It was not possible to be cool after so many years of imagining this one, singular moment. And how Miller managed to remain anything less than rage-filled and murderous would always impress me.
“Names,” he barked after he’d taken his time looking us over.
When we didn’t immediately reply, one of his guards stepped forward, tapping a long black stick against his thigh in a way that was meant to be threatening. “Tell him who you are.”
I licked dry lips, wondering if Matthias had actually recognized us or if we were still able to play this off. Did I want to play it off?
When we still didn’t answer, Matthias moved even closer. “I asked for your names,” he said in a slow drawl. “I expect you to give them to me.” His head tilted toward the guard with the stick. “And if I were you, I’d do it sooner rather than later.”
A rush of adrenaline pulsed through me and I heard myself say, “Lynn.” My hands started shaking so I balled them into fists at my sides. Panic rushed through my blood, mingling with adrenaline and my fight reflex. I gestured toward Miller. “And this is Leigh.”
Miller’s chest shook in a shuddering breath at my gutsiness. His hand squeezed my arm, and I was grateful for the small bite of pain because it motivated me to get ready to run or kill or fight for my life.
Matthias’s eyebrows drew together, and he repeated the information I’d given him. “Lynn?” he asked me. I nodded. He looked at his son. “And you’re Leigh?” His jaw snapped shut, and his eyes turned to scorching balls of hatred. Recognition vibrated through him with fire and vengeance and evil intent, his hands curling around the wheels of his wheelchair. If he would have been a cartoon, smoke would have steamed out his ears. “Son of a bitch! You stupid, foolish children! You’re going to regret ever coming here. You’re going to regret ever letting me know you aren’t dead!”
“Run,” Miller commanded from behind me. I only hesitated a half-second to offer one last victorious smile at the man I planned on ending.
“Get them!” Matthias roared from behind us, but we were already pushing through the crowd, racing to break free from the tangle of people.
Someone blew a whistle, and Matthias’s men started shouting to each other around the market. People moved out of our way at first, not sure why they were being shoved to the side. But as the ripple of commotion grew to a crescendo of chaos, they became less and less accommodating.
“Grab ‘em!” Someone shouted closer than I liked.
“The girl and the boy!” Someone else shouted. “They’re intruders! Grab them!”
We were a hell of a lot more than intruders, but I didn’t have time to explain that to them now. We finally broke free from the tight crowd and sprinted for a wide path.
I realized I’d just absolutely screwed up as Miller reached out and tipped over a vendor stand on our way to the edge of the market. Baskets and produce scattered everywhere and I jumped over a huge pumpkin just before I reached over and yanked at another cluttered stand. I ducked out of the way as it crashed to the ground, giving us a few precious seconds to expand our lead.
There was no foreseeable way out of the mess I’d just created. We were trapped in a walled city with Matthias’s men patrolling every inch of it. It had been a miracle we’d made it inside, and now I’d destroyed all hope of ever leaving again.
I wasn’t sure if we’d ever stood a chance since Matthias had recognized us almost immediately. But I also hadn’t been expecting to run into him instantly after we’d walked in the door.
Reminding him of his dead wife, Linley, probably hadn’t been the best move either—especially since I was the one that had killed her. But what was I supposed to do about it now?
What was done was done.
No regrets.
“Down here,” Miller commanded, grabbing my hand and yanking me into an alley.
On the other side were houses in neat rows, lining pleasant street after perfectly kept street. We ran through backyards, dodging freshly hung laundry on clotheslines and flower gardens with wilting blossoms. Matthias’ guards were hot on our heels, pressing closer and closer as I started to lose energy. Still fresh from my infection, I didn’t have the strength I should have. My lungs burned, and my muscles ached. Miller tightened his grip on my hand and pulled me after him.
I stretched my legs out in an effort to be faster, pumping my free arm. From what Luke had told us, I knew Matthias’s men carried guns. I kept waiting for one of them to shoot. My shoulders refused to relax as I waited for the impact. The panic and anticipation nearly drove me crazy.
