Three people stood waiting. All of them men, and all of them just as big and beefy as Doug. It was like a football team had come to our rescue, except their ages ranged from twenty to what I guessed to be mid-forties.
The guy at the front, the one who’d fired the shot, focused on Doug. “Friends of yours, Phillips?”
“Not really.” Doug gave the man an easy smile before looking the rest of my group over, his gaze finally moving back to me. “Just Rowan.”
I squirmed, suddenly remembering why I’d been attracted to him to begin with. That easy smile wasn’t a façade. It was him. He’d always been friendly, had been known for being good natured, and he was quick to joke around. It was actually why we’d first started talking. He’d sat beside me in biology and had joked around with me about something—I couldn’t remember what—and from there, we’d moved on to flirting.
God, I’d loved this guy.
Devon stepped forward, holding his hand out to Doug, and introduced himself.
“Nice to meet you,” my ex said, taking the hand offered.
His smile didn’t fade, but he did give Devon, who was in the middle of sizing Doug up as well, a quick once-over. I rolled my eyes, but since neither guy was looking at me, they didn’t notice.
“Let me introduce you to everyone,” Doug said, waving to the three men at his back. “First we have Gabe.”
He gestured to the guy at the front of the group.
The guy ran his hand over his closely cropped hair as he gave a curt nod. I guessed him to be around forty, and while he wasn’t a particularly big guy, and he wasn’t tall, he was obviously built. He looked compact, like a lot of muscle had been crammed into a small package. He wasn’t especially good-looking, but he wasn’t what I’d call unattractive either. He did, however, carry himself with a cockiness that said he thought he was a much bigger deal than he actually was.
“Back there you have Brian,” Doug jerked his thumb toward the tallest guy in the bunch.
“Sup.” Brian, for whatever reason, had the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up, making it impossible to make out any of his features in the dark store. Except his size. That, you couldn’t miss. The guy had to be five or six inches over six feet. It hurt my neck to stare up at him.
Doug waved to the final guy. “And Max.”
Max was the only one of the three who offered us a genuine smile. “Hey.”
It was difficult to gauge how old he was—mid-to-late twenties, probably—and while he was as fit as the others and clearly took care of himself, something about him seemed slightly out-of-place. It wasn’t the smile, because Doug was still grinning. It was how he carried himself. His stance was more relaxed. Less severe.
He was Hispanic or possibly Indian, it was tough to tell in this lighting, and his dark complexion was as nice as his smile. Taller than Gabe and not as broad, I guessed he’d probably been involved in some kind of sport. Swimming, maybe? I’d gone to a few swim meets with friends, and those guys were all muscle.
“Nice to meet you,” Devon said, then waved to our friends as he introduced them.
“Looks like you’re stocking up,” Gabe said, nodding to our carts. “We came with the same idea. Want to make sure we get what we can before the shelves are totally bare.”
“We just got into town,” I explained, “and my pantry was pretty bare.”
Doug stiffened, his smile finally fading. “You’re not staying at your house, are you?”
Part of me didn’t want to tell him a thing, but these guys looked prepared, and I was very aware of the fact that we might need help.
“We are.” I nodded toward Kiaya. “We were at school together in Phoenix and drove across the country to get here. That’s where we met everyone else. Anyway, we just got here two days ago.”
“Rowan, your house isn’t the best place to stay. It can’t be safe.” Doug looked from me to Devon, then the others. “Is this all of you?”
“We have a few other people at the house,” Devon said.
“Some kids,” I added.
“Kids?” Max asked, his eyes wide and his smile fading.
“We picked them and their uncle up in Texas. Their mom died, and their uncle is…” My voice trailed off.
“A retard,” Miller piped in.
My back stiffened, and I turned to glare at him. “Mentally disabled.”
“God, Miller,” Lisa spit out. “Can’t you ever be a decent human being?”
