Regan nodded, picturing the type easily. “What about the others. There were four total?”
Tabitha nodded her head. “Same thing, really. I noticed one had dark-stained fingers. I know that look. I’d say he was a mechanic. The others, I have no clue.”
“Did they have guns?”
“Not that I saw. They didn’t look anything like the men who showed up with Virginia if that’s what you’re thinking—these were garden-variety creeps. Seriously, though, how many bad guy groups are out there now? They’re crawling out of the woodwork. Maybe they can all fight each other and leave the rest of us alone.”
Regan chuckled. “If only it worked that way. They prey on the ones that can’t fight back, like Heather and Travis.”
Tabitha grinned. “I don’t know about that. Heather looked like she was going to take that man over her knee and give him a good spanking. I swear she grew three inches when he mentioned Travis.”
That made Regan laugh. She had heard the change in Heather’s voice and recognized the moment when that fiercely protective mother’s instinct had come out. She hoped the show had been enough to hold the men at bay while they figured out what to do next. One thing had changed already, though—Regan knew there was no way Wolf would leave the women alone again. This had been a close call. And, once again, they’d been caught off guard.
It couldn’t keep happening. One of these times, they weren’t going to be so lucky.
2
Tabitha, Heather, Lily, and Travis sat at the small rectangular dining table while the others spread out among the couch and chairs in the living room, each holding a bowl of the potato and chicken stew they had made earlier. Meals were very different than they’d been pre-EMP, and for obvious reasons. One didn’t worry about what went with what. Doing what you could to get a good combination of protein and carbs, with a healthy dose of veggies, was the only concern—and even that wasn’t always possible.
The group had been eating in silence, focused on their food and pondering the afternoon’s visitors. Wolf had been furious to hear of the group’s demands, and he still regretted taking the only gun. He’d immediately apologized to Heather and reassured them he would keep everyone safe, whatever it took.
“We’ve got to get more guns,” Wolf stated.
Heather looked down at her food. “I have guns,” she said in a low voice.
Regan’s head whipped around. “What?”
She shrugged. “I have Luke’s old Browning 270 hunting rifle and his handgun. I don’t know what kind it is.”
Wolf was looking at her with surprise. “I didn’t realize you were armed; I’ve never seen you with a gun.”
Heather laughed at his shocked expression. “I don’t know that I’m armed. I can shoot, yes, and Travis can shoot, but the last thing I want to do is bring trouble around by announcing I have a couple guns. Plus, I have only one box of bullets for the rifle and maybe half a box for the other gun.”
“It’s a Beretta, Mom, and you’re talking about cartridges, not bullets,” Travis corrected her gently. “He bought one like he had on the force,” he added for the group’s benefit.
Regan couldn’t be angry Heather hadn’t mentioned the guns earlier. If they left them behind, Heather and Travis would need to defend themselves. And Regan knew Wolf would never ask her for the guns. It would be leaving them exposed and defenseless.
“I understand,” Wolf said, nodding his head, “but if you leave the house now, you should be armed, Heather.”
“I had no idea those men were around,” Heather pointed out. “I wouldn’t have let you go off into town if I’d thought it was dangerous. I’d have offered the guns to you, Wolf.”
“I’m sure this group was new in town or we would have heard of them before. They could even be part of a larger group, expanding down from the cities and taking over new territory. If that’s the case, I imagine they’ll work on controlling most of this area before they spread east, gaining strength and power as they go. People will be too afraid to deny them and will be forced to join their ranks,” he said, shaking his head with disgust.
“They’re like locusts,” Fred quipped.
“Are we still talking about going back to the swamp?” Geno asked, bringing up the subject they had all been dancing around since they’d sat down for dinner.
Regan and Wolf exchanged a look. “He is,” Regan said with a sigh.
“I’m open to hearing suggestions. What is it that each of you wants and needs?” Wolf asked.
“Shelter,” Tabitha blurted out.
“Food,” Fred added.
“Safety,” Geno said.
Wolf nodded his head. “None of you have said anything about beds or other creature comforts. That’s good. You’re thinking survival.”
“Can’t we survive in a small town, or maybe on some farm that’s been abandoned?” Lily asked, turning around to face the group in the living room.
Wolf shrugged. “We could, but look what happened today. A lot of other people are going to have the same idea. It’s going to come down to who’s most willing to fight for the house, farm, or whatever. Fighting to the death isn’t something I’m excited about. We all want to live. I’d prefer to do that in relative peace if I can.”
“So, you’re still hung up on going back to the swamp?” Fred asked.
“I am.”
Heather and Travis remained quiet as the rest of the group talked, tossing out ideas and rejecting them just as fast. Regan could see the fear on Tabitha’s face when the other woman glanced at them, and knew exactly what her friend was thinking. They hadn’t necessarily been excluded from the discussion, but they also hadn’t been included. Regan knew Heather wasn’t one to ask much of anyone and would probably feel as if she were imposing if she asked to go along, even after Lily’s invitation.
RC had been quietly eating in the corner, but finally finished his stew and put his own bowl to the side, garnering the room’s attention. “Our tribe has some land near the Cypress Reserve. I used to visit it quite a bit when I was a boy. It isn’t too far from where Wolf told me you were all at in the swamp.”
