“Not until we make sure the kids are okay.” I pulled him toward the stairs. “I’m not leaving without checking on Mike and Lexi!”
Side by side, we rushed up, reaching the second floor to discover it was a lot less smoky than the other one had been. The relief was short-lived, though, because before we’d even made it to the third floor, I knew we wouldn’t find it untouched. Up we went anyway, huffing from exertion and the smoke we were breathing in. Up here, none of the windows had been covered, and smoke was billowing from the classroom across from ours.
I started to run that way, but Devon stopped me by grabbing my arm. “What are you doing?”
“What if someone is in there?” I said, looking back at him but not turning away. “We can’t just leave.”
“Rowan, you can’t rush into a room full of smoke. You could die.”
“You’re saying we don’t even check?”
“We check on our people and pray we still have time to get out of here.”
I looked back toward the classroom, uncertain about what to do. He was right, and logically I knew that, but the thought of leaving people behind felt selfish and wrong. But was it okay to be selfish sometimes?
“Rowan,” Devon said, more firmly this time, “you promised you wouldn’t react based on your emotions anymore. You promised you’d be smarter.”
“I know.” I took a step away from the room, my heart pounding as I tried to decide what to do. “I know.”
Smoke poured from the doorway, and through it, the flicker of flames was just visible. Inside. Close to the wall. Not blocking the door. If someone had been in there, they’d probably already fled. Checking it was a waste of time. And dangerous. I had to listen to Devon.
I turned my back to the room.
Devon’s shoulders relaxed. “Thank you.”
It was impossible to respond around the lump in my throat, so I simply nodded.
“Come on.”
Devon pulled me across the hall toward our own room, which was thankfully smoke-free, and together we rushed inside.
“Anyone in here?” I called as I passed cubicles, glancing into each but finding no one.
I spun back to face Devon when I’d reached the last makeshift living space. “Empty. You think they got out already?”
“That or they weren’t up here.” He held his hand out. “Either way, we checked. Now we need to go.”
“We will.” I pushed past him and ducked into the small cubicle that had been mine for the one night I’d spent in this building. “But first I have to get something.”
“Rowan,” Devon pleaded.
“I know. I know.” I knelt so I could yank my duffle bag from where I’d stashed it, wedged between the foot of the air mattress and the cubicle wall. “I just need to get this.”
Once I had it, I threw the strap over my head, adjusting it so it was across my body and easier to carry, then I spun to face Devon.
He was frowning.
I patted the bag. “It’s important.”
Devon sighed then held his hand out again. “Let’s go.”
This time, I didn’t hesitate to take it.
We rushed from the room but didn’t go back the way we’d come, instead going for the stairs at the other end of the hall. The windows here hadn’t been covered, giving us a glimpse of the outside as we hurried down, and I caught sight of movement in the darkness. Figures. Several of them.
“I see people outside,” I told Devon as we neared the second floor.
“Good,” he replied. “Hopefully everyone got out safely.”
The fire had spread in the short time we’d been gone, covering more of the hall. The noxious fumes burned when I breathed them in. My bra was still pressed over my nose and mouth, but it wasn’t enough. I’d started coughing, as had Devon, and it was like every breath I sucked in scorched my throat even more. My eyes were watering, too, running down my face each time I blinked, and my nose was snotty. I felt on the verge of suffocating.
When we reached the bottom floor, I barely had time to notice the bike chain lying on the ground before Devon slammed his shoulder against the door. It swung open, and together we stumbled outside and down the front steps, out into the fresh air. I was hacking when I dropped to my knees in the grass, tossing my bra aside, and Devon wasn’t doing much better. He knelt at my side, coughing as tears streamed down his face. My own eyes were on fire, and each time I blinked more tears dropped to my cheeks. It was like I’d swallowed a flaming match, but we were outside and alive, and I tried to focus on that as I sucked in mouthful after mouthful of air.
“On your feet,” someone behind us said.
I looked over my shoulder as I coughed and wheezed, and found a figure moving our way. At first, he was only a dark outline against the night, then he took a step closer, and more of him came into view. He was holding a gun, and it was pointed at us.
“I said stand.” He took another step, allowing the light from the moon to illuminate his face. I didn’t need it, though. I recognized the voice.
“Heath,” I wheezed out.
The smile that twisted up his lips was pure evil. “I told you I’d eventually find you.”
“You should have killed me,” a second person said.
He was behind Heath, still in the shadows but slightly visible. Shorter and rounder, it only took one look to know who it was, but my brain didn’t want to accept it. Why were they together? How had they found each other?
The second figure moved closer and his face came into view. Hank. The bruises on his face from where Buck had hit him were darker now, his right eye a little more swollen. Somehow, it made him look even more sinister.
“What are you doing?” I was still having a difficult time catching my breath, and now my heart was beating harder, too.
“Getting a little revenge.” Heath kept his gun aimed at Devon when he reached down and grabbed my arm, jerking me to my feet. “Hands on your head or I’ll shoot him.”
I did as I was told, lacing my fingers together and putting them on my head. Heath yanked the duffle bag over my head and tossed it aside. When it hit the ground, something inside clinked, and I cringed when I pictured the small music box my father had given me breaking in half.
