by Kylie Scott
“Al…”
Other females weren’t his problem. She was. He stared and her face blossomed into color. He almost felt bad for making her so uncomfortable. Then again, she did have a charming tendency to blush at next to nothing.
Ridiculously, he welcomed any reaction from the woman. He couldn’t take his eyes off her and those twin spots of red sitting high on her cheeks. They’d be warm to the touch. Fiery hot and flushed with blood. He knew the feeling.
Daniel cleared his throat and drew up his foot in the corner, watched them both through a slit of an eye. “Give him the ‘I’m not the only untainted vagina in the country’ speech. That’ll put him in his place.”
Al glared back. “If you’re finished napping, we need to move on.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Wait. I’ve been thinking,” Finn announced, amused to see Al’s head whip up at the declaration. Startled eyes searched his face, proving she was still thinking about sex. Which made him curious, but they didn’t have the time. “We keep running and sooner or later we’re going to start making mistakes. We’re going to get cornered.”
Dan’s gaze had been light, sleepy, but now he snapped to attention, face serious. “How many of them do you think there are?”
“Group was ten strong when they came in. After the losses they took in the supermarket, I’m guessing they’re down to six,” Finn said. “Enough to keep us pinned down for the foreseeable future.”
The man nodded. “Alright. How do you want to do this?”
“One at a time and very, very quietly.” Finn rested back on his heels, pleased there wasn’t a pissing contest looming. At least not today. “We need to corner them, draw them in.”
“Sounds dangerous.” Al gestured with the pistol again and, loaded or not, he snatched it off her on principle.
“If you need to talk with your hands then do it without a gun in them,” Finn said.
Al opened her mouth, paused and rethought whatever words she had been going to lob his way. “Sorry. You know, I could play bait. That would work. Get them off the motorbike…”
“No,” said Daniel.
“It would work,” Finn confirmed, much to Dan’s displeasure. The man’s fingers flexed like he was warming them up, readying for a fight. “We do have to get them off the bikes, you’re right about that. But they’d never believe you would be on your own.”
The big guy’s frown morphed into a grin. “You suggesting I play bait, kid? Keep this up and I’m going to start thinking you’re trying to get rid of me or something.”
“Neither of us want her hurt,” Finn answered without hesitation.
“True.”
“But we need to get the upper hand in this situation.”
“True again.”
“Dan, I won’t let anyone touch her. That’s not going to happen.”
“Serve and protect, hmm?”
“What are you two on about?” Al barked, voice strained. “You’re not bulletproof, Daniel. You’re not doing it on your own.”
“Neither are you, Al.” Finn rubbed the pad of his thumb against the side of her gun. “Neither am I for that matter. However, I think we can safely assume they still want you alive so they’re going to hesitate to shoot … at least at first. Dan’s covered you bodily before so they’ll be comfortable with that scenario. They’ll be expecting me to put in an appearance but it can’t be helped. If we don’t give them time to think, it won’t be a problem. You show your face then dart for cover, that’s all,” said Finn. “Lure them in one at a time. I’ll deal with them. It’s a viable plan. Probably the best we’ve got.”
“We should take turns at jumping them,” Daniel said.
Finn shook his head. “No offense, but it’s better if I take care of it.”
The man gave a reluctant nod.
“They’ll figure out what we’re doing. There’s…” Al’s hands fluttered about. “No. They don’t know Dan survived yesterday. If we do this then I’ll be the bait on my own. The less people at risk the better. It’s bad enough Finn could get hurt.”
“It’s too dangerous, and worrying about you would split my focus,” said Finn. “I want to know someone’s watching out for you. We only need to take out a few to even the odds. To my mind it’s worth the risk.”
“I agree,” said Daniel.
“I don’t.” Her eyes cut to the doorway. “Finn—”
“Enough.” The big man cleared his throat and sat up like an Indian Chief, cross legged with his palms on his knees. “No God damn way you’re doing it on your own, sweetie pie. It’s against my better judgment to even have you involved. So, you’re going to be a good girl and stay behind me or I’ll get Commando Kid here to bind and gag you while I play lure. You know, I’ve got this funny feeling he’d jump at the chance. I think he enjoys being in control.”
Finn did his best to confirm nothing with a smile.
“Babe?” Dan reached out a hand to her, but she made no move to take it. After a long moment, the big guy let his hand drop back to his knee. “You won’t even chip a nail, pretty girl. I promise.”
She stared at his hand. “Not funny, Dan.”
“Not meant to be, honey. You gonna play nice for us?”
“I don’t have much choice.”
“That’s true, Al,” Finn said. “You really don’t.”
An expression promising all sorts of pain turned Finn’s way. He was past being concerned that he liked it. Her attention was its own reward.
“You know, you’re growing on me, kid.” The big man beamed. “So, now that we’re all in agreement, where do you want to set it up?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Outside, no one commented on the lack of rain. Daniel had never been so irritated to see blue sky. Fires would be raging in no time.
This particular house and garage sat side by side, a clear view to the street. The garage door was pulled up and Finn waited within, tucked away out of sight. Daniel and Ali lurked in the slim corridor between the two buildings, waiting on their prey to come find them.
