by Jami Gray
As they approached the main gate, Boden’s familiar form came into view, and he wasn’t alone. Two others stood next to him, one was Havoc, and the other had to be Reaper. He was taller than Ruin, and all she could think as she took him in was ‘dark and dangerous’, from the pulled back inky black hair, to the close-cropped beard, to the all black clothes over an intimidating body. As she got closer, his glower hit her stomach with a lead fist. Her stomach dropped, and her mouth went dry. Shit.
Ruin pulled his horse to a stop. Vex didn’t stop but continued by him, Simon slumped against her back, eyes closed, barely conscious. Havoc walked over, took in Simon and gave a one-word greeting. ‘Medic.’ Vex nodded and released the reins, letting them fall into Havoc’s hands. He took over as she remained in the saddle, awkwardly bracing a swaying Simon with an arm. Havoc led them, horse and all, hopefully to wherever Mandy waited.
Charity stopped her paint a few feet back from Ruin’s and waited.
Boden walked over, his voice low, ‘Hey, little girl.’
‘Hey, old man.’
He patted her mount’s neck. ‘You get rid of the trash?’
She glanced at Ruin who had dismounted and was talking with Reaper, then came back to Boden. ‘Some of it.’
He frowned, but before he could ask more, Ruin called her. ‘Charity.’
She looked up to find both Vultures staring. At her. Ruin didn’t wait for her response, simply beckoned her over, then went back to his conversation with Reaper, who continued to watch her. Despite the distance a chill seeped into her bones, freezing her in place. Forget culling fact from fiction or playing the odds, this man was beyond dangerous. Which left her in a precarious position. The seconds stretched as he held her gaze. Finally, he turned at something Ruin said, releasing her.
The breath she sucked into her aching lungs was shaky. A warm hand cupped her calf and she looked down into Boden’s battered, but concerned face. ‘Word of advice?’
She jerked her head in a nod.
‘Don’t play games.’
‘Wasn’t planning on it.’ Not anymore, especially after that little look, that was for damn sure. Swinging her leg over, she dismounted, added a couple pats of her own to the paint’s neck, and turned to Boden. ‘Is that phone working?’
He gathered the reins and studied her. ‘Yeah, why?’
‘Might need it later.’
Shaking his head, he began to lead the horse, and she fell into step beside him. ‘Find me. I’ll see what I can do.’
‘Thanks,’ she muttered as he left her to face the two waiting men. She walked over, trying not to flinch under the disconcerting weight of Reaper’s gaze. Next to him, Ruin watched, arms crossed over this chest, his face impassive. When only a couple feet separated them, she stopped and waited. No way would she be the first to speak.
That privilege belonged to Ruin who said, ‘Time to spill on why you’re really here.’
It wasn’t easy, but she managed to pull off an unconcerned half-smile. ‘Already told you, Ruin, I don’t answer to you.’
‘You’d rather answer to me?’ The question was a low whip of menace from the man next to him.
‘Reaper, I presume?’ It wasn’t meant as a taunt, more as a way to buy some time, but when his eyes narrowed and the muscles along his folded arms tightened, she back-peddled. ‘I have no quarrel with you.’
His lip curled in an obvious sneer. ‘You sure about that?’
Even though her legs turned to water, she dug around for her spine, found it and held on for dear life. Her hands went to her hips. ‘What? No ’thank you’ for keeping Simon breathing?’
Ruin’s face darkened, but strangely Reaper’s lightened, just a bit. Or maybe it was a trick of the light. ‘Thanks.’ It came out hard, and what followed was even harder. ‘Now, seems to me, you being reluctant to share why you’re here means I’m not going to like what you have to say.’
She dropped some of her attitude, but not much. ‘I don’t know you enough to predict your behaviour, nor do I know you enough to encourage me to share. Not to mention, it’s not my decision to make.’
Something flared in those dark eyes, but as she said, she didn’t know him well enough to interpret its meaning. ‘Whose decision is it?’
Hard as it was, she held his stare, silent.
It was Ruin who snapped the rising tension. ‘If you want a chance to see if your girl is here, you might want to start talking.’