“On your feet,” Heath ordered, his focus now on Devon.
He stood slowly, his hard gaze on the other man, his jaw clenched, and his hands fisted at his sides. “You’re going to regret this.”
Heath’s smile widened. “I doubt it.”
“I know I won’t.” Hank raised his right hand, and the moonlight glinted off the blade of a knife. The very knife we’d given him.
Heath turned his gun on me, his focus still on Devon. “Hands on your head or I’ll let the little psychopath have her. He’s been very explicit about the things he’d like to do, and I have to be honest, none of it is pretty.”
It seemed to take great effort, but Devon did as he was told. Unlike me, though, he didn’t lace his fingers together. He kept his fists clenched like he was just waiting for the chance to punch Heath in the face.
“Thanks for your cooperation,” Heath said then asked, “Where’s Gabe?”
“I don’t know,” Devon replied.
Heath stepped closer to me, the barrel of his gun now six inches from my forehead. “I think you do.”
“We weren’t with the others,” I said. “We were alone when you attacked. We couldn’t find anyone else.”
Heath’s brows rose, his gaze moving over me and lingering on my chest. His sneer told me he was able to see the hard points of my nipples through the thin shirt, and I had to fight the urge to cross my arms over my chest. If only I’d taken the time to put my bra on.
“Looks like he got her warmed up for you, Hank.”
“You son of a bitch,” Devon growled.
Heath chuckled even as he shook his head. “Relax. She isn’t the one he came for. He wants someone named Zara.”
Behind him, Hank grinned.
I to
ok a step toward the teenager, ignoring the gun pointed at me. “Don’t you dare touch her again.”
“Always so impulsive, Ms. Summers.” Heath let out an exaggerated sigh. “I thought we discussed this.”
I didn’t look away from Hank. “And I thought I told you to go fuck yourself.”
“Yes, well, sorry if I don’t take your advice.” Heath grabbed my arm and yanked me against him, my back to his chest and the gun to my head. “Now, Devon, you’re going to follow Hank to the front of the building, and you’re going to keep your hands on your head. If you do not, I will be forced to let Hank explore some of his darker fantasies—while you watch, of course.”
The angry light in Devon’s eyes didn’t fade, and when he nodded, the gesture looked stiff and difficult.
Heath chuckled again, and I cringed when it vibrated through me.
Hank started walking, and Devon followed, with Heath and me taking up the rear. This wasn’t the first time this man had held a gun to my head, but the fear surging through me now was ten times more powerful than it had been last time. Back then, I’d had no clue what I was up against, but now I did. I’d watched this man beat his ex-wife to death just for the hell of it, and I knew what he was capable of.
“The little stunt you pulled today cost me everything,” Heath said as we walked. “The ingrates at the hospital actually kicked me out. If you can believe it.”
“I can,” I replied.
“Dr. Shelton was quite distraught when he learned he should have listened to you. He probably would have come to apologize if anyone had known where you were. Your father, however, didn’t seem to care.” He lowered his voice, his lips brushing my ear when he whispered, “It’s odd how easily he was able to let you go. Isn’t it?”
I jerked away from the feel of his lips against my skin, and the barrel of the gun dug into my temple. He let out another laugh, this one low and menacing, and a shudder ran down my spine.
“You know,” Heath continued, “your father wouldn’t shut up about you and your mom after I saved him. He insisted on going back to your house to check on you two the very next day.”
“He told me,” I said, not sure where Heath was going with this.
“I went with him,” the man behind me said as we pressed forward.
We were approaching the corner of the school now, and soon the front would be coming into view. There was light in that direction, and it grew brighter the closer we got. What was it? What did Heath have in store for us?
“I made sure he got into your house safely,” the man behind me said, “and I even checked the place to make sure no zombies were lurking in the shadows. It was all clear, though. Just like it was a few hours later when I went back.”
It took a moment for his words to sink in, but when they did, realization hit me like a punch.
“You took the note my dad left. That’s why I didn’t see it. That’s why the door was open.”
“People are more pliable if they don’t have anything to hope for,” he replied. “We needed all the doctors we could get, and the last thing I wanted was for him to see the note your mom had left. The note that said you were on your way home. I also wanted to make sure you didn’t pop up at the hospital, which was why I threw his note in the trash.”
I twisted against him, struggling to break free, and the self-defense moves Devon taught me came back. Heath was more than ready for me, though, and all he had to do was press the barrel of the gun harder against my temple.
“Calm down, Ms. Summers. I’d hate to have your blood all over me.” He leaned closer to me again. “And I know you’d hate to have his blood all over you.”
The thought of Heath shooting Devon put an end to my struggle. But not my rage.
We turned the corner, and the front of the building came into view, along with the source of the light. Several trucks sat facing the barricade, their engines idling and their headlights illuminating the plumes of smoke. They billowed from several windows—more than I’d expected—and in a few, the flicker of flames was even visible.
There would be no stopping this fire.
Inside the barricade stood four heavily armed men. Dan, Michael, and Jose were the only ones whose names I knew, but I recognized the other guy from the hospital. These must have been Heath’s devoted followers. Why they’d been willing to give up the safety of the hospital to follow him was beyond me, but it was clear they were more than eager to do some killing.
