Resurrect

by Amy Miles

  “Cyrus has also proven to be a skilled sniper. Are you willing to weaken your own team and risk their safety during missions for the sake of one Greenie’s feelings?”

  “No, sir. I do not see Warren as being a liability under the right circumstances. He just needs guidance and the opportunity to prove himself. I think he has potential.”

  “And you feel that he is incapable of doing that under my leadership?”

  “I only mean to say that Ryker will pick the flesh off his bones slowly when your head is turned. We both know what he is like. Jax is worse and Monroe is a match with a short fuse. Anyone seen as a lesser man will be crushed under those three.”

  Cap clears his throat. “I understand your concern, Nox, but I do not agree that coddling recruits will make them stronger. Your request is denied. Warren will man up in his own time.”

  “But sir—”

  “Denied, soldier.” Cap leaves no room to question if he is willing to be pushed on the matter any further. “Did you complete your search of this floor?”

  “Not personally, sir. I was interrupted.”

  “Then I’d get on it. We roll out in five, with or without the girl.” Cap descends the stairs. The front door opens and slams closed behind him. There is a moment of silence below before I hear something slam into the wall. Nothing breaks or falls to the floor to indicate that Nox has used a lamp or chair. Sinking back onto my heels, I realize that he has most likely used his fist.

  The curiosity surrounding these soldiers grows with each passing minute as I strain to hear the activity outside while maintaining the whereabouts of Nox below. What did Cap mean by his comment about escorting guests? Was someone else hiding out here after all? Are they the ones that the blood on the door handle belongs to?

  Torn between wanting to hobble to the window to look out and terrified that I will step on a board wrong and alert the soldier below to my presence, I stay kneeling in place. If I were to reveal myself now, I stand a chance of getting the medical help that I desperately need. I know that I’m getting worse and it may already be too late to reverse the infection, but can I really risk them taking a blood sample and discovering that I’m special?

  It has been several minutes since I heard any movement from below. Shouting outside the window and slamming doors tells me that the five minutes Nox was given is nearly up.

  “It was quite clever to pull the cord up after you.” When Nox calls from below, I freeze. “I’ll admit that I almost missed it. Guess I’m losing my edge today, but I’m sure you can understand why, after all that you just heard.”

  Clamping a hand over my mouth, I fight to still my breathing.

  “Seems to me like you don’t want to come out and say hello. I get that. Some of those guys down there made enough noise to send a whole herd of Flesh Bags our way and I think we both know that won’t end well for you.”

  Silence follows his statement.

  “My orders state that I have to take you in, get your processed and fed, but I’m thinking you’re not planning on going without a fight. To be honest, I don’t really care to force you, so let’s say I give you one minute to come down before I make the decision for you.”

  Most people would panic in this situation, especially when you factor in my declining health, but I’m not most people. I know that there is no safe way of escape and there is no way for me to stop him from coming up from below. The only advantage I have is that he will assume that I am armed and will be forced to proceed with caution.

  “Why are you pursuing me?” I call out finally.

  “Well, hello to you too. You got a name?”

  “I asked you a question.”

  I can hear Nox shift below me. “Cap seems to think you’re someone worth finding and this area is swarming with Flesh Bags. I don’t ask questions beyond that.”

  Biting my lower lip, I try to discern if he’s telling the truth. So far, he seems like he’s fairly loyal and willing to fight for what he thinks is right...but what if he’s been told that hunting me is right?

  “I don’t want to go with you.”

  “We got that message loud and clear when we found Gunner’s body.”

  “That wasn’t my fault!”

  I hear a sound and pause. I can’t place the noise but it makes me uncomfortable. He’s proven that he’s smart and resourceful. Whatever he’s doing isn’t going to end well for me.

  “I’m not saying that it was. In fact, you did what you had to and I don’t blame you. He’d have torn you apart if you’d let him live. Got bit by one of those Flesh Bags that attacked us the night before. Rotten luck, if you ask me, but you taking him down tells me you’re a fighter. I can respect that but it doesn’t change anything. The truth is I’m tired of following you. I’m ready for a shower and some shut eye so it seems to me you’d be doing me a favor by coming without a fight.”

  “Walk away and tell them you didn’t find me. They will assume I got eaten and you can go home.”

  “Afraid I can’t do that,” he grunts and I press my ear to the door again. He sounds farther away.

  “You won’t fair well if you try to come up. I hold the advantage right now.”

  “Seems that way.” I tighten my grip on the hammer and wait but silence is my only response.

  “Shit.” Looking all around, I search for any other access point that he could use and my gaze falls on the window when I hear a scratching noise on the roof. He’s found a way to me.

  Diving forward to push the mirror off the hatch, I see a small black canister tossed through the window land on my bedding from the corner of my eye. I know that I don’t have the reserves of energy to reach the gas grenade in time, so I shove the mirror aside and slam my foot down onto the hatch. The ladder plummets to the ground as the cloud of gas penetrates my side of the room.

