by Lara Nance
“You really like this place, don’t you?” She laughed, then grew serious. All right, Lola, here goes. “Linc, I want us to find a way to be together, somewhere, somehow. Okay? That’s what I want.”
He took her hand and kissed it. “Okay.”
She grinned, finally she got a boyfriend.
“But I do like this place.” He winked. “It’s the tiki bar. What can I say? Minlo’s love of Level Fourteen is rubbing off on me.” He cupped her face with one hand. “I said before only one thing could make me stay here. We never got to finish that conversation.”
“What’s the one thing?” she asked. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach.
“You.” His gaze melded to hers, and the butterflies traveled to her heart.
She moved from her chair to sit on his lap and kissed him long and hard.
***
“Aunt Ria!” Conner’s high-pitched voice nearly made Linc drop his margarita.
“Conner, you’re here!” Ria bolted from her lounge chair, and the boy crashed into her for a hug.
Linc rose as her parents followed. He was glad they could come here. Ria missed them a lot. It would make this crazy place a lot more like home. Their awestruck gazes darting around the strange but marvelous beach.
“Ria, what is this place?” her mother asked, turning in a circle.
“Mom, Dad, I’m so glad to see you. I didn’t think it would take so many weeks for them to get you here.”
“Honey, a lot is going on out there,” her dad said, hugging and kissing her forehead. “The world is a big mess right now. You guys are lucky to stay here while they clean everything up.”
Linc shared a glance with Ria. Like they didn’t know what horrors existed on the outside. Hell, they’d escaped half of them. Her parents would never know the terror they’d endured to this point. In fact, this was the first day they’d left the lab for more than sleeping and a break or two for meals since they’d arrived.
If it wasn’t for the nights when Ria’s warm presence in his bed allowed him to relax and heal, he didn’t know how he’d have survived.
“Why, what is Minlo doing here?” Her mother crossed to where he stood behind the bar. She enveloped him in a warm embrace, and he looked like he might cry. He hadn’t seen them since Lola’s death.
“It’s good to see you,” he said in an abnormally subdued voice.
“It’s a long story, Mom,” Ria said. “But basically, the night we went to see him, he devised a way for us to escape the city and came with us. When we reached this place, he helped devise a way to kill the parasite.”
“Well, my goodness,” she said holding his face between her hands. “I’m proud of you. Thank you for making sure Annaria was safe.”
His neck grew red, and he cast his eyes downward. “I didn’t do much.”
Linc burst out laughing. He’d never seen the guy so subdued and meek.
“No need to be coy, Min,” Ria chided. “Mom knows what a rascal you are. Did you think you hid anything from her when you were seeing Lola?”
He gave her a sheepish glance. “You kinda remind me of my own mother, that’s all. She used to be really tough on me until she died.”
“Oh, dear boy. You can be my son anytime.” She hugged him again and kissed his cheek.
Ria’s dad crossed and hugged him, as well, then patted his shoulder. It was a welcoming gesture that Linc knew Min would appreciate. “Well, all I can say is I’m glad everyone is safe, and you guys did a hell of a job coming up with that vibration idea. How did you know that would work?”
“It’s actually due to you,” Ria said. She relayed the story of how they’d called and her comm had vibrated, setting off the sequence of events that led to the end of the pandemic.
Linc still couldn’t believe their luck that such a random action had led to the secret of a cure. Imagine how long it would have taken to try something like that. Maybe it wasn’t luck. He had faith that God had helped them a bit, too.
Her mother’s eyes got big. “Ria, you knew I was calling and didn’t answer? I was worried sick. You could’ve taken the time to let me know you were okay.”
The room echoed with laughter as everyone roared at this typical mother response, except Ginger of course. Linc put his arm around her to soften the others laughing and said, “It would only have been a world crisis to keep her from answering, I assure you.”
“Mom, we were saving the world at the time.” Ria said, wiping tears from her eyes.
“Well! It would have only taken a few seconds…”
“Give it up, Gin,” Juan said. “Saving the world trumps mother’s worry on this one.”
Linc gave her shoulders a squeeze and released her. Poor woman had endured a lot losing a daughter and nearly losing another one. “You deserved to worry, Ginger. Don’t let this crew tell you different. We’ve all had a difficult time recently, but with the eradication of the parasite and new cooperation between the North and South, I believe our futures are headed for a better place.”
“He’s right, Mom. I’m sorry to joke with you. I thought about you the entire time we were away. I promise.” Ria kissed her mother’s cheek.
“I want to swim in the pool,” Conner said. He ran to the edge.
“Can I make anyone a margarita?” Minlo offered.
“I’ll have one,” Raul said headed for the bar.
Ginger still looked a little miffed. Ria gave Linc a smile, then winked and put her arm around her mother’s shoulders, and led her to a chaise. He grinned, knowing Ginger was about to be very happy.
“Mom, there’s something Linc and I need to tell you…”
THE END
“At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.” – Abraham Lincoln
For more information on books by Lara Nance, please visit:
www.laranance.com
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty