He gave me a smile. “Robby will be back in no time.”
“I know,” I said. “I should have stopped him from leaving.”
All of a sudden, Robby stopped. He spun in a quick circle and then a slower one.
“What’s he doing?” I asked. “Is he lost? What if he doesn’t see the house anymore?”
“He’s looking at the ground,” Caleb said.
Robby walked, taking steps in opposite directions, keeping his head down toward the ground. He looked over his shoulder before he ran back toward the tiny house.
Caleb opened the door as Robby approached. The rain and storm sounded louder with the door open. Even though it wasn’t all that cold, I shivered.
Robby poured in along with the rain. The door closed with a sharp crack and Robby coughed several times before he caught his breath.
“He’s gone,” Robby said.
“What do you mean he’s gone?” I asked.
“I don’t know if the water pulled him away or what, but his body… is gone,” Robby said.
I stared at him. I’d heard every word he said but still, I didn’t understand.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” I said.
“I didn’t see any footprints or blood but that’s not really surprising considering this storm,” Robby said.
“Maybe you didn’t go far enough,” I said.
Robby walked into the kitchen and opened the drawers until he found the one with towels in it. He pulled one out and rubbed it over his hair and face.
“You saw where I was,” Robby said. “Do you think it was far enough? I saw him get shot… I don’t think I could be mistaken where I saw it happen.”
I crossed my arms. Robby looked like he’d been in the exact same spot where Liam had fallen to the ground.
“It must have been the water then,” Caleb said.
“Maybe someone got him when we weren’t looking,” Jenna said.
Silence filled the room. Was that possible? We hadn’t been looking out the window the whole time.
“We’re not safe here,” I said.
“This is all so weird,” Jenna said. “Maybe you didn’t see what you think you saw?”
I blinked several times. “You heard the gunshot, didn’t you?”
“Well, yeah,” Jenna said.
“I saw what I saw,” Robby said.
“Then all the rain must have washed him away,” Caleb said. “That’s the only reasonable explanation.”
I turned back toward the window and stared out. How could Liam’s body have just disappeared?
“Do you think this is all some kind of trick?” I asked. “Maybe something Liam was in on. Maybe he didn’t get shot at all.”
“You’re going to stop us from going to the town Liam told us about, aren’t you?” Jenna asked with a bitter laugh. “I can’t believe this.”
My eyes rolled halfway. “I’m not stopping us from doing anything. But what if there is no doctor?”
“What if there is?” Jenna asked.
“Liam didn’t seem like he was lying about anything,” Caleb added.
“He didn’t,” I agreed.
Robby’s head bobbed along. “Liam wasn’t acting.”
“Maybe he was a really good actor. Then none of us could tell,” I said.
“There she goes again,” Jenna said.
“I’m just saying,” I said throwing my hands in the air.
“What are you saying?” Jenna asked sharply. “One second you’re saying you don’t think he was lying and then next you're saying maybe he was putting on the performance of a lifetime.”
I sighed. “I’m just skeptical. Throwing all of the possibilities out there.”
“I need to see a doctor, Joss,” Jenna said. “Don’t ruin that for me, okay?”
“Okay,” I said.
I bit my lip and turned away from her. She was right. Who the hell was I to be wary of the situation? She needed a doctor and I didn’t want to be responsible for anything happening to her or her baby.
“We’ll check out the place. We can be cautious and careful,” Robby said. He grabbed Liam’s backpack and pulled out the notebook before flopping down on the chair. “If we can find it, that is.”
“If this storm ever lets up,” Caleb said leaning so close to the window his forehead almost touched the glass.
“What are we going to tell them about Liam?” I asked.
Robby looked up. He scratched his beard with his finger and thumb.
“We can lie and say we just happened to find the place,” Jenna suggested.
“Or we could tell them the truth,” Robby said. “Maybe they’d appreciate hearing what happened since the guy was working for them.”
“What if they think we killed him?” I asked.
Robby rubbed the back of his neck. “That is a possibility.”
“Maybe honesty will be appreciated,” Caleb said.
“Maybe honesty will get us dead,” Jenna said.
I raised a brow but I kept my mouth closed. I was already on her bad side… I didn’t need to get on her worse side.
“We want to make sure that Jenna gets to see the doctor,” Caleb said.
I opened my mouth and snapped it shut. No one wanted to hear my remark about the chances of whether or not she’d actually get to see a doctor.
Honestly, I had no idea what to think about any of it. Liam had seemed to be telling us the truth but also it was too hard to believe. It was hard to believe that there could be a place where we’d be safe. A place where all of this would finally come to an end.
Life would be completely different. I couldn’t imagine us not moving around from place to place, worrying about what would happen next.
It just didn’t seem possible.
“Think the rain is slowing,” Caleb said. “There hasn’t been any lightning since Liam left.”
“Whenever Jenna is ready,” Robby said with a shrug.
Jenna rubbed her stomach as she chewed the inside of her cheek. “I’m ready. We might not even be safe here if there is a murderer out there.”