  My eyes begin to itch and tear up within seconds. A coughing fit doubles me over as I cling to the ladder. Cupping my face with my good hand while I struggle to remain upright, I lean heavily against the stairs and clumsily work my way down, but my body doesn’t seem to want to work the way I need it to.

  The hallway begins to spin with each labored breath I suck in. The pain in my eyes intensifies as I blindly feel my way down. Just before I collapse, two strong hands reach up for me and I find myself staring up into Nox’s intense gaze as he holds me to his chest. Even with my blurred vision, I realize that his facial features are far sharper than I’d originally thought, handsome and rugged but held tight with a grim expression.

  “When you wake up, you’re really going to hate me.” I hear those final words before my world goes black.

  FOUR

  Nox was right. The instant I come to, I am out for blood. My head is still spinning and my eyes feel as if they have been rubbed with a raw onion. What’s worse is that the nerves all across my body are telling me that I’m being burned alive, but I know that’s not actually possible when another bucket of a cold liquid is poured over me.

  I buck and scream, yanking against the bindings that bite into the flesh of my wrists.

  “Easy there, love. I’m just trying to help.”

  My teeth chatter so loudly that I can barely hear the man speaking as I twist, trying to locate where he is standing. A bit of cloth is tied around my head and covers my eyes, concealing him from sight. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “I am dousing you with vinegar. I know it stinks right now but I promise it will make you feel better. That tear gas can be some nasty stuff so you should be thankful that you weren’t standing right next to the canister when it went off.”

  Nox’s voice comes from my right and now I know exactly where he is.

  I spit in his direction. “Thankful? You did this to me!”

  “I did, but if you remember correctly, I also tried to give you the chance to come willingly.”

 
“Which you knew I wouldn’t do!”

  “True, but you can’t blame me for not being a gentleman about it.”

  When I jerk to one side, the ropes holding me upright tighten painfully around my wrists and my toes come off the ground. I can barely reach as it is, but any movement left or right makes it nearly impossible to steady myself.

  “Jax warned me that you’d be a little hell cat. Seems he knows your type pretty well. I told him you’d see reason once you woke up but maybe I misjudged you.”

  “Go to hell!”

  When he chuckles in response, I discover that he has shifted to my left. I fume in silence as I try to use the tips of my toes to feel the ground beneath me, but feel only a slick surface. I am obviously not in a moving vehicle which means that I’ve already been transported somewhere.

  “How long was I out?”

  “The effects of the gas are usually temporary but I’m guessing because of the infection on top, there were some complications and you passed out before I even got you to the top of the stairs. You’re a bit heavier than you look.”

  At the mention of my illness, I realize that despite being half-naked and soaked in vinegar, I feel better than I did before. There is definitely still pain in my shoulder, but someone has treated my wounds.

  “Where am I? Why are you keeping me here? Why am I tied up like this?

  “You are safe.” I hear him move farther left just before another bucket of vinegar splashes against me and a portion of it slips between my lips.

  I feel exposed in front of him, despite the snug cotton bra and panties that I am wearing. They do not belong to me and the soaked white bra makes me look like a porn star in a push-up, leaving little to the imagination. I close my eyes when I realize that Nox or someone else has seen me naked at some point. Even being partially clothed he’s still getting quite the show.

  “That tells me squat.” I spit the foul liquid from my mouth.

  He sets down the bucket before approaching again. “If you promise not to attack me, I will remove your blindfold. Deal?”

  I remain defiantly silent.

  A soft chuckle draws my attention front and center and I realize that he’s already in front of me. His ability to remain nearly silent tells me that he only made sounds when he wanted me to know where he was. He has been toying with me.

  When his hands fall on either side of my face, brushing against my cheekbones to alert me before he reaches around to work on the knot, I flinch back from him. With my sight stripped away, I breathe in deep to try to get a sense of my immediate surroundings and wrinkle my nose at the sharp acrid scent of vinegar paired with the refreshing smell of soap.

  Nox carefully unwraps my eyes and brushes my wild curls away from my face then steps back a few paces. I blink several times to try to clear my vision but it remains blurred. “I can’t see.”

  “We washed your eyes with Diphoterine before we put you in the truck. It’s a solution we use for chemical burns and works well with tear gas, but the bandages pressing against your eyes have probably caused slight irritation. Give it a few minutes and you should be fine.”

  “And the vinegar? You said the effects of the gas were temporary.” I lift my head to see that my hands are tied to an oversized rain showerhead that is fixed to the ceiling instead of the wall. Looking all around, I notice the tiled shower surround and glass doors.

  “The vinegar helps to remove the final traces of the chemical from your skin. You had a reaction to some of the medicines we gave you, which intensified the symptoms. The vinegar should help neutralize any remaining chemical on your skin, but all of your garments had to be incinerated when we arrived.”

  Just beyond Nox, who with each blink becomes slightly clearer, is a spacious bathroom with a toilet, granite countertops, shiny faucets and plush white towels. The towels are pretty much the only thing I care about at this point.

  “You have gassed me, burned my clothes, probably copped a feel while I was naked and unconscious, and now you’re holding me in what...a hotel room? Who the hell are you people?”

