by Selena Kitt
"Ally, we want you to know we're here for you. Whatever you need. In fact, you're welcome to come stay with us until Rick returns," Gracie said.
"Thanks, but I'll stay here. I appreciate the offer though." It felt so weird, having Rick disappear without any warning. "I-I'd like to be alone right now, if that's okay."
Alex met her gaze and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Ally, Rick gave me explicit instructions not to leave you alone. If you don't come stay in our house, we're going to have to stay here for the time being. He wants to make sure you're still here when he returns."
Betrayal stabbed through Ally, making her throat burn and her eyes water. What the fuck? She'd been here for two weeks and hadn't tried leaving. Not even during the long days he left her in the house while he trained his men. Of course, he was out in the open, in the middle of the settlement on those days, and likely would've caught her had she made another run for the wall.
She blinked fast and stared down at the table, not wanting Gracie and Alex to witness her tears. "I-I won't try leaving. Trust me, leaving is the last thing on my mind." She'd come to accept her place in Emerald, and though she was still getting to know Rick, she couldn't say she regretted becoming his wife. All settlements had rules, and the rules in Emerald were much more reasonable than the rules in the Raider camp.
Oh God. The Raider camp. That was where Rick was headed. What did he plan on doing once he reached it? He'd shared few details about his time as a SEAL with her, but she surmised enough to know he'd been on a lot of dangerous missions. He'd had to fight for his life, and he'd probably killed more men than Brent had.
That's different, she reminded herself. That was during the war, and it wasn't Americans that he killed. He destroyed the enemy. Brent killed because he was fucking crazy and caught up in the gang mentality of the Raider camp. Not that he'd been a nice person before they went to live in the Raider camp…
Ally left the kitchen and ran upstairs, needing solitude. The moment she closed the bedroom door behind her, she covered her face and started sobbing.
She thought of the kind teenage boy who'd cheered her up all those years ago at the pool. She thought of the orange snow cone and how he'd gone out of his way to make a little girl smile. He'd done silly voices as he read the fairytale princess book to her, cheering her up on one of the lowest days in her life, on a day Brent had been a bastard to her and she couldn't face the boxes and the emptiness of her childhood home.
Please come back to me, Rick.
She sank to the floor and tried to get her sobbing under control. A knock sounded on the door.
"Ally? Ally, you okay in there?" Gracie called.
She sniffled and wiped at her face. "I'm fine! Just tired."
"Well, we'll be downstairs if you need anything, sweetie."
"Okay," Ally forced out.
She hadn't thought much of it when Rick had thrust a map in front of her, asking her to point out the location of the Raider camp. She'd assumed he only wanted to stay proactive by knowing the location of a potential enemy, and perhaps so his people could avoid that area when they went on hunting trips or supply missions. If she'd known he intended to seek out trouble and risk his life, she would have played dumb when presented with the map.
The hours passed in a torturous blur of time. Eventually, Ally rose to her feet and moved to the window. People walked through the snow-cleared streets below, like any typical morning, as they went about their day.
Rick's departure without a goodbye cut just as deep as his inability to trust her to remain in Emerald during his absence.
* * *
Rick and his team circled the perimeter of the Raider camp, stealthily moving from behind trees, bushes, and small outbuildings. He spotted no inhabitants of the camp walking around, which was odd for this time of day. Though it was below freezing, it was just after noontime, and the sun beamed down across the makeshift houses and tents.
He counted seven vehicles; five trucks and two cars, the exact number of vehicles Ally had reported. Well, that meant the commanders, including her brother, were probably not out on a run, or searching for her as she'd worried.
Though the camp had been a full six-hour drive north, it was still too close for comfort as far as Rick was concerned. The Elders had charged him with their security, and he took the job seriously. He cared about the people who lived in his settlement, the men, women, and children, and he wasn't about to let a Raider camp threaten their livelihood.