Miller turned again, taking us between two houses. My arm brushed against the siding, the rough surface snagging my sweater and ripping a hole in it.
We sprinted through another yard, leaping over a bench that sat at the corner of an intersection. “Which way?” I gasped when Miller hesitated.
He pulled me one way only to rear back when a car rumbled across the road. We doubled back and rerouted. A siren screamed through the air, pulling a yelp from me. Someone started shouting over a loudspeaker, but I was too focused on running to really listen. Something about stopping. Something about “or they’ll shoot.”
We managed to round another corner before they caught up to us. We were behind a row of houses with a tangle of forest to our left. A fence with short posts was the only thing that separated us from the woods. We could have easily hopped it and disappeared into the trees.
Instead, we ducked into a shed at the back of a property, slipping inside a barely open door. They would expect the forest. And hopefully, they would search it. All of it. It was so much smarter than this dinky shed.
Miller didn’t have to explain his decision to me. I’d thought the same thing. They’d assume we’d head for the cover of the trees. And they’d spend their time looking for us out there while we quietly slipped back through town the other way.
At least, that was what I hoped.
“I’m an idiot,” I whispered, my lungs burning with every breath.
Miller leaned back, pulling me to him so he could wrap his arms around me. I rested my cheek against his heaving chest, relishing the feel of his hard body so protectively wrapped around mine. He softly banged his head against the wall. “He recognized us. I didn’t think he’d be able to. But he knew who we were almost immediately.”
I turned my head, resting my forehead on Miller’s pounding heart. “What was I thinking? This was so dumb.”
Miller’s cheek brushed mine so he could whisper in my ear. “This was a test.”
Pulling back to look him in the eyes, I whispered back, “By Matthias?”
“Luke,” he mouthed. “Too easy. Too convenient. He wanted us to come.”
I couldn’t ask any more questions because our quiet moment exploded with men shouting and sirens blaring. They called to each other, and one of their voices boomed through the loudspeaker. I curled into Miller more afraid than I had been in a very long time.
Even locked in that hunting cabin all night, assuming I was going to die hadn’t been this terrifying. Probably because Zombies weren’t nearly as alarming as Matthias Allen.
Plus, they were a hell of a lot easier to kill.
Miller and I were as silent as possible. We didn’t move. We didn’t even think. We blended into the shadows and prayed to be invisible. I swear I felt the wind rush by as men ran toward the trees, assuming we’d gone in there just like we hoped.
For a second I let myself worry about my brothers, Tyler and Joss. We’d fled before I could even make eye contact with them.
I knew they’d wait for us. They wouldn’t leave without Miller or me. Even if Luke left all of us and we had to walk back to the Underground—if we could ever find it again—we would do it together.
But staying behind also meant putting them at risk. And yet, I couldn’t even pretend that I wanted them to go for their safety. They weren’t safe without me, and I wasn’t safe without them. Because that’s how we worked. We were better as
a team. We were the strongest possible force together. We were a family, and that meant everything.
Miller’s arms tightened around me, caging me against him. He struggled to control his breathing. I felt his fear like a tangible thing in the dark shed. It wrapped around me cold and stiff. I wanted to shake it off and pretend it didn’t exist, but I wouldn’t do that to Miller.
I wiggled my arm free of his crushing hug and ran my fingers through his hair. Cupping his jaw with my hand, I coaxed him to look at me. “It’s going to be okay. We’ve gotten out of worse.”
He didn’t blink. “I should have killed him. He was so close. I should have killed him when I had the chance.”
“They would have killed us first. You were right about that.”
His jaw ticked. “I should have at least tried.”
My heart spiraled toward my stomach. “I won’t lose you to him,” I swore. “I won’t let him have you again.”
His head tilted to the side, and he stared at me with a look I’d never seen before. It was both soft and hard, both resigned and determined. I didn’t like the look. And I really didn’t like that I didn’t know what it meant.