The tension wasn’t only getting to him. His girl stood beside, and ever so slightly behind him, tapping the barrel of her gun against her leg. Tap, tap, tap. In time to some beat playing out in her head. Finn had dealt her and the weapon one sharp glance then let it go. It was probably for the best.
He had a feeling they might have used up their cooperation points for the day. Dan did, however, find it interesting the way her gaze kept returning to the other man. Very interesting.
There was a body or two close by. The smell of rotting flesh permeated the air. Nothing quite compared to it, especially when you knew the remains used to be people.
Finn turned, glanced back at them as the sound of a motorbike drew closer and closer. Checking they were still with him. Dan gave him a nod.
A big shiny Harley idled along, slowly moving up the block toward them. The bastard rode one-handed, fussing with something, not watching where he was going.
The kid was about to signal when glass shattered down the street. There was the “whoosh” of a Molotov being thrown, the crackle and pop of the fire gaining momentum. Next came the scent of petrol and the sight of smoke billowing into the air. Damn but the smell had reached them fast. It made Dan’s stomach lurch. Things were moving in their direction.
Finn motioned them forward while he himself moved back, blending into the shadows of the garage, out of sight.
It flowed fast then.
His girl took three fast steps forward, planting herself out in plain sight. The biker was so surprised to spot his quarry standing out on the front lawn, he came close to stacking his big ride.
Daniel grabbed Ali from behind, lugged her back into the gap between the buildings. The chopper lurched up onto the grass to follow. Had the dickhead gone for less chrome he might have succeeded but, having chosen to be a showy fuck, there would be no joy. He couldn’t follow them on those wheels into the tight space.
Finn slu
nk out of the shadows with a knife in hand.
The motorbike stalled, and the dickhead yelled something nasty. Dan hustled his girl down the corridor, getting her away from the action.
The dickhead’s greetings died as Finn pounced. That should have been the end of the story.
“Come on.” He grabbed Ali, tried to move her along as per the plan. They were meant to get behind the house and keep their heads down. Meant to keep out of the way. But no, she pulled at his grip and dug her heels into the stony ground, sunk her fingers into his arm. “You don’t need to see this, babe.”
“Wait. We’re not leaving him on his own.”
“Babe. Don’t.” There was a grunt and a groan and some blood-curdling gurgling going on behind them. Her breath caught, and her body jerked against him. He held her tight, swearing all the while. “Finn can look after himself. Will you not watch, please?”
“Dan…” She shook her head and actually fought his hold when he tried to walk her back. Which hurt. He kept his arms around her waist as the whole grisly scene played out on the front lawn.
It was probably swift. The kid was good at what he did. Still, it seemed to take forever.
Eventually her nails released him. “It’s done. He’s finished.”
The gravel lining the walkway crunched as Finn came their way. Dan didn’t bother to turn. He had seen enough blood splatter, and Ali was doing enough watching for the two of them.
“What are you doing here?” Finn asked, as well he might.
Ali tensed, pressed herself into Daniel as if she needed shelter. Who knew what looks were being passed behind his back. Doubtless, not good.
“Waiting for you,” she said.
“We had a plan,” the kid said.
His girl said nothing.
“Is there a problem, Al?” the kid asked in a quiet voice.
There was a definite delay to her answer. “No.”
A low moaning started up nearby, the kind of noise only an infected made. She pulled back and Dan let her go.
And no, Finn was not happy, features so strained his jaw looked disjointed. His girl’s expression was of a similar ilk but her eyes were two times wider. Spooked. Big time.
Across the street a zombie crawled out from beneath a parked car, one leg mangled. Its fingers were no better than bloody stumps. It began to make its way across the street toward the fresh kill.
Unlike his girl, he didn’t mean to see the dickhead’s remains.
His throat gone, the surrounding grass glossy with blood. The kid was lethal. And there wasn’t a drop of gore on the blonde-haired bastard outside of his hands, but they dripped with it.
Ali took a step back from both Finn and the zombie. It was a move hard to miss.
“We better go,” she said.
* * *
“I love you like the sun loves the soil,” said Daniel.
His girl turned her head toward him, eyes somber in the darkness. Which worked. It was a somber kind of night.
They had hidden in a house. Finn, crouched in the front room, kept watch through the remains of a front door. Someone had decided to rip the door off its hinges, and the gaping hole could be seen from the street. No one would settle down for the night in a place with no door. In turn, no foe, infected or otherwise, would come close without them knowing.
Another canny idea from the kid.
The second feature of the night’s shelter was the body decomposing in the tub. Not infected, the kid had reported. The person had chosen to slit their wrists and bleed out. Morbid, but Daniel could almost understand. The place reeked of death. Infected wouldn’t to be able to easily detect their live, uninfected flesh.
There’d be no bedding down for good times tonight. The dickheads were well and truly stirred up. Gunshots regularly scattered the quiet as they revved their big bikes up and down the streets. Finn had only managed to dispatch one of the gang, but it was sufficient to get their attention. Nearby, fires raged, filling the air with smoke. The idiots might yet end up toasting themselves along with their quarry.
