by Bale, Sarah
I turned to him. “Go outside with the others.”
Fitz grinned and gave me a small wink. “Sure thing, Boss. I’ll tell the others to give you some… privacy.”
My jaw clenched as I waited for him to leave. Normally he’d be right to assume I was going to take advantage of the situation, but not this time. Not when this woman was shaking like a fucking leaf.
Fitz closed the door behind him and I turned to the woman. She eyed me like she was forming an escape plan. Smart girl.
“I’m not going to hurt you, so get that look off your fucking face. What’s your name?”
“I-it’s Daisy,” she stuttered.
Fitting name for such a withering flower.
“Daisy,” I caressed her cheek where Fitz struck her. “Where is your camp, Daisy?”
Sweat beaded on her forehead. “It’s near the river… where your men came from.”
Her eyes fluttered shut and something tightened in my chest.
“Was your family there?”
She shook her head.
“And you heard what my men said.”
She gave a slight bob of her head.
“So… what to do with you?”
This made her eyes open. “Please don’t kill me.”
“No. It would be a shame to do that.”
A shame indeed. It would be like killing a kitten – what would be the point?
“I’m not a whore.”
“Excuse me?”
She lifted her nose as if she smelled something putrid. “If you’re planning on letting your men have me then kill me now.”
Not what I expected from her. Kind of reckless. Kind of sexy.
“How old are you, Daisy?”
“Twenty-four.”
“That’s acceptable.”
More than acceptable. It was hard to gauge her age in that awful outfit, so hearing she was mid-twenties was a relief. I wasn’t running a fucking daycare.
I smiled at her and her face flushed.
“Daisy, when is the last time you had a shower?”
“A… a shower?”
Her confusion made me smile again. All in good time.
“Or a bath? And I’m talking about a real shower with hot water. Not in a lake or stream.”
“Since it began.”
“Ah.”
She shifted as I watched her. I needed to see if she was being honest. She’d learn fairly quickly how her life would be if she lied to me.
“And you haven’t had any other luxuries since then I assume?”
“N-no.”
“No clean clothes? Nothing?”
She shook her head and her eyes clouded over as she thought about something. Probably lamenting her poor life without luxuries. Stupid girl.
“Would you like to take a shower?”
Her lips parted and I felt like I’d been kicked in the gut.
“Are you… what are you going to do with me?”
“With you? Now that’s a loaded question. One I haven’t thought through yet.”
Before, I’d thought about taking her to the base to work. Now another idea kept creeping into my mind. But I wasn’t one to dive into a situation without knowing my opponent first.
Instead, I said, “Tell you what, Daisy, why don’t we come to an agreement right now?”
“Wh-what’s that?”
“I promise we don’t have to decide what to do with you until you’ve showered and had a good night’s rest. Is that a deal?”
She shook her head and the corner of my lips lifted in a smile.
“Something to add?”
“You didn’t answer me before. I’m not a whore. If your men come at me I’ll yank their balls so hard I’ll pull out their intestines. Got it?”
Ah. So this kitten had claws. Maybe I underestimated her. She crossed her arms over her chest, but she couldn’t hide her rapid breathing. It had taken a lot of guts for her to say that and I respected the hell out of her.
“Well Daisy, I do believe that’s something we can agree on. My men won’t be allowed near you. Anything else?”
“I… I don’t even know your name.”
Her full lips drew my gaze in for a moment, mesmerizing me.
“My name doesn’t matter. But you can call me Sir.”
Now
Something scraped against the window and I jerked awake. Daisy, who was sleeping next to me on the backseat, lifted her head, too.
“It’s just a biter. Go back to sleep,” she murmured as she kissed my cheek.
I wanted to stay awake. I needed to know what’d happened back at the hospital. But the blackness won over again.
3
Then
Daisy was silent as she followed me from the barn. We found my men waiting for us. Fitz was talking to Locke and their body language was clear- they were talking about McNeil. Another fire I’d have to put out later. The group grew silent as we got closer and the men looked Daisy over.
Locke laughed at something Fitz said and asked, “Boss, what are we going to do with her?”
She practically hid behind me and it unleashed something within.
Possessively, I said, “She’s coming with us and she’s mine. If I even catch you breathing in her direction I’ll cut your dick off and feed it to you.”
The men shifted nervously knowing I wasn’t fucking around. I hadn’t planned on claiming her, but now that I had she was mine until I said otherwise. Daisy peered at me through her lashes and something stirred again. The way she looked at me made me feel fucking primal, like I should toss her over my shoulder to drive the point home.
“Everyone get your shit. We can make it back to the base by dark if we hurry.” To her I said, “If you can’t keep up then I’ll carry you.”
Her mouth dropped open, but she didn’t question if I were serious or not. The men grabbed their things and Daisy watched them with a frown on her face. Was she looking to see if she recognized something in particular?
“You said you had no family there. Lover?”
