by Jenika Snow
“I think that’s about all we’re going to be able to carry.” Asher tilted his chin toward the door, and they made their way toward it, but the sound of something banging had all three of them stopping and turning toward the side. They all pointed their flashlights at the metal freezer door. There was silence, but then the sound of something banging even harder against the door had her pulse racing.
“Think it could be someone trapped in there? Or even an animal?” Once again, she had spoken her thoughts aloud.
“No. The oxygen would have been depleted in no time. Whatever is in there is sick, and there is no fucking way we are letting it out.”
“For all we know, the freezer could be filled with the infected. Someone put it in there, and someone blew this one’s brains out.” Asher pointed the flashlight at the body on the floor. “Let’s get the fuck out of here. I’m starting to think the quiet is a bit of a front.”
They quickly went back out onto the main floor, but before they made it halfway up the aisle, Asher and Mason stopped, causing her to slam into them. She braced a hand on the center of each of their backs to catch her balance, and instantly she felt how tense they both were. “What? What’s wrong?”
“Shh.” It wasn’t even a word, but Mason managed to make that sound all growly and demanding.
“Sparrow, I want you to go toward the back of the store and hide behind one of the shelves.” Asher sounded just as tense as Mason.
“What? You have to tell me what in the hell is going on.”
Mason was breathing heavier, and when he reached around, it was only to push her back to do what Asher had said. “Here.” Mason looked over his shoulder and bent to grab a small pistol he had tucked into his boot. He shoved the gun in her hand and forced her to hold it tightly. “There are six bullets in there. If any fuckers come after you, shoot first and ask questions later.” She knew her eyes were big, but she nodded and kept her mouth shut.
He turned back around, and the gap between the guys’ bodies showed her that right outside, waiting for them like some kind of welcoming committee, were five men. They leaned against the side of a rusty orange pick-up truck that looked about fifty years old. The men were scuzzy and grungy-looking, but the guns they held up against their chests were new and gleamed with the promise of death. She knew they couldn’t see them inside the store, but it looked like the five of them were staring right at them.
The biggest one out of the five, and clearly the dirtiest one as well, pushed away from the truck and stood a few feet from the other men. Even from where she stood, she could see his smile. “We saw you guys head inside, so there isn’t any use in trying to wait us out. And the back door is blocked off, so there is no escape that way.” The other guys started laughing, and Sparrow found herself gripping onto the backs of Mason and Asher’s shirts.
“What do they want?” It wasn’t lost on her that she hadn’t moved and hidden in the back, but shit, they knew they were in here, and they outnumbered them. Mason and Asher might’ve been strong in their own right, but it was five against three. Sparrow could handle her own against a slow-ass infected, could even fend for herself when it came to a person one-on-one if she needed to—and had, in fact. But there was no way she could cause any damage to these men, certainly not when they were packing that kind of weaponry.
“Sparrow, go hide in the fucking back, and whatever you hear or see, do not come out.” Asher glanced over his shoulder and held her eyes with his bright blue ones. “No matter what.”
“Do what the fuck he says, Sparrow.” Mason looked at her, and there was a dangerous expression written across his face.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are.” There was more cackling from outside. “I’ll tell you what, if you hand over what we want, you can leave unharmed.” She swallowed and started walking backward, making sure to keep her eyes trained on the men right outside the store. “And you know what we want, right, boys?”
Her throat was dry and closing in, and her heart was beating a mile a minute. She held the gun tighter, feeling sweat start to coat her palms, but not afraid to use it when the time came. And the time would come. There was no doubt about it.
“What we want is the girl.”
Chapter Seven
Mason waited until he knew Sparrow was toward the back of the store and hidden behind one of the clothing racks before he motioned for Asher to come closer. “They know she’s in here, so there’s no point in lying about it. There’s also no reasoning with them, seeing as they’re already making demands for the girl.”
Asher held a hard expression, and Mason knew a part of his anger was because he wanted Sparrow. Those emotions were not welcome at the moment.
Right now, it was about getting them out safely. He may have been reluctant to take on another member, because frankly he was content with it just being Ash and him. He may also be annoyed that the little slip of a female thought she could keep up with them. She may have lasted this whole time, but Mason was not blind to the fact that she wouldn’t last another five months in the world as it was now.
But all of those things combined didn’t mean he was going to hand her over to these motherfuckers. He might be an asshole on the best of days, but he wasn’t a bastard to give up a life just to save his own, and he knew Ash felt the same way.
“I’m not going to hand her over to them,” Asher said through gritted teeth.
“Neither am I, so that means one thing.” They looked at each other, knowing they were going to have to take five lives in order to get out of here. They nodded to each other once, dropped their bags on the floor, and grabbed their guns. They didn’t have an endless supply of bullets, so they would need to make these shots count. But Mason was trained for war, trained to take down his enemies before they even knew he was standing right behind them. He checked his weapons: gun at the small of his back, gun at his hip, and his knife in his hand. Asher was doing the same, and with a glance back at the rack he knew Sparrow was behind, he took a step forward.
