by Kit Tunstall
I nodded. “It’s fine. Seriously, whatever makes you happy will make me happy too, as long as we’re all thinking of each other when making decisions.”
“I have to admit I’m only thinking about you at the moment.” His expression had taken on that edge of hunger again, and I wasn’t at all surprised when he reached over and lifted me onto his lap, my thighs straddling his. “I’m thinking about all the things I could do with you, and all the ways I’d like to take you.”
I grinned down at him, bracing my palms on his chest as I tugged lightly at the dusting of hair covering him. “Why don’t you show me some of those things you have in mind?”
Chapter Four
All too soon, we were back to our regular routine. I was miffed when they originally weren’t going to allow me to go on the next run. I stood my ground, insisting I was fine and in top physical form, other than the cut on my neck. When Jamar had removed the bandage and the steri-strips, he’d declared I was healing nicely and hadn’t bothered putting on more strips when he changed the bandage. When I won him over, the rest fell like dominoes, and I soon returned to my spot with the group.
We had two weeks of uneventful runs, which was pretty good considering where we were going each day. We were moving farther afield, entering new territory, and I should have known our luck wouldn’t hold. It never did.
We were in a smaller town near the Wyoming-Montana border, searching the local farm supply store. There were quite a few items that could be of use if we ended up moving off the base in the spring, as they were discussing. The idea of leaving the safety of our sanctuary terrified me, but I also understood the need to have a place where we could grow food and raise animals.
We couldn’t do that very easily at the base. Even if we moved into the warehouse section, there just wasn’t enough land and fence. The size of the base extended a couple of miles in every direction underneath the ground, but the main setup had been utilitarian and designed to look like a warehouse on a commercial lot. The fence encompassed only a small part of the base’s actual perimeter, and they all felt it was too small.
Finding enough fencing to extend the perimeter might be difficult, so they were inclined to look for a new farm that already had everything we needed in place. I still thought we could make it work at the base, and I was trying to convince them of that, but part of my determination was motivated by fear of leaving the safety of the underground military base and trading it for a regular farmhouse.
We all froze when we heard a cry for help. It was a very feminine cry, and the men immediately headed toward the source of the sound. I followed, my hand on my gun. What if it was a trap? Had someone planned to ambush us? Were my teammates running into a trap because they needed to play hero? I shouldn’t be so derisive. If they hadn’t played hero for me, I wouldn’t be here now.
I wasn’t proud of the fact, but I probably wouldn’t have been so suspicious if it had been a male shout. I didn’t want to introduce a female into our group. I liked being the only one, though I knew that was selfish, especially for Wesley. He seemed cool about the whole thing, and we were still friends, but I could tell it had bothered him when he realized Han and I were now involved as well. I just didn’t feel a spark for him, no matter how attractive he was, which must have made him feel shitty. I couldn’t force what I didn’t feel though.
It proved to be a genuine damsel-in-distress. We followed the source of the cries, finding a slightly rundown house and pinpointing it as the location. We moved in carefully, the men securing me in the middle of the group. It made sense, since I had the least amount of experience and had never swept an area under circumstances like these. I did as I was told, sticking with the group as we entered the house.
“Help,” came the cry again.
“Who’s there?” asked Jamar.
“Help me, please. I’m stuck in the attic.”
“Who’s there and how many?” asked Jamar again, this time in a booming voice.
She sounded like she was going to cry, if she wasn’t doing so already. “Just…just me,” she said in a shaky voice. “It’s been just me for months. Please help me.”
They were cautious, as was I, but the house was empty, and when we made our way to the attic, we discovered she was telling the truth. It looked like she had fallen through the ceiling and gotten stuck, probably from stepping on insulation rather than the boards. Wesley used his hunting knife to cut around her, and Jamar went into the attic to help lower her down. Shane took her into his arms, and she cuddled against him as she trembled.
