by Ariel Bonin
After dinner, Charlie and Robert made another fuel assessment. The group wasn't as bad off as they'd originally thought, so everyone agreed to one evening of indulgence—there was no doubt they all needed it.
At those words, Lindsey knew exactly what she wanted. The claw-foot tub in the master bathroom had been a major tease up until that point. Tonight, she planned to put an end to that.
When Andrew went to put the kids to bed, Lindsey began filling the tub with hot water. She scoured the cabinets and produced a bottle of vanilla bubble bath. She poured in a decent amount and, while bubbles began to bloom across the surface, she lit a few candles. When the tub was almost full, she stripped off her clothes and picked up the bottle of wine she'd confiscated from their school stash.
As Lindsey stepped into the tub, her body shivered at the delightful contact of warm water against her skin. She'd experienced one too many cold showers at The Factory, making this heaven on earth. A few minutes later, a light knock sounded at the door and someone pushed it open. Lindsey opened her eyes as Andrew sauntered up to the edge of the tub.
"Jake and Zoey are asleep." He followed the statement with a relaxing sigh. "It's so good to have him back. I feel like I can breathe again."
Lindsey gave him a genuine smile. "Same here."
She watched Andrew squat down next to the tub. His eyes glittered in the candlelight as they skimmed over the surface. Bubbles covered her breasts, hiding everything below her shoulders from his view. He placed a wet strand of hair behind her ear and continued to trail his finger down her neck. Her heart beat faster in her chest as he grazed the droplets on her collarbone.
Suddenly, he dipped his other hand into the water, honing in on the spot between her legs. Her knees parted as he stroked her gently, drawing a soft whimper from the back of her throat. Andrew increased the rhythm and Lindsey tipped her head back, closing her eyes at the thrilling sensations he was creating.
Finally, she reached down and stilled his hand.
"Are you comin' in or what?" she purred from under long lashes.
Andrew grinned. "I thought you'd never ask."
"Baby, you don't ever need an invitation."
_____
The next morning, Lindsey woke up alone. She wasn't worried, though. Wherever Jacob was, that was where she'd find Andrew. It was still quite early; the sun was just beginning to rise. She'd intended to get up before everyone else, but Andrew had completely worn her out the night before—not that she was complaining.
It was beyond amazing to wake up in their bed again and not that lousy cot. Lindsey felt like they'd done a one-eighty, going from cold showers and lumpy cots to warm baths and comfy beds. She'd longed for their return to the ranch and it had turned out far better than anything she could have imagined. She was still in shock that Jacob and Nadie were alive and well.
Lindsey climbed out of bed, moving to the bathroom to freshen up. She didn't have a lot of options left for clothes. She'd worn the same outfit during their entire stay at The Factory, making those items unusable. If she had it her way, she'd burn them. The other downfall was that her jacket had been left behind; she'd have to find a new one elsewhere. That left one pair of jeans, her usual boots, and a black t-shirt. She holstered her Glock and, for once, relished having it on her hip.
Once dressed, she walked downstairs and entered the living room. The scene before her brought a huge grin to her face. On the floor, Zoey and Jacob rested on their bellies. The boy was copying her movements—as Zoey rolled over, so did Jacob. Andrew watched on from the couch, a mug of hot coffee in his hand. His eyes were bright with happiness, and they lit up even more when he spotted Lindsey in the doorway.
"Good morning," he said with a handsome smile.
Lindsey crossed the room and sat down next to Andrew. "Good morning to you, too."
For once, it was actually true.
Andrew kissed her cheek, and Lindsey blushed—she hadn't done that in a while. She glanced away from his enchanting blue eyes and observed the two children playing in front of them. Jacob was wearing Zoey's beanie, which Lindsey found odd, since it was far too big for his head.
"What's with the hat?" she asked, trying not to giggle.
Zoey sat up, and Jacob mirrored the action. Before she could answer, the little boy tipped over and bumped his head on the floor—but he didn't cry.