The cool derision in his voice scraped like flint across her brittle temper. Deciding to heed Boden’s advice about not playing games, she was uncharacteristically blunt as she turned to Ruin. ‘You want me to start talking?’ Not giving him a chance to answer, she kept her voice low so those lingering nearby couldn’t hear. ‘Unlike you, I have no problems sharing. Want me to pick a starting point? How about we start with who put your ass in charge, because last time I checked, that position belongs to Simon or Boden or both. Or we can skip that part and move on to when I can see the kids, because until I know if Tabby is one of them, I’m not keen on telling you a damn thing.’
A red tinge snuck under Ruin’s arrogant mask, and his arms dropped until his hands fisted at his side. Guess she finally found the right button to push. He closed in until they were facing each other with bare inches between them. ‘You want in on this situation, you’ll share.’
Undaunted, she got right in his face and hissed, ‘Like you shared the real reason you decided to risk Simon’s life by hauling ass back here?’
His gaze darkened. ‘Why the hell would I do that?’
‘Maybe so you don’t get your supposed best friend killed? Or, hey better yet, get your worthless ass shot down?’
His eyes narrowed. ‘I don’t need you to keep breathing.’
For a heartbeat she was stunned by the unexpected sting of contempt in his voice, then red bled over her mind and vision. ‘Did you happen to forget that if it wasn’t for me, you arrogant thick-witted bastard, you’d be pushing up fucking daisies?’
‘Enough.’ The barked command snapped their heads around to Reaper. He looked to Ruin. ‘Take her to Mandy, if she’s okay with Charity talking to the kids, let her.’ He looked to Charity. ‘If your girl is there, I expect full disclosure.’
‘If she isn’t?’ Strangely the question came from Ruin.
Charity throttled back her roiling emotions and gave Ruin her back. She held Reaper’s gaze, and ignored her discomfort, proud when her voice came out even. ‘Even if she isn’t here, let me use the phone for one call, and then I’ll give you what I can before I head out.’
‘Where the hell do you think you’re going?’ Ruin growled behind her.
Paying Ruin no heed, she waited for Reaper’s decision. Finally, he nodded, then pivoted on his heel and began to walk away.
Chapter 10
The damn woman was driving Ruin nuts. Every time he thought he had her figured out, she went shady on him. It was time to figure out what she was hiding. Not knowing irritated the crap out of him. It was pure stupidity to consider leaving without knowing what game she was playing. Before he hit the road to Kennewick, he was getting answers. He grabbed Charity’s arm, forcing her to face him.
Her sharp hiss of pain reminded him too late of her wounded shoulder. He barely jerked back from her incoming fist. ‘Don’t touch me.’
He ignored the flicker of guilt but didn’t waste time letting go, raising his hands and backing up a step. ‘Calm down, dammit.’
Her eyes narrowed, and her lips thinned. He braced for an angry outburst but was thrown off guard when she ordered, ‘Just take me to Mandy.’
‘Not yet.’ Determined to match her attitude, he folded his arms over his chest and settled in. Time to starting digging around and watch what rose to the surface. ‘What the hell was that, Charity?’
She blinked. ‘What was what?’
‘That.’ He waved a hand in the direction Reaper took. ‘Your little rant about Simon and who’s in charge.’
‘
What? Am I not allowed to question the almighty Ruin?’ Thick mockery layered her question.
Her attitude, warranted or not, rankled. Looking away, he clenched his teeth to keep his scathing response from slipping free. When he was sure it wouldn’t escape, he blew out a hard breath. Only then did he catch sight of a young boy collecting Ruin’s horse, a needed reminder that they were standing in the middle of Pebble Creek about to get into things. Sure enough, when he looked around, he discovered a handful of lookie-loos doing their best to appear busy but doing a piss-poor job of it. He and Charity needed privacy to hash this out. Not to mention, if on the off chance he ended up throttling her, it would be best if there were no witnesses.
Without a word, he turned on his heel and started for Grave Hall, where he and the Vultures normally stayed. A beleaguered sigh sounded behind him before Charity’s light steps followed. The woman probably thought he was taking her to Mandy. Who was he to disabuse her of that notion? It was small and petty, but the sliver of childish satisfaction added a slight curve to his lips as he led her through the streets.
