Survival Rules Series (Book 2): Rules of Conflict

by Hunt, Jack

  “If Ella had been home…”

  “She wasn’t,” his father said.

  “But if she had.” Corey shook his head, resisting the urge to strike something out of frustration. “I can’t stay here. Besides, if they are still in Whitefish, who knows if they’ll revisit the hospital.”

  “I doubt it. There is a security guard and two police officers posted here now.”

  His father chimed in. “Let him up. He’s dealt with worse than a flesh wound,” his father said.

  Both the nurse and Ferris looked at Andy in astonishment.

  “It’s true,” Corey remarked thinking back to a spike that had gone through his foot as a kid. His father had shown them how to create traps with spikes inside, and by accident in a mad dash for a wild pig he ended up landing on one that Tyler had set up but hadn’t told him about. Man, did his father give him heck over that. He wanted to go to the local hospital and get it fixed but his father chose to deal with it from home. It healed but not before he nearly got an infection. Had it not been for the plants his father fed him, and the treatment he got from a doctor that Lou brought in, he was sure he would have lost his foot. Still, it taught him a lot about handling pain.

  “He stays where is he,” Ferris said to his father, speaking on his behalf and backing up the nurse. He turned to Corey. “Rest up and I’ll keep you updated.”

  “By the way, you might want to speak to the chief of Whitefish. Set up some roadblocks, enforce the curfew and see if there are other families with working vehicles. It might be time to commandeer a few more.”

  “Commandeer?” Ferris let out a chuckle. “Look at you giving out orders. Tell me again why you didn’t go for the police once you got out?”

  He looked over at his father and Ferris must have got the point as he headed for the door.

  “I’ll go with you,” his father said.

  “No, you stay here, Mr. Ford. I’m sure Corey would appreciate it.”

  “I’m more use out there.”

  “Well, we can handle it.” That was his polite way of telling his father where to go. Corey smirked as the nurse went out and Ferris closed the door behind him leaving him alone with his dad. His dad quickly shifted the conversation as Corey could tell he didn’t like Ferris telling him what to do.

  “You should have set up surveillance like I told you.”

  “Not everyone is as paranoid as you, Dad.”

  His father walked over to the window and pulled back the drapes to look over the town. “It’s called safety, and you now have a fiancée and child to think about.”

  Corey could tell his father was baiting him into an argument. He thrived on being right all the time. Instead, he steered the conversation away. There were reasons for the lack of security and one of those was because of Ella, the other was for his own mental health. He had no qualms about setting up a few video cameras but Ella had helped him see that being prepared didn’t require twenty-four hour attention. It was a hard habit to kick after spending so many years with his father.

  “Tyler and his friends, where are they?”

  His father cast him an uninterested look. “How should I know?”

  “Dad.”

  A few seconds hesitation, then he replied, “His friends, no idea. Not even Tyler knows.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They were gone when he returned last night.”

  Corey studied his father, letting the news sink in. “Is Tyler okay?”

  “Tyler is fine. And I hope to God my horse is. He took it this morning. Without my permission. I tell you, that boy has a rebellious steak through him a mile long. I thought I could—”

  “Beat it out of him?” Corey said, cutting him off.

  “I thought I could steer him,” he said emphasizing the word steer and trying to avoid being pegged as an abuser. “But it seems his time away in Vegas has only made him revert to his old ways.”

  “Maybe you should cut him some slack. He’s a grown ass man not a boy. And take the time to listen to him instead of harping on about where he’s fallen short or what he’s not doing. You know, a kind word goes a long way, Dad.”

  He scoffed. “A kind word? Please. That sounds more like Ella than you.”

  “Would it hurt you?”

  “Corey, I raised you boys to survive. To be tough not weak. If I patted you on the back every time you did something right, you’d expect it all the time.”

  “And that’s such a bad thing?”

  His father looked at him then stared out of the window. With the drapes open, Corey could still see smoke rising in the air. “The world out there right now is in chaos. It is the accumulation of everything I told you boys would happen. You might think I was hard on you but I had my reasons and whether or not you agree, you are better for it.”