Wolf grinned, nodding. “That’s a good idea.”
“What’s a good idea?” Regan asked, not sure what the men were getting at.
“We could see if any of the people are still on the reservation. There’s a good chance they would allow us to live with them. Even if there isn’t room for us in any of the housing, the set for the show is about five miles from the edge of the lands. We could live in the swamp and set up some kind of trading system with those living on the tribal lands. They’ll have established growing systems.”
Fred’s demeanor immediately changed, his back straightening and a smile coming to his face. “That could work. That could be ideal, in fact.”
Lily turned back around to look at Travis, who was sitting to her right. Regan watched as the teen shrugged a shoulder at Lily’s unspoken question. Meanwhile, Heather stood up from her place at the table and took the empty bowls into the kitchen.
Regan looked at Wolf, raising her eyebrows and nodding toward the kitchen with her head. Wolf got the message.
When Heather reappeared, he cleared his throat. “Heather, have you ever visited the ancestral lands?”
“I have,” she said, stopping and meeting his eyes. “Many times.”
“You guys are the same tribe?” Regan asked with surprise.
Heather smiled. “We are Ashkii. There are a lot of us in the area. Our grandparents and great grandparents moved off the reservation in hopes of making a better living for themselves. It’s the way it is in many tribes.”
“Makes sense,” Regan muttered, wondering if they had known each other when they’d been young.
“Heather, Travis,” Wolf began, meeting each of their gazes in turn and then glancing around the group, “I think I speak for all of us when I say that Lily’s invitation stands. You’re welcome to join us.”
Heather let out a breath she
must have been holding, her smile getting brighter. “I’d planned to ask if Travis and I could travel with you. I may have family on the rez that we can stay with once we get there, but I don’t think it’s safe for us to remain here and I’ve been worried about us traveling alone.”
“Thank goodness!” Tabitha said, jumping up from her chair to hug Heather. “I was hoping you’d want to join us!”
Wolf and RC exchanged a look. “I think it’s a wise idea,” Wolf answered.
Heather sagged in relief. “Thank you. I promise we won’t be a burden. We can pull our own weight and help out wherever needed. I’m an excellent cook, and I can do a lot with very little. I’m really good at organizing, as well, and an excellent shot with a handgun. When I was younger, I also used to compete in various archery competitions,” she said proudly. “I’m just okay with the rifle.”
Regan’s mouth dropped open. The woman didn’t look the type to be an older version of a Katniss Everdeen. The idea was fascinating, though. Just at the thought of it, she decided she wanted to learn archery and hoped Heather could teach her.
“I know you’ll be very useful to have around, Heather. We’ll be lucky to have you,” Wolf told her.
“Great. I can help get this group in order,” Heather quipped with a firm nod.
“In order?” Fred echoed, his words coming out in a voice so low that it was nearly scary.
“That’s right—I’m great at organizing,” Heather confirmed with an easy smile before she retreated to the kitchen.
Regan felt like the woman had just dropped a loaded bomb into the room, and the discomfort on her son’s face suggested he recognized the awkwardness. Yet, Heather seemed oblivious to what she had said and why it might be offensive to those who’d been in their group since the beginning—which she now claimed was disorganized. Even Tabitha’s smile fell away as she moved to the kitchen to begin helping with the dishes.
Fred stood up and stomped into the kitchen behind her, a loud clanging sound ringing out as he dropped his bowl in the sink before heading out the front door without saying a word about where he was going.
RC cleared his throat and carried his own dish into the kitchen before heading out to join Fred. Geno stayed where he was, looking around the room as if to observe the tension, which was so thick it was almost visible.
“I thought things were organized just fine,” he hissed before standing and taking his own bowl up, leaving Regan and Wolf alone on the couch.
Lily and Travis remained at the table, chatting in low voices. Clearly, they were thrilled with the idea of joining forces. And Regan herself was happy Lily would have a friend along, but she didn’t appreciate Heather’s thinly veiled insult, whether it had been intentional or not. She didn’t feel her group was disorganized. Heck, they’d escaped a fiery inferno and been organized enough to grab a great deal of supplies in the bargain. It wasn’t like they’d had time to take inventory or neatly pack things away as they’d rushed to the boats.
“I’m going outside,” Regan said, not wanting her sour mood to come across to Heather. Wolf said nothing as she removed herself from the situation, choosing to avoid it rather than deal with it.
She didn’t dislike Heather, after all. She actually liked her a great deal, but the comment had stung. When she walked outside, she found Fred sitting in a plastic patio chair with RC sitting on a rock under the shade of a large willow tree. Geno was standing, his hands on his hips, his posture alone revealing his frustration and anger.
“Hey guys,” Regan said, making her way up to the trio enjoying the fresh air. The evening was mild and only moderately humid, making it nicer outside than inside with the slight breeze blowing through the yard.
Geno glared at her. “I think we need to all have a say in who joins our group. We all have to live together and should all have a vote in who crashes our disorganized party,” he snapped.