Before the Collapse, Pebble Creek wore a different name and a different face, and thousands called it home. After everything fell apart, and humanity began reassembling, new towns rose, built upon the bones of the old. Now, less than a thousand called Pebble Creek home. Large swaths of outlying areas lay in crumbling heaps, stripped of usable materials. In the town’s main areas old structures, such as Grave Hall, found life in new roles. Whatever it used to be, it now served as temporary living space for visitors.
He led Charity up the gently curving walkway and into the Grave’s courtyard. The single story building was framed by a variety of greenery and served as the connector for the two larger, four-story structures on either side. He held open the heavy door with an exaggerated flourish. ‘After you.’
Charity paused on the top step, her gaze sweeping over their surroundings before coming back to rest on him. ‘The kids are staying here?’
Instead of answering, he wiggled his fingers, indicating she should go inside. Shaking her head, she headed in. Once she stepped over the threshold, he followed, only to come up short as she froze a few feet in. Stuck between her unmoving body and the closing door, he wrapped an arm around her waist for balance as the door pushed against his back. For a searing moment, her every curve was pressed tight against him, bringing his slumbering hunger to roaring life. His arm at her waist tightened in unconscious reaction. Before she could snap his head off or worse, he tugged her to the side so he could get by, and then let her go.
Grave Hall was an eclectic mix of comfort and practicality. Dining tables took up the majority of space in the large room, some meant to accommodate cosy couples, while others could manage a bigger party of six or eight. The back area doubled as a library. Stuffed reading chairs huddled together in strategic positions nestled between bookcases. Off to the side, away from the dining and reading areas, sat a broken in pool table and a well-used dartboard.
It wasn’t the interior keeping Charity in place. That would be the woman sitting at one of the tables, the one person he hadn’t expected to find here—Mandy. Dammit it all to hell! Looked like he would be postponing his chat with Charity. He stalked forward, Charity behind him. With a teacup poised halfway to her mouth, Mandy watched the two of them approach. ‘Doc,’ he greeted.
There was no hiding the impatience in his voice, and since Mandy’s eyes sparkled behind her lenses as she deliberately took a sip, he was fairly certain she hadn’t missed it. She settled the delicate looking cup on its equally delicate looking plate. ‘Ruin.’ His name came out with laughter peeking around the edges. ‘Wasn’t expecting to see you here.’
‘Yeah, same goes.’
Mandy’s attention wandered beyond him, stopping on Charity. She arched a dark brow. ‘Charity, correct?’
Charity moved to stand on the other side of the table and nodded. ‘Mandy, or do you prefer doctor?’
The older woman waved Charity into the opposite seat. ‘Mandy’s fine.’
As Charity settled in, Mandy turned to Ruin. ‘You going to stand there and glare or you going to join the conversation?’
Snagging a chair from a nearby empty table, he swung it around and straddled it, resting his arms along the back. ‘Happy now?’
Mandy leant over and patted his cheek. ‘Very.’
He allowed her the affectionate move simply because she was one of the few people in Pebble Creek who managed to make a spot for herself in his life. Probably because she spent so much time patching up his sorry hide.
Sitting back, Mandy studied him, a wariness lingering in her expression. ‘Did you bring Simon home?’
‘A bit worse for wear, but yeah. Boden and Vex were hauling him over to the clinic earlier.’
Relief gave her smile a bit more brightness than normal. ‘Kendra and Bryant are on, so he’s in good hands.’ She made some minor adjustment to the teacup. ‘They’ll come get me if they need me.’ The smile slowly faded to be replaced by her normal stoic mask. ‘You took care of the Raiders, I presume?’
He knew her question wasn’t prompted solely by Simon’s welfare but a decade old scar rendered when her young family was massacred by a band of Raiders. ‘You presume correctly.’
A flash of old pain came and went. ‘Good.’ Her voice was soft. She cleared her throat, and the next part came out close to normal. ‘Were you two looking for me?’
Charity’s ‘yes’ clashed with his ‘no’ and earned him a nasty look. Mandy simply raised an eyebrow in question. Before an explanation could be given a deep voice boomed through the large room. ‘Hey, Ruin!’