“Hopefully, that person is long gone,” Robby said.
“Hopefully,” I repeated.
Robby slapped his hands on his thighs. “All right then. Let’s hit the road.”
It didn’t take more than five minutes before we were back out, walking through the mud and being pelted with rain. Robby carried what he could, I was in charge of the notebook. The good part about that was that I got to hold the umbrella to keep the pages dry. The bad part was that I was terrible at trying to decipher Liam’s maps.
Hours passed. We didn’t stop walking. There were times we moved slower and times we moved faster but we always just kept moving.
“I think Liam was wrong about how far away the town was,” I said staring at the horizon.
“What makes you say that?” Robby asked.
My pulse quickened and I exhaled. “Because I think I see some buildings.” I cleared my throat. “A town.”
14
Adam
The room was lighter. Somehow, I’d slept through the night without waking.
Leah was still asleep. Her lips were slightly parted and her breaths were slow.
I rolled out of bed, keeping my movements slow so I didn’t wake her. Whoever was out there pounded again.
“I’m coming. I’m coming,” I muttered as I walked quickly across the living room floor toward the door. I opened it and peeked out between the inch-wide opening. “Shit.”
“That’s a kinder welcome than I expected,” Eva said shivering. “May I come in?”
I swallowed down the sourness at the back of my throat. “It’s not a great time.”
“I could come back,” Eva said.
“That would be great.”
“But since I won’t take up much of your time,” Eva said pushing the door wider. “And I did come all this way.”
I groaned and let her inside, not that I felt as though I had much choi
ce in the matter. The sooner she said whatever it was she wanted to say, the sooner she could leave.
“Where’s your little friend?” she asked.
“Sleeping. So, if you could hurry this along, that would be great.”
“Sharing a room with her?” she asked raising a brow.
My mouth suddenly tasted like I’d swallowed a handful of pennies. “What makes you think that’s any of your business?”
“Everything around here is my business.”
“I’m sure you make it that way.”
Eva pushed her shoulders back. “Don’t hate the player. Hate the game.”
“This isn’t a game.” Anger brought warmth to my face. “What are your plans with my dad? You never showed an ounce of interest in him before. In fact, I’m fairly certain you didn’t even know his name.”
“Aw, are you jealous?”
“Not even a little. I feel protective. I want to help my dad.”
The smirk crawled onto her face like a snake. “I’ll protect him.”
“Ha!” I crossed my arms. “Why are you here?”
“I came to ask you politely to leave.”
A laugh erupted from my belly. “Are you kidding me?”
“I couldn’t be more serious.”
“I have just as much of a right, if not more, to be here as you do.”
“Please. I’ve been friends with Bianca Tate for years,” Eva said.
I laughed much too loudly. “You don’t even like her!”
“She’s my best friend,” Eva said tapping her foot. “We spend tons of time together.”
“Look,” I said holding up my palms as if she were aiming a gun at me. “I’m not leaving. And I don’t want to fight with you. I’m tired. It was a long road getting here, not that you’d know anything about that.”
“You don’t know what I went through to get here,” Eva said pointing her finger at me. “What I know is that things are better here without you. Your dad was doing just fine until you showed up. Now he’s moody and quiet. He says you remind him of his wife.”
I shifted my weight as if I’d made a brilliant chess move. “Good.”
“Want to know something?”
“Probably not.”
“Your dad didn’t even cry when I told him I thought you were dead,” Eva said.
The taste of pennies returned. “I’m not sure why you even left hope that I was alive.”
“I shouldn’t have.” Eva blinked. “I just didn’t like seeing him hurting.”
“Right.” I chuckled. “Like you give a shit about what my dad is feeling.”
“You should just leave.”
“You’re crazy.”
She started walking toward me. “I’m not going to let you ruin this for me, Adam.”
That voice. It was like pins stabbing into my eardrums.
“What is there to ruin?” I asked. “Seems like everyone pretty much minds their own business.”
“You haven’t even been here twenty-four hours. What do you know about how things work here?”
“I have no interest in playing any of your games.”
Eva rolled her eyes. “Then go. No one wants you here. I don’t want you here and neither does your dad.”
Leah’s feet pounded against the floor. I turned only seconds before she held out her hand and slapped Eva sharply across the face.
Eva’s eyes bulged out of their sockets. She brought her hand up to the pinkish handprint Leah had left behind. Her mouth was open but not a single word emerged.
“You’re worse than Adam said,” Leah spat. “Get out of our room. We don’t want you here.”
Leah shook her head. After a long moment, she looked down her nose at Eva. I couldn’t stop the smile that appeared on my face.
“God,” Leah said disgust filling her eyes. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“That was a mistake,” Eva said. “That was a big mistake.”
Eva took a step toward Leah but I moved to the side, blocking her advance. It wasn’t that I didn’t think Leah could handle herself, she most definitely could, I just wanted it to be clear whose side I was on.
“You must be really stupid,” Eva said. “Only a complete birdbrain would fall for this moron.”
“Didn’t you date him for like a long time?” Leah asked.
