“We'll need two-way radios from my office, and I know where to find some binoculars,” Bishop informed her. “I could go to the roof and scout out the best route to the hanger.”
“I'll make a list of chemicals for Rafael,” Jetta said. “He'll know where to find everything we need.”
“You do realize it's going to be dark before we get all of this together,” Bishop announced.
Jetta grinned. “We'll strike at dawn.”
“Meet me on the roof in half an hour,” Bishop said then quickly left the table.
Carter watched Bishop leave the lounge then looked at Jetta with hostility in his eyes. “You know, this is still my hotel, Jetta. I won't have you destroying it,” he informed her.
“We're cut off for a reason, Carter,” she snapped. “First the cell phones and then the landlines? Our government friends just popping in because of Sheriff Palmer's missing persons report? You just don't get it, do you?”
“You're being paranoid,” Carter remarked as his agitation with her increased.
“What she's saying does make sense,” Styles interrupted.
Carter glared at the deputy, silencing him. “She's young and irrational. She's been hanging out with mercenaries for far too long.” He then glared back at Jetta. “That's the sort of attitude that gets innocent people killed.”
Jetta had nearly had it with Carter. All he cared about was the financial aspect of everything. There were lives a stake, and if she was right, they were all sitting in a kill box just waiting for the government to declare Winter Harbor a total loss. Carter didn't understand. He wasn't from Winter Harbor. He was too used to others doing his fighting for him. The people of Winter Harbor were used to taking care of themselves. They didn't survive by waiting for someone else to take care of them.
“No, Carter,” she snapped. “That sort of attitude is what saves lives. We may ding up your precious resort, but the lives we save will be worth it.”
“And I'm telling you, we're safe in here!” Carter shouted while pounding his fist to the table.
Styles jumped with surprise then cast a glance at Jetta for her response. Jetta didn't disappoint. She leaped to her feet while glaring at him across the table from her.
“I'm not talking about us!” Jetta launched back. “I'm talking about the eight hundred people stranded at the school!”
“And if they stay inside, they're fine too!”
“They're not fine,” Jetta shouted back in anger. “If nearly two hundred people are unaccounted for, that means there are probably two hundred zombies surrounding that school. In great enough numbers, they'll bust through the glass doors in the alcove! And minutes later, they'll bust through the lock on the metal gate! They're not okay!”
Everyone within the lounge was now staring at Jetta while she shouted at Carter across the table.
“You just try and stop me, Carter!”
Jetta stormed from the lounge while everyone watched. Styles suddenly grinned and laughed. Carter glared his disapproval at the young deputy.
“Something funny, Deputy?” Carter demanded.
“I always wanted to meet the infamous Admiral Cross everyone brags about,” Styles informed him then grinned. “And I think I just did.”
Chapter Twenty-two
Rafael stood behind the kitchen counter and studied the list of items on the piece of paper he held while Jetta stood across from him. His eyes were wide as he read the ingredients she asked him to gather.
“Whoa, dude!”
“Can you get all that?” Jetta asked.
“Yeah, sure. We have all this stuff. Plenty of it. But if you don't mind my asking,” Rafael remarked while glancing at her. “What exactly are we blowing up?”
“Some cars in the lot.”
“That bored already, huh?”
“No, I'm making a run for my helicopter at the hanger. The government kindly left a small arsenal of weapons in the back. We need those weapons.”
He stared at her a moment in silence while apparently reading her thoughts. “You're going after Hunter, aren't you?”
She suddenly tensed then nodded. “After I drop off the weapons, yes, I'm going after Hunter,” she replied. “Did you or Tyler get a hold of the coast guard?”
“No, our frequency is messed up. We can only radio a short distance. A ship would have to be in the harbor to receive the signal,” he remarked. “Tyler thinks we've been cut off intentionally. You know how Tyler can be. He has this whole conspiracy theory thing going.”
“He may be right,” she boldly announced. “I've been running around with those government guys all day, and it all suddenly makes sense.”
