My pants came off easier because Robby was prepared for how much they’d fight him. He yanked his shirt off far easier.
“Brr,” he said lifting my body easily as he pulled down the blanket. He stood and removed his pants before sliding into the warm bed next to me. Robby touched my cheek. “This is nice.”
I didn’t want to think too hard about whether it was nice or not. If I gave it too much thought, I’d think about how it wasn’t all that great outside our four walls.
I rolled halfway on top of him, placing my hand on his chest. Robby cupped my face, pulling me toward him. He kissed me.
His lips glided over mine. It was like he was savoring and devouring me at the same time.
Robby’s hand slid down my neck and over my shoulder. He didn’t stop until his hands rested on my hip.
My mind went blank the second he guided me on top of him. A gentle noise rumbled inside him.
All the moisture left my mouth. I felt anxious and excited as I lowered my hips down.
“Mmm,” Robby groaned as his eyes closed.
My knees felt weak. There was a haze in my brain that erased everything from my mind. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t speak. All I could do was feel.
My hips rolled.
I liked feeling alive. No, I loved it. Being with Robby was the only thing that made me feel that way.
My fingertips dug into his hard but thin stomach. The more I moved, the more weightless I felt.
My muscles tensed and my head fell back.
“Robby,” I said breathlessly repeating his name over and over again until it faded into nothing. I couldn’t form any other word even if I had wanted to.
Robby leaned forward and held me. Our bodies tightening to form one.
Our breaths combined as we let the feelings overtake us. For a moment, everything was perfect.
“I love you, Joss,” Robby said kissing me until he needed to stop to catch his breath.
“I love you too,” I said.
The perfectness didn’t last. The haze dissipated and the wall to our new home became clear.
I rolled off of Robby and flopped down on my back. My breaths left me quickly as I stared at the ceiling. I wasn’t relaxing in the same way Robby was.
“Everything okay?” he asked. His eyes narrowed as he watched the blanket over my chest rising and falling quickly.
“Yeah,” I said offering him a shaky smile. “Sorry, I guess I’m just worried about what I have to do tomorrow. Or maybe more worried about what you’ll have to do.”
A knock at the door made me suck in a breath. I pulled the covers up even though they were already almost to my neck.
“Who do you think it is?” The words spilled out of my mouth.
“Not sure.”
Robby popped up and pulled the new clothes out of the bag. He pulled on his pants, buttoning them as he walked toward the door and out of my line of sight.
I sat up, keeping the blanket over myself. My hands were clenched into tight fists.
“It’s Caleb,” Robby said twisting the lock and opening the door. My muscles didn’t relax.
“Jenna’s back,” Caleb said.
I couldn’t see them but I could hear them. And I could imagine the smirk curling Caleb’s lips.
“Is she okay?” Robby asked.
“Yeah, the doctor, um, Doctor Saul Brody, says she’s doing well,” Caleb said.
“Good,” Robby said.
There was a brief hesitation. “Yeah, it’s great news. The doctor, though, I hope he knows what he’s doing.”
“Why do you question it?” Robby asked.
“Doctor Saul Brody,” Caleb repeated the name. “Does that ring a bell of any kind?”
“Should it?” Robby asked.
The exhale that left Caleb was loud enough I could hear it. “Some famous social media doctor. Made videos. Probably made more money with his channel than he did being an actual doctor.”
“Oh,” Robby said.
“Yeah,” Caleb said. “Well, it’s better than nothing, I guess. I’ll let you get back to whatever it was you were doing.”
“I’m glad she’s back and well,” Robby said.
“Thanks,” Caleb said.
The door squeaked but squealed to an abrupt stop. “Oh, one more thing, Caleb.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Did you get a notebook in your bag of supplies?”
“We both did.”
The floorboards creaked, probably with Robby’s shifting weight. “Did you get a job?”
“Handyman,” Caleb said. “Bizarre because I’m not even a little handy.”
“Jenna?”
“She just has to take care of herself,” Caleb said.
“Caleb,” Jenna whined from across the hall. “What’s taking so long?”
There was a smacking noise, like someone patting the other on the back.
“Have a good night,” Caleb said.
“You too,” Robby said.
The door closed with a soft pop.
Robby came back to bed. He took my hand and stroked the back with his thumb.
“Sorry about the interruption,” he said. “You heard all that, I suppose?”
“I did,” I replied.
“You ever hear of that guy?”
I shrugged. “Sounds familiar but I didn’t really watch his channel.”
“Know anything about the guy?”
“Not really. Women think he’s quite attractive.”
Robby raised a brow. “All women?”
“Jealous?” I asked teasingly.
“Nah,” Robby said crawling back into bed. He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. “I don’t get jealous.”
Robby placed a kiss on the top of my head. I snuggled against him, wishing I could feel more relaxed.
It wasn’t that the bed wasn’t comfortable, it was. It was more comfortable than any place I’d slept since my own bed but being in this town had me on edge.