It wasn’t that he didn’t think Sparrow could handle herself, but she was a female, and call it pigheaded, but Mason wanted to protect her, wanted to make sure she was safe. Unlike what he had been able to do....
No, now was not the time for those thoughts. No way she could go up against all these assholes, and having her near him was already fucking with his head. Yeah, he wanted her, had wanted her the moment he first saw her, but this was reality, and nothing would work out between them. It just couldn’t, because adding her to the mix, having her remind him of what he lost, was almost too painful.
He had Asher, cared for the man deeply, and the man knew when to back off when he needed it. But Sparrow had a mind of her own, liked to mouth off, and thought she was as strong as they were. Besides, no way in hell would she be all about shacking up with both of them, because honestly that’s the only way it would work. He wouldn’t isolate Ash, not after everything they had gone through.
Pushing those thoughts aside too, he moved with Asher to the front door and stepped outside. The main guy, whom Mason assumed was the leader of this little posse, grinned broadly at them. He had some nasty-ass yellow teeth, a few scars littering the side of his face, and it was clear he hadn’t cleaned up in probably the whole five months the shit hit the fan. The stench of him under the sun was pretty ripe too.
“Drop the fucking weapons and kick them away.” Mason tightened his hold on his gun, but the other four men lifted their own weapons in warning. He and Ash slowly lowered their knives to the ground and kicked them away. “The guns too.” Mason pulled the gun from his hip, and Asher did the same. Once those were on the ground, they straightened. The guy clearly thought those were the only weapons they had, but that was all right. The more ignorant, the better. “I asked for the girl.” He still held a smile. He flicked his eyes toward the inside of the store, but Mason knew he couldn’t see Sparrow. “Saw the three of you enter my town. I’m not very hospitable and don’t take kindly to stranger
s coming in unannounced.”
“Next time, I’ll phone ahead.” Mason said the smart-ass comment with a straight face. The guy chuckled and looked behind him at the other four men.
“We got a comedian on our hands, boys.” That had the other men chuckling as well. “Listen, I’m gonna be straight up with you, because you guys know what it’s like to be without female company, right?” Neither of them responded. “It’s just me and my boys, and I’ll tell ya, we can get pretty lonely at times.” His smile vanished, and he glared at them. “So, how about helping a brother out and passing that pretty little thing on over to us? I’m sure you two had enough fun with her. Time to share.”
Mason gritted his teeth. “First off, we are not your brothers. Secondly, I’m not giving you a damn thing. If you want her, you’ll have to get through us first, and I’m going to warn you that the ending to that will be five motherfuckers lying dead at our feet.” They stared at each other for a long second, and he sensed the anger coming from Asher as if it were his own.
“Don’t like to share, huh?” The fucker in front of him grinned once more and shrugged. “That’s all right. Neither do we. So, when we get that fine piece of ass back to camp, I want you to know she will be good and used by all of us plenty of times.”
Asher took a step forward, the low sound of warning coming from him like a blast of fire. Mason reached out and gripped his shoulder, stopping him.
“She isn’t yours, will never be yours, and if you want to keep this going, I’ll make sure to cut out your tongue and shove it down your fucking throat before I shoot you in the goddamn head.” He had seen Ash pissed plenty of times, but this was near to explosive. But Mason couldn’t blame him, not after what this douchebag said, because Mason was feeling the same kind of homicidal need. No one said anything for several seconds, but everyone’s guard was up and blaring strongly. There was a crashing sound in the back of the store, and he and Asher turned, but the sound of guns cocking had them turning back to the men. Five guns were pointed right at them.
“Don’t fucking move, boys, or I’ll wound you just enough so that I can fuck her in front of you before I kill you.” One gunshot rang out. “Martin, what the fuck is going on?” the leader yelled out. There was a grunt and a scream, and then the heavy footsteps of something being dragged coming right at them. The sound of Sparrow struggling had every protective instinct in him roaring.
They emerged from the store, with some burly motherfucker all but dragging Sparrow behind him by the hair. “The fucking bitch shot me in my foot.”
Pride filled Mason, but it was short-lived when the bastard holding onto her lifted her head so they could see her face. She was already sporting a nasty fucking bruise on the side of her cheek. A low growl left him at the sight, and he felt his heart start to pound and adrenalin pump through his veins.
“Let me go, you fat fuck.”
The man holding her grunted when she swung out and connected with his huge gut. Mason took a step forward, needing to take her and put her behind them so they could protect her.
“I don’t think so.” He snapped his head toward the “leader,” who had his gun not trained on him but on Sparrow. “I don’t mind shooting her, having my way with her, and then letting her bleed out. It would be a shame to let something that fine go to waste, but I’m not above it. Martin, bring her over here.” The other five men kept their guns trained on Mason and Ash, but that wasn’t what he was concentrating on.
He kept his eyes locked on Sparrow, and the way the fat fuck shoved her at the so-called leader of the group. He wrapped his arm around her, and she closed her eyes when he pressed the barrel of his gun to her temple.