Miller’s glower was deeper than ever, but I doubted it had much to do with Lisa’s comment. It was probably the arrival of these four burly men. If Devon’s presence had threatened Miller, these guys probably made him feel like a child.
“How many of you are there?” Gabe asked.
He was focused on Devon.
“Eleven of us,” he replied. “Two teenagers, two kids, and Randall, who acts like a child.”
Gabe was frowning, staring at Devon, but Doug was staring at Gabe—who was obviously in charge here. Max was looking at the leader as well, and he seemed uncomfortable. He kept shifting from foot to foot, and more than once he ran his hand over his head, mussing his dark hair.
“Gabe,” Brian stepped forward, “you gotta.”
What did he have to do?
“What’s going on?” I asked, directing my question to Doug.
My ex lifted his eyebrows, silently asking Gabe for permission to do something. What, I wasn’t sure, but I was starting to get irritated with the guessing game they were making us play.
“Doug,” I snapped, “what the hell is happening?”
Gabe was the one who answered. “We set a place up at Concord Elementary School. It’s pretty secure and easy to keep locked down. We’ve been gathering as many supplies as we can and have a pretty good cache of weapons.”
“Where’d you get them?” Devon broke in.
Gabe frowned like he wasn’t in love with the interruption but answered anyway. “I was a cop for the city. Plus, I knew a lot of people who had guns. Since most of them died, all I had to do was go to their houses and get the stuff.”
“I was a cop, too,” Devon said. “West Chester.”
Gabe’s eyebrows jumped, and like someone had flipped a switch, his attitude changed. “How’d you get so far from home?”
“I was out west with some buddies. Camping, rock climbing, white water rafting. That kind of thing. Got stuck when travel was suspended. I was trying to make my way home when I met Rowan and Kiaya. We decided to travel together.”
“Nice,” Gabe said, nodding. “Look, we have the space, but we’re being careful about who we let in. You understand how it is. Can’t trust everyone, and we want to make sure we don’t take in a bunch of dead weight.”
“Dead weight?” Kiaya broke in.
Gabe met her gaze, looking her over briefly before responding. “I’m not talking about the kids. There are a lot of orphans out there, and any I come across are welcome. I’m talking about adults who just want to cover their heads and not pitch in. Things are different now. Hard. We’re going to have to work if we want to survive. No excuses.
“If you came,” Gabe said, his gaze moving over each one of us, “you’d need to give it your all. Pitch in.”
Devon was nodding, an appreciative expression on his face. “We’re willing to work. Believe me.”
“Good.” Gabe nodded twice.
I didn’t like how this little conversation was going, especially since Doug was staring at me. Still smiling. Acting like he’d never screwed me and dumped me for Jessie Simpkins.
I grabbed Devon’s arm. “We should talk about this. Make sure everyone agrees. Buck, too.”
Hopefully, he could read between the lines and realized I didn’t want him to make any promises or commit to anything before we had a chance to discuss things.
He frowned but nodded.
“Who’s Buck?” Doug asked.
“A man we met in Texas,” Devon replied. “He stayed back with the kids.”
; “Coward?” Gabe asked, his eyebrows raised.
“Not even a little,” Devon said. “We just needed someone to stay, and I asked him to do it. He’s in his sixties, and I didn’t know how strenuous things would get.”
It was a lie. We’d asked Buck to stay for two reasons. One, we couldn’t ask Miller to stay even though he was a huge pain in the ass. Two, Buck had a drinking problem that we hadn’t yet dealt with.
“Okay, then,” Gabe said, nodding again. “When can we expect an answer?”
Devon looked us over, pressing his lips together in thought. “Give us a day.”
“A day,” Gabe replied, but it wasn’t a question.
“That will give us a chance to talk and get things organized. I don’t want to rush anything.”
“I can respect that,” Gabe said. “If you want, we can send a team to help you move what you need.” He glanced at Doug. “You know where the place is?”
“Yup.” My ex’s smile widened. “I can even show you how to climb into the second story window.”