“So you think they're trying to contain it to the island and we're, like, expendable?” Rafael suddenly asked.
“I don't want to find out. After I get Hunter, I'll fly to the mainland for some real help; the kind that doesn't require government sanctions.”
“You know people?”
“Yeah, I know people,” she replied. “I know dozens of retired bad asses just dying to relive the glory days.”
“Why am I suddenly scared?”
Elise stormed into the kitchen and approached Jetta and Rafael at the counter. Jetta saw the look on her face and noted her determined gait. This obviously wasn't a social call. Of course, with Elise, it never was. Rafael slipped the paper into his pocket and watched with noted concern. Elise stopped at the counter and glared at Jetta with a wildly unpredictable look.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Elise demanded in her finest prison matron tone.
“Jetta Cross, daughter of Admiral Quinn Cross,” Jetta remarked. “It says so right on my birth certificate.”
Rafael sheepishly backed away from them and watched from a safe distance. There was no telling where this argument was going to lead.
“Don't get smart with me,” Elise snapped. “This is Carter's hotel. You are just the air taxi. You have no right to give orders to employees or willfully destroy hotel property. If you don't back off, I'll have Deputy Styles arrest you for trespassing, vandalism, and anything else he can think up.”
Jetta wasn't intimidated by her and didn't even flinch to her threats. Her lack of emotion possibly frightened Elise more than ever. Despite her tone, Elise watched Jetta closely.
“How quickly you forget who kept Bishop from shooting you,” Jetta remarked then suddenly raised her brows. “Don't make me regret it.”
Elise twitched. “No one's saying we're not grateful for the way you handled that entire incident in the lobby, but I won't allow you to impulsively wreck this hotel.”
“Fine,” Jetta remarked simply, folded her arms across her chest, and glared at her with a knowing smirk. “Get Deputy Styles and have him arrest me.”
“I will!” Elise shouted but didn't move.
“Then do it.” Jetta watched her, although she still didn't make an effort to fetch the deputy. She casually tilted her head. “You know he won't do it, don't you?”
Elise fumbled for an answer. “If he doesn't arrest you, I'll have the mainland police do it,” she snapped. “And if you cause any damage to this hotel in the meantime, Carter will sue you for everything you and your father have.”
“Assuming we survive; be my guest,” she remarked with little emotion.
Elise still didn't move. She stared at Jetta with less hostility and appeared more concerned than annoyed.
“I don't know,” Rafael said teasingly to Jetta while grinning. “I think you're winning this argument.”
Jetta remained casual while staring at Elise and shook her head in response. “No, Rafael, she's weighing her options,” she informed him. “See, she's wondering what will happen if those things get in here, and I'm her only line of defense. She's wondering if I'll just let them eat her ass.”
“I--I don't have to deal with you,” Elise suddenly announced while attempting to maintain her superior attitude. “You're Carter's problem.” She quickly turned and left the kitchen almo
st as fast as she had entered.
“You really know how to handle her,” Rafael remarked and held back his humored laugh.
“Don't be too impressed,” she announced. “I was actually hoping she'd give me an excuse to hit her.”
†
Jetta hurried through the lobby toward the elevators then glanced at the lobby doors and hesitated. More zombies collected at both sets of doors. Lee stood before the beachside doors and stared outside with her hand to the glass. Jetta uncertainly approached her and appeared curious. Lee stared at zombie Glenn pawing at the glass while tears streaked her face.
“Lee?”
“It's Glenn,” Lee said softly without looking at her.
Jetta eyed the zombie pressed up against the glass. “Did you two go out?” She knew they hadn't but couldn't quite make sense of Lee's turmoil.
“No, I told him he wasn't good enough for me,” she replied with a sniff. “He was a good man, and now he's--he's reduced to this. I never even gave him a chance. There were a lot of men I brushed off. How many of them died tonight? I could have treated them better.” Lee looked at Jetta with tears streaking her face. “I'm sorry I treated you so badly since I'd arrived. I was just upset that you were more popular than I was. Even my own father wanted to go out with you. And now--now it just seems so petty. Can you ever forgive me?”