He entered the camp with ten of his men. Two other soldiers were stationed in the nearby hilltops with sniper rifles. If they spotted danger, they would contact Rick on his earpiece if they couldn't get a clean kill shot.
Somewhere in the distance, in one of the makeshift houses or tents, a child started crying. One of Rick's men veered off the path to investigate. Aside from the crying child, the place was deathly silent, and the absence of guards on the outskirts of the camp was telling that something awful had befallen this place.
They began a house to house search, finding most structures and tents empty. The people they did find inside were either dead or too dehydrated and malnourished to put up a fight. The illness Ally had mentioned must have turned into a full blown plague. The largest buildings rested in the center of the camp, and Rick suspected the commanders inhabited those particular homes.
Rick held his military issue Stinger 99 semi-automatic pistol level as he kicked open the front door of the first commander's house. He found three bodies, two men and a woman, dead and frozen. He exited the building and checked on his men, who had already entered the rest of the large houses. He didn't know what Brent looked like, but he wanted to make sure he didn't live to terrorize Ally anymore.
His second in command, Greg, assembled all the survivors in the center of the camp and loaded them onto one of the Raider trucks. Whatever sickness had passed through seemed to have run its course. The survivors didn't display any symptoms of illness, only malnourishment and dehydration.
"Rick, you're going to want to see this." Thomas exited the last large house and handed Rick a faded photograph.
Holy fuck. It was Ally, a much younger version of her, with a young man. Her asshole brother. Rick stormed into the house and found a figure sprawled out in the bed. Staring at the gray face of the unbreathing man on the bed, Rick looked to the picture again for comparison.
There was no question about it. It was Brent, and he was long dead.
Good fucking riddance.
"Rick!" Harold, the youngest on his team, ran inside the house. "I've just tested the water supply. I found traces of poison called Becititan that was used by the Russians during the war. Somehow, it got into the water and made everyone sick. Talked to some of the survivors and they claimed they got better when they stopped drinking from the well and fetched their water from a nearby river instead. That's the good news. We won't have to put anyone in quarantine now, plus they're all women and children. No men and no commanders to deal with."
"What's the bad news?"
"Only fifteen survivors."
"Christ." Rick scrubbed a hand down his face and shoved his gun back in his holster. "Let's get the fuck out of here." He tossed the photograph on the floor. Ally didn't need any reminders of her brother. Besides, she'd brought photos of her parents and grandparents with her in her backpack. If she'd wanted this particular picture, she would have taken it.
He gave one last withering look at the body in the bed, then ordered his men to close up the well and put a warning sign on top of it. It was late afternoon by the time they hit the road for the six-hour return trip to Emerald. He felt like a jackass for not having said goodbye to Ally, or for even telling her of his plans to visit the Raider camp, but he hadn't wanted to cause her any undue worry.
If she'd awoken at her usual time this morning, he'd already have been on the road for hours, and Gracie and Alex were there to keep her calm. Well, that and to make sure she didn't attempt escape. Though she had seemingly warmed
up to him, they hadn't consummated their marriage yet either, and she sometimes made joking comments about being his captive bride. Those little comments held truth, because letting her go was the last thing he would ever do.
Consummated marriage or not, she fucking belonged to him.
He pressed the pedal to the floor as the Hummer crested a hill.
By nightfall, Ally would be in his arms again.
Chapter Six
Headlights pierced through the darkness. Ally's eyes widened and she stood on her tiptoes, trying to glimpse beyond the towering walls of Emerald. Luckily, Rick's house was tall enough that from the third floor she could see over the protective barrier, though only in the distance. The headlights traveled closer and disappeared, momentarily blocked out by the walls, until the wide gates were opened and three vehicles entered, including Rick's truck.