"Oh," Lindsey laughed.
"It was Nadie's idea," Zoey explained. "Jake did that earlier and started crying so hard! She said that he needs something to protect his head, so I gave him my hat."
"Well, that was quite ingenious of her," Lindsey replied.
Zoey hovered over her brother and blew a raspberry onto his round belly. Quickly, she pulled away, making a disgusted face.
"Oh, Jake, gross! You stink!"
Lindsey and Andrew smothered their laughter. "Would you like me to change him?" she offered.
Zoey swept Jacob into her arms and started for the stairs. "Nah, I got this."
As the girl disappeared, Andrew said in awe, "That's a first—she really must have missed him."
Lindsey laughed and turned her head to look at Andrew. Now that they were alone, his eyes held a certain gleam, which suggested his thoughts had wandered elsewhere.
"I had fun last night," he murmured with a lopsided grin.
Lindsey bit her lip and leaned in to kiss him. She tasted coffee on his lips, the flavor and scent she'd come to associate with him.
"Me, too," she whispered, sliding a hand across his thigh. It suddenly dawned on her that he hadn't brought up his injury since they'd left The Factory. "How's your knee?"
Andrew sighed. "Better. I think the bath helped. It wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't an old injury."
Lindsey stared at him with interest and waited for him to elaborate.
"Back in high school I played as a wide receiver for one season of football—after my buddy talked me into it, of course. I wound up dislocating my knee during the last game. I stuck to baseball after that," he said with a chuckle.
Lindsey grinned and said, "Hey, I played softball in high school."
"Well aren't you like two friggin' peas in a pod," Charlie teased as he passed through the room, overhearing their conversation.
"Oh, stop," Lindsey snapped. "Besides, you're one to talk!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Charlie grumbled, pausing in the doorway of the dining room.
"Oh, you know what I'm talking about," she nodded with raised eyebrows.
Charlie exhaled a short breath and flung an arm outward as he left the room, indicating that he was done with their brief conversation.
Andrew snorted. "I was afraid you'd pissed him off for a second there."
"Who, Charlie?" Lindsey asked innocently. "I can handle him."
A moment later, Zoey came back down the stairs, Jacob in tow. The foursome moved into the kitchen, where Lindsey assisted Caren with the remaining breakfast preparations. Everyone, except for Nadie and Kat, who were on watch, sat down at the table for their usual breakfast of bland oatmeal. Lindsey had her cup of tea, though, so she was happy.
At the end of their meal, Andrew asked Nicholas the question they'd been wondering since arriving back at the ranch.
"What exactly are these common interests you think we have?"
Chapter 30
Nicholas sat forward, clasping his large hands together.
"We're coming up on two years since this all started. I overheard Robert and Darius talking about this place, the ranch. It sounds like you're looking for the same thing we all are—a place to fortify. With your so-called hordes passing through every other day, you have to understand that your days are numbered here. Between that and the cold, you most likely won't survive the winter."
Andrew recalled using the word "fortify" in the past, but that seemed like a pipedream at this point.
"What are you getting at?" he asked, taking some offense to Nicholas’s brutal honesty.
"There's an isl
and off the coast of Florida—a safe zone. They're calling it New Canaan. We were keeping in touch with them via satellite phone, but one of those hordes came through and we were forced to leave all our things behind. I mean, think about it…these fuckers can't swim. Why wouldn't an island be the ideal place to live?"
"Where exactly is it located?" Andrew inquired as he thought about Nicholas’s proposal, and the fact that they'd just happened to lose their only way of communicating with this supposed "safe zone."
"In the gulf, just south of Fort Myers."
Andrew tapped his fingertips on the tabletop. He'd only been to Florida a couple of times, but he knew that Fort Myers was quite a ways down the coast.
"Charlie, do you have a road atlas we could look at?"
"Yeah, in my office. I'll be right back," he replied, getting up and leaving the room. A minute later, he returned and handed it over.
