“Stay. Keep Jenna company.” I offered him a reassuring smile.
“I’ll be okay,” Jenna said looking into my eyes… possibly for the first time. “You need him.”
“Wait,” I said. “There’s something else.”
Robby cocked his head to the side. “What is it?”
“I think Bill was the one that shot Liam,” I said.
“What makes you think that?” Robby asked.
My fingers shook as I tucked my hair behind my ears. “He said he was shot in the head. We never told anyone that. All we said was that we’d heard a gunshot.”
“Lucky guess?” Caleb asked.
“Maybe,” I said. “But I don’t think so.”
“We keep this to ourselves,” Robby said quietly. “With Bill dead, it does it matter?”
We all nodded in agreement, although I hated secrets. But there was no point in telling anyone. It was already going to be bad enough telling Rex what had happened.
Before I knew it, we were at Rex’s building. Penny greeted us at the door. She could tell something was wrong.
“Come on in. Rex is finishing up with something but it’ll just be a minute,” Penny said gesturing toward the sofa. “Have a seat.”
She tried to make small talk with us. Penny asked about our accommodations. She complained about the weather.
Rex came into the area that was set up to be half an office and half a living room. He sat in a recliner with his legs spread apart and crossed his leg over the other.
“I hear you want to talk with me,” Rex said steepling his fingers and placing them at the bottom of his chin.
Robby grabbed my hand and opened his mouth. I started talking before Robby could get out his first word.
Everything poured out of me. Rex listened and didn’t take his eyes off me.
When I was finished, his shoulders rose up with a deep breath. He slowly let the air deflate his cheeks.
“We know about the other location,” Rex said. “We’re forbidden from going there.”
“I didn’t want to go,” I said.
“I know,” Rex said. “I believe you. There were some who had suspicions about Bill. Rumors about him trekking up there and stealing goods. I didn’t believe them. Or maybe I didn’t want to believe them.”
Robby squeezed my hand. “If you want us to leave—”
“That is not necessary.” Rex scooted forward in the chair. His elbows rested on his knees. “You’re far safer here than you will be out there. We are prepared here should something happen. I have an army. It might be small but their good. They’re always keeping us safe.”
“Don’t worry. Not even a little,” Penny said pressing her lips into a tight reassuring smile. “We’ll figure out something else for you to do to help out around town. We both want you to feel comfortable here. You’re safe here.”
“I don’t think I can do anything,” I said my leg was bouncing nervously.
Rex nodded. “Take some time. We’ll figure something out in a few weeks.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“Of course,” Rex said sliding back into the chair. “I know it’s probably hard for you all to trust anyone. If there was anything I could do or say that could persuade you that you are exactly where you should be, I’d do it. I’d say it.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Penny asked clasping her hands together as she crouched down in front of me. Her eyes were warm. I really, really wanted to believe her.
More than anything, I wanted us to be safe. I wanted us to be in the final location.
“We have a therapist here if you should ever need to talk about what happened,” Penn said. “I’m not saying you have to, I’m just letting you know what’s available. It sounds like you went through something quite traumatic.”
I swallowed hard, biting my cheek to stop myself from crying. “Thanks,” I said. “I just want to stay with my friends for now.”
“Totally understandable,” Penny said.
“You can help take care of Jenna,” Rex said turning to Robby. “If you would like more time—”
I squeezed Robby’s hand.
“Maybe a few days would be good,” Robby said.
“Done,” Rex said. “Maybe we threw you all into the mix too soon. Something for us to discuss should we get any more survivors. Why don’t you guys take her back to the room? Let her get some rest. I’m sure she’s exhausted from that ordeal.”
Robby shook Rex’s hand. He led me out of the room with his arm around my shoulders.
I flopped on the bed once we were back in the room. Robby laid down next to me, taking my hand into his again. It wasn’t just me that didn’t want to let go.
“Do you think we need to leave this place?” Robby asked.
“We can’t,” I said. “We have to stay for as long as Jenna needs us to.”
“For what it’s worth,” Robby said. “I think I believe them. I think that maybe this place is safe for us.”
I huffed. “My experience here hasn’t been so great.”
“Well, for now, you can stay in the room,” Robby said. “I’ll be out there learning what I can about this place. One bad egg doesn’t mean this whole place is bad.”
“Okay,” I said.
“I’m going to do a better job of taking care of you,” Robby said. “I should have been there. I should have protected you.”
My head moved side to side. “It’s not your fault.”
“I won’t let my guard down again, that I promise you,” Robby said placing a kiss on the top of my head. “You know how important you are to me, right?”
“I do,” I said. “You’re important to me too. You were all I could think about. I was afraid I wouldn’t make it back to you and you’d never know what had happened to me.”
Tears welled up in my eyes. Robby pulled me into his arms.
“You did make it back,” I said. “Thank God, you did.”
I exhaled and melted into Robby’s arms. It felt so good to be back with him in the room.
