Survival Ties (The Outbreak Chronicles Book 1)

by Trisha Leazier

  “What happened here?” He asked as he parked a cart that smelled like it was holding breakfast.

  “Oh, she just royally pissed off the princess.” Daisy told him.

  “Princess?” Drew asked and looked at Aaron for an answer.

  “Your little red-head friend.” Aaron explained and Drew’s eyes widened.

  “How did you piss off Diamond?” He asked me.

  “I was busy with Daisy when she tried to talk to me, she started acting all bossy bitch on me, and I blew her off.” I told him.

  “Yeah, that would do it she doesn’t do well with stuff like that.” Drew said, “I brought breakfast for everyone.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “You know you don’t have to use meal time just to come see Ashlyn.” Sawyer told Drew, “But we all do appreciate the food.”

  She was the first one grabbing a plate and loading it up. She picked French toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and syrup. Daisy crawled over me before standing to grab a plate for herself.

  Aaron laughed as he helped me up and then followed me over to the line for food. Evan was standing with Axel; he was laughing at whatever Axel had said to him. He looked like he was in heaven when he got to the food and saw what was there. Drew smiled at me as I walked up to him and Aaron walked around me to get his plate.

  “So why did Diamond come to see you again?” He asked.

  “Yeah, she was in a hurry, I didn’t really catch what she wanted. I was a little busy.” I told him as I picked up a plate. I grabbed two pieces of French toast and saw there were fruit toppings to add. So I grabbed strawberries and blueberries before moving on to the bacon and sausage. By the time I added syrup, my plate was almost overflowing.

  “You know loading up your plate like that is unattractive, right?” Diamond asked, she had returned without me noticing and walked up to stand beside Drew.

  She wrapped her arm around his waist resting her hand on his left hip that was closest to me. I could see Drew had frozen and lost his playful manner.

  “What are you doing?” he asked her as he removed her hand and arm.

  “Oh, don’t be like that now Drew. Not after last night.” Diamond practically purred at him as she gazed at him through her lashes.

  “Last night?” Drew asked her. “I didn’t see you last night; I was here with Ashlyn till well after midnight.”

  “You came to see me later. You told me I rocked your world and how much you are in love with me.” She insisted as she watched me for a reaction.

  “Uh no, I went straight back to my room with Denver when we left here, and I went to bed when I got there.” Drew told her like he was explaining something complicated to a little kid. “Were you drinking last night?”

  “I had a few glasses of wine.” She told him, “You were so hot last night.”

  “I think you passed out and had some weird lucid dream. You may have drunk more than you realized.” Drew told her as he batted her hand away from his face.

  “Then how did I get this?” she asked as she pulled her hair away from her neck to reveal a hickey near the bend leading to her shoulder. “Or this?” She added.

  She pulled the already low neckline of her shirt down further. Showing red marks right on the cleavage above and disappearing under her black lacy bra. They looked like someone had bit her in the heat of passion.

  “Looks like you were playing with someone who likes to bite.” Drew said.

  “As I said, you were really hot last night.” Diamond repeated.

  “Diamond, think about this, when did I ever bite you?” Drew asked her and she thought about it for a minute before the color drained from her face.

  “Then who came to my room last night?” Diamond asked looking like her mind was grasping for an explanation.

  “Were you drunk?” Drew asked, sounding concerned.

  “Yeah, but I know it was you that came over.” She said again.

  “Look Diamond, I don’t know how you got the marks but you probably passed out and dreamed.” Drew told her. “Now if you’ll excuse me I would like to eat some breakfast with everyone here and show them to their rooms.”

  Diamond stood there staring after Drew as he grabbed a plate of food and led me to a place to sit. I felt bad for her; she really did believe that Drew had gone to her last night. She gave one last look to Drew before she hung her head and left the room.

  “We get rooms?” I asked when she was gone.