Devon visibly startled. He looked at me then focused on Doug, taking him in more than before. I wanted to sink into the floor. Or punch Doug in the face.
Unaware that anything had transpired—or unconcerned—Gabe said, “We’ll send a group your way the day after tomorrow. Probably around ten in the morning. That should give you enough time to get organized.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Devon said, holding his hand out.
Gabe grasped it, pumping it twice, and for the first time cracked a smile. “Glad we bumped into you guys.”
“Me, too,” Devon said. “Believe me.”
Gabe turned to his group. “Let’s grab some carts and start filling up. We need to get as much back to the school as we can.”
He headed off with Brian and Max behind him, but Doug held back. He was staring at me.
Devon’s jaw tightened, but he turned to his cart without saying anything. “Let’s make sure we get as much as we can before leaving.”
Doug waited until everyone else was distracted then cleared his throat. “I really am glad to see you.”
“You said that already.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Look, Doug,” I exhaled, “I can’t talk about this right now. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” His frown deepened. “Later, then? At the school?”
“Yeah.” I shook my head.
Why the hell wouldn’t he just let things go?
Doug took a step backward. “See you the day after tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” I turned away with a sigh, barely waving over my shoulder. “The day after tomorrow.”
Could this stupid apocalypse get any worse?
His feet scraped against the floor at my back as he moved away, and the more his footsteps faded, the more relaxed I got. Not that it would last, since it looked like we were going to be living in the same building. How the hell had that happened? Logically, I knew it was the right decision. How many times over the last two days had I thought about how unrealistic staying at my house was? Too many. But this was Doug. Three years had passed, and I still couldn’t think about him without feeling like someone was trying to rip out my heart.
8
Miller’s hazel eyes were focused on me as I headed over to join the rest of our group, but in the darkness of the store, it was difficult to read his expression. “Your ex-boyfriend, I’m assuming.”
I had to grind my teeth together to stop from yelling at him.
He grunted like my silence had been an answer. “You sure do have a type.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I snapped even though I knew. Devon had reminded me of Doug on more than one occasion.
Miller grunted out a snort. “I think you know.”
Since I had no way of denying it, I chose to ball my hands into fists and stay silent.
Lisa headed for her cart, purposefully bumping into Miller as she passed. “Give it a rest, will you?”
The corporal scowled. Again. It had to be his favorite reaction.
My gaze met Kiaya’s, and she lifted her brows. “You okay?”
“I feel like that’s all anyone asks me these days.”
She shrugged, and while a lot of people might have thought she was agreeing with me, I had the feeling it was more her way of saying it didn’t matter or it was to be expected. Maybe she was right about that. The world had turned into a complicated mess.
“Yeah,” I sighed and tried to smile. It felt like my face was going to crack. “It was just a shock.”
“Everyone ready to head out?” Devon called, his hands already on his cart like he was more than ready to move on. I wasn’t sure if it was the close call with the zombies, the stench in the store, or the appearance of my ex-boyfriend, but I was with him on that one.
“Definitely,” I muttered as I carefully tucked my knife into my back pocket.
When I headed for my own cart, something hard in my pocket caught my attention, and I suddenly remembered the dog tag I’d found during my altercation with the dead. I pulled the little piece of metal from my pocket as the others started moving, pushing their carts forward and taking most of the light with them. It didn’t matter, because all I had to do was tilt the rectangle a slightly, and the words came into view.
MILLER
MARCUS J
564-478-3542 ARMY
AB NEGATIVE
CHRISTIAN
Part of me had really thought Miller was lying about being in the Army, but this kind of proved he wasn’t. Yes, he could have taken them off the same soldier he’d stolen the uniform from, but why bother with the dog tag, and why keep wearing it? It wasn’t like any of us would have noticed.
“Rowan?” Devon had stopped walking and turned to stare at me.
“Coming.”
I shoved the dog tag back in my pocket and jogged to catch up, pushing my cart. It was Miller’s, and I’d give it back, but after we got home. No point in bothering with it now.
