by Harley Tate
He pointed at Colt. “I meant what I said. Not a move.’
Colt inhaled and braced himself for action. He counted on the man’s reflexes being too slow. The little girl stepped up to him and bit her lip as she opened the scissors. They were so big, she had to hold one side with each hand.
She opened the blades. Rust pocked the surface. Colt tensed. “You know how to use those things, right?”
“Course she does. Now shut up and let her work.” The man nodded at the girl. “Go on, baby. It’s all right.”
The girl nodded and turned back to the task. Colt twisted to the side to give her the best angle. Were his shots up to date? Dying of some nasty infection after surviving bullet wounds and a three-story fall would be ironic at best.
She stuck the scissors through the gap in Colt’s arms and forced them shut. Even from Colt’s poor angle, he could see they would never open. The tape stuck to the metal and held fast. The little girl tugged and pulled, but it was no use.
“Daddy, they’re stuck. I can’t do it.” She sagged and looked up at him.
The man didn’t know what to do. He shook his head back and forth, opened his mouth and closed it again, glanced all around the bathroom.
Colt spoke up. “You got a knife? A sharp one will probably cut through it.”
The drug addict mumbled curses beneath his breath and shoved the gun in his waistband. He stepped forward and yanked on the scissors. It took him three tries and some serious effort, but he pulled them free. He turned to his daughter. “You watch him honey, and if he does anything, you holler. All right?”
The girl nodded and her father left the room.
Colt couldn’t wait there forever. Every minute this circus kept up, his chances of escape dwindled. The man would either get sick of him or do something stupid and someone would die. Colt hoped it wouldn’t be the little girl.
“How about you go take a nap, huh, sweetie? I bet you’re tired after all that candy.”
She rose up on one foot, balancing like a ballerina. “I’m not tired. I could stay up all day and all night, just like Daddy.”
“If you dig through my bag, you’ll find a pack of gum in the bottom. You can have it.”
She twirled around on her toes with her arms up in the air. “I don’t like gum. Too chewy.”
Colt exhaled. He didn’t want the kid there when he took on her father. “There might be some clothes. Something pretty for you.”
The girl paused halfway through another turn. “Like a necklace or a tiara?”
Colt plastered on a smile. “You never know unless you find out.”
Her father stepped back into the room holding a giant bread knife with a foot-long blade. The little girl squeezed under his arm and scampered away. He watched her go and shook his head. “Kids. They can’t never stay in one place.”
“She seemed to like the closet just fine.”
The man pinned Colt with a look. “Keep talkin’ like that and I’ll leave you here, shit or no shit.”
Colt managed another nod and turned his back on the man.
The knife blade rubbed against his forearm as the man slipped it between Colt’s hands. He sawed it back and forth against the tape. Little by little the tension in Colt’s arms eased. He worked on keeping his body relaxed and easy. Too much tension and the man might notice.
The first section of tape gave way. He could move his shoulders. A minute later, the man hacked through the next section and Colt’s wrists separated, but he was still taped to the toilet.
Colt pointed with his head at the toilet seat. “You’ll have to cut the tape on the seat, too.”
The man shot him a look. “I ain’t stupid. Hold on.” He crouched down in an awkward sideways stance with the gun digging into his ribs. As he worked on the tape, Colt ran through the options. Only one came to mind.
He inhaled. Focused his mind. Waited. Almost there…
The second the tape connecting his right hand to the toilet separated Colt dove for the gun. He wrapped his fingers around the butt and yanked it free as the man staggered back.
With a shout, the man swung the knife. Colt ducked and it went wide. Spinning around, Colt grabbed the toilet seat in his left hand and yanked with all his might. It ripped from the toilet.
Colt fell back from the force, landing hard inside the tub. His legs stuck up in the air and he couldn’t get leverage. The drug addict lunged for him again with the knife. Colt cocked the gun, aimed, and pulled the trigger.
It clicked.
Shit.
The man laughed and lunged for him again. “You think I’d wave a loaded gun around with a kid in here?” he jabbed at Colt with the knife. It sliced his shirt and nicked his side.