“Now, I could shoot you guys right now and be done with it, but that would be senseless. So, I’ll tell you what’s going to happen. Me and my boys are going to take her back to camp, and you two are going to keep trekking on.” When neither of them said anything, he continued, “Boys, I’m being very generous right now. If you don’t want to take my generosity, I’ll shoot her in the fucking throat, let her bleed out in front of you, and put a few bullets in your kneecaps before leaving you here.” He cocked a bushy eyebrow at them and then grinned. “All right, well, boys, since I’ll take your silence as confirmation that you’re on board, I bid you farewell.” He kept the gun trained to Sparrow’s temple, and although he could see she was terrified, she didn’t cry or make a sound.
“Don’t worry.” Asher said the words so low that only he could hear them, but Mason knew she had read his lips.
She looked between the two of them, and mouthed, Sorry.
God, she had nothing to be sorry about. This was a situation that happened a lot, and although he never experienced it personally, he had heard horror stories from others on the road. But one thing was for sure—he was not about to let her go.
But right now, that was exactly what he had to do, because risking her life when they were up against too many men was a stupid move. They watched in silence as the men piled into the cab and the back of the truck, and all the while, the man kept that gun pointed to her head.
“Have a lovely evening, boys. I know we will.” The truck skidded out of the parking lot, and the scent of burning rubber and exhaust surrounded them. Mason kept his eyes on that truck, watched it take a left onto a dirt road, and knew where they were going.
“I’m going after her, Mace.” He took hold of Ash’s hand and stopped him. “I’m not going to fucking leave her there for those fuckers. You may not want her company, but I sure as hell do.” He pulled his hand away and glared at him.
“We are going to get her back, okay?” Mason assured. Ash kept a hard face but nodded once. “I know this town better than any other. I’ve passed through it a lot of fucking times and know the road they took off on leads to the lake. No doubt they are camped out there.” He turned and looked at the road in question and then turned back to Ash. “But we have to be smart about this. It’s going to be dark soon, and we need to get moving.”
“Good, because I can’t fucking stand to think of her with them.” They had only been with Sparrow for a handful of days, but it was clear Ash was attached. Mason couldn’t blame him though. He might be an asshole and made her feel like she wasn’t welcome, but he could only admit to himself that he liked her around, and his shitty past and the fucked-up things he had done in his life made him this bastard trying to push her away, because he thought that was what was best.
He’d never be sweet and kind like Asher, never be gentle-talking and easygoing, making her feel all fucking girly. He was hard and mean most of the time, but that was how he had survived this long. He had no remorse for the shit he had done and the lives he’d taken. Time was not their friend any longer; that was for damn sure. He had to take what he wanted when it was presented right in front of him, because who the hell knew if there would be a tomorrow? He stared at Ash’s profile. There was clear worry etched in the other man’s face, and even though he had been a trainer for illegal fighters and had done fucked-up shit himself, he was a lot softer in the heart department than Mason was.
“We’ll get her back, Ash.” He and Asher were the same build and height, but where Asher lacked the clear disinterest and apathy in taking a life, Mason more than made up for it. That was the clear difference between them, but then again war would do that do a person, and having to take the lives of two people he loved more than anything also helped in chipping away the human nature of empathy and sympathy. But as strange as it was, Mason did feel something spark inside him when it concerned Sparrow. He just didn’t know what it was or if he was really comfortable with the feeling.
They headed back inside and grabbed their bags. Mason saw Sparrow’s lying over by the clothes rack, stalked toward it, and grabbed it off the floor. When he stood, he faced the supply room and saw the back door partially open. So that was how the fat fucker had gotten in. He scrubbed a hand through his hair and pulled at the longer strands at the base of his skull.
&nb
sp; “You know there are probably guys watching us and making sure we leave town.”
Mason nodded. “Yeah, and that’s what we’re going to do.” He saw the curious look on Asher’s face. “Right outside town, we are going to cut through the trees. If memory serves me correctly, there should be a small, if not already grown-over path that leads to the other side of the lake. That’s where that truck was headed, since the road they turned down leads right to it. We can head through there. It will take a bit longer, but it is the safest path.”
“You don’t think there are guys staked out in the woods?”
He shook his head and gestured for them to head out. “No, they aren’t smart enough to think people would cut around.” At least Mason hoped not. “They might not even know you can get to the lake that way. But something tells me they’re arrogant in thinking they can drive someone out with some threats and waving a few guns in the air.” He stopped and looked at Ash. “Clearly they don’t know us very well.” He reached out, gripped the back of Asher’s neck, and pulled him forward. Their mouths pressed together, and Mason swiped his tongue along the other man’s bottom lip. “I don’t know what the hell she has done to us, but I don’t want to let that go either.” There was a flare in Asher’s eyes and a sharp intake of breath. “You know what a hard-ass I am, but it wasn’t until this situation that I realized her silent company wasn’t bad. I like having her tag along, like hearing her soft voice, but I also want you to remember that the thoughts going through your head concerning her can’t happen.”
Asher pulled back and narrowed his eyes. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“This isn’t about some happy little family, Ash. That girl isn’t about to be with both of us, and the moment we ask, she’s going to run fast and hard, and frankly, I don’t blame her.”