Outside, the wind was blowing like crazy and there was an electric buzz in the air. Hopefully the storm would hit soon and douse the flames. God, Daniel hoped it would. Something had to go their way, for once.
“I love you like the moon loves the stars,” he said.
She cuddled in closer.
“I love you like the fishes love the sea,” he said.
“Hmm.” His girl gave a tired little smile, leant her head on his shoulder. “Do the fishes love the sea?”
“They would be screwed if they didn’t, my love.”
She sighed. “True. Where are you going with this, Daniel?”
He smooched the top of her head, rubbed his cheek against it. The softest silk had nothing on his girl. “Well, because I have this great love for you, I feel compelled to confide in you when you are behaving like an ass.”
Her head fell back, and a hurt look flashed, then faded. If anything, she looked a little defeated. Lovely lips turned down at the corners and sadness filled her eyes. “You mean Finn.” She didn’t move away and didn’t proceed to rip him a new one. It told Daniel much. “Yes, Finn. You’re not being fair, baby.”
“I know.” Ali huddled against him. “The way he just … I mean … He didn’t even blink. Just killed that guy.”
And as much as he would have wished to protect her from all sorts of stuff, protecting her from this would not be to her benefit. Not in the least. The brave new world required skills just like the kid’s. His girl needed Finn more than she needed her pride or her delicate sensibilities. Jealousy niggled at Daniel but he pushed it aside.
“Shit, Daniel,” she said.
“So, you’re worried someone you know and possibly have feelings for could kill like that?” he offered, finishing the sentence.
“I guess. I don’t know. Shit. Shit. Shit.” There followed further heartfelt sighs. And he couldn’t have fixed this one for her even if he wanted to. Which he didn’t.
“You should never have started up about the three of us,” she grumbled. “I am not equipped to handle this crap.”
“I disagree.”
Her dark eyes honed in on him. “Why are you pushing for this? Really?”
“I want you to be happy. Also, I want you to be safe.”
“You want him to protect me. That’s using him, Daniel.”
He made a noise of disapproval despite her being spot the fuck on. Sometimes survival came first. Actually, always survival came first. “He’s already protecting you. He chose to protect you.”
“Be honest.”
“Babe, I’m open to the idea of sharing you. Okay? And the fact is, there’s something between you and Finn. Now there’s a damn good chance the three of us are going to be sticking together for the long haul, so ignoring it is plain dumb. This is my reasoning.” He patted her on the head and gave her a smile, one that he hoped conveyed more love than sales tactics. “But yes, his ability to protect you has been noted. With the world the way it is these days, how could it not be?”
Al’s mouth widened in a pained expression, her lips thinning. “I get why you might think this is a good idea, Dan. I do. Did it ever occur to you that pushing me in this direction might screw things up spectacularly between all of us?”
Yes, it had occurred to him, and fuck he hoped not. Sincerely to the bottom of his soul.
Dan set his chin on her crown, caught one of the hands fiddling with the seam of her jeans and held on tight. “Okay. Let’s focus here. Finn acted today to protect you. He risked his life and what he did was for you. He does not deserve to reap your shit for his efforts, babe. No matter where you are on the you and him getting together front, okay?”
She said nothing.
“Leave it for now. Why don’t you sleep on it?”
She snorted. “Right. Sleep.” There followed a long pause. He could almost hear the cogs turning in her overactive mind. “I know he killed for me, and I know I’m
not being fair. I just … I don’t know how to do this.”
“Do what?”
“Feel this way … Twisted. Confused.”
He deposited another kiss on the crown of her head. “Let it go for now. Give yourself a chance to get your head around it. You know, I have every faith in your good judgment.”
“Right,” his girl murmured. “You think fishes love the sea.”
Thus began one of the longest nights of his life.
The fires crept closer until a reluctant drizzle arrived. The air filled with smoke and steam and the scent of damp ashes. The rain made listening to the night much harder.
No one slept.
Dawn was a curiously quiet thing. No birds. No bike engines. Nothing. After all the chaos and commotion of the last few days, it was downright creepy.
Finn wandered over and hunched down in front of them, staring straight at his girl, who was studying the doorway over the kid’s right shoulder.
“We should move,” Ali murmured. The shadows beneath her eyes were as bad as the bruise on her face. They were all well on their way toward wretched. “Maybe they passed out.”
“Maybe. Or it could be a trap,” Finn said. “We need to be careful.”
“Everything could be a trap,” Dan said. That they might not survive the next fuck up was best left unsaid. “Yesterday’s plan is still on.”
The kid continued to watch his girl with a steady gaze. “Alright, the vote is in. Let’s find another place to stage it.”
Progress was slow. Daniel had a bad feeling the end was approaching, for better or for worse. More skulking between flat, squat, square brick housing, doing their best to avoid high fences and dead ends as Finn turned down site after site to set the trap.
Delaying.
Who could blame him? Who knew how his girl would react the next time Finn had to kill?
The sudden wailing cut the air. It came from close by. They all dropped low, grasping their guns. They heard another long, pain-filled howl. It sounded solely of loss and anger. There had been a lot of it in the weeks after the sickness first hit, when people were dropping like stones.