  Nox looks me over. “You’re not exactly in any position to be demanding answers, but I will tell you that I did not cop a feel.”

  “But you did undress me?”

  A muscle along his jaw flinches. “It was necessary for your safety.”

  I snort and shake my head. “Right. So I’m a prisoner here, then?”

  I stare pointedly up at my secured hands then back at him. He withdraws his handgun and taps it against his thigh as a show of power, but I am not intimidated by him. If they wanted me dead they would not have treated me.

  Nox leans back against the bathroom counter and crosses one leg over the other, looking annoyingly comfortable. “Well, love, I guess that depends on you. You see, I’ve got a few questions of my own that need answering before I untie you. There are rules and whatnot to follow when dealing with hostile guests, but honestly, I just don’t trust you not to grab my gun the instant you are free and try to shoot your way out of here.”

  “Well, you sure are doing a bang-up job making this place seem friendly.” I glare at him, wishing that I could just have two minutes alone with him and my hammer. I lean forward and spit at his feet. “And call me ‘love’ again and I’ll rip that sarcastic tongue out the instant I’m free.”

  Nox grins. “Fess up your real name and I’ll consider calling you that instead.”

  “Screw you.”

  “Love it is, then.” Nox taps his gun against his leg before setting it aside. “I did mean what I said earlier. You are safe here. We aren’t the bad guys, though I’m betting right now you’re still trying to figure out how to get free so you can drive that ax of yours through my skull.”

  “The first chance I get.”

  “I would expect nothing less.”

  I stare him down, wondering what thoughts are going through his head. He is analyzing me, trying to discover my weakness just as I am doing the same with him. I can feel a sense of admiration coming from him and know that he has recognized the similarities between us. We are equals despite my current state of imprisonment.

  I let my head droop and close my eyes. My neck muscles ache and my shoulders are on fire. Gooseflesh runs the length of my body as the vinegar trails down my bare skin toward the drain that I’m standing over.

  “How do you feel?”

  “Like a stinky, drowned cat. How about you? Feeling nice and clothed over there? Enjoying the view at my expense?”

  For the first time, Nox looks away. “I take no pleasure in this. I want you to know that.”

  “Why? So that I can feel sympathy for you? Fat chance of that happening! I’m the one being violated here.”

  Nox pushes up to his feet. “You have been medicated, fed, and cared for around the clock. I hardly call that being violated.”

  “So kidnapping with the ruse of medical care is considered a kind gesture these days?”

  With a small snort, he tilts his head back toward his gun. “You’re going to make me use that on you, aren’t you?”

  “Only if you want to cheat. I get it, though. It hurts a guy’s pride to be taken down by a girl.”

  Nox steps up to me and then shoves his hand in his pockets. This position makes his strong, muscular physique even more pronounced. He’s not what some might call a “beefcake,” but he is toned in all of the right ways.

  Damn him for looking hot when I want to be ticked!

  “That’s cute,” he says, leaning in close enough for me to smell the mint on his breath. “I appreciate how eager you are to bite the hand that feeds you, but a word of warning...I’m nicer than the others.”

  “I’ll take that into consideration.”

  “You do that.”

  Just past his shoulder, on the other side of his gun, is a small pile of brilliant white fluffy towels. Ultima
tely, the gun is what I should be after. This guy isn’t about to go down without a fight and strangling him wouldn’t be an easy task. I heard how he took down Ryker in that farm house and that guy was twice my size. I don’t have the strength for that sort of fight and we both know it. Despite my reservations about shooting a gun again, I am left with little choice. If I can get free, I will aim to kill.

  “How you answer this next question will determine if I can let you out of the shower,” he says to draw my attention back to him. “Not because I like keeping you tied up, contrary to what you might think, but because I want to make sure that you don’t have any further chemical reactions. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to hose you down.”

  “Bet that was a nice time for you,” I grumble and shift back as far away from him as my bindings will allow, but it isn’t enough. He steps closer and stares down at me. “I’m fine. You can untie me now.”

  “You’re sure? You were having trouble sleeping earlier so I was worried that you were still suffering a bit.”

  Bitter laughter bubbles up from my lips before I can stop it. “So now you’re going to try to sell me on some ‘I care about you’ bullshit speech? News flash, asshole, I don’t give a rat’s ass what you think. If I say I’m fine then I am and don’t watch me sleep. That’s just creepy.”

  “It’s part of the job.” His tone sounds off and I can tell that he’s debating if I’m lying about being okay. In truth, I am. There’s still a distinct burning sensation around my face and neck but I’ll never tell him that.

  Nox finally shrugs and turns to grab a towel. Holding one end at chest height the rest of it trails to the ground. I have to work very hard not to show how anxious I am to feel it wrapped around me. Not just for its warmth but for the luxuriousness of something normal and not covered in filth. Life on the road has been anything but easy.

  “I’m sure you’re aware that I hold the upper hand here,” he whispers in my ear as he leans in close enough for me to realize that the strong scent of soap that I smelled over the vinegar was him. “I don’t take kindly to hitting defenseless girls, but in your case, I will make an exception if I need to.”