Cities of Rust
Page 34
Andrew looked at her sadly. She was crushed with guilt, because she'd put that look on his face. He had much more important things to worry about—not the pity party she was throwing for herself.
"Come here," he said, motioning her over to the bed. She sat down on the end and he moved behind her. He began massaging her shoulders with his strong hands. He pressed his thumbs into the tense cords on the back of her neck and she made a satisfied sound in her throat. "What's been bothering you, Linds? You can talk to me."
She didn't want to bog him down with all of her problems. Every single person in their group had baggage—why was hers any more important? It wasn't. She'd lost her husband, but Andrew had lost his wife. She'd killed people, but so had he. He was dealing with it, so she should too.
"I'm just…recovering from the past week," Lindsey answered truthfully. Andrew's adept fingers worked a tight spot between her shoulder blades and she forgot what she was saying for a moment. "I- I'm also a little nervous for the trip, but I don't want you to worry—I think it's the right move."
"I understand. I'm nervous, too. We'll be okay though," he reassured her. "We've got a good group. With Nicholas and his people along for the ride, I don't see us having many problems."
His words helped, but only slightly. There would always be problems and they couldn't prepare for them—especially the worst ones. On the other hand, they'd face any problem head on if it brought them closer to their final destination: a safe place to live.
Lindsey was done talking for the night. She would be fine and certainly didn't want Andrew fussing over her. He needed to concentrate on protecting his children—and that was it.
She glanced back at him, and he dropped his hands from her shoulders. He moved a blonde strand from her forehead and tucked it behind her ear.
"I love you so much," he whispered, each word carrying the true weight of his feelings for her.
She had needed this. She imagined a thin layer of ice covering her heart, and every moment she spent with Andrew chipped away at that layer. The man was helping her keep her humanity. Maybe it made her more vulnerable, but she'd take that over becoming cold and out of touch with reality.
Shifting to face him, she pressed her lips to his, and said, "I love you, too, baby."
_____
This place was so familiar to Lindsey. She recognized the dark corners and musty smell. Only a small amount of daylight passed through the short windows. Turning on her flashlight, she swept the bright beam over the dank basement. A washer and dryer sat off to the right, and she experienced a chill of recognition. Still, she couldn't quite figure out where she was.
When she turned the corner, it all came rushing back. She stopped short, feeling her heart rate double at the sight. A single chair sat back-to in the middle of the floor, the body of a man visible in it. Before she approached the ghastly scene, she already knew what would be on his chest. She moved to stand in front of the dead man, her flashlight pointed straight ahead. The word was scratched in bold, bloody letters.
MURDERER.
Lindsey blinked and realized that something was different. She raised her light to discover that the body now had a different head.
Hers.
She dropped the flashlight, sending a jagged beam across the floor. It worsened the dramatic shadows on the frightening face before her. The Lindsey in the chair stared up at her with hollow black eyes, then glanced down at the engraving on her chest. She stood from the chair and stepped toward the horrified Lindsey who'd been looking on. With a pale hand, eyeless Lindsey removed the other's sheathed knife, poising it just above her chest. Intending to scar her in the same way, she brought it down with terrifying force.
The impact startled Lindsey awake. A cold sweat glistened over her entire body. Between the blood rushing in her ears and her harsh, uneven breaths, she was momentarily deaf. A sob ripped from between her lips and she stifled it with a shaky hand.
Rolling to face away from Andrew, she lifted her knees and hugged them to her middle. Her chest heaved as she tried to stay quiet. Dragging in a sharp breath, she proceeded to cry.
_____
When morning came, the somber mood returned, and, this time, there was no dismissing it. It didn't help that Lindsey was beyond exhausted. She'd been unable to fall back asleep after her disturbing dream. As much as she had wanted to find comfort in Andrew's arms, she knew he needed to be well rested for today.
The man seemed to be in a decent frame of mind when he came downstairs for a cup of coffee. Lindsey was packing up the remaining food, and he paused to kiss her cheek. It was clear that he had just showered; his hair was still wet and he smelled faintly of soap.
Andrew filled his mug with the hot, aromatic liquid and leaned against the counter. "You look tired," he said. "Did you get any sleep?"
Lindsey shrugged, watching the tendrils of steam rise from his mug. "A little."
She went back to her task, but Andrew set down his coffee and stilled both of her arms. He urged her into his solid embrace, and she rested her weary head against his chest. His clean scent was sharp under her nose, and she inhaled deeply.
Caren and Robert entered the kitchen and the two separated. Lindsey finished filling her box of dried goods and went to lift the bulky container, but Robert intercepted it.
"Here, let me," the young man said. Lindsey thanked him and smiled at his chivalrous act.
"You ready to go?" Andrew asked her.
"Almost. I just need to get my bag from upstairs."
He finished off his coffee and set the mug in the sink. "I'll be loading up the car. See you out there?"
Lindsey nodded. She left the room and jogged upstairs. Seizing her bag from the floor of their bedroom, she stopped to observe her quiet surroundings. Sorrow washed over her as she grasped the finality of that moment.
They were never coming back.
Pausing with her hand on the doorknob, the feeling was reminiscent of when she and Jared had moved out of their various apartments. She'd always taken a minute to say goodbye to the place they'd called home.
Today, though, was much harder. Just as her eyes began to well up, Ana spoke from behind her.
"Come on, Lindsey. It's time to go," she said, clearly understanding the emotions running through the other woman.
"Okay," Lindsey responded, sadness carved into her features. With one last look, she closed the door.
_____
Andrew loaded the remaining supplies into their black sedan. Zoey brought Jacob over to her father, allowing the man to strap the wriggling child into his car seat. Right as he finished, Lindsey and Ana exited the house. The latter piled into the truck with Darius, Caren, and Robert. Nicholas, Kat, and Tyler were already waiting in their own vehicle.
Nadie waited for Charlie by his motorcycle. Andrew called out to the man as he walked by.
"We'll go south on 67 and then cut across 60. Hopefully we can make it to Dexter before nightfall."
Charlie acknowledged the words with a curt nod. Straddling his bike, he turned the key and it started with a thunderous growl. Nadie mounted the back and wrapped her arms around Charlie's waist.
Andrew stood outside of the sedan, his door ajar. He looked up at the rustic farmhouse and sighed. Before he could begin to question their decision to leave, he swung into the driver's seat. He glanced over at Lindsey, then into the rearview mirror, where his children sat buckled and ready to go. The phrase "Don't put all your eggs in one basket" came to mind. He truly hoped he wouldn't regret this somewhere down the road.
WATCH FOR THE SECOND BOOK OF THE SOLACE TRILOGY
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COMING 2017
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter
12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 32
Chapter 32