Her gaze flickered to me and she shook her head. Good. I began walking, my boots crunching on the dying grass. I dreaded winter moving in. It was always such a hard time for the weak ones amongst my group and a pain in the ass for me. People expected me to fix their problems even when they couldn’t be fixed. Like I could control how much fucking snow fell.
Daisy walked next to me, her breaths coming out in small pants that reminded me of something else entirely. If anything this woman would help take my mind off the day-to-day shit I’d been dealing with.
My men walked around us, but stayed a respectful distance away. They were probably wondering if I was going to punish Fitz for wandering off with McNeil. I hadn’t got that far yet. They’d gone against my rules by killing the people at the camp, but if McNeil had pulled the trigger then I couldn’t blame Fitz. Stress made my head ache.
Ahead, Fitz called out, “There’s a biter. Everyone get ready.”
I wasn’t surprised. The Dead had been increasing in numbers lately and it felt like nothing we did was making a dent.
Daisy faltered. “Sir… I don’t have a weapon.”
My cock perked, hearing her call me ‘sir’, before the second part of her sentence registered to my brain.
“Who in the hell lets a woman walk around with no weapon?”
Her face paled. “We didn’t have many…”
“Clearly, which is why my men were able to take over the camp so easily.” I reached in my jacket and pulled out the smaller blade I always carried. “Do you know how to use it?”
She nodded and took it from me, holding it cautiously in her hand. There’d only be one way to find out if she truly knew how to use it and we were about to find out.
I nodded at her and called to the others, “Everyone on your toes. I don’t want any stupid mistakes made.”
The biter came toward us and Fitz killed it swiftly. Daisy visibly relaxed, which made me wonder how familiar she was with kil
ling. I was about to ask when a branch snapped from the other direction.
“The horde is coming!” Fitz cried.
The men tossed their stolen goods to the ground and got into a fighting stance.
I turned to Daisy. “Stay close.”
She nodded and the horde came into sight. Some of the men shifted nervously, knowing this might be their last moments alive, but I was ready. We’d fought off worse than this.
“On my count. Three. Two. Go.”
The men lunged into action and rushed toward the horde. Over time the Dead had become sluggish in their movements, but every now and again they’d surprise you. I walked toward the horde and Daisy followed close behind me.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I took one down. I moved forward before it hit the ground. The men fought around me, using techniques I’d taught them. Stab ‘em through the eye if possible. Temple was second choice. Back of head was third. I wiped my blade on the sleeve of my jacket and caught Daisy watching me with those wide eyes.
Someone yelled and we both turned. At the same time one of the men fell to the ground, zombies already ripping him to shreds. The fresh blood drew more biters and another man fell.
“Son of a bitch. Get your heads on, you fucking assholes!” I yelled out.
I lunged at another zombie. A second one approached, sniffing the air. Daisy moved past me and struck it through its temple. The damn thing was bigger than her and she used her foot to push it down, freeing her blade.
“I told you to stay behind me!”
I couldn’t fight and worry about her at the same time.
A defiant look crossed her face. “There are too many and you need help!”
Another man screamed as he fell. Goddamn it! We both moved forward and Daisy struck a zombie that was shorter than her. I moved past her, going toward a large group of the Dead. Blood and guts made the grass slick and I had to fight to find my footing as I took down as many as I could.
Locke joined me and together we killed twenty of the creatures. Cries filled the air, but I didn’t look to see who it was. I’d assess the death of my men after we’d won.
Locke glanced over his shoulder and said, “That woman is moving away from the group.”
I followed his gaze and saw Daisy going toward a zombie caught in a thorn patch. My temper flared at her stupidity. She was putting herself in danger by breaking away from us!
“I’ll get her,” I said.
With each step I took my anger grew. She should have fucking listened to me. I told her to stay behind me where she’d be protected. Ahead, she killed the zombie in the bush and used her foot to push it down. What she didn’t realize was two more had picked up the scent of blood and were coming toward her.
My pace turned into a jog. She took an unsteady step and fell flat on her ass. Fear danced across her face as she scrambled backward and one of the zombies clawed at her leg, barely missing her. Fuck! She jumped to her feet and fought them off, but their need for blood was greater than her strength.
She fell again, this time looking dazed. I pulled my pistol from my belt and aimed at the zombie nearest to her. I took it out in one shot.
“Get out of the way, Daisy!” I yelled.
She rolled to the side as I fired my pistol again, killing the second one. Daisy got to her feet, brushing her jeans off. Did she not realize the danger she’d been in? Did she have a fucking death wish? My jaw clenched as I reached her.
“Thank-”
I said the first thing that came to mind. “You made me waste two bullets. How do you think you’ll repay me for that?”
Now
Daisy rode my cock hard and fast, her breasts brushing against my chest. I caught her lips in a kiss. She moaned against my mouth as she trembled, still fucking me until my balls tightened and I came.
“Fuck,” I said.
She grinned down at me. “I agree, Sir.”
She said the last bit with a sassy grin and I leaned up, kissing that smirk right off her sexy mouth.
“I didn’t hurt your shoulder, did I?”