“There's nothing to forgive, Lee,” she said gently then offered a teasing smile. “But if it makes you feel better, I promise I'll never be your stepmother.”
Lee laughed softly and wiped her tears. “That actually does make me feel better.” She sniffed and attempted a smile. “I heard from my father that you intend to blow up the parking lot. Something about making a run for your helicopter. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“You can help Rafael make the explosives,” she informed her. “Bishop and I are going to the roof to scout out the most direct path to my helicopter at the hanger. It's a long run, and we don't know what to expect once we're beyond the parking lot.”
“How about taking one of the cars?” Lee suggested. “I can give you the keys to my car. It's not too far from the building. A three-minute drive and you'll be at the hanger.”
“That's an excellent idea,” Jetta replied while smiling proudly. Her look then turned more serious. “Why don't you join the others in the lounge? You shouldn't be here alone.”
“It's okay,” Lee replied timidly. “I want to spend a few more minutes with Glenn.”
Jetta nodded, patted her arm, and headed for the elevators.
†
Jetta appeared on the hotel roof and walked several feet before hearing Carter's angry voice. She could see Carter standing with Bishop near the half wall overlooking town. Carter's tone was low and threatening. She was certain he was attempting to stop them by threatening Bishop's position at the hotel. She hoped Bishop wouldn't back down to his threats. Without his help, her success rate dropped drastically.
“You have a responsibility to this hotel,” Carter lashed out. “When you start demolishing it, the insurance isn't going to pay for the damage you do.”
“Are you kidding me? You're worried about repairs? I'm worried about lives, Carter.”
“We're safe as long as we stay put! I can't believe she got to you!”
“This isn't about Jetta. This is about saving lives. What about the hundreds of other people? What about our town?”
“Our town?” Carter suddenly asked then laughed. “You're not one of them, Bishop. I've been here a lot longer than you have, and I'm not one of them. Since when did you start caring about others? You never cared about anyone.”
“Not showing emotions isn't the same as not having them,” Bishop remarked. “If we can get to those weapons, we can save ourselves and everyone else.”
“And we're looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages that I don't have,” Carter launched back in a state of rage. “If you want to blow up the hotel, you can explain that to your boss, Harlan Rafkin.”
“You let me worry about him,” Bishop snapped. “You just worry about keeping your remaining guests from being eaten and stay the hell out of my way.”
“You're going to regret this, I promise,” Carter snapped. “Just because you have a hard on for Jetta--”
Bishop's look turned cold and threatening. “You'll want to carefully consider what comes out of your mouth next.”
Carter appeared stunned while staring at him. “Oh, now I see,” he remarked. “You're doing this just to get in her pants.”
“What the hell is your problem?” Bishop demanded to know as his hostility rose. “People are dying, and you think I'm doing this just to score with Jetta?”
“It's a stretch, but it makes more sense than actually believing you care about what happens to the people in this town,” Carter remarked. “Give it up, Bishop. You don't stand a chance with Jetta. She's not letting you between her legs.”
Bishop suddenly punched Carter in the groin. Carter gasped and doubled over while clutching himself. Bishop collected himself and casually glared at him.
“Shake it off, Carter,” Bishop remarked lowly. “That was only a warning shot. If I'd actually wanted to hurt you, you wouldn't walk right for a week.”
Carter slowly straightened with discomfort and finally looked at Bishop. He was obviously surprised Bishop had hit him. Bishop's glare was stern and threatening.
“Now, I'm asking you nicely to refrain from using vulgarities where Jetta is concerned.”
“Yeah, sure,” Carter said softly while glaring at Bishop. “It won't happen again.”
Carter muttered something under his breath and turned to leave. He saw Jetta standing a few feet away with an all too familiar look of hostility. He frowned and hurried past her to the roof door. Jetta approached Bishop and offered a tiny, pleased smile.