  “Dad. No one can take away what you’ve taught us. It’s invaluable. I’m not saying it isn’t and neither is Tyler but there is balance. You think I’m going to raise my child the way you raised us? Hell no. But that doesn’t mean I won’t teach her what you taught us. But when that baby is born, and as she grows up, I’m going to be there for her and that means attending plays, birthdays, track meets and whatever else she wants to do and experience because when I get to the end of my life, that’s all she’s going to remember. Not how to shoot a gun, build a trap, survive in the wilderness. Those things matter and we connected with you over that but they pale in comparison to real connection.”

  For once his father listened and didn’t interrupt him or minimize his views on fatherhood. For Corey that was a good sign, a step forward, perhaps there was hope and this event would give them the chance to save more than just their lives.

  12

  It had worked, at least Erika assumed it had. Upon finishing their lunch, she banged on the door and Jesse came to collect the dishes. As she passed the tray to him, she ran her hand over his and smiled. He got this deer in the headlights look and his eyes drifted to her cleavage, where she’d unbuttoned her shirt just enough to give him an eyeful. “Thanks, Jesse,” she said as he took away the tray and closed the door behind him.

  Nate watched from the lower bunk with a smirk on his face.

  “Oh please. You seriously need to hone your chops if that is what you call flirting. No wonder you’re still single.”

  Erika flipped him the bird. “You’ll see. It never fails.”

  He folded his arms behind his head. “Believe me, it can backfire.”

  She leaned against the wall and did her buttons up as Nate hadn’t taken his eyes off her breasts since she turned around. “Yeah? When have you ever turned down a woman that came on to you?”

  He blew out his cheeks. “Lots of times.”

  “Name one.”

  “Well… there was a gal I met in Vegas on the street this one time.”

  “Hookers don’t count.”

  “Oh so you immediately assume it’s a hooker.”

  “Well, wasn’t it?”

  He cleared his throat and looked off towards the door, not answering that. She let out a chuckle and he swung his legs off the bed and got up. “All right, let’s say your grand plan to lure nutso junior like a siren of the sea works. What then? You going to bite off his dick if he doesn’t open the door?”

  “You’ve got a dirty mind.”

  “Hey, I’m just saying. It’s not like you’re going to overpower him with those bird-like arms of yours. And even if you did, you think you’re going to slip by his deranged sister, or worse — Denise?”

  Erika pushed away from the wall and undid a few buttons on her shirt and walked around Nate making sure he got a good eyeful.

  “What are you doing?” he said as she ran a finger under his chin and her lip curled. She didn’t respond but got closer until she wrapped a hand around his neck and traced a finger down his chest. Nate’s mouth began watering as he swallowed hard and she thrust him back against the wall and began to go down on him. His head went up and his eyes closed as if
expecting her to follow through. And follow through she did, with a sharp fist to the nuts. It was sudden, unexpected and he curled over and collapsed on the floor groaning. “Oh, God. What did I tell you about the nuts?”

  She rose looking pleased with herself. “What was that you said about those bird arms of mine?”

  “I take it back,” he said, clutching his man bits and squeezing his eyes tight.

  “Besides, do you have a better idea?”

  “Yeah, I think I do.”

  Erika hopped up onto the top bunk and did up her buttons. “I’m all ears.”

  When he was done explaining his idea, she laughed. “You have got to be kidding.”

  “It isn’t anymore insane than yours. We are leverage to them. You can’t leverage damaged goods.” She eyed him and contemplated it. He had a point but it relied on the inbred family of idiots showing some degree of mercy and they had struck her as coming up short in that department.

  “So?” Nate asked.

  “They won’t believe it if it’s both of us.”

  “Then just me.”

  “Nah,” she said. “They’ll be armed. At least my way I stand a chance of getting him alone.”

  “But only one of us gets out that way,” Nate said. “Then I’m stuck here dealing with the aftermath, and I really don’t want to face these numbnuts by myself. That Denise woman scares me.”

  Erika laughed. “I think she even scares her husband.”