I shook my head, not wanting to tell her that it was throbbing so badly I felt sick.
“Liar.” She climbed off me and began dressing. “Maybe, if we’re lucky, we’ll find a house to camp at tonight.”
I didn’t want to bring her down, so I nodded. We’d been on the road for over a week now and every house we’d come across hadn’t offered anything worth stopping for.
“How are we doing on gas?”
Her face fell. “We’re getting low.”
“We’ll figure out something. Siphon some more if needed.”
She finished dressing and climbed into the front seat, starting the car. I hated that I couldn’t reassure her, but at this point we were doing the best that we could. And it wasn’t enough.
4
Then
Daisy’s eyes grew large, but I was fucking serious. If she’d stayed with the group then she wouldn’t have been in danger. She opened her mouth to speak, but I shot her a look and turned my back on her. Shoving the pistol back in my belt I headed toward the men.
They were silent, which was understandable. Scavenging for supplies was always a risk, especially when men were lost in the process.
I walked up to one of the fallen and grabbed the pistol from his belt. Poor fucker. His wife was pregnant, which meant she’d be moving into the base. I used the heel of my boot and smashed in the skull before he could turn. Daisy gasped and I glanced at her, noticing how pale she was.
“Take what’s good off the dead. We’ll need to make up lost time.” I said to the men.
I grabbed her arm and started walking. She was silent and I picked up my pace. Dusk was near and I didn’t want to be caught outside in the dark. Not when we were so far away from the base. We crossed a stream and the vehicles came in sight. I let out a breath of relief. We’d lost more than our fair share of cars during trips. All it took was one cocky asshole who knew how to hotwire.
I whistled at the men and they got into their trucks, taking the goods with them. Opening the door of the GTO for Daisy, I bowed at the waist to her. She eyed me warily, but slid across the seat. I got in and started the car, peeling down the road.
My mind raced. Losing Fitz was a blow. He was a good worker. Most of the men would understand what’d happened, but there was always that one asshole that questioned me. Especially with McNeil being dead. I glanced at Daisy. And she might present a problem, too.
There were a lot of unanswered questions where she was concerned. How had she escaped from her camp when no one else had? Maybe she hadn’t. Maybe she was a decoy or part of a plan. The only option was to keep her close until I knew more.
I tapped the steering wheel as I drove. Fuck, I missed satellite radio. I smiled wryly at my foolish thought. About thirty minutes into the drive I thought about starting a conversation with Daisy, but decided against it. I needed to be cold with her until I broke her a little.
We finally arrived at the base, driving up to the large fence surrounded by Dead impaled on wooden posts. They reached for the car, their nails scraping the paint and making an awful sound. I honked the horn three times and the gate groaned as it opened.
The man on duty waved at me. Fuck. I’d forgotten his name.
Rolling down the window I said, “It was a shit day.”
He crouched and saw Daisy. “Must not have been too bad if you brought back a Goldilocks.”
I chuckled to hide my anger. Who in the fuck did he think he was? “The loot’s in the second truck. See you later.”
Daisy practically snarled at me as we drove on. At the second gate I parked the car and got out. Normally I’d drive to the barn, but I didn’t want her to see any more of the base than necessary. If she was a decoy, then the less she knew the better.
Plus it gave me a chance to make myself visible to the families living in the residential homes. The neighborhood was dark since curfew had passed. They were allowed to us
e candlelight, but most simply went to bed.
I took the long way, walking a few extra blocks, until we reached the last gate. The doors opened and the men at this watch station nodded at me as I passed. The closer we got to the main living area the angrier I became.
What was I going to do if Daisy was a spy? Kill her? Punish her? The really messed up part was I wanted to screw her, even if she was trouble. My teeth ground together. Locke had been right – I’d been without a woman for too fucking long and now I was paying for it. And her jiggling breasts were not helping.
I grabbed her wrists and said to the others, “Go to your homes. We’ll assess everything in the morning.”
I pulled her behind me, not slowing my strides. She stumbled over her fucking boot and almost fell. I cursed and lifted her, tossing her over my shoulder. Primal rage coursed through my veins as I entered the front doors of the old hospital that now served as my home.
A group of single women sat in the former lobby working on their laundry duties under lamplight. I frowned, but would address their electricity violation later. Marianne’s head lifted and her eyes narrowed, focusing in on Daisy. I made a sound in the back of my throat and she looked at me guiltily before returning to her work.
Bertha sat with the women and raised an eyebrow, but I ignored her and kept walking. I had to give Daisy credit- she never asked me once to put her down. Maybe she knew I wouldn’t even if she begged. As I walked, I purposely took the long way to my room, knowing she’d never be able to remember the way out.
I reached my door and unlocked it with the key I kept in my pocket. I stepped inside and put Daisy down before kicking the door shut with my boot. She grew very still as I took my jacket off, tossing it onto the bed. She followed the jacket with her eyes and stared at the bed. Hmm. What on earth was she thinking about?
“You will stay right there until I say you can move. Do you understand?”