He grunted and heaved himself out of the tub with all his strength. He collided with the man and propelled him back. The man’s hip hit the side of the sink and the knife clattered to the floor.
Colt whipped the gun around in his grip and used it like a club. Swinging high and fast, he slammed the butt into the side of the man’s head and he went down, crumpling into the sink before sliding onto the floor.
A scream rose up from the doorway. The little girl stood there, wearing one of the shirts Colt picked out for Dani. It reached her knees.
He stepped over her father and brushed past her. He couldn’t save them all.
Chapter Seven
DANI
672 Bellwether Street
Eugene, Oregon
2:00 p.m.
The door to an apartment crashed open and Dani brought up the rifle. She squinted into the dark and took aim as a shape barreled into the hall. Her finger twitched on the trigger.
“It’s all right, Dani!” Larkin bellowed. “It’s Colt!”
She eased off the trigger and lowered the rifle as Colt and Larkin approached.
Colt reached for her and brought her to his chest for a quick hug. “We need to move, now.”
She pulled back and looked at him. Blood matted half of his hair and duct tape hung in twisted strips around his wrists. “Are you all right?”
He nodded. “I’ll fill you in later. Right now we need to hurry.”
The three of them rushed down the stairs and into the dilapidated lobby without another word. Larkin peered out the dirty glass. “Do we need to hole up somewhere or head straight back?”
“Let’s loop around to the south and come up from the other direction.”
“Copy that.” Larkin pushed open the door and glanced around. “It’s clear.” He headed out with Colt and Dani on his heels.
They kept to the shadows, ducking into doorways and pausing in alleys as they navigated toward the south. Dani thought about Skeeter. She couldn’t be seen on the street. Not with Colt and Larkin.
On the edge of his territory, she grabbed Colt by the arm. “There’s a dealer down here looking for my mom. We’re almost in his ‘hood. If he spots me, it’ll be bad.”
Colt pulled her into a doorway hidden from the street and whistled for Larkin. A moment later, he joined them.
“How bad?”
Dani exhaled. “He said my mom owes him two hundred. Owes a bunch of other dealers, too. Next time he sees me, he wants his money.”
“They’re still using money?”
“Skeeter, is I guess. Maybe all the dealers. Most people around here don’t have checking accounts. That’s why there’s so many check-cashing places and Western Unions. People don’t use credit cards or ATMs in this neighborhood.”
“Larkin, you have any cash?”
He shook his head. “Not a dollar.”
“I don’t, either.” Colt frowned. “Will Skeeter leave his territory?”
“No. Never. Big Nicky works up here. Skeeter knows not to cross him.”
“All right. Let’s skirt the edge. If we can make it home without being followed or getting into any more trouble, we can decide what to do about Skeeter later.”
Colt filled her and Larkin in about his kidnapping and Dani fought to
keep her emotions in check. She knew Colt had been in trouble. She shot Larkin a glance. He shrugged.
“What’s the chance the guy will come after us?”
“Probably low. But we should go back to the apartment where we know it’s secure.”
Dani nodded and let Larkin once again take the lead. This time she kept pace, pointing out the edges of Skeeter’s territory and ensuring they stayed on the right side. An hour later, they arrived at the apartment building without incident.
They eased around the back and slipped in the rear door. Thanks to their work a few days before, the front appeared abandoned, but it was actually the most secure entrance on the block. Two by fours and plywood blocked any attempt at breaking in, combined with heaps of trash behind them. Even if an enterprising person worked their way inside, they would have to contend with broken glass and rats before they made it to the back.
Dani took the stairs two at a time and beat both men to the top. She opened the apartment door and waited. Her heart thudded against her chest in exertion and relief. As soon as Colt and Larkin slipped in, she shut and locked it and leaned against the wall. Colt is safe. She said the three words over and over again in her head until she believed them to be true.
Colt reached out and gave her arm a squeeze. “I’m calling a meeting.”