Miller was all dark mystery. His eyes never told the whole truth. He’d trained them years ago to hide every thought and intention that went through his head.
When we were kids, I would stare into them for way longer than was normal, trying to find the truth behind his carefully masked lies, trying to find light in those shadowy, endless depths.
I just wanted to know that he was okay. That had been my goal back then. And it was still my goal now. But the light was harder to find. He’d managed to bury it so deep that even I started to doubt its existence.
Miller’s hand moved up my spine, cradling the nape of my neck in his rough palm. He held my gaze, showing me that light I had only just doubted. “I will never let him hurt you, Page. I promise you that. He will never touch you.”
“I’m not worried,” I whispered back. “I trust you.”
My words seemed to hurt him somehow. He flinched, squeezing my neck as if it were a reflex. I was just about to ask what was wrong, but his expression smoothed out and the look of pain disappeared, replaced with something like adoration. “I love you,” he whispered. “I know this isn’t the time or the place and I’ve been planning this whole speech and a perfect moment and a place where we didn’t need weapons. But I don’t know what’s about to happen, and you need to know how I feel. I love you, Page Parker. Since I was just old enough to know that you were a treasure that I had been lucky enough to find. I was dealt a shit hand for the first eleven years of my life, but damn if it wasn’t the Zombie Apocalypse that saved me. That led me to you so you could save me.”
My mouth moved, but no words came out. His lips twitched in a barely there smile. “It’s fine,” he said. “You don’t have to say it now. But I know you love me too. I know you’ve always loved me.”
And there it was, light so bright I could have sworn it blinded me. I wanted to laugh or smile or do a happy dance. Miller Allen loved me. Yeah, maybe I’d known it. Maybe I’d known it my whole life. But it felt pretty amazing to hear him say words as powerful as those.
“Miller,” I whispered, ready to declare the same thing. He was right. This was absolutely the wrong place and the wrong time, but it had to be said. It had to leave my mouth before something terrible happened.
The door to the shed swung open, and light suffused our quiet bliss. We were no longer hidden. Ten of Matthias’s men shoved through the door, guns raised, angry scowls in place.
From the back of the group someone called out, “Found them!” and the declaration was repeated down the line in both directions.
Miller and I stepped apart, arms raised. Our weapons remained untouched in their hiding places. There was no point revealing our secrets now. We’d wait until we were absolutely sure of the outcome.
A furious looking toad of a man in the front stepped forward and sniffed the air, his lip curling with disgust. “The boss wants you two alive,” he grumbled, sounding truly disappointed. “But I think he’ll get over it if you piss me off any more than you already have.”
Fresh fear curdled in my gut, but Miller stood up straighter, dropping his hands and mimicking the shorter man’s stance. “I’m sure he will,” he agreed. “I’m sure he’ll have no problem with you killing his only living son.”
A few of the men voiced their dissent, and a few others cursed in surprise. It wasn’t clear that they believed Miller, but it wasn’t clear they did not believe him either. I wondered how they would treat us now. Better? Worse?
Maybe Matthias had wanted to erase all doubt and now that they’d caught us, he could. Matthias could confirm our claim and execute us without doubt. These men would get to kill in the end. They just had to wait for the order.
The memory of Micah tied up in the middle of the town square while two sadistic assholes beat him to death flashed through my thoughts. Was that what I had to look forward to?
I lifted my chin. Worth it. Facing Matthias Allen one last time would be totally worth it.
Although if we did somehow make it out of this alive, I realized this would be another black mark on my not-so-flawless record. Maybe it would be better to face death rather than go back to the Underground and confess to Hendrix and Nelson that I’d let Matthias Allen capture us. Again.
And this was just a loose prediction, but also having to admit that I burned another settlement to the ground. I mean, let’s be real, if Miller and I were going to make it out of this thing alive, chances were there was going to need to be a big, big fire.
I weighed the pros and cons of that scenario while the guards moved out so Matthias could approach us. He was a grizzly sight, and I had trouble looking at him directly—this coming from someone who killed Zombies on a regular basis. I was used to frightening, grotesque creatures.
