What Remains Series (Book 4): Evasion

by Greene, Kellee L.

  “Sure,” Twyla said. “And if you want, I can get someone to drive you a bit closer so you don’t have to walk the whole way. You’ll still have to walk but he can get you a little closer.”

  I exhaled. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  “You’re welcome,” Twyla said stretching out her hand. I took it and we shook as though we just made a deal. “I hope we meet again, Kit.”

  I wanted to give her a smile but I couldn’t. “Me too, Twyla. Me too.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Maddie looked like her head was going to pop right off of her neck. Her face was red and I was pretty sure there was actual steam coming out of her ears.

  “This can’t happen. It’s a trap, isn’t it?” Maddie asked turning to Blake. “Why aren’t you freaking out?”

  “Because I’m not worried here,” I said. It was mostly the truth. Out of all the places out there, it couldn’t be that bad with here with Twyla and her people.

  Blake’s eyes narrowed. Could he tell there was more to it? Or maybe he could tell I was lying. I was always a terrible liar.

  I’d come up with a terrible plan. Blake wouldn’t ever be on board. He wouldn’t let me go while staying behind to take care of Maddie.

  I couldn’t tell him. I would have to just sneak away. Maybe I could have Twyla tell them when they woke in the morning. Yeah. Yeah. That’s what I’d do.

  “I guess it’s just going to take him a little longer than he initially thought to fix the tires,” I said.

  “He’s probably not even fixing them,” Maddie said puffing out her lower lip.

  “It’s just one more night,” I said my voice not feeling quite like my own.

  It felt like Blake was watching my every movement. If he knew I was lying, he needed to not question me in front of Maddie.

  “Twyla said we can make ourselves at home,” I said.

  “Awesome,” Dillon said. “Seems okay here but it feels much too close to that place.”

  “I think she said it was six miles,” I said. “Or maybe sixteen. I can’t remember.”

  Blake cocked his head to the side. “What else did she say? You two had a long talk.”

  “Yeah, it was. Um, not much really, she just asked some questions about us, which I didn’t say much. She’s skeptical of Dillon—”

  “Stupid jumpsuit,” Dillon said pulling it away from his skin. “Do they have any spare clothes?”

  “I’ll ask,” I said.

  Maddie shifted her weight as she looked around. “Where are we supposed to sleep?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ll ask that too,” I said.

  I took a step back to head back over to Twyla, who was having an intense conversation with Brock. Blake grabbed my hand and I stopped abruptly. My eyes widened against my will.

  “Would you like me to come with you?” Blake asked.

  “Um,” I stammered trying to think of a reason he couldn’t.

  “Would you rather I talk with her?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “That’s not necessary. I can handle it. We seem to have a lot in common.”

  Maddie’s mouth dropped. She definitely didn’t believe my last comment.

  “I can’t see you running a place like this,” Maddie said.

  “Nor would I want to,” I quickly said. “I just meant that she’s a mom and I’m a mom and you know, stuff like that.” I waved my hand. “I’ll take care of this. Just relax, okay?”

  I wasn’t even a little relaxed as I walked away from them. My muscles felt like rubber bands stretched to their limits.

  My conversation with Twyla was a blur. I’d remembered shaking Brock’s hand but before I knew it, I was walking back toward Maddie with an answer about the sleeping arrangements I knew she wasn’t going to like.

  Shit. I’d forgotten to ask about the extra clothes. It was okay, though. Dillon would be annoyed but it would give me an excuse to get away from everyone. Maybe I would need it as a reason to get away.

  We were to find a place to hang out and they’ll bring out the cots and blankets before it got dark. Dinner would be early and even though we had our stuff in our pillowcases, we were encouraged to eat what they had. A good, nutritious meal would do us good Twyla had said.

  It felt more like she was trying to mother me. Make sure my belly was full before I set off on my adventure. Or maybe she was providing me my last dinner.

  The rest of the day passed by as if on fast forward. Everything was blurred and jerky. I couldn’t remember most of it except for the directions to the underground bunker. Every time there was a second of silence, I started to repeat the directions to myself.

  There was a point that Blake had asked if I was all right. He’d said I seemed distracted.

  It was hard not to tell him. But if I would have, I knew he would try to stop me.

  “Kit,” Blake said shaking me.

  “Hmm?”

  I looked up and noticed the candles burning on a few of the tables. It was night. And soon, I would be gone.

  I should have spent my last few hours with Maddie. Talking with her. Telling her how much I loved her but if I would have done that, she would have suspected something was up.

  “Can I talk to you?” he asked.

  “Um, sure,” I said hugging my knees to my chest.

  We were grouped together on the floor. Maddie and Jay were to my left and Blake and Dillon to my right.

  Twyla’s daughter, Lily, had brought over a few old magazines for Maddie. They’d only talked for a minute or two. It had been awkward and if I had to guess, I’d wager Twyla had sent her over to help make Maddie feel more welcomed.

  “Come with me,” Blake said getting to his feet and stretching out his hand to help me up.

  “Where are we going?” I said taking his hand.

  “Upstairs.” His eyes connected with Maddie’s. “We won’t be long.”