  “Makes you wonder what he saw in her.”

  “Look, I’ll go for help. At least if I know where we are…” she trailed off. It was a pretty crazy idea but one of them had to get out and she’d excelled when it came to running track in school. Though, it had been over eight years since she’d graduated.

  Nate threw his hands up. “Fine. But how are you going to get out? Let’s say you overpower him. You still have to go through the others.”

  “Maybe not. Maybe I don’t have to pick the timing, Jesse will.”

  Nate looked confused. He was looking at this only one way. She recalled the way Jesse flinched around his sister. The women wore the pants in the house. It wasn’t like Gus was a great role model. Erika had noticed the way he responded when Denise spoke down to him. He said nothing. It was just a matter of making it clear to Jesse what she wanted. From there she’d figure it out.

  Over the next couple of hours both she and Nate took turns going to the bathroom. Each time she took the opportunity to flirt with Jesse. She paid him a compliment on what he was wearing, she stumbled and caught his arms and mentioned how strong they were, she eyed him while rolling her lip and licking it. A couple of times she nearly burst out laughing at how stupid she was acting but if had the effect she was hoping for, the rest would fall into place.

  Three hours was how long it took before the locks on the door finally opened and Jesse beckoned her out. He had this nervous look on his face and he kept glancing over his shoulder as if expecting someone to notice. Erika raised an eyebrow at Nate as she backed out of the room and he rolled his eyes.

  All jokes aside, she felt her pulse speed up as Jesse locked the door behind her and took her by the hand. “Follow me.” He led her down the corridor, off to the right and around another corner until he brought her into a room with a single bed, a dresser and mirror, and closed the door behind him. “We’ll get some privacy in here.”

  Erika swallowed hard and entwined her fingers behind her back as she looked around, hoping to show some interest in the room. Jesse grabbed her by both arms and pulled her in and started kissing her. She put on her best performance, hoping to bring down his defenses enough that he would strip off and she’d have something to bind his hands with. Jesse pressed her body back against the wall. His mouth tasted like an ashtray. It was sick. Far worse than her ex. She pushed him away. “Whoa, slow down, cowboy, a woman needs her space.”

  She eyed his firearm in the holster at his hip as she wandered over to the bed and motioned for him to take off his clothes and lay down. Jesse got this grin on his face and began unbuttoning his plaid shirt.

  “Will we be disturbed?” she asked.

  “No, my mother and father have gone into town. My sister is…” he went to say where but then caught himself as if realizing he was giving out too much information. At least she knew they weren’t being held in town, and based on how long they were driving around the night before, she figured they couldn’t have been that far away. “How about you take your clothes off?” he said in a demanding fashion.

  “After you,” she said with a smile.

  He stopped unbuttoning and walked over and grabbed her forcefully by the arm. “You better not be messing with me.”

  A cold chill went through her that perhaps he’d caught on that she wasn’t into him. Maybe the kiss had given it away? “Messing with you? Please. From the moment I saw you, I wanted you,” she said placing the palm of her hand on his exposed chest. “Wow, you are warm.” She shoved him up against the wall and traced her fingers across his chest as she slowly went down hoping to reenact the same move she’d made on Nate. She looked up and could see Jesse looking down at her, a big grin on his face as she began to unbuckle the holster around his waist. He kept a firm grip on the gun as she could tell he still didn’t trust her. Trust didn’t matter. In a matter of seconds, he would be nursing a swollen ballsack. Jesse tossed the holster with the gun inside across the room onto a plush chair and Erika continued unzipping his jeans. She pulled them down until they were around his ankles. She ran her hands up his legs and over his abdomen and brought her fingers down to his waistband. Erika looked up hoping he would have his eyes closed but they were wide open, watching her every move.

  “Maybe, I’ll take my clothes off,” she said rising and going for the buttons on her shirt. But he didn’t like that. She’d only undone three when he stopped her.

  “No. You keep doing what you were about to do.” He grabbed her by the neck and forced her back down.

  For someone who acted like a pussy around his sister, he was acting different around her.

