“Lauretta ran in a few minutes ago. She needed baby bottles and another set of diapers.”
“And you let her go in there after all our careful planning?” I barked.
Gage shrugged. “I figured you’d send her back, but you may have been busy playing kissy face with the doctor at the time.”
“Lock all the doors and keep the engine running. Be ready for anything!” I shouted. “I’ll get Lauretta.”
5
Gunner
Six-Fifteen a.m., December 21. Albuquerque, New Mexico
I ran inside like lives were depending on it, because they were.
Only a few customers were checking out items with two cashiers, and the self-checkout lines were empty. They had no idea what was on its way in. I hurried across the wider aisle at the front of the store, quickly scanning up each row for Lauretta. She was not in the baby supplies area, but I found her perusing brands in the diaper row. “Lauretta!” I shouted, running up the aisle toward her. “We need to leave right now. There’s no time to stop at the cashier.” I pulled her by the arm. “Now. The crowds are outside. If we don’t leave now...I don’t even want to think about being in here when they pour inside.”
She pointed back to the diapers. “But we won’t have enough!” she protested.
“I’ll gladly hand over all my clothes for you to make impromptu nappies for the little ones.” Turning to the front entrance, I came to a dead stop. Shit. The entrance was blocked, jammed tight with people of all shapes, colors, and sizes, all fighting to get inside. It was worse than Black Friday. I looked up at all the lit-up emergency exit signs. “We’re finding another door.” There was one at the far front corner of the building, far from any entrance. “Over there,” I shouted.
Just as we made it about twenty feet from the exit, a tall man wearing camo from head to toe made it inside. With a rifle that he shot into the air. That was exactly what Gage and I were afraid of. With crisis came the yahoos, whackos, and vigilantes who lived for the possibility of wreaking havoc. Not that I expected it so quickly in Albuquerque. Okay, so I kind of expected that out here.
We made it to the door just in time to avoid being seen by the guy, and scurried outside. The place was worse than I expected. I couldn’t see Gage’s car anymore, but I was thankful. My twin wasn’t born yesterday. He’d never stick around for this. I looked around the parking lot. There were a hell of a lot of black Lincoln Navigators, but Gage wouldn’t make me have to assume where he was. The movement of a plaid shirt near the main street got my attention. I stripped off my shirt and began to wave it back at them. “There. He’ll meet us over in that section of the lot,” I said, nodding over at the least busy kitty corner about two hundred feet away.
“How did you know?” She asked as we made a slow jog through the parking lot. “Or is that a twin thing?”
“A bit of life experience,” I told her. “Maybe a bit of a twin thing happening too.”
“I never got to tell you how grateful Finn and I are that you and your brother helped us,” she said between heavier breaths as we ran.
“Don’t thank me until we get you to safety. Hopefully this turns out to be nothing and by tomorrow, we can laugh at the way we overreacted to a minor issue.”
“I hope so, but I’m still grateful. That’s why I snuck us this.” She dug her hand into her jeans pocket and produced two boxes of condoms. “I saw you and Serena at the ATMs,” she said coyly, passing a three-pack to me. “Whoever said emergency kills the mood has yet to live through this kind of panic.”
“Thanks,” I said. I reserved my reaction, but deep down, I could high-five Lauretta.
Condoms.
The least likely but most needed item for every red-blooded male’s bugout list.
I was sure Serena didn’t have those on any list of hers.
Or maybe she did.
The SUV sped toward us when it got free of the other vehicles, and screeched to a halt a few feet away. “Get in! It’s getting worse. The road will be jammed if we don’t move now.”
We jumped in, and before the door slammed shut, he swerved off, navigating through the onslaught of motorists. Thank goodness Gage was more on the ball than me. He had used the vehicle’s onboard GPS and the map Serena bought, to plan a route to get us all the way to Fort Worth, Texas without having to get on a highway. We had a full tank of gas, a trunk full of supplies, and a plan. We were on our way.