  I glanced at Jay and our eyes locked. I sent a telepathic message to him to keep an eye on Maddie. He offered me a nod as if he’d gotten the message.

  Maddie’s head bobbed to acknowledge that she’d heard him but it seemed as though she hadn’t cared. Maybe she would be okay with Twyla and her people. Maybe I was doing the right thing.

  We walked through the open closet and up the stairs. There was a small group whispering to one another near the front doors but we continued past them and into the church.

  A man was lying on one of the pews snoring loudly. I tried to keep my steps quiet but there wasn’t anything I could do about the creaky floorboards.

  “Where are we going?” I asked in a paper-thin whisper.

  At the front of the church, we took a right and exited out of a side door into a small hallway. I squeezed his hand. There was only a small window and the light coming from it grew dimmer and dimmer with each step.

  “Blake,” I said planting my feet firmly on the ground. “Where are we going?”

  “I just wanted to make sure we wouldn’t be heard,” he said.

  “Heard? Why does that matter? And, where are we?”

  Blake was close to me. Even though I couldn’t make out a single detail of his face because of the darkness, I knew the expression he was wearing was filled with concern.

  “There was a small schoolhouse. I saw it when we were coming up to the place,” Blake explained.

  “Are there more people in there?”

  “I don’t know,” Blake said. “I was just trying to find us some privacy.”

  I wrapped my arms around my middle. It was cold in the strange, narrow hallway. “What’s up? Why do we need to talk in private?”

  “Because I want to know what’s on your mind. Did Twyla say something to you? It’s like you’ve been on another planet since you and her talked,” Blake said.

  “I guess I’m just distracted by everything. I still can’t believe we’re even here. Honestly, I worried about going to this place and losing Maddie,” I said biting the side of my cheek hard. I needed to be careful with my wor
ds.

  He nodded. “Me too. But I’m not going to let anything happen to either of you.”

  “I’m not sure how much you’ll be able to control once we’re inside,” I said.

  “Have you changed your mind?” Blake asked. “Maybe we can come up with something else.”

  “No,” I said shaking my head vigorously. “I didn’t change my mind. I’m just worried about her.”

  Blake touched my chin and tilted my face, forcing me to look up at him. His eyes sparkled in the darkness. My body instantly warmed.

  I couldn’t put him in danger either. Being with him only confirmed that I was making the right choice.

  “I’ll take care of both of you,” Blake said. “I would do anything for you.”

  His hand glided around my neck and my knees weakened. I closed my eyes to forget my surroundings and everything that was going on.

  “I can’t wait until all of this is over and we can find a place for us all to stay,” Blake whispered in my ear.

  His breath on my neck caused a shiver to run up and down my spine. Blake’s movement had been so quick it had taken me by surprise.

  In one swift movement, my back was against the wall and his lips were moving down the side of my neck. His voice was soft. “I need you.”

  It was crazy. Absolutely insane. But I needed him too.

  Chapter Seventeen

  His hand moved down my body roughly. The hard, quick movement took me by surprise.

  It felt like I was under some kind of spell. Dazed. I couldn’t hear anything but the sounds of our frantic, desperate breaths.

  I was pretty sure that never in my entire life, had I wanted someone as badly as I wanted Blake. He held some kind of power over me that I didn’t understand. The way I felt with his arms around me wasn’t something I could put into words.

  It was like I couldn’t breathe and that there was too much oxygen coming into my lungs both at the same time. My blood raced through my veins and my body was warm, no, my body was hot. So, freaking hot.

  Blake kissed me as if I were the last drink of water and he was dying of thirst. I held onto him as if I was afraid he’d be pulled away into the darkness down the hall forever.

  “Blake,” I whispered as his hand slid up my shirt. My body tensed at his touch. “What if someone comes this way?”

  “No one will come this way,” Blake said.

  “How can you know that?” I asked smiling even though his lips were over mine.

  Blake’s lips moved across my jaw toward my ear. His hand cupped my breast and I swallowed hard as I fell deeper into a pit of desire.

  “There is no light this way,” Blake said. “If someone comes, they’ll have to have a light. We’ll see them coming.”

  “And they’ll see two naked people,” I said.

  “Naked, huh?” he leaned back grinning at me. “Don’t I wish. You want this too, Kit. Let’s not fight it. I know this isn’t the best place, nothing at all like I imagined, but we deserve this, don’t you think?”

  My throat dried and I couldn’t utter a word. I wanted to tell him that we absolutely deserved it but that at the same time I was afraid to go there. I was afraid of what it would mean for us.

  “We might not get another chance like this, Kit. I want you.” He gazed deeply into my eyes. “I need you.”

  I needed him too. Desperately so. In a few short hours, he didn’t know it, but I’d be gone. Being with Blake was almost a necessity.

  “I need you too,” I said.

  My hands slid up his shirt. His skin was silky and warm. I could feel every muscle and it sent a pleasurable tingle through me. I wanted to rip his shirt off and see his impossibly perfect body.

  Time was limited. And the hallway was cold. Our clothes weren’t coming off any more than they would need to.

  Even though I would have loved for a time to slow down, we didn’t have that luxury. We had to enjoy everything in fast forward.