“What do you think about all that?” Robby asked.
“All what?”
“The whole Jenna situation,” Robby said.
My eyes narrowed. “I hope the doctor knows what he’s doing.”
“Not that,” Robby said. “About her having a baby… about having babies in general.”
“Oh, um,” I stammered.
It felt like there was a rock in the pit of my stomach. I wanted to run out of the room but I couldn’t. I didn’t have clothes on. Maybe… maybe it was still worth it.
“Well, not like this minute,” Robby said noticing my panic.
“No,” I said unable to stop my body from stiffening.
“Geez, okay,” Robby said. “I just wondered how you felt about it. Like one day.”
My hair flopped from side to side as I shook my head. “I’m just so not there. This isn’t safe. The world isn’t a safe place anymore. I don’t think I could do something like that.”
“Okay,” Robby said. “Sorry, I asked.”
Dammit. I messed up.
“Let’s eat something,” Robby said pushing himself out of the bed like he couldn’t get away from me fast enough.
“I’m sorry,” I said. I hadn’t wanted to upset him but the question had taken me by surprise.
I’d told him the truth. What else could I have done?
If things were different, I would have reacted more appropriately. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to have his child, I couldn’t have any child. I couldn’t bring a baby into a world like this.
Not now.
Not ever.
20
Adam
Leah and I went to the window and peeked out between the curtains. Everyone outside was running around.
Some gathered in the center area of the resort and others ran into buildings. Leah reached over and checked to make sure the door was locked.
“I know that’s silly since they probably have a key,” Leah whispered.
There was a deadbolt
but after everything, I knew she was right. They surely had a way to get inside our cottage if they wanted to.
“Look!” Leah said pointing at a group of men being led toward the middle of the resort. “They’re dressed just like those men that came to that house. Are we in their cult?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I don’t think so.”
“How can you be sure?”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure but it doesn’t look like they’re friends.”
“Not sure how you can tell,” Leah said with a groan.
“They’re holding them. It doesn’t look like they are free to move about the resort,” I said.
“Wish I had one of those bulletproof vests they’re wearing,” Leah muttered.
I looked at her but she didn’t take her eyes off the scene outside. “Eva isn’t going to kill you.”
“Are you sure about that?” Leah asked. “She left you for dead. You think she killed that other guy. I’m probably at the top of her list.”
“That’s probably me,” I said.
“Those guys are definitely connected to Scott and his people, though, right?” Leah asked. “The women haters.”
My hands balled up into fists. “I think so.”
“They wanted to take over the world,” Leah said. “To be in charge. What are they doing here?”
They all stood their calming talking. It was hard to see through the rain but it seemed like one of the resort guards was talking to just one of the men from the group.
Then suddenly there was a sound. A heavy crack that sliced through the air. Both Leah and I shook with the bone-rattling noise.
I looked around, fearing we were about to experience another earthquake. But how likely was that to happen in Colorado?
The room wasn’t moving.
Everything was still.
Leah gasped and covered her mouth. I quickly followed her gaze. My eyes landed on one of the men that was wearing a vest lying on the ground, staring up at the sky. The rain was trying to wash away the blood that was pooling around him.
It felt like there was peach skin stuck in my mouth. “What the—”
Craaaaaaack!
A second man fell. And then a third.
It didn’t take long to spot the men in the trees. They were in small wooden treehouses disguised with branches and leaves. The long-barreled guns reaching out of the glassless windows were almost completely hidden.
“Holy shit,” I said pulling Leah away from the window. I suddenly worried we’d be hit. My breaths were coming fast. “Snipers,” I said sucking in oxygen. “In the trees.”
“What?” Leah said her eyes popping. “Why?”
“I don’t know.”
Leah took a step back toward the sofa. She ducked when another bullet cut through the air.
“Dammit!” she said.
I went to her. We crouched down and waited. I had no idea when we’d be safe. If we’d be safe.
“I’m not a fan of those guys,” Leah said. “But you can’t just go around killing people for no reason.”
“Maybe they had a reason,” I said.
“Didn’t look that way to me.”
I wiped the sweat from my palms on my pants. “Something before they got here.”
“Then they just followed them to their deaths?”
“Maybe,” I said.
“I feel sick,” Leah said.
The shots had stopped. I didn’t want to go to the window and see the bodies on the ground but I felt like I should… to see if what had happened was real.
“Lie down,” I said. “I’ll get you something to drink.”
Leah pressed her hands to her stomach. She laid down on her side and watched me as I walked toward the window.
“Careful,” she said.
I was careful. Extremely careful.
I brought a shaky finger to the curtain and pulled it back less than a quarter of an inch. They were dragging the bodies away. It was more than enough to confirm what I’d seen had been real.
I combed my fingers through my hair. My hands gripped the edge of the counter as I drew in several slow, deep breaths. I had to keep it together. I had to be strong for Leah.