“I'm assuming you won that argument,” Jetta teased.
“You heard that, huh?”
“It would have been hard not to.”
Bishop appeared unusually tense then looked over the half wall to the resort grounds and the town beyond it. “As you can see, we have our work cut out for us.”
Jetta looked across town as well. As many as one hundred zombies milled about the hotel grounds and throughout town. There were larger pockets closer to the hotel and around several of the buildings, indicating where survivors were probably stranded. The hanger was nearly a mile away with the helicopter sitting in plain sight.
“Nothing like a challenge, huh?” Jetta teased.
“Yeah.”
There was an awkward moment of silence. Several thoughts were now racing through Jetta's mind. Carter's comments about Bishop's feelings for her were a close second to something else Carter had said.
“So you don't actually work for Carter?”
“Heard that too, huh?” he asked then snorted a laugh. “Have you heard of Harlan Rafkin?”
“He's that eccentric millionaire recluse who owns a dozen beach resorts. A real bastard, I hear,” she casually replied.
She'd actually heard her father mention Rafkin once as well. Something about a mission in Rio followed by a party at one of Rafkin's hotels that ended with an embarrassing mishap. Her father never elaborated, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know the details. With the admiral's team, the term embarrassing took on a whole other meaning, and mishap usually referred to something being blown up.
“Well, he's also my boss.”
Jetta couldn't help feeling surprised yet somehow not too surprised. “At least now I know where you get your sunny disposition.”
He chuckled softly and casually leaned on the wall. “Nine months ago, Rafkin bought controlling interest in Winter Harbor Hotel,” Bishop informed her. “Carter didn't want anyone to know he was on the verge of bankruptcy.”
“Carter is having financial problems?” she asked then suddenly turned hostile. “That little bastard!” She was now angry with Carter all over again. She shouldn't have been surprise
d that he lied to her. “He offered to pay for Hunter's surgery if I agreed to be his girlfriend for a couple of months.”
Bishop appeared slightly uncomfortable while straightening. “I hope you turned him down--considering he's broke.”
“I never considered it for a minute,” she replied with a soft laugh. If she intended to sleep with any man in this hotel, it would be Bishop, but she certainly wasn't going to tell him that. “I have zero tolerance for rich men.”
“Yes, so I've heard.” Bishop offered a teasing grin. “Want me to beat him up?”
“You'd do that, wouldn't you?” she asked with a laugh.
“I have to amuse myself somehow,” Bishop teased and smiled at her longer than he should have.
Jetta couldn't help but smile back in response. It wasn't for his own amusement. She realized Hunter had been right. Bishop did like her.
“I appreciate the offer, but I'll get even with him later.” She offered a devious grin. “So--which car is his?”
Chapter Twenty-three
The lights were on within the tavern, but it was deathly quiet. Nearly sixty zombies roamed the parking lot and pushed against the doors and windows. A lucky few were eating the remains of some unlucky person. The fifty men and women quietly sat in the tavern with glasses of beer or something stronger before them. The windows were crudely boarded, and the shattered jukebox was barricaded against the main door. Fei Yen sat at one of the back tables and drew pictures on the waitress's tablet. Ming sat close to her and remained worried as she listened to the sounds of zombies groaning and thumping against the doors and windows. It was unsettling and a cruel reminder of their desperate situation. Sheriff Palmer appeared from the back with Daniels and two other men, Kyle and Dirk. They carried a rifle, a shotgun, a baseball bat, and a tire iron. They placed the items on the bar alongside the six pool sticks. This represented their arsenal of weapons. It wasn't exactly impressive.
“Okay, so this is what we have for weapons,” Palmer announced then appeared disgusted. “Anyone else carrying?”
Edwin and Wayne approached and revealed their concealed revolvers. Each weapon held six rounds with no extra bullets. It wouldn't be much of a last stand, if it came to that. Palmer wasn't overly confident.
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