Figuring out whether or not we were truly safe would have to wait. For now, we’d just have to sit tight and hope that we were being told the truth.
I couldn’t have been happier to be back in Robby’s arms. It was where I belonged. The world outside wasn’t something I was cut out for. I needed Robby.
And with him, I was okay. I would be okay. We’d all be okay because inside the town was better than outside the town. That’s what I’d tell myself.
29
Adam
When we reached the center of the resort, Leo threw me on the ground. There were people outside with their umbrellas. They either noticed the commotion or maybe they had heard the gunshot.
“We have a traitor here!” Leo shouted. It only drew more people to poke their heads out of their doors.
Several guards circled around us but they stayed back several feet. All of them were armed.
My eyes darted up toward the trees. I couldn’t see the tree stands I’d spotted the other day but I knew they were up there.
“It’s a misunderstanding,” I explained. “Someone go get my dad.”
“There was no misunderstanding,” Leo said glancing over at someone near the main building.
I followed his gaze. It didn’t surprise me that it was Eva under the massive umbrella where his eyes had landed.
She kept her expression steady but when I looked back at Leo, I didn’t miss the smirk he flashed her. I was screwed.
“Adam here allowed trespassers to steal from our sheds out back,” Leo announced. “It is my belief that he knew the people. He likely told them where to go.”
“Are you kidding?” I asked. “I didn’t even know the sheds were there until you showed them to me today.”
Leo laughed. “We can’t believe a word you say, traitor.”
“Yes, you can,” I said. “I didn’t know those people. Leo left me there, unarmed. What could I have done?”
The tips of
Leo’s ears reddened. “I was only gone for a minute and he was instructed to get help. Don’t fall for his nonsense.”
“If you were only gone for a minute, how could this be entirely my fault?” I said trying to get to my feet. Someone behind me kicked me in the back of the knee and I fell back into the mud. “You’re just as much at fault.”
Leo laughed. “Give me a break. This guy will say anything to save his ass. He raped and abused one of our community members for days before she was able to escape. She’s lucky to be alive, no thanks to this fool.”
My eyes shifted over to Eva. Her shoulders shrugged ever so slightly.
“What should we do with this traitor?” Leo asked. “It’s been proven that he cannot be trusted. Will we be safe if he stays here? Will we be safe if we release him back to the world that is out there?”
Leo spun in a circle, looking at each person. His head started to shake from side to side.
“No, we won’t,” Leo said. “As long as he is alive, none of us will be safe.”
“I’m not what they say I am,” I shouted but it felt as though no one could hear me. “Leo,” I said pleading with my eyes, “at least let me say good bye to my dad.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Leo said crouching down. “All I have to do is give them the signal and you’ll be a distant memory.”
I bit my cheek until I could taste blood. “She’s lied to you. Everything she’s told you is a lie.”
“That’s no way to talk about the woman I love,” Leo said.
“Ha!” I huffed. “She has you fooled, doesn’t she?”
“You’re playing a dangerous game here, Adam,” Leo said darkness filling his eyes. “One little gesture and boom! You’re gone.”
The splashing of water caused me to turn. No one had heard her coming or if they had, they didn’t bother to stop her.
“Adam,” Leah said looking into my eyes. “What’s going on? Why are you out here like this?”
She wrapped her arms around me as if shielding me. I tried to wiggle free. If they pulled the trigger, there was a chance they’d miss.
“Go back to the cottage,” I ordered.
“What are you doing to him?” Leah asked, ignoring my request.
“Your boyfriend is a traitor,” Leo said pushing his shoulders back as he crossed his arms.
Leah groaned. “Bull shit. Ever since I met him, all he wanted to do was get back to his dad. He wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that.”
“Guess you’re wrong about your rapist boyfriend,” Leo said.
“Oh, please,” Leah said. “I can only guess who made such a ridiculous claim.” She turned back to me. “Where’s your dad?”
I shook my head.
“I’m not going to let you do this,” Leah said.
“Are you a traitor too?” Leo asked. His eyes slowly shifted over to Eva. It was like he was waiting for her to give him a thumbs up or down. Would Leah get to live… or would she have to die too?
Only she didn’t get a chance to respond in any way. My dad pushed between several people and raced over toward us.
“You know this off right now,” My dad ordered. “You can’t do something like this without the approval of the entire council.”
“Who says I don’t have it?” Leo asked.
“I know you don’t have it because I’m not going to give my consent to something so foolish. You are not going to be allowed to do this to my son,” my dad said as he helped me to my feet. He looked me over carefully. “I’m not happy about this young man. This will be addressed at the next meeting. Ridiculous. I’m extremely disappointed in you, Leo Styles. If your mother catches wind of this, she’ll be sick. Just sick.”
It appeared as though Leo shrunk a full inch. I bit down hard on my lip to stop the smile that was trying to make its way to my mouth.
Movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I turned in time to see Eva disappear back into the main building.
She’d lost this round and surely, she wasn’t happy about it. But Eva wasn’t someone that would give up. This was far from over.
