Bronx was probably right, and he hadn’t even seen the condition of the building.
“Okay, so what’s next?” I asked.
“We’re going through our things, then we’ll check the remaining apartments for any last-minute items,” Bronx said. “Then we’ll head out in the morning, right Nick?”
“That’s right,” Nick said without looking away from the bag he was digging around inside of. The bag I’d packed.
My jaw stiffened. “Anything I can do to help?”
“We’re good, thanks,” Nick said zipping up my bag and moving over to the next. He finally looked up at me. “You should eat something and then rest up. Long journey.”
I walked away, making a note to recheck my bag after he left. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Nick, but, yeah it was totally that. I’d want to be the last to check over my bag to make sure I had everything I needed. That wasn’t something I was going to leave in Nick’s hands.
After an hour or so, they left. My mouth dropped when Jamie walked out of the door with them.
He hadn’t said a word to me the entire morning. In fact, he hadn’t even looked in my direction. Somehow, without even trying, I managed to make a mess of whatever it was that was going on between Jamie and me.
But I just needed to put it behind me. It wasn’t like there had really been anything.
I flopped down on the sofa, pushing the blanket Jamie had been using to the side. I rested my head on my fist and sighed.
“Is that about Jamie?” Blair asked with a smirk.
“Sorry?” My eyebrows squeezed together.
“Your sigh, was that about Jamie?” Blair set down the book she’d been reading. “He’s like really moody.”
My spine stiffened, and I shook my head. “Oh no, it wasn’t.”
“Yeah, I bet it was.”
I rolled my eyes, and they landed on Maggie who was still in the same position. Her eyes were closed and her breathing shallow. Her bottle of pills was on its side near her hand, several of the little tablets were sprinkled out onto the floor.
“He can be really sweet though,” Blair said with a softness to her face.
“How long were you two together,” I asked wishing I could take the words back.
Blair grinned, clearly excited to get to talk about herself. “Not long, and it wasn’t like official. We were more casual if you know what I mean.”
Sadly, I did. My stomach swirled.
“There’s nothing going on between Jamie and me,” I blurted.
“Well,” Blair said cocking her head to the side, “I see how he looks at you. There could be something going on. You just have to know—”
“Have you seen what’s going on out there? I’m not the least bit concerned about starting anything between anyone at this point in time,” I said, and it was mostly the truth. Of course, if something with Jamie would have happened, like a kiss, I definitely wouldn’t be regretting it.
Blair shrugged and picked the book back up. “Whatever. I was just offering you some friendly advice.”
Friendly advice? That was probably the last thing I’d ask Blair for. If I needed anything from Blair, it would probably be lip balm, and I probably wouldn’t want to risk sharing that with her either.
“Excuse me,” I said as I pushed myself off of the sofa. She already had her nose back in the book before I’d even taken a step toward the kitchen.
Maybe my stomach wasn’t twisting because I’d been talking to Blair, maybe I was just hungry. I need to fuel up. Rest. I wanted to be ready.
Not to mention it would probably be good for me to spend as little time as possible with everyone because before I knew it, we’d all be out there. Together. Not a minute of alone time.
After I ate, I rested in my bedroom. I stared at the window and listened to the rain as it tapped against the glass. The rainstorm was never-ending.
Several hours later, the guys returned. They hadn’t brought back much, but Nick was carrying his own backpack. He grinned as he showed me a flashlight.
“Good find,” I said.
“Found some batteries too,” Nick said, smiling as if he’d won the lottery. “We’ll be all set come morning.”
“Sounds good,” I said trying to match his excitement, but he wasn’t buying it.
He walked over to me and placed his hand on my arm. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
“Sure.”
Nick led me into my bedroom and closed the door.
“What’s up?” I said crossing my arms.
“I wish I didn’t have to say this but, you know there’s a chance grandma didn’t make it, right?”
I let out a long, heavy breath, filled with both annoyance and sadness. “Of course I know that, but there’s a chance she’s fine, and if she is she’s probably scared.”
“Grandma? Scared? I doubt that,” Nick said, tilting his head to the side. “She’s the toughest woman I know.”
“Wonder what she’ll think about seeing you after all this time,” I said chomping down on my cheek.
Nick’s smile faded, but only slightly. He didn’t want me to see that my words had hit a nerve.
“Hopefully, she’ll be happy to see me. I’ll be happy to see her,” Nick said with a nonchalant shrug. He might have been playing it cool, but I wasn’t buying it. Deep down, he cared what grandma thought.
“Is that all you wanted? To remind me that grandma may not have survived the attack?” I asked.
“Yeah, and to tell you that I was wrong about Jamie.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Wrong in what way?”
“He seems like a pretty decent guy.”
“Well, I’m glad you think so, I guess.” I turned away.
“Um,” Nick said drumming his fingers on the wall. “Well, get some rest. Big day ahead of us.”
I pasted a smile on my face and turned to him. “Same to you. Same to all of us.”
“I’ll remind the others too,” Nick said as he stepped out of my room.