Devon waited until I’d reached him to start moving again, and we walked side by side toward the front of the store, a good ten feet between us and the others.
“So, that was your ex,” he eventually said, his voice quiet and his tone impossible to read.
“Nothing gets by you,” I replied, wanting to lighten the mood. The statement came out flat.
He glanced my way but didn’t turn his head. “The same ex you said I reminded you of?”
I cringed. “I wish I hadn’t said that. It’s not true. Not anymore.” I sneaked a look his way, but he was no longer looking at me. “Now that I’ve gotten to know you, I don’t really see any resemblance.”
Devon expression was dubious. “He looked pretty happy to see you.”
“The feeling isn’t mutual, believe me.” That was an understatement. I wouldn’t have gone so far as to say I wished Doug had died, but I definitely would have been okay if our paths had never crossed.
Devon didn’t stop walking, but he did turn his focus on me. “Does that mean you don’t want to go there?”
“No.” I let out a long sigh. “I mean, yes, but I know that’s stupid. We need the help, and not just because the house isn’t a smart place to stay. There’s safety in numbers, right?”
“I think so,” he said, “assuming you have the right people.”
“Yeah…” I let the word trail off, thinking about the men we’d just met. “Gabe was interesting. Not all that nice, but he warmed up once he found out you were a cop.”
“It’s a brotherhood,” Devon said. “Like a frat.”
I snorted. “It looked like a frat.”
I could tell he was trying to hold it in, but a smile snuck its way out anyway. “I think Miller was a little intimidated.”
“He should be, but not for the reasons he is. If Gabe expects everyone to chip in, Miller is going to be in trouble.”
“I’m not going to lie. I’ll be glad to make him someone else’s problem.”
&n
bsp; “No kidding.” I let out a little laugh, but I was still thinking about the people we’d just met. Something was bugging me, but I couldn’t say what. “Max seemed genuine, even though he didn’t talk much.”
“I got a good vibe from him, too,” Devon said, nodding.
“Brian is a bit of mystery, but he did tell Gabe they had to let us in.”
“I agree,” he replied then paused like he was waiting to find out what I’d say next. When I didn’t speak, he said, “Then there’s Doug.”
“Good old Doug,” I replied, not sure what else to say about him.
Devon waited a beat as if thinking something through then asked, “Can I be honest?”
I stiffened, preparing myself. Maybe for the jealous bit guys seemed so fond of, or for Devon to tell me he wanted to kick Doug’s ass, or maybe even to tell me to grow up. I wasn’t sure; I just had a feeling I needed to brace myself for an impact.
“He seemed like a good guy.”
That wasn’t what I’d thought he was going to say.
“Really?”
Devon gave me a genuine smile. “Yes, Rowan. Really. I think if he hadn’t been your ex-boyfriend, you would have thought he was a nice guy.”
“He is a nice guy,” I grumbled. “That just makes it worse, you know? If he’d been an asshole, I could be pissed and it would be justified, but Doug was always nice. It just so happens he also broke my heart.”
Devon’s smile melted away. “Broke your heart?”
“Yeah. I was in love with the guy. I lost my virginity to him, for God’s sake. We dated for a year, and it all ended in the blink of an eye.” I grimaced at the memory. “He was even nice when he dumped me.”
Devon’s expression had changed, but he was no longer looking at me, so I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking. Not that it mattered. We’d reached the front of the store, and the others were waiting for us at the door. Time to focus on getting out and loading the car while hopefully not drawing too much attention to ourselves.
“How are we going to do this?” Lisa asked. Already she looked tense.
“Let’s get Kiaya and Rowan on lookout while we unload the carts,” Devon said, his gaze darting past the others to the parking lot. “I see some zombies in the distance, but it doesn’t look like any are too close. As long as it stays that way, we should be good. If not, we’ll take out any that become a threat. Okay?”
Far Series | Book 2 | Far From Safe Page 17