6
Serena
Seven-Thirty p.m., December 21. Lubbock, Texas
We drove for close to eleven hours, stopping only once for a health break. At the moment, we were east of Lubbock, Texas. Not a good record for driving time. If we were on the highway on a regular day, we would have arrived here in just under five hours. But this was no ordinary day. According to the news, all the major highways were blocked. Police and emergency workers were overrun by out of control people, more of who were armed and ready to fight for what they had or to take what they wanted. The off-highway route we took was safer, although it meant navigating across mostly dirt side roads, single lane streets, and rough terrain, and often more than doubling back through winding roads. The scenic route was definitely less traveled for a reason.
Still, we were alive, and had a lot of cash to work with.
Gage and Gunner had planned to stop at a motel in Lubbock, so we could get a solid night’s sleep and start again tomorrow. That didn’t happen. Looting, violence and vehicle thefts were rampant, especially on the major arteries. So here we were, tucked away in a small outcropping of woods off a dirt side road, about to set up camp in fifty-five-degree cool weather to sleep. Under the stars.
Lauretta, Finn and the twins would sleep in the SUV. That was only fair. The rest of us would string up the tarp that was on Thorn’s shopping list and tuck ourselves into sleeping bags. We weren’t even going to start a campfire, as that would attract the opportunistic, trigger-happy, looting lunatics. The five of us got ourselves ready to make camp and lie like sardines in a can. With only sleeping bags, our body heat and the clothes in our luggage to keep us warm, it was going to be a long, cold night. Gage and Gunner planned to take the outer ends of our planned makeshift tent. They would take shifts staying up to protect us. My only hope was that Thorn would be next to Gage, then Dawn in the middle, and I would get the spot next to Gunner.
Lucky me.
Actually, I was hoping to get pretty darn lucky.
I had no idea what Gunner saw in me, but the energy between us was overpowering.
Before we got ourselves organized, Gage and Gunner called a quick meeting. Everyone except Lauretta and the twins huddled under a massive wild pecan tree. She was busy nursing the kids and getting them ready to sleep. Gunner led the meeting, as usual. He was the natural leader among us, even with his brother. He dropped his cowboy hat and cleared his throat.
“At the rate we’re going, I’d give it two more full days of driving before we get to Houston. That means we’ll get there by December twenty-third at night. Finn, you and your family will be home in Dallas by end of day tomorrow, although I would suggest that you find a place outside the city until things settle down. If Albuquerque and Lubbock were as bad as we’ve already seen with our own eyes, Dallas will be…well, I reckon it won’t be safe for an unarmed married couple with two infants.”
Finn shook his head and motioned over to the SUV. “We’d like to follow your suggestions, but…it’s Christmas, you know? We prefer to meet up with our family and duke it out in the city instead of hiding out in the bush like this. We need running water for the babies. And a warm place to sleep. I really appreciate the help you boys have given us, getting us this far in one piece. The thing is, we’re not cut out for camping and roughing it.”
“I hear you, bud. I’m not saying to stay away forever, but at least until the government calls in the National Guard or FEMA or the Army...whoever they need to activate to get the highways and major cities under control. We can’t afford to put you and your kids in danger, or
ourselves for that matter, by risking a trip into the city. Not now. We’ve got one Bowie knife, a couple of Glocks, and one box of ammunition. That ain’t enough for a place like Houston. The other thing is, we don’t know if your family is still there. Some people leave town when they’re threatened. We may get there and find that they aren’t in Dallas anymore. Which is why I have a proposition for everyone. There are seven of us adults. Well Thorn, you’re a minor, but as you’ve been contributing like an adult, you get a vote. Seven adults. That’s a nice odd number to get a majority vote for what Gage and I are about to suggest.”
“And what’s that?” I asked.
“It’s simple, really. We prefer to find an abandoned house or camper, get ourselves to as secluded a place as possible, and we wait.”
“I’m up for that plan,” Thorn spoke up immediately. “Half of the stuff in my luggage is what we need to bug out. The other half, we rounded them up at the big box store. You have my vote.”
“Wait a second,” Finn grunted, already displeased. “Do we at least get another option?”