I didn’t stay and get rest, I followed him back out to the living room, where we all sat together. Nick told stories about when he’d been on the police force. I tried to pay attention, but I zoned out, knowing the stories were probably likely embellished.
My thoughts wouldn’t stop shifting to my grandma. I knew the possibility existed that she’d gotten sick and hadn’t made it, but I had tried to push those thoughts deep down.
With the number of bodies I’d seen scattered around, I knew the survival rate was low. But it wasn’t like I wanted to find her like that.
Either way, we’d be safer out there, and her home probably wasn’t about to collapse. It would be a nice place to wait for help… if help was coming.
Eighteen
In the morning, Nick was standing at the living room window. Blair was reading her book, and the others were slouched over.
“We’re not going?” I asked.
Only Bronx acknowledge my presence. “Still raining. It’s really coming down out there too. We’ve postponed.”
I nodded and walked into the kitchen to grab something to eat. My trash was nearly full, stuffed with empty boxes of food. We’d packed the bags, but we hadn’t packed what was on my shelves.
I grabbed a spoon and a jar of peanut butter. The nutty flavor wafted into my nostrils, and my stomach rumbled. My mouth was watering before my tongue even touched the thickly coated spoon.
Blair stood up and walked over to Nick. She placed her hand on the outer side of his shoulder and slowly slid it down over his bicep.
“Can I get some of that?” Bronx said, standing next to me. I hadn’t even heard him approach.
It took me a second to realize he was talking about the peanut butter. “Oh, yeah, help yourself.”
Bronx opened the drawer and took out a spoon. He dug it into the jar and pulled out a big scoop before leaning back against the counter.
“I packed several jars into my backpack,” Bronx said.
“Good.�
� I smiled, but I hadn’t been able to draw my eyes away from Blair.
Bronx leaned in closer. “Try not to let that bother you.”
“What? Bother me?”
“Yeah, that’s just how she is. She’s harmless.”
“Oh, um,” I said with a chuckle. “My brother is like that too, and honestly, Blair doesn’t even come close to being his worst choice.”
A small laugh rumbled deep inside of Bronx. “I came over here to ease your mind, but now I’m wondering if I should go rescue Blair.”
Blair flipped her hair to the side and laughed at something Nick had said. He looked at her over his shoulder wearing a grin. My eyes shot up toward the ceiling, and I turned my back to them.
“Ick,” I groaned before scooping out another spoonful of peanut butter. “Do you have anyone out there you’d like to find?”
Bronx looked into my eyes and blinked twice. “I wasn’t expecting that question.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”
“It’s fine, just caught me by surprise. My dad is stationed out of the country, and my brother, well he can rot in hell for all I care.” Bronx said shifting his eyes back toward the living room. “He makes your brother look like a saint.”
I shook my head. “You don’t know anything about my brother.”
“You’re right, sorry,” Bronx said looking into the jar. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“It’s fine. It’s just a touchy subject.”
Bronx leaned closer. “Maybe someday you’ll tell me about it.”
“Maybe someday you’ll tell me about your brother,” I said cocking my head to the side as if daring him.
“Someday.” Bronx lightly jabbed me with his elbow and grinned. “But not today.”
I chuckled. The smile on his face was contagious.
Bronx was very good-looking. I’d thought so since the moment I’d laid eyes on him. It had been his personality that had rubbed me the wrong way, but he was being quite pleasant. He was easy to talk to.
I felt comfortable around Bronx. My body wasn’t all tensed up like it was when I was next to Jamie.
Bronx dark eyes were like warm melted chocolate, silky and inviting. His gaze wrapped around me and made me feel like things were going to be okay.
“What was your life like before all this chaos?” Bronx asked taking another scoop.
“It was a different kind of chaos. I’d lost my job. I wasn’t even sure how I was going to pay my rent.”
“Seems like you won’t have to worry about that now.” Bronx flashed me a smile that soothed my soul.
I narrowed my eyes playfully. “Is that the bright side?”
He chuckled again.
“I’m not sure there is a bright side to any of this,” he said shaking his head. “But if there is, I sure as hell hope we find it.”
“Me too,” I said, but my life hadn’t been the kind to have a whole lot of bright sides. My life had been full of thick dark clouds floating overhead working hard to block out any glimmer of light.
“I should probably stop myself before I eat the whole jar,” I said offering the jar to Bronx.
He held up his hand. “No thanks, if I eat any more I’ll turn into a peanut.”
I screwed on the lid, but the scent of peanut butter still cut through the air. I reached in front of Bronx for my water bottle, and he looked down into my eyes.
“Excuse me,” I said feeling a lump in my throat as I pulled back. I took a long drink from the bottle and shifted my gaze to the empty bottles in the trash. “Can we refill those with rainwater?”
Bronx shook his head. “I don’t think it would be safe to drink considering we don’t know what was, or still is in the air.”
“Right,” I said with a frown. “I’m running low.”
“Not yet we’re not,” Bronx said, turning and opening my fridge. He pulled out two jugs of water. “Found these when we were out.”
“Why are they in the fridge?”
He tucked them back inside. He took a step closer and raised his brow. “Where else does one store water bottles?”