Andrew thanked him and opened the atlas so it was positioned in the middle of the table. He flipped between Florida and Missouri, measuring the distance within each state that stood between the two. It spanned only inches on paper, but to scale, it was a staggering distance.
"That's over one thousand miles, not including detours."
Robert spoke up from the other end of the table. "Traveling on the interstate would be impossible. We'd have to take back roads the entire way. Could we really attempt a trip of that size? You remember how well our past road trips have gone…" he said with obvious reservations.
Andrew kept his gaze on the maps as he considered all the issues in a journey of that magnitude—turners, fuel, supplies, Jacob, and miles of unfamiliar roads. If they made it to the island, though, the pros would most certainly outweigh the cons.
"Can you tell me more about New Canaan?"
Tyler swapped a glance with Nicholas and said in a uniform voice, "New Canaan was a naval base back in the 1940s. It has since been terminated of any military relation, but the housing and other buildings remain. After establishing contact with those on the island, we were able to confirm the stability of their surroundings—they have had only a handful of incidents since first occupying the island fourteen months ago."
It almost sounded too good to be true. Most of the time, it usually was. Andrew thought about his children, though. It would be a waste not to try for it. They needed stability, a safe place to grow up. This could be it.
"I say we go."
With that statement, Andrew suddenly noticed the uncertain look on Lindsey's face.
"I think we should stay," she said, clearly shocked by his approval of the plan after receiving very little information. "No offense, but we just met you," she directed toward Nicholas and Tyler. "How are we supposed to trust you, and how do you know that you weren't lied to about this place? There are too many unknown factors to just pack up and leave. We don't know what we'd find down the road."
"Yeah, we do," Darius interjected with exasperation. "More men like this Samuel!" He stared pointedly at Andrew. "I heard about what happened. Answer this: Do you really think Lindsey will be lucky enough to escape getting raped the second time around?"
Andrew gaped at Darius, his eyes wide with anger.
"Zoey, go upstairs," he snapped, not looking away from the man across from him.
The confused girl got up from her chair, cradling Jacob in her arms. She glanced at the embarrassed expression on Lindsey's face before leaving the room.
When Zoey's footsteps faded, Andrew pointed at Darius, his elbow resting on the table.
"Don't you dare say something like that in front of my daughter again! I know the dangers of going out on the road, but we also know what the risks are if we stay," he retaliated. "But I can tell you, whether we're here, or out there, I will do anything to protect Lindsey and my children."
An uncomfortable silence blanketed the room. Andrew exchanged a wary look with Lindsey, realizing they'd reached a standstill. He hadn't expected her to speak out against him; they usually saw eye to eye on just about everything. What had changed?
"How 'bout we take a vote?" Charlie suggested, carrying out his usual job as an icebreaker. "I'm with Andrew on this one. I say we give it a shot."
"Me, too," Ana said in a subdued tone.
Robert looked at everyone and then faced Caren with frantic, pleading eyes. "We can't leave! Caren, say something—this is your home!"
"No, it's just a house," his wife responded sadly. "Without Eric, this don't feel like a home. It's just a painful box of memories. The hordes are never gonna stop, and they're not gonna get any smaller. We can't keep doin' this. I say we try for New Canaan."
Lindsey's soft voice grabbed Andrew's attention. "Okay…count me in." She offered him a sincere smile, but he could still see the concern in her eyes.
Darius was the only one left to concede. He did, but with much reluctance. He promptly exited the dining room, leaving a tense mood in his wake. Ana followed him out.
Andrew waited until he heard the front door shut.
"We should take a couple of days to prepare ourselves, not just mentally, but with the right supplies. We'll have to figure out which vehicles to take and the best roads to travel on." He heaved out a heavy sigh. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."
_____
As Andrew climbed the staircase, Lindsey chased after him. She seized one of his arms, feeling lean, sinewy muscle underneath the thin material of his plaid shirt.