They stood over a small group of our people, all of them on their knees with their hands on their heads. I scanned the faces greedily, desperate to make sure my friends were okay. Buck, Matt, and Lisa. That was it. No Kiaya or Zara. No Lexi, Mike, or Randall. Gabe and his men were missing, too. Where were they?
My gaze moved back to the burning building, and my stomach clenched. What if our friends were in there right now? What if they were trapped and scared? Was there still time to save them?
Struggling to pull away from Heath, I said, “I need to go in there.”
“Don’t be stupid.” His hold on me tightened. “The building is on fire.”
“The kids!” I twisted more, trying to break free. “I need to find the kids!”
Heath sighed, something he seemed to do a lot when he talked to me. “The kids are fine. They’re in one of the trucks.”
I relaxed, but not completely, and my heart rate didn’t slow. “What about Kiaya?”
Hank looked over his shoulder, his dark eyes narrowing on me. “She and Zara are missing.”
His tone was so cold, so severe. It sounded nothing like the teenager we’d picked up in Amarillo who’d told us about his friend getting bitten, who’d talked about his family dying from the virus. It made no sense to think he’d changed that quickly, but he must have. Either that, or he was practiced at hiding who he really was from the world.
Hank continued to hold my gaze as he walked, his eyes burning into mine as if daring me to be the first to look away. I hated giving him the satisfaction of knowing how much he creeped me out, but I turned my attention back to the burning building anyway. It didn’t matter. Hank was already aware of how I felt.
“We sent people inside,” Heath said, “after we gathered these three and the kids.”
“And the retard,” Hank added.
I ground my teeth but said nothing.
“It looks like the rest of your friends took all the weapons and escaped through another door,” Heath continued. “Probably led by Gabe.”
Thank God. At least some of us were safe from these maniacs.
When we neared the idling trucks, I craned my neck in hopes of getting a look inside. Their bright headlights made it impossible, though. We passed them, Hank leading the way, and headed through the open gate of the barricade. My focus shifted then, moving to our friends. They looked okay. Slightly scorched from the fire just like Devon and me, but not beat up or anything. Hopefully, it stayed that way.
At the sight of us, Lisa’s face lit up. “You’re okay! Thank God. We had no idea where you were, and things just went crazy. We had to get out.”
“Lexi, Mike, and Randall?” I asked—I wasn’t about to take Heath’s word for it.
“They’re okay.”
Hank reached the group and turned to face Devon, his expression cold. “On your knees. Next to the asshole.”
Devon kept his icy glare on Hank as he sank to his knees beside Matt.
Abruptly, Heath let me go, and I stumbled forward a couple steps, barely catching myself.
He waved toward my friends. “You, too.”
I obeyed, kneeling at Devon’s side and once again putting my hands on my head.
“You okay?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
“Yeah.” I looked him over.
He was still shirtless, having lost it after stumbling from the burning building, and my throat tightened at the sight of his bare skin. It made him seem more vulnerable, even though I knew that was stupid. A shirt wouldn’t stop a bullet or the bl
ade of a knife.
“What about you?” I asked.
“I will be as soon as we get out of this.”
“Down to business,” Heath called, his dark eyes sweeping over us. “I told you before that I wanted Gabe. That hasn’t changed. Unfortunately for you, that’s no longer enough.” He turned his dark eyes on me. “I lost everything because of you.”
“You lost everything because of you,” I shot back.
“Stop,” Devon hissed. “For once, just stay quiet. You’re only going to make things worse.”
“Listen to the boyfriend, Rowan,” Heath said, grinning.
I clamped my mouth shut.
Still smiling, Heath turned his focus to the man at his side. Michael. “I believe you wanted some payback. Am I right?”
“That’s right.” The guy sneered as he walked toward me, cracking his knuckles like a villain in a bad movie.
At my side, Devon stiffened, but it wasn’t until Michael stopped in front of me that I fully absorbed what was about to happen. The realization hit only seconds before Michael slammed his fist against my face.
“Rowan!” Lisa shouted, and Devon yelled, “Don’t touch her!”
Pain exploded across my cheek, and I cried out. The violent impact sent me flying back, but I put my hands out to brace myself too late and instead landed on my shoulder. It throbbed, as did my face, and the pain only intensified when Michael grabbed my arm and pulled me back up.
He hit me on the other cheek this time.
“Stop!” Devon yelled.
Again, pain burst across my face. Behind my eye and down my cheek, and tears blurred my vision. Michael had my arm, so I didn’t fall this time, but I did drop to the pavement when he released me a second later, my shoulders shaking from my pained sobs, my body aching from the abuse.
“Are you okay?” Lisa called, while Matt yelled, “You sick fuck! Who does that? Who hits a woman?”
“Rowan,” Devon was at my side, his hands on my back, “are you okay? Look at me.”
“Back in line, Devon,” Heath called. “Now.”
Devon didn’t move, but he did look up.
“Do it or Michael will hit her again.”
I was still slumped on the ground when Devon released me.
Far Series | Book 3 | Far From Lost Page 31