My heart sank at the sight of another woman in my man’s arms. It was innocent, but she was just so striking and lovely, and she was so openly vulnerable that I didn’t understand how Shane could fail to be moved by the look of hero-worship she bestowed upon him. With her silvery blonde curls and baby-blue eyes, she looked like an angel. A dirty, smudged angel, but an angel just the same.
“What were you doing up there?” asked Han.
“I heard the Gables family used to hide food in their attic. They were peppers or something. I was hoping to find something to eat. I’m just so hungry, and there’s nothing left in town.”
Jamar patted her shoulder as he returned from the attic. “It’s okay. We have some food.”
“Oh, thank you. I haven’t eaten in three days, so I got desperate. I don’t think the Gables were peppers after all though. I didn’t find anything in the attic.”
“Preppers.” I stressed the correction. “The attic would have been a terrible place to keep supplies,” I said firmly. “If your ceiling rotted through, everything could be destroyed or contaminated, and the dry heat could hasten spoilage. If the Gables family was into preparation, they probably kept their stores in a cool, dark place, like a basement.”
Her expression chilled when she met mine, and it was obvious she hadn’t realized I was there, or I was a woman, until now. Either way, I could see the gleam of dislike flash across her features and disappear. It was clear she didn’t like the idea of another woman in the group any more than I did. “I didn’t know,” she said a haughty voice. “I’m not a soldier.”
“Neither was I until this mess,” I said with a shrug. “You have to be smarter and toughen up, or you’re going to die.”
Her lips trembled, and tears spilled from her eyes. “Are you threatening me?” She clung to Shane. “Please don’t let her hurt me. Please, let me stay with you. I’ll do whatever you want, but don’t kill me.”
I rolled my eyes, unable to watch more of the unfolding drama. I turned away from them, leaving the safety of the group, though it wasn’t the smartest thing I’d ever done. I heard Shane reassuring her as I walked away that no one was going to hurt her, and I hadn’t meant it that way.
He promised they’d take her back to the base and get her settled and safe. I guessed there was no group discussion or vote on that. I had no hesitation on how I would have voted, which was to leave her behind. Maybe that was cold and cruel, but I was certain only one thing was going to come from bringing her onto base.
Trouble.
PART SIX: A HOT MESS
Chapter One
She just wouldn’t shut up. Kassandra, whose name I had learned when I met up with the group back at the Humvee to recruit help loading the cases and cases of food stores I’d found in the Gables’ basement, just prattled on and on. At first, I had some sympathy, especially since her story was eerily like my own.
After losing her boyfriend and father, she’d spent the last three months hiding in the basement of a neighbor’s home, since her house hadn’t had one. Unlike me, she hadn’t had a cache to fall back on, so she’d had to leave the safety of her shelter and scavenge. She was acting all weak and helpless, and kind of pathetic, so I was surprised she’d had the nerve to do so—or I would have been if I hadn’t already realized she was manipulative and putting on an act for the men’s benefit.
We were driving back now, and I kept tracing the filigree on my gun, moving m
y thumb over it repeatedly as I contemplated pulling Miranda from the holster and shooting myself between the eyes so I could stop hearing her incessant chatter. I was suddenly longing for those quiet days I’d spent holed up in the subbasement.
She was right beside me, planted firmly on Shane’s lap. She’d latched on to him like a poisonous vine entwining everything around it. I could tell he was eating up this hero-worship bullshit and had to stifle the urge to roll my eyes. I looked up and met Wesley’s in the rearview mirror, since he was driving. He winked at me, and I managed a small smile in return. He seemed as irritated as I did.
I glanced at Jamar, who was staring apathetically out the window from the passenger seat. He’d clearly found a way to tune it out, and I would have to ask him about that skill. I had a feeling I was going to need to acquire it with Kassandra around.
My attention turned to Han, whom I was leaning against, and he met my gaze and smirked slightly. I rolled my eyes in return, and he winked as well. At least he and I were on the same page when it came to our new addition.