I couldn’t help but wonder how Matthias had survived the fire in Mexico. Or how he’d made it all the way back here. Or how he’d gotten so many people to follow him when he was just barely alive.
“Miller,” he rasped, his thin scarred lips twisting into a victorious smile. “Home at last.”
Miller nodded. “I’m amazed at what you’ve done with the place, Dad. I have to admit I underestimated you a bit.”
Matthias’s eyes crinkled, transforming his expression into genuine glee. “You doubted that I could unite a country?
Miller’s head tilted in that new way again. Calculating. That’s what he was doing. Assessing and determining and going over every possible outcome. “No, Dad. Now that I believed. I doubted you could survive the fire we left you to die in. Or the gunshot wounds. Or hell, any of the other times we tried to kill you. And here you are. Alive. Or something of that genre.”
I was mildly surprised when Matthias didn’t grab the closest gun and land a bullet right between Miller’s eyes. Although the amusement quickly faded and whatever patience he’d had disappeared just as fast. “Load‘em up,” he growled. “And don’t worry about being gentle.”
Miller took another step toward Matthias, causing all of the guards to refocus their guns on him. “Mom would be so proud of you. At everything you’ve built. Do you miss her?”
I licked dry lips, feeling abruptly puke-ish now that we were talking about Linley Allen. It was safe to say this was a conversation I wanted to avoid.
Matthias pushed back in his chair, his evil glare never leaving Miller. “She would have been proud of this, Son. She would have been damn proud to call it her own. But I’ll tell you what she wouldn’t have liked.” He jerked his chin at me. “Her baby boy shacking up with one of them. She would have been ashamed of the man you’ve become.”
Miller immediately stepped in front of me, uncaring of the dozen guns trained on him. “Touch her,” he dared his dad. “Find out what happens.”
Matthias’s smile turned cruel and crazy. “Get them back to the house,” he ordered his men. “And don’
t for a second take your eyes off either of them. Both of ‘em will slit your throat and expect a thank you very much if you turn your back. Mark my words.”
The guards’ stoic glares moved from Miller to me. I smiled, proud of that reputation.
“What do you think the going rate is for the prettiest Parker?” Matthias snickered. “Think I could get all five of her brother’s heads on sticks?” His men cheered at his bold question.
I sobered quickly. I hadn’t thought of that. I hadn’t thought of him using me to hurt my brothers. I had been so consumed with my hatred for him and for what he had done to the States that I’d built up my rivalry with him. Only I’d been a child when we’d been here before. He had never thought of me as a threat because I’d been a kid. His war was with Hendrix and Nelson. With Reagan. My throat dried out so quickly it burned all the way down to my toes.
“Or what about the one Kane died for?” He stared at me, his eyes dead and cold and promising. “Do you think your brothers will trade that bitch for you? I bet they will. I bet they’ll do just about anything for the Parker Princess.”
I kept my mouth shut, knowing that wasn’t true. Hendrix would never give up Reagan. There was nothing in this world that would convince him to hand over the mother of his children.
But he would go to war for me. He would raise an army, probably a Mexican one, and go to war for even the possibility that I could still be alive.
Matthias, tired of trying to bait me, turned around and disappeared in the throng of his men. I felt Miller’s eyes on me, but I was too afraid for our lives to take my attention off the guards with guns.
The original toad waved his weapon at us. “Come on. Boss says you got to go, so you got to go.”
Miller took a step closer to me, bumping his shoulder against mine in support. I pressed mine against him, needing it. Needing him. I wasn’t afraid for my own life. I wasn’t even afraid for Miller’s. We asked for this fight. We wanted it. But I had too many loved ones I’d recklessly put at risk. Which meant I would need to kill Matthias sooner rather than later.
We kept our hands raised, and did what we were told. There was no use fighting now. We needed to save our energy for the dark hours ahead of us.
Love and Decay: Revolution, Episode Ten Page 5