Page 37 of Uprising

“I don’t give a fuck what you had to do.” He growls. “This isn’t about you and your hurt ego.”

That hits a nerve. I slam my fist into his face and he barely even registers it.

“You think that’s what this was?” I shout. “You think that all of that was about me? It has nothing to do with me.” I’m losing it, all my control, all my anger, my rage, all of it is pouring out of me. “Rose is in there. My daughter is in there. You think I’m just going to sit by and play it safe while they’re in danger?”

“It’s about more than them.” Koen replies.

“No, it fucking isn’t.” I say. “Not to me.”

He sits back, his chest rising slowly as he watches me. “You put everyone’s lives at risk. Everyone who lives in the tunnels, every single one of us, all because you wanted to play the hero.”

“I wasn’t playing the hero.” I growl.

“I don’t give a fuck what you tell yourself, how you convince yourself you were right, this is my war now. My fight. We do this my way or you can fuck off out and I guarantee you’ll be dead before the sunsets. Darius will make sure of that.”

I draw in my breath trying to steady the rattle of it. He doesn’t understand. How can he? He doesn’t have children, I doubt the man even knows what love feels like. What any of this feels like. Rose is back there, Darius has his hands all over her, and Istillhave done nothing to stop it.

Nothing to help.

We sit in silence until we come to a stop and when we do I know exactly where we are. The doors open and both Ben and Holden are stood waiting for us.

Ben shakes his head at me like he too is disappointed, like he too expected me to just stay here, safe and sound.

“Roman.” Holden says quietly but I don’t say anything. I just get out, ignoring the shaking of my legs, and I walk past them all, needing space, needing thinking time.

I’m not some errant boy. I’m not some entitled twat who thinks he can swarm in and take on Darius the way I believed six months ago. I know it’s not the same situation, that everything has changed, and yet I can’t just stay here, doing nothing.

I had to try. I had to.

Rose

The camera’s flash in my face.

People are screaming, cheering, celebrating like they’ve all just won the damn lottery.

We’re stood to the side, waiting to be announced, but the noise is deafening.

All around I can see the banners, the ribbons, Darius’s face on posters that people are waving about like he’s some sort of deity.

Right after the wedding we went into campaigning. But that wasn’t before we had a ‘mini moon’ and Darius ensured the press had a lot of photos of us, all loved up.

He hasn’t let me out of his sight for a minute.

He’s kept me here, right by his side, like I’m some good luck charm in this election and I guess, considering he’s won, this proves it.

I’m in a slinky dress, one he once again picked for me, and his hand is holding me to his waist.

All around us it feels like an actual party. People are patting Darius on the back, congratulating me, and all I can do is just keep that fake smile plastered on my face and wait for it to end.

Someone walks up to the microphone, the crowd hushes for a second and then he calls out “Your new Governor.”

Darius grips my hand tightly and walks me out with him.

The crowd goes wild. Wilder than before. Flowers are thrown, confetti seems to pour down in the blue and red colours that Darius had every poster, every leaflet, every ribbon printed with.

Darius grins, wrapping me in his arms and kisses me, plunging his tongue so forcibly into my mouth I have to grip his shirt to stop myself from reacting.

The crowd wolf-whistle. They roar with approval.