  My breath hitched as he grabbed my hips. I slid my hand down to the button of his pants and popped it open.

  Blake groaned as his hand moved, slipping down the front of my pants. I shivered at his touch. My spine straightened as if it had been zipped to the wall.

  The sound of my pants hitting the floor was a sharp whoosh that made my heart skip a beat. I could feel the cool air against my bare legs but still, I didn’t feel cold. There was too much heat between us for me to feel the chill.

  My hands started to shake. I was anxious… desperate to feel him. To be with him.

  Blake was everything I needed.

  He looked deep into my eyes as he raised my leg. I tried to hold his gaze but my eyes closed at the feel of him between my legs.

  “Oh, God,” I whispered as I dug my fingertips into his back through his shirt.

  Every roll of his hips pressed me harder to the wall. I wrapped my arms around him as our bodies became one.

  I couldn’t believe how perfect the moment felt. It was crazy but I instantly knew that Blake was the only man for me. He was the only guy I ever wanted to be with for the rest of my life.

  “I love you, Kit,” he whispered.

  I wrapped my arms around him and let my pleasure release from my body. It was like we were rocketing into the sky like a firework about to explode on the Fourth of July.

  “Blake,” I said biting my lip as an intoxicated bliss surrounded me. I sucked in a deep breath and let my body relax along with his. “I love you too.”

  As my breathing returned to normal, I remembered where we were and I quickly got dressed. Instead of going back inside my shell, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.

  Blake smiled and exhaled as he leaned back. “I really do love you. I knew it all along. My only regret is that I didn’t cross the street and talk to you sooner.”

  “I wish you would have,” I said softly. “But maybe it just wasn’t our time. Or maybe Freddie would have killed you. That person I was… that life, it doesn’t even seem real to me anymore.”

  “I know exactly what you mean,” Blake said squeezing me tight against his body. He kissed my cheek and we turned slowly heading back down the hallway toward the church. “We’re in this together, you know that, right?”

  “Yeah, of course,” I replied quickly.

  Blake let out a breath. “I’m so glad you finally saw me. For a while there, I thought maybe I was invisible.”

  “I saw you when I opened the door,” I said. “It just took me a bit to come around. Things like this don’t really happen to me and truthfully, it still feels super scary with everything going on around us. I just hope we aren’t making a mistake.”

  Blake stopped and turned me to face him. “Does this feel like a mistake to you?”

  “No,” I said looking away from him. “I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “And I don’t want anything to happen to you,” Blake said. “We’re in this together. All we have to do is stick together and we’ll be okay.”

  “I wish it were that simple,” I said.

  Blake shook his head. I hated that I was frustrating him but I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t help but feel negative. How could he even blame me? It was a shitty world before and it was even shittier now even though I had him. One good thing didn’t make all the other awful things disappear.

  “I love you, Kit, okay? I love you. I will do anything for you. And for Maddie too. Anything,” Blake said and kissed my forehead.

  I heard his words but I wasn’t sure I understood them. The love I was feeling was strong… it was scary.

  And what was I going to do only hours after us being together? Leave him behind with my daughter.

  On the bright side, there wasn’t anyone else I could have left her with. At least, I knew she’d be taken care of with him. He was the only one I could fully trust.

  When we got back to the cafeteria, almost everyone was settled. There were a few people pacing about as if they were keeping watch. Twyla and her husb
and were two of them.

  “I need to talk to Twyla really quick,” I said.

  Blake nodded. “Hurry back.”

  “I will.” I flashed him a smile.

  He looked back at me, wearing a devastatingly handsome smile. After a quick moment, it faded ever so slightly. It was almost as if he knew something was up.

  I asked Twyla if she had any extra clothes that might fit Dillon. It took her a second but she realized why I was asking. “I think I can find something for him. Are you going to be able to pull off the switch without giving yourself away?”

  “I hope so,” I said.

  “Wait here,” Twyla said. “I’ll be right back.”

  It didn’t take her long to come back with something I knew Dillon wouldn’t like. The outfit was definitely not his style but hopefully, it wouldn’t matter that much. At least he could get out of the jumpsuit he hated.

  I tucked the clothes into the front of my pants and pulled my shirt down over my suddenly thicker stomach. My arms wrapped around my middle in an attempt to keep the extra bulk hidden even though it was probably dark enough that no one would notice.

  It took forever for everyone to fall asleep. My heart raced as I carefully crept over toward Dillon. I tapped his shoulder at least ten times before his eyes popped open.

  “Shh!” I said with wide eyes as I covered his mouth. I pointed toward the kitchen. My voice was almost completely silent. “Follow me.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  I didn’t put the jumpsuit on. It would have to wait until I was closer to the base.

  Everyone was asleep except for Twyla, a man I hadn’t seen before, and myself. I assumed the man standing next to Twyla was my driver.

  I reached over and lightly touched Maddie’s hair. I wanted to kiss her cheek but I couldn’t risk waking her.

  Blake was a light sleeper and it was somewhat surprising he was asleep at all. It felt like I was betraying him considering I was tasked with keeping watch for a few hours. I hoped they would forgive me. I hoped that they’d understand why I’d left.