“I don’t think she meant it like it sounded,” Regan said, frowning even as she defended Heather.
Fred was clearly taking the comment the hardest, and Regan could understand why—it had been his job to organize things on the island. If Heather had seen the way things had been there, she would have thought very differently about the group’s organizational skills. Seeing the grim set to his face, Regan immediately felt guilty for not defending the guy. He’d put a lot of time and energy into making that stock room extremely organized. It had been his organization that had made it possible for them to retrieve what supplies they had managed to gather.
Wolf joined them under the tree, looking at Regan and then at the men before speaking. “Relax, Fred. She wasn’t being rude. She was probably referring to the stuff we have scattered about her house right now. In her place, I imagine we’d feel the same.”
“I think we need to voice our concerns about the idea of two additional people joining the group,” Fred replied flatly.
Wolf frowned, glancing toward Regan and then toward the house before he answered. “I think we can all agree Heather and Travis aren’t safe here. Part of that is because of our presence. We asked the wrong people to trade, which is why I said to only talk to those you knew and trusted,” Wolf reminded Fred and RC, his expression proof enough of his frustration over their part in bringing the trouble to Heather’s front door. “I didn’t see that we had much choice about inviting them along formally, if you want the truth.”
RC shook his head. “We were told to speak to those men by someone we did trust.”
“You’re saying someone set you up?” Wolf asked.
RC shrugged, looking off into the distance. “I’m saying we don’t know who we can and can’t trust anymore.”
Fred shook his head. “They would have found out about them eventually. This has only sped up our timeline. The town isn’t big enough for Heather or any of us to hide.”
Wolf nodded. “You’re right. Which is why you need to think long and hard before you throw a tantrum.”
“I’m not throwing a tantrum!” Fred argued. “She was condescending and insulting.”
“She didn’t mean it like that,” Regan said in a soft voice.
Geno shot a glare at Regan. “It certainly sounded exactly like that.”
“There’s bound to be some tension, but are any of you comfortable with leaving a woman and child behind to fend for themselves?” Wolf asked. “And if she’d asked before I brought it up, would any of you have been the one to say no?”
The three men went silent, none of them immediately answering, which surprised Regan. They had changed, she realized. The circumstances with Virginia, and what they had gone through to get to the island and then escape it, had changed them all. Everyone was suspect now, as far as they were concerned.
But Geno finally looked down at his feet and shook his head. “No.”
Fred sighed. “I guess not.”
Regan breathed a sigh of relief. She had actually thought they were going to fight to leave Heather and Travis behind. She wasn’t sure how she would have handled that hurdle, and couldn’t imagine what Tabitha might have said about the idea. She didn’t think Wolf would have agreed to it, but one never knew.
“Then let it go,” Wolf said quietly. “I think we have all learned we can’t take anything too personally. Things get said, and we can choose to let them bother us or let them roll off our shoulders. We don’t have time for a bunch of nonsense and hurt feelings over something that was said in passing and not meant to be hurtful,” he added.
“You don’t know that she didn’t mean to insult us,” Fred shot back.
“I do know that, Fred,” Wolf replied calmly. “She is not an unkind person, and I think you know that, as well.”
Fred pouted, folding his gangly arms across his chest. “She may not be unkind, but she’s rude.”
“I think we must all let this go and see how things work out. Things are tense, and we can’t be so quick to anger,” RC commented.
Wolf nodded. “I agree. They come along, and if things
become too much or they’re simply not melding with the group, we reevaluate. As Heather said, she may be looking to move in with her family and if anything, that might be a connection we need to those already living on the tribe’s land.”
“That sounds good to me,” Regan agreed, seeing that the point had made a dent in Fred’s set jaw.
“And either they keep up or they don’t,” Wolf stated, nodding his head as he made eye contact with the others.
Geno turned to look at Wolf. “She did say she might stay on the reservation, didn’t she? That might be the best option. We’ll get her there, but that doesn’t mean she has to stay with us forever.”
Fred nodded. “And, like you said, that could be a needed connection.”
Wolf shrugged. “Exactly. We see how it goes. There’s bound to be some growing pains with two new additions to the group, so don’t forget that. I’ll remind you that we didn’t all immediately gel, and there were quite a few issues between us until very recently. We’re all different. We all have our own ideas and opinions, and things are bound to get tense from time to time. All I ask is that you act like mature adults and handle it like the men you are.”
Geno immediately looked away. Regan did, as well—she knew Wolf was referring to her and Geno’s strained relationship, and some of the rather childish arguments they’d had. He made a very valid point, which made Regan want to try even harder to be kind to Heather. She certainly knew what it was like to feel as if you were the odd man out. Fred should understand the feeling too based on what he’d expressed to Lily.
“I’m willing to give her a chance. She did help us out, after all. I think we owe them both at least that,” Regan said.
RC stood up, wiping off the seat of his pants. “She’s a good woman. Travis is a good boy. I look forward to having them with us. Lily is already much happier. And Heather’s proven she’s an excellent cook, making a meal out of next to nothing. I’ve appreciated her food,” RC added with a smile.
Survivalist Reality Show: The Complete Series Page 54