Bronx held out his hand toward me. I stared at it as if it was the first time I’d seen one.
“Join me in the living room?” he asked.
“Sure,” I said smiling as I took his hand.
He led me to the empty sofa and pushed aside Jamie’s blanket. Jamie was pacing near the window, he stopped for a second before starting back up.
Bronx and I sat down at the same time. I folded my hands into my lap and twisted my fingers together.
Nick turned and looked at us. A smile stretched across his face as he stepped away from the window. He sat down in the chair, and Blair stood behind him, placing her hands on the back of the chair.
“Isn’t this nice?” Nick said crossing his legs as his hands slid down the armrests. “All of us together.”
I tried to control my breathing as I looked into his empty eyes. It took every ounce of my remaining strength not to get up and go hide in my bedroom.
“Should we go over the plan?” Nick said. “Since we’re all together?”
“Whatever you want to do,” I said.
“Sounds like a good idea,” Bronx said slapping his palm on his knee.
Nick pressed his lips together and steepled his fingers. “Have a seat, Blair. Oh, and Jamie, would you like to join us?”
Blair sat on the floor near Nick’s feet. She crossed her legs and looked up at him batting her eyelashes.
Jamie sat down on the sofa next to me without looking in my direction. Nick started talking, but I couldn’t pay him any attention. Blair hung on his every word, and that only annoyed me more.
I sat there, pretending to be paying attention until the sun went down. When I yawned, my brother stopped talking.
“I guess I’m boring you all,” Nick said.
“Oh,” Blair pouted. “Of course not! You have the most interesting stories. I could listen to you talk all night long.”
I rolled my eyes as she blinked up at him like a strobe light. If only it would have been darker, he wouldn’t have seen my eyes circling their sockets.
“My sister is getting tired it seems,” Nick said patting Blair’s hand. “I think if I say another sentence she might fall asleep right there on the sofa.”
I was tempted to tell them all that the majority of his stories were fiction colored by an assortment of drugs he’d taken, but I didn’t see a reason to ruin their story hour.
“I’m sorry,” I said pushing myself to my feet. “Ever since that sickness I just haven’t been myself.”
It was mostly a lie. For the most part, I was back to feeling like myself.
“I feel great,” Nick said.
“Me too,” Blair said. “But I don’t think I had it all that bad in the first place. I only threw up once.”
I shook my head. “You said you felt like you were going to die.”
“Well, I did feel that way.” Blair blinked rapidly at me. “Sorry I wasn’t a vomit fountain like you.”
My eyes widened. I couldn’t take another second, and I wasn’t even sure how I was going to tolerate either her or my brother long enough to make it to my grandma’s not to mention the fact that they’d still be hanging around once we got there.
Hopefully, my grandma would put them both in their place. She wasn’t going to put up with any nonsense.
“Good night,” I said, saluting the room awkwardly.
“Night,” Bronx called out.
Nick nodded as I passed by, stepping over Blair’s knee.
“Don’t forget to get some rest,” I said, turning before he could make a snide remark. He must have been tired, or bored because he hadn’t even made an attempt.
I lit the candles before disappearing into my room. I left the door open a few inches so I wouldn’t be in the complete darkness.
The rain patted against the window, and I shivered. My room was cool, unlike the living room which had fe
lt like the desert in July.
I quickly changed into my sleeping attire, and folded my jeans and t-shirt, setting them on the top of my dresser. As I was about to crawl into bed, I heard my bedroom door squeak, startling me.
I turned sharply and watched Jamie enter my room closing the door nearly all the way behind him. He turned to me, drew in a breath and charged across the bedroom floor.
His hand slid around my neck, and he pulled me close. He pressed his lips to mine, hard. I felt his need like a swimmer gasping for a breath of air before his next stroke.
Jamie’s lips softly gliding against mine, as his thumbs brushed my cheeks. My heart raced, and then stopped, only to speed up more.
He pulled back, and all I could do was stare at his lips as my chest rose and fell with each breath. My muscles were tensed again, but it felt good. So damn good.
“What was that for?” My breath was like a bubble floating into the sky.
Jamie’s finger glided down my cheek and across my lower lip. My eyes shifted upward, and his hand fell away.
He kissed me again.
Nineteen
Jamie took a step back, and I shook my head. There he was sending those mixed messages again.
“What was that for?” I asked biting my lip. I could still feel his mouth on mine even though he was several feet away. My body ached for the feel of him pressed against me again.
“I don’t know,” Jamie said raking his finger through his hair. “It’s just that I saw how he was looking at you.”
I shook my head. “How who was looking at me?”
“Bronx.” Jamie sucked in a breath. “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing. I just keep screwing everything up. Making things worse. I always make things worse.”
“You haven’t made anything worse,” I said, biting my cheek.
“I shouldn’t have come in here like that. I’m sorry.” Jamie took another step back. “Jesus, I’m such a screw-up.”
I took a step forward, and Jamie held up his palm. He shook his head and backed out of the room without another word, leaving me standing there staring at the emptiness he’d left in my room.
The Red Sky Series Box Set Page 10