  Down on her knees she balled a fist, ready to thrust it up between his legs and make him sing. Just as she was about to unload everything she had, someone rattled the doorknob. “Jesse. You in there?”

  “Uh, yeah. Um. What’s up?”

  It was his damn sister. Shit, Erika thought.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Um. Just getting some rest.”

  “Rest? When was the last time you checked on them?”

  “About ten minutes ago.”

  “You better not be jerking off in there. You know what she did the last time she caught you.”

  “I’m trying to get some shut-eye.”

  “Yeah, a likely story. Anyway, you need to be monitoring that video screen.”

  Video screen? There were no cameras in their room. At least viewable. Had he been watching them? Had he heard them discussing escaping? Or was she referring to external surveillance? Erika’s heart began pounding in her chest. What if he’d seen her with Nate? Was that why he wanted her to go down? Was he expecting her to strike him in the nuts?

  Still on her knees, she looked up at him and he shook his head and pulled her up.

  “We’ll have to do this later. Do your shirt up.”

  She knew she only had one shot at this. A second one might not come and even if it did, Denise could be back by then and that was one woman she didn’t want to lock heads with. As Jesse bent over to pull up his jeans, Erika kicked him as hard as she could in the nuts from behind. Caught off balance, and tangled in jeans, Jesse went face first into the ground, groaning in agony. Erika fired one more foot at him, this time at his face, hoping to knock him out but it didn’t. Oh, it hit the mark and busted up his nose but it only served to piss him off. He let out a large yell as she stepped over him and tried to get out the door. Unable to get up, all he could summon was the strength to grab her ankle. Fear shot through her as she tried to shake him loose while tr
ying to open the door.

  “I’m gonna fucking kill you.”

  He was strong. She tried to kick him again but in raising her other foot she became unbalanced and one tug on her other leg and her ass hit the ground. She scrambled to get up but Jesse was on her fast, clawing up her pant leg. Not far from her was the chair with his sidearm. She was going to need that if she got out. Using her fists, she began pounding him in the face as he tugged at the jeans and pulled himself up onto her legs. “Get off,” she yelled, throwing a hook and knocking him off her. After a few seconds she managed to scramble over to the chair and grab the holster. By the time she turned, he was nearly up, ready to launch himself at her, but that never happened. Holding the Glock with both hands she stabbed it forward. “Get back. Now!”

  He lifted his hands. “Don’t. Please.”

  “Back up. I will do it.”

  “No, no, it’s fine, you can go.”

  “Move out of my way.”

  A smile formed on his face, and soon turned into a chuckle then a full body laugh. What the hell was he laughing at?

  Her hands were trembling. “I will shoot you where you stand.”

  “I bet you will. Go on. Squeeze the trigger.”

  Her brow furrowed in a look of confusion.

  “Do it!” he yelled. He took a step towards her and she squeezed. Click.

  More laughter ensued. Click. Click. Click. Three more times and nothing happened.

  “I emptied the magazine. Did you honestly think that I would have brought you in here without taking precautions?” He laughed and then lunged at her. His full body weight landed on top of her, and they hit the ground. He wrapped his hands around her throat and began squeezing. “You like that? Huh?”

  She was making choking noises and beating at his arms, trying to scrape his face, but he kept it just out of reach by turning his head away from her. The problem he had was his jeans were still wrapped around his ankles which prevented him from fully straddling her. Erika could feel him trying to use one foot to push off the jeans from his left leg. If he managed to achieve it, she wouldn’t stand a chance in hell against him. It wasn’t like she was built for this and the most conflict she’d ever encountered was with disgruntled guests. She had to act fast. Using every ounce of strength, she maneuvered herself so that her knee would have a clear shot of his groin. Darkness was closing in at her eyes. Any second now she would pass out. She gritted her teeth and drove her knee into his jewels. Jesse’s mouth widened, his breath caught in his throat. His hands released her neck and she did it again, then pushed him off her. Driven by a pure will to survive, she got up and lunged for the door. A twist of the key in the lock and she flung the door open and burst out into the corridor, running to her right.