My dad had saved me this time but next time, he might not be there. Next time it might not matter what he does or says.
“Everyone get back to whatever it was you were doing,” my dad shouted.
He didn’t let go of my arm as he led me back to the cottage with Leah at my other side, looking at me every three seconds with concern. I took her hand and squeezed. She didn’t have to say anything for me to know she was thinking about us leaving and wondering how we were going to survive out there on our own with nowhere to go.
I told my dad what happened. Right down to the part about what Leo had said about Eva being the woman he loved.
My dad’s shoulders drooped but at the same time, he didn’t seem surprised. “I’ll take care of everything.”
“Dad, I don’t want you to get in trouble for any of this,” I said.
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” he said. “I do want you to stay here, though. Don’t go venturing out. I’ll come to check on you daily to see what you two need to keep you comfortable. I’ll also make sure you’re done with this ridiculous trust test. It’s my fault. I should have put an end to it before it even started.”
“It’s not your fault,” I said sucking in a quick breath. “It’s Eva’s fault.”
I was surprised when he didn’t argue with me. He sighed and looked down at his hands.
“I’m sorry things here haven’t been easy for you,” he said. “It’s not right. I’ll do what I can to make this right.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I said.
I sat down on the sofa, feeling as though I’d gone through the washing machine on the spin cycle. My muscles ached and I wanted to get out of my wet clothes.
“I should get going,” My dad said abruptly. It was like he had read my mind. “There are some things I should take care of as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, Mr. Martin,” Leah said. “If it weren’t for you, he might not b—”
“Don’t think about that now, dear,” my dad said patting her on the shoulder. “Everything is going to be fine. I promise.”
Leah gave him a small smile. I knew her well enough to know she didn’t believe him. She didn’t think things were going to be fine.
“I’ll touch base with you both tomorrow,” my dad said before slipping back out into the pouring rain.
Leah closed the door behind him and quickly locked it. She stood there for a long moment before she checked to make sure the door was really locked.
“I don’t like this,” she finally said.
“I don’t like it either.”
Leah sighed. “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you think we’re safe here?”
I drew in a slow breath. “For now, yeah, I do.”
“I hope you’re right.” Leah sat down on the sofa. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
My fingers laced with hers. “Me too.”
“We’re going to have to come up with a plan eventually,” she said her eyes settling on our linked hands. “Or one of us will end up dead.”
“I think my dad will be able to keep us safe for a while,” I said. “We have a roof over our heads, we’re dry, and there is plenty of food. As long as we stay here and far away from Eva, we’ll be okay.”
“She isn’t done yet,” Leah said.
I nodded. “I know but she’ll be plotting and scheming for a while. It’s how she operates. If she acts too soon, she’ll look guilty.”
“That’s because she is guilty,” Leah said with a groan. She looked into my eyes. “Are you sure about this?”
“No,” I said. “But I do think we’re slightly safer in here than we are out there.”
Leah sighed as she leaned back. I squeezed her hand.
“We’re going to be okay,” I said sounding a bit too much like my dad. “I’m going to do everything I can to keep us safe.”
“Okay,” Leah said giving me a smile. “We’ll figure it out. We’ll come up with a plan. If we survived the hell out there, we can survive the wrath of your ex-girlfriend, right?”
“I think so. We now know what’s she is capable of. We can be prepared.”
Leah’s head bobbed in agreement. “We’ve been a pretty strong force since we teamed up, wouldn’t you say?”
“I like to think so,” I said grinning at her. “I really do think we’re going to be okay. In fact, maybe things will be good for us here.”
“Eva’s not going to give up,” Leah reminded me.
“As long as we stay out of her way, I think we’ll be okay. I’m pretty sure she wants something here that’s much bigger than me,” I said waving my hand in the air. “Let her have it. What do I care? As long as she leaves us alone, I really don’t give a shit what Eva wants. I just want you.”
Leah smiled. “Oh, geez. Mr. Romantic.”
“I’ll show you romantic,” I said kissing Leah on the cheek. “Just let me clean up.”
“Don’t be long,” Leah said as she patted her fake yawn with her fingertips.
“Trust me, I won’t.”
After I closed the bathroom door, I stared at the mud crusted to the side of my face. I remembered the hate in Leo’s eyes. The satisfaction in Eva’s as she watched the events unfolding.
Would we really be okay? My dad would do everything he could, I knew that, but would it be enough? I had to believe that it would be.
If we had to leave… we would. We just had to be cautious and careful. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for Leah and I knew staying at the resort would, for now, make it easier to do just that.
I couldn’t lose her.
I wouldn’t lose her.
We’d make it. No matter what the costs, we’d figure it out. We survived outside the resort… we could definitely survive inside the resort.
30
Stevie
I grabbed the gun at the front door. I didn’t make it far before someone grabbed my hand and pulled me back.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Gage asked.
“There are people out there,” I said.
The Reset Series | Book 4 | Swamp Page 15