Rise: Populations Crumble, Book 2 Read online

  “Sadie’s awake?” I recognize the feminine voice that responds, but my brain is moving too slowly to piece this together.

  I take a numb step forward, right as Nell comes barreling out of the room and nearly crashes into me.

  “Sadie! Thank God you’re awake. Are you okay? I mean, the doctor checked you and said you were okay, but, it’s good to see for myself.” She’s rambling, and it’s not helping my confusion or temper.

  “Nell, what is going on? Did they kidnap you, too? And where are we?” I rub my still-pounding head—praying for relief and clarity—as she clasps my other hand in both of hers.

  “Come on, Hel and Atlas will explain everything,” she says confidently.

  “Atlas is here, too?” I ask, following her into the bright room with a wince. The light feels like it pierces into my brain, and I barely stifle a groan.

  The room has a conference table, surrounded by chairs, mostly filled with who I can only assume are our abductors. The blonde woman has taken a seat at the head of the table, and Atlas sits to her left. Nell leads me to his side.

  “Atlas, what is going on? Do you know these people?”

  He nods. “I do, but I didn’t expect to see them so soon.” His voice is even, unconcerned—and it’s pissing me off.

  “Care to explain why the heck these friends of yours ambushed us, and you’re sitting here having a freaking cup of coffee with them?” I gesture accusingly at the steaming mug sitting in front of him.

  “Allow me to introduce myself,” the blonde woman purrs as she rises from her seat, interrupting us. “I’m Helena, but most everyone calls me Hel.” She gestures at the men sitting around the table, several of them eyeing me warily.

  “What do you want with us?” A small voice tells me I should back off, given they’re probably all armed to the teeth. But anger has made me brash, and I find myself stepping forward until I’m toe to toe with Helena. Something about her rubs me the wrong way, and I am itching to blame what happened today on someone. She’ll do just fine.

  The mountainous man in the chair to her right rises, towering over us. She waves him off. “It’s fine, Brock. She’s understandably angry.”

  He settles back into his seat but doesn’t take his eyes off of me.

  “Since I can see you’re not in a chatty mood, I’ll cut right to the chase. Atlas reached out to us about scheduling an extraction and getting you four to a safe house.” I dart a glance at Atlas, who nods once in confirmation. “We agreed it was best if this extraction happened in a way that would make the resort staff think one of the cult extremists had finally succeeded in grabbing you, valuable genetic prize that you are,” she says drily. “So, when we heard rumors that another kidnapping attempt was going down today, well, we had to insert ourselves earlier than anticipated to snatch you before they did. They almost succeeded, too, blowing up the bus like that. They must be desperate to get you if they’d risk killing you to do it,” she muses.

  My mind is reeling. If they aren’t the extremist kidnappers, who the heck are they?

  “Anyway, we couldn’t let them succeed, knowing that you have the information we need, never mind you being the only known Polymorph in existence.”

  I stiffen at her words. How does she know about my polymorphism? My accusatory glare lands on Atlas, but he gives me a minuscule shake of his head.

  “Don’t blame him. My people are well connected, and we found out through our own channels. We do our homework before stepping into something this big.”

  “Who are your people, exactly?” I ask, tired of beating around the bush and running on fumes. My adrenalin is finally wearing off, now that I know we’re not in immediate danger.

  “This, my girl, is the uprising. The only question now is if you’re ready to rise with us.”

  TO BE CONTINUED

  Before You Go . . .

  Thank you so much for reading Rise! Are you on the edge of your seat yet? The final book will be releasing later this year! I can hardly wait to share it with you.

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  Books By This Author

  Dwindle, Populations Crumble, Book 1

  Torn from her home and family. Forced to marry a genetically matched stranger. Will she find love, or destruction?

  Reign, Populations Crumble, Book 3

  The final, thrilling installment coming in Summer 2021

  Bea Mine

  Love makes you stupid. Bea’s too smart to fall into Cupid’s trap. Or is she? This sweet Valentine's Day novella will have you falling in love from the first chapter.

  About The Author

  K. A. Gandy

  K. A. Gandy was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, and is married with two kids. She has worked as a restaurant hostess, library book shelver, ranch hand, tour guide, Realtor, tech whiz, landlord, and small business consultant, all in addition to pursuing her passion of writing. As a person of many interests, her life has never been boring. She likes to write late in the evenings and thinks drinking hot tea and baking great cookies fuels hopes and dreams.