A thick-chested man with a box in one arm and the other nimbly manoeuvring a crutch, entered through a doorway in the back that Ruin knew led to a storage room. Ruin stood up, took his leave of the women, and wove through the tables to head over to help. Reaching the man, Ruin took the box and set it down near a stuffed bookcase. ‘Hey, Worth, how’s things?’
The heavily tanned Worth offered his now free hand to Ruin for a quick handclasp. ‘Quiet. Not unexpected considering some are still reeling from yesterday’s attack.’ His attention drifted to the two watching women, and his harsh face softened. ‘Mandy needed some peace and quiet, so I’m letting her do her tea thing here while I restock the reading supply.’
Ruin grinned. ‘Mighty nice of you to allow her that.’ Everyone knew Worth was sweet on the doc. Besides, the poor fool couldn’t lie worth a damn. Worth’s cheeks were turning red, so Ruin figured his and Charity’s arrival interrupted whatever plan Worth had in motion.
Worth’s hand snuck out and flicked the back of Ruin’s head. ‘Be useful and help restock the shelves, numbnuts.’
Smiling, Ruin crouched down and grabbed a couple of books from the box at Worth’s side, and handed them to him, his arm brushing the empty lower leg of Worth’s jeans. ‘Wouldn’t want you to strain anything, old man.’
Worth took the books and tucked them in on the shelf, shifting his weight on his crutch with the ease of practice. ‘Did you find Simon?’
Resting his arms on his knees as Worth carefully placed the books, Ruin nodded. ‘Yeah, he’s going to be down for a bit.’ Once Worth finished fiddling with things, Ruin grabbed another handful of books and handed them over.
Taking them, Worth paused and cocked his head, his dark eyes unfathomable as he considered the younger man. ‘You all sticking around for a bit then?’
‘Not for long,’ he murmured, thinking about how soon he needed to hit the road. ‘But Reaper is stepping in to help Boden while Simon’s recovering.’
‘Good, that’s good.’ Worth set the books in line on the shelf. ‘Reaper’s being here will keep the idiots in line.’
And that was exactly why the Vultures’ leader would be sticking around. His presence, alongside Boden’s, would discourage anyone stupid enough to try and take Crane’s place while Simon was out of commission. It also left the other Vultures, Ruin included, free t
o hunt down the reasons behind the Raiders attack on Pebble Creek.
In compatible silence, the two men continued to restock the shelves. Behind them the muted conversation between the women continued in polite, stilted tones separated by long pauses. When the box was empty, Ruin rose and followed Worth over to the women who were now quietly watching them.
Worth stopped behind Mandy’s chair, his hand curling over the wooden back as he smiled at Charity. ‘Hello there.’
Charity was all sweetness and innocence as she returned his smile. ‘Hello.’ As Ruin came up to her side, she held her hand out to Worth. ‘Charity.’
‘Worth.’ The caretaker of Grave Hall released the chair, reached around Mandy and over the table to take Charity’s hand. Then he brought it to his lips in an old-fashioned move filled with half-forgotten charm. Neither Mandy nor Charity batted an eyelash at Worth’s greeting. ‘A pleasure to meet you.’ He let her go and settled back by Mandy’s side.
‘This must be yours, I assume?’ Charity indicated the room at large.
‘Ah, yes.’ Worth managed a graceful pivot despite the crutch and missing lower leg. ‘Welcome to Grave Hall.’
Ruin watched Charity take in the room as Mandy took another dainty sip, part of him curious as to her reaction.
‘Nice,’ Charity murmured, even as her attention shifted to Ruin. ‘If the private rooms are as comfortable as this, it explains why Ruin calls it home.’
Ruin managed not to wince at the underlying bite in her comment. Guess his scheme to get her alone so he could discover her motives was officially snuffed.
Ignorant of the undercurrents, Worth chuckled. ‘That and because I don’t mind running interference when he’s keen on avoiding unwanted guests.’
That earned Ruin a hard-eyed glare from the blonde, and an indulgent smile from Mandy, while Worth wore a shit-eating grin. Feeling a need to mount a defence, Ruin changed the conversation. ‘Reaper’s okay with letting Charity see the kids if you are, doc.’