"Can I talk to you?" she asked, pulling him into the nook outside of their bedroom. Andrew stood across from her, his hands on his gun belt. "I- I'm sorry that I spoke out against you. It's just that we don't know anything about these people. We can't take them at face value—it's too risky." She closed the space between them. "I know you want to believe in a safe haven… I do, too. And I said that wherever you go, I'll follow, but I'm telling you right now—if we go to New Canaan, not all of us will live to see it."
Andrew searched her dark, beseeching gaze. "I know," he replied, his voice strained. "I know."
Lindsey hesitantly rested her hands on his chest, their eyes having a wordless conversation. She could tell he was scared, too, but didn't want to admit it.
After she pressed a tender kiss to his lips, he slipped out from under her touch and walked down the hallway to Zoey's room. Lindsey watched him go, sadness etched into her features.
She went back downstairs and decided to step outside. The air was cool, instantly chilling her skin through the light fabric that covered her arms. She shivered and wished for her long-lost jacket. The house was getting too stuffy, though, so she would brave the chill.
Nadie and Kat sat on the porch steps, looking up at the blonde when the door shut behind them. Lindsey leaned her shoulder against the post at the top of the steps.
"How's watch going?" Lindsey asked in a casual manner.
Nadie shrugged. "Uneventful. Sounds like the same can't be said for everyone else, though."
"So you know?"
"Darius walked by all in a huff. Kat filled me in on New Canaan." Nadie paused, taking in the growing number of bare trees scattered around the ranch. "What's the general consensus?"
Lindsey cleared her throat. "We're going."
The two words made her feel as if she was delivering a death sentence.
Nadie seemed to be absorbing the finality of the matter. Kat stared up at Lindsey.
"We know it won't be easy, but with your help, we've got the numbers and firepower to make this trip possible."
Lindsey merely nodded and stepped down into the yard. "I'm going for a walk. I'll be back in a bit."
_____
Andrew found Zoey stretched out on her bed. She held a picture book while Jacob looked on from his stomach. Andrew felt the tension ease from his shoulders as a grin pulled at the corner of his lips.
"Where the Wild Things Are, again?" he asked as he sat down on the edge of the mattress.
"It's either that or Velveteen Rabbit. I like this one more," Zoey answered, waving the book at her fat
her. Andrew watched while Zoey showed a colorful illustration to Jacob. "This guy here is Dad, this one is Charlie, the one with chicken feet is Lindsey, and the little one is you."
Andrew tried his best not to laugh. "What about Max?"
"That's me, of course," Zoey responded with a slight roll of her eyes.
"Gotcha," Andrew said. He reached over to pick up Jacob and held his son close as Zoey tossed the book aside. "Listen…about what happened downstairs. I know you're probably scared at the idea of leaving this place behind. It doesn't settle well with me either."
"I want to go."
Andrew raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Someday I would like to have my own family. That won't happen if we stay here. Maybe there will be a chance if we go to this island. Jacob could have other kids to play with, and we wouldn't have to be afraid anymore. I don't want to just survive—I want to live."
Andrew stared at his daughter in amazement. Even though she had predictable moments of immaturity, Zoey was becoming more of a woman every day. This world was causing her to grow up way too fast, and it left Andrew fighting to catch up.
"Then we'll go," he declared, not expecting such a concise discussion on the subject. He did feel some comfort in knowing that Zoey agreed with his decision. On the other hand, the logical part of Andrew left him with a sick feeling in his stomach. Lindsey's words echoed in his head.
'If we go to New Canaan, not all of us will live to see it.'
As much as he didn't want to believe that, he knew she was right. Therefore it left the impending question: Who wouldn't make it?
Andrew was relieved when Zoey diverted his attention away from the tormenting thought.
"Can I ask you something?" She couldn't quite meet Andrew's eyes.
"Anything."
Zoey's shy gaze flicked up at him. "What Darius said about Lindsey getting raped—what does that mean? What was he talking about?"
Andrew was speechless. Damn Darius for putting him in this position. He struggled for the right words, and finally asked, "Do you know what sex is?"