  “Yes, I have them set up on the floor where Denver and I live. I put Sam with Axel, Hunter with Hannah, and Tone with Sydney in two bedroom suites. Aaron, Daisy, Micah, Evan, Sawyer, and you all have one bedroom suites.” Drew explained to me.

  “I can’t wait to see them!” I told him and he smiled as Denver came into the room. He looked like he was giddy and was smiling ear to ear.

  “He looks happy.” Drew said as he noticed him.

  “Yeah he does.” I agreed and Denver came over to sit with us. He grabbed a piece of bacon off my plate and ate it.

  “Hey bro.” he greeted Drew, “Sorry I’m not good with names, what was yours?”

  “Ashlyn.” I told him, “You seem to be having a good morning.”

  “Yes I am.” Denver said as he turned to wave to Sam and I saw a hickey on the side of his neck. He got up and went over to Sam who was waving him over.

  “Hey, does Denver have a girlfriend?” I asked Drew.

  “I thought you liked me?” Drew asked as he grabbed his heart and pouted at me.

  “I might, but no—he has a hickey on his neck.” I laughed and Drew smiled before his eyes darkened. “What? What did I say?”

  “Just thinking.” He responded.

  “Thinking what?” I asked worried I had offended him.

  “Diamond was really convinced I went over to her room last night.” He finally said.

  “Yeah?” I asked.

  “She was drunk and Denver looks a lot like me. What if he went to check on her and she thought it was me in her intoxicated state? I think my brother slept with her and he’s the one who left the marks on her.” Drew told me. “Hey Denver, come here a minute.”

  “What’s up?” Denver asked as he came back to us.

  “Did you go over to Diamond’s last night after I went to bed?” Drew asked his brother.

  “I wanted to check on her.” Denver answered as a blush turned his cheeks pink. “She was all over me as soon as she opened the door. She kept saying she knew I would come to her, and dude she answered the door naked.”

  “Denver she was drunk and thought you were me. Please tell me you did not have sex with her.” Drew said as he rubbed his temples with his fingers.

  “She did not think I was you. She knew it was me and we didn’t have sex, we made love, it was amazing. I always knew she would be my first and I can’t wait to see her today. I think she loves me. She was wild last night.” Denver said. “Why can’t you be happy that she loves me?”

  I elbowed Drew in the ribs before he could say anything else to Denver. After glaring darts at Drew, Denver got up and walked over to Sam. Drew looked at me.

  “What?” Drew asked me.

  “Do you really want him to know that Diamond thought it was you?” I asked him.

  “He needs to know to stay away from her. Can you imagine what she will do to him when she finds out? Did he say she was his first?” Drew asked as some of what Denver had said caught up to him.

  “Yes he did. Would she really do anything to Denver?” I responded.

  “She’s known for years that Denver has had a crush on her. She let him follow her around like a puppy but when it comes down to love she doesn’t settle for puppy love.” Drew told me.

  I tried to think about how I would feel if I was in Diamond’s shoes. I couldn’t imagine how I would feel finding out I had sex with my ex’s younger brother while I was drunk. Thinking it was my ex coming back to me. Denver looked so happy it was heartbreaking to know that his happiness was based on a li
e.

  “One thing at a time, when do we get to see our rooms?” I asked, trying to change the subject and give Denver a bit more time to believe.

  “Soon as everyone’s done eating.” Drew said as a smile finally found its way across his face.

  Word spread around the room that we were going to have our own rooms, everyone was excited. Seemed like they couldn’t get their things together fast enough.

  “Will we be able to stop by the bus and grab our stuff from there?” Daisy asked and I knew she wanted to bring her shoes to her new room.

  “How about I show you guys to your rooms so you’ll know where they are and then you can grab whatever you want.” Drew answered, laughing a little at Daisy. I saw her smile and knew as soon as she knew where her room was she was going to the bus.

  We followed Drew as he led us to a group of parked golf carts. He jumped into one of them, I followed him, Sawyer and Micah followed me. Sam got behind the wheel of another one and was followed by Axel, Daisy, and Evan. Tone drove the last cart with Aaron, Sydney, and Hunter went with him. Drew led our little parade of golf carts.