“We’re one-third of the way to completing option one, which is to get you and your family to Dallas, and take Thorn, Dawn and Serena to Houston. With a bit of luck, the crisis will be over by the time we make it to Houston, so Gage and I can get back to Reno in time for Christmas Eve dinner.”
“I still think that’s a great option,” Finn said.
“True, but luck won’t cut it at a time like this. You’ve seen it yourselves. It’s getting worse as we go further east. We need to get to safety, and stay out of harm’s way until we have some sense that things are settling down.”
Finn shifted on his feet and shrugged. “I just don’t know if I agree with you.”
“Look, I hate to suggest this, but the truth is we have a third option. It’s parting ways. What I mean by that is we find another car. You, Thorn and the ladies can hold on to the Lincoln, and Gage and I can start heading back to our family in Reno tonight. Now, we don’t love that idea. We actually hate getting you this far, only to up and leave you to fend for yourselves. The way we see it, finding a place near here and laying low is the best option of all three. And we love option three a heck of a lot more than potentially taking nine people to their deaths by staying on this road.” Gunner turned to Dawn and me. “This is a pretty simple set of options, ladies. Let’s ignore option three for a minute. I doubt you need time to deliberate on the other two. So far, it’s three votes to hunker down somewhere in the outskirts of Lubbock, and one vote to keep driving southeast. What are you ladies thinking?”
I nodded over at Dawn so she could speak first.
“You go ahead,” Dawn said to me. “Assuming Lauretta would vote for the same thing Mr. Finn wants, the vote is three to two. You can be the tie breaker, Dr. Rizzo.”
“You’re assuming I’ll vote to stay.”
“I know you will. So will I. I mean, I’m going to miss my family and everything, but to be honest, right now, if things are bad in Houston, they will already have locked themselves in our panic room at the main house. I’d end up stranded by myself for Christmas, because they sure aren’t opening that room for anyone until the worst is over, not even me.”
“So you’re saying you’re the tiebreaker then?” I asked with a smirk.
“I don’t want anyone hating me for being the deciding vote. You do it, Dr. Rizzo.”
I wanted to laugh, but as this was a more public forum, and the topic was this critical, I just said, “Fine. We’re staying in Lubbock., I’m sorry, Finn. Gunner and Gage are right. We’ll be lucky to make it to Wichita Falls, with the way things are getting dangerous.”
Finn spat on the ground and turned. “I’ll go tell Lauretta the fantastic news,” he said in a slightly mocking tone.
Gage stared at Finn until he disappeared inside the SUV. “That was easy,” he joked.
“He’ll get over it,” I said. “I’m willing to bet that Lauretta’s vote would have been to stay here too. She’s been jumpy and on edge since we left the big box store.”
Gunner nodded. “The threat of getting blasted with a buckshot rifle tends to do that to a person.” He took a breath. “Okay. It seems like we’ve made our decision. It’s already dark, but we can try driving another five or ten miles northeast to Buffalo Springs. I noticed a sign on the road. They have seasonal cabins and an RV park. There’s got to be at least a few available, and if not, we may find one we can borrow until things calm down.”
“Sounds good to me,” Dawn said, and we all returned to the car.
A few days in a secluded cabin at a time like this didn’t seem bad to me at all.
7
Gunner
Nine p.m., December 21, Buffalo Springs, Texas
I drove past a near-empty RV lot lit up by only the almost full moon. We passed several deserted cabins before arriving at the main building. Gage jumped out and quickly confirmed that the owners weren’t around. A sign on the door informed that the campgrounds were closed for the holidays and wouldn’t reopen until after the New Year. It wasn’t the best news, but it also wasn’t disastrous. The silver lining about this place being closed was that we could pretty much take our pick of sites to use, and hopefully we wouldn’t bump into anyone else.
We continued further into the forested area of the property until we found a row of old log cabins. They were built on a more elevated section of the land, where backyards all sloped down to Buffalo Springs Lake. Half a mile up the first dirt driveway got us to a secluded cabin tucked away in the woods.
I parked close to the wooden steps of the front door.
“This is our best bet,” I said, putting the car in park.
“I’ll get in through the back door,” Gage announced. He opened his passenger door. “Everyone else, wait here.”