She rushed downstairs and outside into the cold night air. Gracie and Alex followed on her heels. The vehicles stopped in the center of Emerald, and that's when Ally realized one of the trucks was from the Raider camp. The driver, one of Rick's men, jumped out and opened the back door. Over a dozen women and children climbed out. She recognized a few of them but didn't know any of them by name. During her stay in the Raider camp, she'd been so busy planning her escape that she hadn't taken the time to get to know many of the other inhabitants.
Rick climbed out of his Hummer and his gaze immediately sought her out. He was dressed in a camouflage uniform she'd never seen him wear before, as were all the other men in his group. They looked like an actual troop of soldiers, a sight she hadn't beheld since during the war, when she managed a peek at the news when her grandparents weren't paying attention. She took a few steps in Rick's direction, but paused when he started giving a report to the Elders.
"We found the Raider camp in ruins. These women and children are the only survivors we found." He met her eyes briefly. "Everyone else is dead. We found traces of poison in the water supply that made everyone ill, including all their commanders. The survivors we questioned believe another Raider group to be responsible for the poison. This other Raider group visited their camp to discuss trade, and the meetings didn't go well. People started falling ill soon after."
Some of the Elders approached Rick to ask questions, and she tried her best to wait patiently as he answered them. Joy abounded within her that her husband had returned, and more quickly than she'd expected. In the weeks she'd been traveling, often zigzagging through the countryside to avoid the main roads, and sleeping in abandoned houses she came across, she hadn't traveled as far as she'd planned to. The Raider camp had been closer than she'd realized and she could understand his need to ensure it didn't pose a threat to Emerald.
She nodded and smiled at the survivors as some of the Elders escorted them past her.
Everyone else is dead. Everyone.
That meant Brent hadn't survived.
She felt no sadness at his passing, which didn't surprise her, given that he'd made the last few years of her life a living hell, even before he forced her to live in the Raider camp. But she felt no happiness either.
Nothing. She felt nothing at his passing. She was just grateful Rick hadn't run into trouble at the Raider camp, but her heart broke for all those who'd fallen ill from drinking the water. Not all those in the Raider camp—particularly the women and children who, like her, hadn't had a choice about living there—had been bad people.
Now that she knew for certain Brent wasn't searching for her, and that the rest of the awful commanders had fallen, a deep sense of relief spread through her. There wasn't another settlement or Raider camp for miles and miles. Emerald was a safe haven; the sort of place she'd never imagined she might call home.
The trucks were driven away, toward a large garage on the other side of the settlement. Ally shivered in the cold, and her breath came out in white puffs. Rick finally finished speaking with the last lingering Elder and stalked away from his Hummer. He strode toward her and wrapped her in his embrace. She rested her forehead against his and let him hold her.
"I missed you." His deep voice rumbled through the now quiet square of Emerald.
"Ever hear of saying goodbye, jackass?" She smacked his chest in a manner as playful as her tone. She couldn't stay mad at him. The mission had been a success, and he'd returned to her safe and sound.
Rick chuckled and guided her to his house. Their house. She not only considered Emerald her home now, but she had also accepted her place as his wife. She just hadn't told him as much yet.
They entered the warmth of the living room and he stripped off his jacket. Underneath, a belt rested around his waist, holding a gun and various knives and other gadgets Ally didn't recognize. He removed the weapon belt and then took his boots off. The glow of the fire bathed him in yellow, accentuating his huge rippling muscles as he undressed further, shrugging out of his pants and removing a second weapon band from around his ankle.
Her heart thrummed faster. He stood before her in an undershirt and a pair of tight undershorts, looking sexy as sin.
"Are you hiding any more weapons?" She grinned. "Perhaps you should take the rest off that so we can be sure."
His eyes darkened, and he closed the space between them in a split second, taking her face in his hands and kissing her hard, leaving her breathless and aching for more of his touch. In the midst of caresses and more hard kisses, he undressed her, yanking her sweater over her head and pushing her jeans down. She kicked her shoes off and enjoyed the deep, possessive growls that rumbled from his throat. Desire shuddered through her in a wave of endless pulsing heat.