  He was intentionally going over every speed bump fast to make Sawyer and me scream while Micah and he laughed. I heard Daisy squeal and Axel laugh behind us, I looked back to see that Sam had followed Drew’s lead. It was nice having fun like the world was still a safe place.

  “These carts are awesome.” Sawyer was laughing as she held on ready for the next speed bump.

  Drew seemed determined to keep everyone laughing as we came up to the doors. They looked like the first ones we had to come through to get into the bio dome. It looked like there was a huge sprawling resort. Drew drove us up to the front doors that led to the check-in desk.

  “All the rooms I save for family or friends are on this floor since this is where Denver and I call home.” Drew told us, “So follow me and I will show you each your rooms.”

  There was a lot of excitement as we jumped out of our carts to follow Drew. Once we were inside, the first room Drew showed us was for Sam and Axel. The room across the hall went to Sydney and Tone. The next room went to Sawyer with Micah’s right across the hall. Aaron’s room was next with Evan’s room across the way. Daisy was in the next room and mine was across from her. Hunter and Hannah had the last room down the hallway.

  “The door there is to Denver’s and my room” Drew said as he pointed across the hall.

  “Where’s the princess’s room?” Aaron asked.

  “The other side of Sydney and Tone’s room, there’s a door in that alcove. It’s kind of hidden and has its own entrance to the spa.” Drew answered.

  Drew passed out keys and everyone dispersed to their rooms. Drew followed me into mine.

  “Well you got your living room, kitchen and dining room here. The bedroom is through that door, as is the bathroom.” Drew told me as I spun around taking in everything.

  There were forest scene pictures on the walls; the main one had a waterfall. There was a forest green couch with blue pillows and a matching chair sitting in front of a huge TV. The kitchen was done in blues and greens to match the living room.

  I went back to the bedroom to find a king sized bed with dark blue blankets and light blue pillows. The walls were all painted a light blue with the pictures all showing more abstract images. The bathroom was also light blue with the two floor mats dark blue and dark blue shower curtains.

  “I love it!” I told Drew as I jumped into his arms for a hug. He was laughing as he kissed me.

  “So you gave her the room right next to yours.” Diamond said from the open doorway where she stood with her hip against the doorframe.

  “It just worked out that way.” Drew answered.

  “Oh, I believe that it’s more like you really wanted your plaything close. We both know you’ll get bored and last night will repeat.” Diamond said as her fingers found the bite mark on her cleavage.

  “Diamond it wasn’t me you had sex with, it was Denver. He went to check on you and you rocked his world.” Drew snapped and realized what he had said.

  “What?” Diamond asked, waiting for Drew to take back what he had just said.

  “I’m sorry that’s not how I should have told you. I found out Denver went to check on you and apparently with the wine you thought he was me.” Drew said more calmly watching her like you would watch a cornered tiger.

  “I had sex with Denny?” She asked sounding like she was about to cry, “Oh God, I’m so sorry Drew.”

  “I’m not the one you should be apologizing to. Denver thinks you knew it was him and that you are into him.” Drew said to her. Diamond nodded but she didn’t say anything as she turned and left my room.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “Is she going to be okay?” I asked Drew once Diamond was gone.

  “I’m really not sure.” He answered, “I’ll figure it out later. Right now let’s enjoy your new room.”

  “Enjoy how?” I asked.

  “DVD cabinet over there is stocked, let’s pick one to watch.” Drew said and I breathed a sigh of relief.

  Drew decided he was going to pick what we watched. Since the last time he gave anyone from the bus movies to choose from, we had picked The Walking Dead. He sat in front of the cabinet for a while going over what his options were. He was humming to himself as he looked; I sat on the couch watching him. He was cute sitting there kind of off in his own mind as he weighed the choices of which would be the best movie to watch.

  “Got one.” He said.