As Kassandra rattled on, she filled us in on every single detail of her life, and not just since the outbreak of the virus. By the time we were back at base, I knew her favorite color was pink, and her kindergarten teacher’s name was Mr. Daniels. I didn’t even know those kind of details about the other people in my group, who I’d spent so much time with, including my lovers. It was ridiculous to have so much idle trivia shoved into my brain involuntarily.
Of course she insisted on Shane carrying her, and being the idiot man that he was, he did so without complaint. I heard her talking about wanting a shower after someone looked at her leg, as though she expected a medic to just magically appear and whisk her to the exam room. “Fucking idiot,” I muttered under my breath.
Han was standing beside me, and he put his arm around my shoulders. “At least it’s finally quiet.”
I nodded, taking some cheer from that. “I wonder how long we’re stuck with her?”
He looked uneasy. “I have a feeling she’s the leech-type, babe. She’ll latch on and drain us dry until the last of us has had enough.”
I was impressed by his insight. “I’ve already had enough. Does that count?”
He smiled. “My vote’s with you, but we’re still outnumbered.”
I felt briefly guilty for wanting to get rid of her, or wishing we had never found her in that attic. I hated the idea of anyone being alone in the new world, but I could tell she and I were going to clash in every instance. I didn’t see how we could get along, and she was just going to disturb the peace of the group. I’d happily kick her off the base and drive her back to her town myself, but I was certain the others wouldn’t cooperate. Even Han wouldn’t allow that, because he wouldn’t want me to be out there alone.
I helped unload the rest of things, and we all migrated to the mess hall. Shane and Kassandra were nowhere to be seen, and after the day we’d had, none of us felt like cooking. Instead, we distributed MREs, and Jamar thoughtfully left out a couple for Shane and Kassandra, for when they bothered to appear.
It took approximately fourteen minutes to prepare an MRE, and we were all silent as they warmed. Han sat beside me, and Wesley had dropped onto my other side. Jamar was across from me, and he looked weary. We hadn’t done anything more taxing than usual, so I was certain it was Kassandra who’d worn us all down. She was like an emotional vampire, sucking the life out of everyone. None of us said that, but that’s what I felt. Maybe I was just projecting.
We heard her before we saw them, and she was still talking. I stroked the hilt of my knife, snugged into my belt on the opposite side of Miranda, pulling my hand away abruptly when I realized what I was doing. Had I really just indulged in the briefest fantasy of cutting out her tongue? Yes, yes I had.
Shane was careful to place her gently on the bench before taking a seat next to her. He left a respectable distance between them, but she scooted over as though he were a magnet drawing her toward him, plastering herself against his side. I waited for him to move, but he didn’t.
Jealousy seethed in me, along with a strong dose of hurt feelings. It was like I’d ceased to exist, and at first I’d thought he was just being polite, but it was obvious he liked having her draped all over him. I was concerned about what it meant for my relationship with him, and my stomach ached. If it wouldn’t have been a horrible waste of food, I would have pushed aside the MRE and not bothered trying to choke it down. Instead, I persevered.
“Oh, gosh, what is this?” asked Kassandra as she tore open the package. “Is this soldier food?”
“MRE. Meals Ready-to-Eat,” explained Shane. “It has a full day of calories, and there’s a heating element inside. Here, I’ll show you how to work it.”
I rolled my eyes as he carefully walked her through every step of the MRE preparation. It was ridiculous, since they came with instructions designed to be comprehensible to anyone. She was certainly good at playing the helpless damsel.
I was almost done with my dinner, having shoveled it in as quickly as I could in an attempt to keep it down and escape Kassandra. She continued rattling on as she picked carefully at her MRE, grimacing at everything she tasted before pushing it away with a dramatic sigh. For someone who supposedly hadn’t eaten in three days, she was damned picky.
I wanted to snap at her not to waste the food, but that would require interacting with her. As it was, she occasionally glared in my direction, but I was certain I was shooting daggers her way as well. She set my teeth on edge and irritated me.