"Rick, I-I'm ready. Please. I'm begging you. Take me upstairs." She undulated her center against his hardness, and she soon found herself swept up in his arms as he ascended the steps to the master bedroom.
He laid her on the bed, then stood up and devoured her with his dark eyes. She was sure her panties had soaked through, she was so beside herself with need. These last two weeks had been the longest fucking foreplay ever. Well, not that she knew a lot about sex, but she'd heard enough snippets of conversations on television and in the Raider camp to form a vague idea.
He shed the rest of his clothing, and she marveled at his broad, muscular chest and the huge, rigid length between his legs. He crawled atop her and cupped her pussy.
"This belongs to me." He squeezed until she moaned. His gaze darkened further. "You belong to me."
"Yes, yes," she panted. How long would he make her wait?
She opened her legs wider, wishing her panties were already gone so he could just sink his hard cock deep in her pussy. She knew enough to understand it might hurt, but only for a moment. The brief pain would be worth it, to feel his hugeness pounding in and out of her. She could only imagine the ecstasy that was to come.
The ripping sound reached her before she realized what Rick was doing. She looked down at her center, gasping as he finished ripping her panties off her. He tossed them to the floor and then cupped her breasts, kneading her aching mounds through her bra for several moments, before he lifted her up and reached around to unhook the clasp and set her bosom free. Her bra joined the shreds of her panties on the floor.
He trailed kisses up and down her neck, and she brushed her hands over his head. Then he moved lower and captured a nipple between his teeth. She groaned as he flicked his tongue against her hardened bit of flesh. Need consumed her. She ached like she'd never ached before, and urgent moans escaped her lips as she tried to reach for his cock, but his teeth clamped down harder on her nipple, preventing her from moving.
"Please, Rick. No more teasing. Take me."
He pulled back and looked down at her. God, he was handsome. And, despite his seriousness, so fucking sweet and caring. How had she resisted him these past two weeks? How had she managed not to tear his clothes off and beg him to fuck her until now?
She ran her hands over his dark chest hair, touching as low on his stomach as she could reach. When she managed to grab his c
ock, an animalistic growl emanated from him, and his eyes heated with lust. A spasm of fear shot through her, to see him on top of her, so large and intimidating. He could hold her down and fuck her for hours, and she wouldn't be able to stop him. Part of her craved that kind of dominance, longed to be held down and fucked. But only by Rick. No other man had roused such naughty thoughts in her before.
She shifted her legs wider apart and lifted her center, grinding against his thigh. His nostrils flared as she tentatively stroked his cock. It pulsed hot in her grip and felt so much harder than she'd first imagined. But he didn't allow her to stroke him for long.
Moving her arms above her head, he gripped her wrists together in one hand, and with his other hand he probed the wetness between her thighs.
"So fucking wet, Ally. Were you touching yourself before I got home?"
Her eyes widened. "No, sir."
"I hope not. Because your hot little pussy belongs to me, little girl. If you ever touch yourself without permission, you will be severely punished. Do you understand?"
She nodded as her moisture gushed around his fingers. He moved in and out of her with shallow thrusts, his thick digits filling her but not satisfying her the way she suspected his huge cock would. She craved that long thickness, and she closed her eyes as waves of pleasure built an intense pressure in her womanly core. She was close, so fucking close to coming on his hand.
Without warning, he pulled away from her center and flipped her over, forcing her to rest on her hands and knees. Her heart pounded. Did he plan to fuck her from behind? Arousal trickled down her inner thighs, and her breasts felt heavy and achier as she struggled to hold this position.
"Before I fuck you, Ally, I want a good look at all your private places. I've already glimpsed your hot little pussy, now it's time to see this tight pucker of yours."
Oh God. Before she could protest, he'd already splayed her bottom cheeks wide apart. She tried to lurch forward and turn over, but he caught her around the waist, forcing her to remain on her hands and knees.