The color in her cheeks was darker than a rose. “I wanted his money. That’s all it was.”
“And you think saying that makes him look bad?”
“The only reason this idiot is even alive is because of me,” Eva said.
Leah snorted. “The only reason you’re alive is because you stole his stuff.”
“Please,” Eva said.
“You left him to die,” Leah said. “What kind of person does that?”
“One that would do anything to survive,” Eva said picking up the remote off the end table. She flapped it against the palm of her other hand. “If I want him gone, he’ll be gone. And now, I want you gone too. Who do you think will win this? You? No.” She laughed as her head slowly moved from side to side. “It’ll be me.”
Eva let out a loud, horrific scream. Leah looked at me with wide eyes. I grabbed her and pulled her away from Eva as if I were afraid she was going to attack us.
But she didn’t attack us.
She slammed the remote as hard as she could into the side of her face. And then again, just above her temple.
The skin tore slightly and blood rushed down the side of her face. She tossed the remote on the sofa, flashing us a quick smile before she started screaming and crying.
“Help me! Please! Someone help me!” she shouted over and over again. “I need a guard! Please help me!”
It didn’t take long for several guards to bust in through the front door. The door cracked so loudly I was sure it had broken in half.
One guard quickly pulled Eva back and the second stepped in front of Leah and I, blocking our view.
“She attacked me,” Eva cried. “Get her out of here! She’s dangerous! We’re not safe with someone like her here.”
“Hold on a minute,” I said. Leah’s fingertips dug into my bicep. “That’s not what happened at all.”
They didn’t care to hear what I had to say. The guard in front of me just stood there staring at the wall behind us.
Eva was breathlessly telling one of the guards a lie. Leah was jealous. She thinks I still have feelings for Eva. Lie after disgusting lie.
“This is ridiculous,” I said throwing my hands into the air. “Let me get my dad, he can straighten this out.”
“We are not going to bother my future husband over this,” Eva said stamping her foot as she pointed to the cut on her head. “He’s been through enough lately. Just get her out of here. None of us are safe until she’s locked up.”
The guard in front of me reached out and grabbed Leah’s arm. He’d moved so fast there hadn’t been anything I could do to stop him. She squirmed, trying to wiggle free of his grip.
“Hey!” she said. “This isn’t right! She’s lying to you. Adam! Help!”
I touched the guard's shoulder and one of the other guards grabbed me and pulled me away. “Keep your hands off us, sir.”
“I just want to explain,” I said. “This is a misunderstanding.”
“Ouch!” Leah said trying to break free. “You’re hurting me.”
“Let go of her!” I said. “It’s okay, Leah. She won’t get away with this.”
Eva sniffed and wiped away her fake tears. She was quietly thanking the guard at her side for saving her. Eva was putting on a good show.
I followed them out of the cottage and down the path toward the center of the resort. They didn’t take her far.
“Leah!” I called out. It felt as though she was miles away from me.
She turned back. Her eyes panic-filled and her jaw clenched.
“I’ll get you out, okay?” I shouted.
“Hurry,” she called back.
They jerked h
er along, pushing her inside a set of double doors. I tried to follow her but two guards stepped in front of the door after they were closed.
15
Stevie
Back at the house, Gage told the others what happened. Everyone was not only worried about the lions but they were also terrified.
Gage thinks eventually they’ll move on. I didn’t think so. If they found food at Jake’s house, they wouldn’t give up that easily.
“We can’t stay here if those things will just kill us,” Kieran said.
“It’s not like they’re just going to barge into the house,” Josh said.
Kieran shook her head. “We’re all outside half of the time. It’s not safe for us now.”
“There probably isn’t anywhere that’s safe,” I said. “At least not completely.”
Shawn stepped up next to me. “We have it really good here. We’d be crazy to leave this behind.”
“Anyone is free to leave if they want to,” I said. “But Gage and I discussed this, we’re better off here. We just need to be more careful and completely aware of our surroundings at all times.”
“Lucy isn’t allowed to leave the house,” Kieran said placing her hands on her hips. “She’ll help but only indoor chores.”
I nodded.
“Chores?” Ella asked.
“We all pitch in,” I said.
“Of course,” Noah said patting his sister’s shoulder. “We’ll help out any way we can. I’m just glad we have a roof over our head.”
Ella’s eyebrows squeezed together. “Nothing dangerous. And he’s still weak.”
“When he’s ready,” I said clasping my hands together. “None of us will do anything dangerous. Safety always first. Our neighbor, Jake, scared them all off with a single gunshot. We’ll have to do the same.”
“A gunshot that could be heard for miles, right?” Kieran asked. “We’ve been lucky so far but that hadn’t been the case before we met up with you, remember?”
Josh wrapped his arms around his wife. “It’ll be okay.”
She rolled her eyes but she didn’t pull away from him. “We have tons of supplies here. I see no reason any of us need to go outside other than maybe to replenish water. None of us even like being out in that God-awful rain.”
The Reset Series | Book 4 | Swamp Page 7