It got the best of me, and I wasn’t proud of it, but I lost control of my temper as she chattered on about meaningless and inconsequential things. Before I could rein in the impulse, I drew my knife and slammed it into the table, eliciting a stunned silence. I stood up, wrenching on my knife to free it as I glared at her. “We don’t care. No one cares about your poodle’s stupid sweater, Kassandra. The world is different, and we’re here to survive. I’m tired of hearing about this crap. Just shut up for a while.”
Her expression was glacial as she glared at me, but when she looked at Shane, her expression was vulnerable. She burst into tears, and I had to admire her acting ability, even though I loathed the kind of person she was.
“I’m sorry if I talk too much. I’ve just been alone for so long, and it’s nice to have people around me to interact with. I didn’t mean to offend her. Please don’t let her hurt me.”
I let out an irritated growl as I shoved my knife back into the sheath on my hip. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just asking you to shut the hell up for a bit.”
Shane glared at me, and his voice was cold when he said, “If you don’t want to listen to her, there are other rooms in the base.” He turned back to Kassandra, rubbing her shoulder in a consoling fashion. “Why don’t you keep telling us about your poodle?”
“It was a Pekingese,” she said in a pathetic wail. As I stalked off, she shot a triumphant glance in my direction, and if I hadn’t already behaved so atrociously, I would have flipped her off on the way out the room.
I made my way to the bedroom I shared with Shane and Jamar, and for the first time, it didn’t feel like mine. I knew I couldn’t sleep in there with him tonight. Kassandra was likely to be in the bunkroom, so that left one of the other offices. I stopped by the bunkroom to take a mattress off one of the frames and found an office halfway down the corridor away from my usual room.
I curled up on the inadequate padding, trying to pretend it wasn’t cold cement underneath me, and glared at the wall. I had acted a bit like a spoiled brat, allowing my jealousy to come through, but it wasn’t strictly jealousy. I didn’t like her, and I didn’t trust her. She was two-faced, showing one side of herself to the men, while allowing me to see the true person.
They might think she was sweet and helpless, but I was certain she was about as helpless as a nest of vipers. She might not have the physical prowess to protect herself, but she had the keen manipulative power
s necessary to infiltrate and claim an entire kingdom. I was concerned my men wouldn’t be a match for her.
I’d just have to protect them from her, which meant protecting them from their own stupidity. With that in mind, I got up off the mattress and returned to the room I shared with Shane and Jamar, determined to at least try to make them see how dangerous the woman they’d rescued was.
It was a while before Jamar came in, and he greeted me with a hug and a kiss. So far, he’d avoided much interaction with Kassandra, so I hoped he might be easier to persuade.
He and I were already in bed when Shane finally entered the room, looking exhausted. I opened my mouth, prepared to explain exactly what kind of person she was, but he spoke first.
“How could you behave so rudely to our guest? She’s been through hell, and having you attack her doesn’t help.”
My mouth fell open at the accusation, and a surge of anger filled me. I bit down hard on my tongue to keep from blurting out an annoyed retort that would do nothing to fix the situation. Instead, I took a deep breath and sat up on the mattress, keeping my gaze averted as Shane stripped down to his underwear. I didn’t want to be distracted by his body at the moment. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have yelled at her, but she’s not what you think she is.”
He frowned, looking surprised. “What do I think she is?” There was definite attitude in that tone.
Still trying to rein in my temper, I said, “She’s not a victim. She’s not sweet and helpless. Physically, she’s lacking in strength, but she has the personality of a sociopath. She’ll use anyone and anything to get what she wants. Right now, she’s using you.”
Shane laughed, though it held little amusement. “Listen to yourself. You hardly know her. How can you make that kind of assessment?”
I rolled my eyes. “For fuck’s sake, Shane, all she did was talk about herself for the last few hours. I picked up on things. I’m surprised you didn’t.”