“Good call,” I told him as he stepped out. “I’ll help.”
“Me too,” Thorn said from his spot in the back seat with the ladies.
“No. You stay put for a bit.”
“But I can keep watch,” he persisted. “I’ve got flashlights too.”
“Hang tight, Thorn,” I instructed him firmly, and noticed that he recoiled somewhat, rearing back into his seat. The truth was that Gage and I needed privacy, just in case one of us had to take on our shifter form to bust that door down. We didn’t need any witnesses. “We’ll just be a second.”
He nodded. “All right, but I can help if you need it.”
“Thanks. As soon as we check it out, I’ll hold you to that for collecting firewood.”
Thorn looked out his window into the darkness. “All right.”
Gage had already gone ahead, so by the time I made it around the dark walkway to the side of the house, he was already coming back. “No one’s inside, and the back door was easy to unlock. There are three small bedrooms, one bathroom, and a tiny kitchen with shelves and shelves of canned food. There’s indoor plumbing and running water, but it’s probably from the lake, so we’ll need to find a well or keep rationing what we have. The living room has a functioning rifle above the fireplace, but I didn’t see any ammunition laying around. I’m sure it’s tucked away in a drawer in one of the bedrooms. The place is stocked up with firewood too. We’ll have enough for two nights.”
“Good.” I sniffed the air again. “I don’t believe anyone is around. Do you sense anything?”
Gage shook his head. “It’s just us.”
“All right. Let’s get everyone inside. You get a fire started. Thorn and I will keep watch for at least a few hours.”
“Nah. I think you should get the fire going. I’ll hang with Thorn for the first watch.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively and motioned toward the front of the cabin. “You may need to get a certain doctor out of your system,” he said to provoke me.
“Now’s not the time for socializing,” I grumbled.
“Our visit to the big box store wasn’t either. Didn’t stop you then.”
“Shut up and let’s
move.”
I relaxed on the old sofa, looking at the fireplace. Gage was outside with Thorn. Finn and Lauretta had finally put the babies to sleep and were resting. Serena and Dawn were in the bedroom I assigned to them. They had been speaking quietly, but the sound of their voices had stopped a while ago. I straightened up in my seat when I noticed Serena standing in the semi-darkness of the doorway. She was wearing a college t-shirt and sweat pants. They both drowned out her shapely figure, but I didn’t need to see them to know they were there. Not after my hands had explored the small of her waist when we kissed this morning.
“Hi.” Serena started walking toward me. “Not tired yet?” She asked, stopping beside the maple dining set at in the middle of the open concept living room.
“I was just about to turn in, actually. I’m on the next watch outside…in about three hours. How about you? Can’t sleep?”
“Something like that,” she answered with a hint of flirtation in her soft laugh.
I pushed off the sofa and was standing in front of her within seconds. “Anything I can help with?”
Serena bit her lip, gazing up at me with hair tousled around her face, lips parted, seeming to hold her breath. Just like the last time, I couldn’t keep my hands to myself. They were wrapped around her waist, pulling her tight against me before she could answer. Or maybe she wasn’t up for talking either. I smiled down at her, leaning forward until our lips brushed together. There it was again. That same energy sparked between us. I’d never felt anything like it before. With a low growl, I backed her up to the empty bedroom assigned to Gage, Thorn and me. I pushed the door open, led her inside and closed the door behind me.
“I can’t resist whatever this is,” I whispered the admission, backing her up to the bed.
Serena nodded but didn’t say a word. She tilted her head back slightly, probably unaware of how that move exposed her neck and collarbone. I wanted to hold back, but I was too close now. Her hands reached up and undid the top button of my shirt, then she moved on to the next, and a second later, I gripped the bottom of her shirt, pulling it over her head. The air around us was charged with tension and attraction. I decided I wouldn’t resist whatever it had been going on between us since the second we met. Burying my hands into her hair, I kissed her urgently. She moaned out a shallow breath from the back of her throat into my mouth, and the slight vibration spread through my entire body, driving my lust up a notch and making my cock throb.
Doomed Mate (Under a Fated Moon Series Book 1) Page 4