I grabbed a bottle of water and forced a smile on my face. My muscles were tense but I hoped she wouldn’t notice. We truly had to make the best of the situation we were in and the best way I knew how to do that was with a smile.
“Here you go,” I said. “How about you just stay here and relax while I go out and see about getting that generator working?”
“No!” Leah said sitting up abruptly. “You can’t go out there!”
“I’ll be careful,” I said. “They’re all probably busy cleaning up.”
Leah’s shoulder softened slightly.
“A movie might help us both,” I said.
She breathed in through her nose. “Fine. But you’re not doing it alone.”
It hadn’t been hard to get the generator going. There was even a spare jug of gas around the corner of our cottage.
“Let’s go back inside,” Leah said pulling on my arm.
I nodded and guided her back toward the front door. We locked ourselves inside and hugged. Leah let her arms fall to her sides. She took a step back and shook her entire body.
“I hate this,” she said. “This isn’t at all what I expected it was going to be like when we got here.”
“Me either.” I jerked my head to the side. “Let’s just pick out a movie and forget everything outside for a few hours. That’s something we’d never be able to do if we were still out there. Let’s take advantage.”
Leah nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll be right back.”
She disappeared into the bedroom. I started to search through the videos, trying to find something that would take our minds off everything. Something funny.
The selection wasn’t large but it was large enough. If I had to guess, there was probably a room in one of the main buildings with even more choices. The resort seemed to have everything.
It was the place all the wealthy people escaped to when the world fell apart. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t impressive.
Leah came back into the room, carrying a stack of clothing. I raised a brow.
“Pajamas,” she said. “I can’t even remember the last time I was able to just lounge around in pajamas.”
“Sounds awesome,” I said.
“I’ll change first.”
I slid one of the movies off the shelf. “Comedy, okay?”
“Sounds perfect.” Leah went into the bathroom but didn’t bother to close the door behind her.
I crouched down and turned the power on the DVD player. A smile curled on my lips when it turned on.
“It’s working,” I called out.
There was a gentle knock at the door and my blood instantly pounded through my veins. Doom rattled my bones. Would we ever get a moment's peace?
I went to the door. “Who is it?”
“Dad,” he said.
I reached for the lock and let him inside without giving it much thought. What I should have done was ask if he was alone. The last thing I was in the mood for was a visit from Eva.
“Hey, Adam,” my dad said staying outside the door with his large umbrella over his head. There wasn’t a drop of wetness on him or his clothing.
“We were about to watch a movie,” I said.
“Oh, great! You found that stuff. I won’t take up much of your time,” he said pushing his shoulders back. “Some of the guys were wanting you to help out around the place. Learn how things are run around here.”
I shook my head. “What does that mean exactly? Who wants me to learn?”
“The guys at the top,” my dad replied.
“Aren’t you at the top?”
“Well, sort of. Besides, I don’t think it’s a bad idea,” he said. “The more you learn, the better.”
I swallowed, tasting what felt like rotten lemons. “What am I supposed to do?”<
br />
“Meet with the guards in the morning,” my dad said. “They’ll show you the ropes.”
“Is this necessary?” I asked as I tucked my shaking hand into my front pocket. “I just got here. Still working on rebuilding my strength.”
“It won’t be anything too challenging. Just like shadowing me,” he said.
I drew in a long breath. “Do I have a choice in the matter.”
“Are you being difficult, Adam? It’s really not going to be that hard. I even followed them around one day, learning where everything is. Ultimately this is to your benefit,” he said. “After the little disagreement, they just want to know you can be trusted. That you are serious about being here. You won’t have to do this forever.”
“You could just tell them we can be trusted,” I said.
My dad chuckled. “I did, Adam. This was the compromise. Consider yourself lucky. Just do it, please, for me.”
“Fine,” I said exhaling. “Where am I supposed to go?”
“At the center of the resort is a little area that had been an ice skating rink, go there.”
“Okay.” The muscles in my throat tensed so tightly it was hard to move my mouth.
My dad smiled and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Great. It’ll be fine. You’ll see.”
“Sure. No problem.”
“I’ll let you get back to your movie,” my dad said.
I nodded and closed the door. There was no doubt in my mind that Eva was somehow behind this change. Or maybe it wasn’t just them putting me to work… after what I’d seen in the center of the resort today, I was suddenly scared for my life.
The snipers would be there. Their eyes on me. It would just be one shot. And Eva would have what she wanted.
Me… gone.
21
Stevie
“Josh!” I said as I pounded on the window. “Come back!”
“What’s going on?” Shawn asked as he descended the stairs.
I didn’t turn. “It’s out there. Get me the gun.”
“Isn’t it by the door?” Shawn asked.
I hadn’t even looked. I hadn’t wanted to take my eyes off the lion. It wasn’t there.
“Did someone take it?” I asked anxiety shaking my voice. “We always put it back.”
The Reset Series | Book 4 | Swamp Page 10
