for them.”

“A peaceful way,” I say, and he nods.

When we go back upstairs Owen says to prepare for twelve people in my yoga class tomorrow.

“Go to go the abandoned wing of the hospital, past the old morgue, and set up your class in that room. The supplies will be waiting there for you.”

“How do I explain what’s happening if I get asked? What do I say about why I arrived at work early and I’m wandering around the abandoned area of the hospital?”

“That part is up to you. I supply you with materials, the Librarian puts the word out about class, and you come up with a reason. If anyone could come up with one, it’s you. You know the hospital,” he says. I can tell from his eyes he trusts that I can do this.

He pulls me into his arms and takes me straight to bed, where he keeps me until the last possible second. I can’t complain, though, because my mouth is busy.

Chapter Ten

Minnie

Six weeks later…

Every Friday morning, I wake up a few hours earlier than normal, making love with Owen until it’s time for me to head to the checkpoint alone. I told the other workers I was meeting with a wedding planner before work. Everyone knows that I’m being forced to marry soon and they have never questioned the lie.

At the hospital, I change into exercise clothes, put in my earphones and pretend I’m going on a brisk walk through the hospital halls. It’s an enormous and busy place. In the early morning hours, it’s not unusual for people to walk the halls for exercise.