  “Which one?” I asked.

  “The first rule of fight club is…” He quoted as he stood up waving Fight Club in his hand.

  “Okay.” I agreed to it and watched his whole face light up before he turned and got it set for us to watch. He grabbed the remote and plopped himself down on the couch next to me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders as he hit play.

  Aaron came to check on me and he looked a little annoyed when Drew answered the door. He came into the room and smiled at me, ignoring Drew.

  “I’m going to see if I can find that brother of mine and break it to him that his wild night was not what he thought.” Drew said as he waved to me and headed out of the room.

  “I’ll see you later.” I called to him and turned to see what Aaron wanted.

  “Hey there.” He greeted from where he had sat himself down on the couch,

  “Hey, how do you like your room?” I asked him as I sat down in the chair.

  “It’s nice. I slept on a real bed.” Aaron said as he laughed, “It is really weird being off the bus. I feel tense waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

  “Yeah me too, it’s just odd being safe.” I said, “How messed up is the world that when you’re safe it makes you feel on edge?”

  “Oh you know, put a group of people on the road, trying to survive. Let them get to safety and they will keep looking over their shoulders.” Aaron agreed as he shook his head even with the smile on his face. “Did you know they have a pool?”

  “They do?” I asked.

  “Yup and Sam says we are going swimming. So you have to find a suit and get ready.” Aaron said and hugged me before he walked out of the room. The door wasn’t even closed for a minute when Sawyer came hoping in.

  “Did you find swimsuits in your closet?” She asked, catching me off guard.

  “I thought you were Aaron coming back and no I haven’t even opened the closet yet.” I told her and she smiled as she grabbed my hand and dragged me to the closet. She paused only for a minute before she threw open the door. Revealing a walk in closet that was filled with clothes. I walked in to examine what was there. Only to find that everything was in sizes I could wear.

  “He got all our sizes from the hospital and did this. That’s why he said the rooms had to be all set up for us.” I said as I laughed and Sawyer showed me the swim suit options I had. I ended up choosing a blue and white polka dot two piece. Sawyer shut me in the closet so I could change and find a cover to wear
to the pool.

  “Can you believe we get to go swim and hang out by a pool?” she asked, almost jumping up and down. She was clapping her hands together like a little kid looking at a pile of presents.

  “Sam has one of those bus golf carts out front, let’s go.” Micah called from the living room. Sawyer and I looked at each other and raced out the door to meet up with the group.

  Outside Sam was sitting in the driver seat of what appeared to be a limo golf cart. I hopped in the front seat beside him since no one else had. He smiled at me and patted my hand as he put the cart in gear and we were off. Everyone was chatting to each other at once so it was hard to make out who was saying what to whom. Sam knew where he was going. I watched the buildings go by as he drove.

  As we pulled up to the pool I saw that Scott was sitting next to Hannah on a couple of lounges. I went to say something to Hunter but Sam stopped me and put a finger up to his mouth telling me to keep quiet. He was smiling and I knew he had set this up this way to surprise everyone especially Hunter. Sam parked and everyone started unloading. Hunter saw Hannah and ran to her side.

  It looked like they were both talking at once and she was showing him her wound. Hunter was talking to Scott as everyone greeted Hannah. Scott had decided to stay with Hannah in the hospital while she was healing; he said he felt more at home there.

  “See Hunter? I told you it would be worth coming.” Sam called, laughing as Drew pulled up in another cart hauling a grill with him.

  “Who is ready for a pool party?” He asked as he parked.

  “Drew, why haven’t we seen any of the other guests?” Sam asked him as he glanced around our surroundings.

  “Well they don’t hang out at the hospital and near our rooms. Here, you’ll probably start seeing people depending on what they’re doing.” Drew answered as Denver appeared from behind the grill.

  “Hey guys.” He greeted. It didn’t seem like Drew had talked to him yet or if he did the message hadn’t sunk in, and he was still all smiles. Drew shook his head at me when he caught my eye.