Dani nodded as he walked away, not trusting her voice to stay even. She closed her eyes and thought about how dangerous their current situation had become. They couldn’t stay in Eugene. It wasn’t worth the odds.
After her heart slowed, Dani peeled herself off the wall and took a seat in the living room. Everyone else was already there. Harvey, Gloria, and their grandson Will. Melody and her brother Doug. Colt and Larkin. Even little Lottie, the yorkie, sat on Melody’s lap, licking a front paw.
Colt cleared his throat. “As you all know, we’ve been scraping by so far outside of the militia’s control. But things are deteriorating rapidly. I don’t believe staying here any longer is sustainable or wise. I called this meeting to propose a new course of action.”
He paused and glanced around the room. “It’s time to leave Eugene.”
At first, no one spoke. Melody glanced at Gloria. Harvey glanced down at his grandson. Larkin leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. It was like Colt had told them the Ducks wouldn’t win the division or there was no such thing as Santa.
Dani didn’t understand it. She’d been saying they should leave Eugene for days. Even before the Wilkinses and Harpers lost their houses in the fire. Even before she was shot and left for dead.
They couldn’t stay in a town where a madman wanted to kill them and make a show of it. She shifted on her chair and waited.
At last, Harvey broke the silence. “Where do you propose we go?”
“South. The farther south we go, the better the winter weather. I know it’s only April, but we need to think about freezing temperatures and snowfall.”
“I have friends in Reno.” Melody smiled at everyone as she tucked her legs beneath her. “We could head there.”
Colt thought it over. “Reno’s too big. But Lake Tahoe is an option. It should have fish and plenty of cabins.”
Harvey leaned back and shook his head. “They’re what? Five hundred miles from here? I’ll die of old age before we get there.”
“Not necessarily.” Larkin opened his eyes. “We have vehicles, don’t forget that.”
Colt nodded. “The electric car is dead, but the Corolla we found in the garage has half a tank. The Humvee’s range isn’t great, but somewhere will have diesel to siphon.” He glanced around at the seven other people in the room. “It’ll be a tight squeeze, but we can make do.”
“What about food? Clothes? Shelter while we’re on the road?” Doug scooted forward on the love seat, and braced his elbows on his knees. “We’ve got a good thing going here. The place is secure. It’s warm. We’ve been capturing rainwater and scavenging for food. I say we stay.”
Dani spoke up. “There’s too many bad people still hanging out. Drug dealers my mom used to know, addicts looking for a fix. It’s too dangerous.”
“We’ve been doing fine.”
She hesitated, but Colt gave her the go-ahead. “One of them stopped me today. Said my mom owes him money. If I don’t pay him, he’s going to come looking.”
“Your mother’s debts don’t have anything to do with us.”
“Doug!” Melody admonished her brother, but he ignored her.
“It’s true. We shouldn’t have to leave because Dani’s got a problem with some thug.”
Dani crossed her arms and focused on the floor.
“It’s not just her.” Colt shifted in his seat. “I was ambushed today while on a run.” He turned and showed off the blood on his head. “Lucky for me the guy was too weak to kill me. But it took some serious work to get away. He’s still out there. Looking for me.”
“Great.” Doug rolled his eyes. “Where have I heard this before?”
“You could always stay behind.” Larkin stayed in a slouch, but the edge in his voice made his meaning clear.
Gloria held up her hands. “Let’s not fight. Doug, I hear you on wanting everyone to stay. Colt and Dani, I understand why you want to leave. Melody, what do you think?”
The younger woman glanced at her brother before responding. “I think we should go.”
Doug made a noise, but she ignored it.
“Jarvis will be looking for us. At some point, he’ll come this way. We need to be far away from Eugene when that happens. I don’t think we would survive another attack.” She reached for her brother’s arm. “I don’t want to go through that again, Doug.”
Doug’s snotty look faded, and he scooted closer to his sister on the couch. He reached out and squeezed her knee. “Are you sure?”
“Very.”
He exhaled with a nod. “All right. Then I guess I’m in.”
Colt turned to Harvey. “What do you say?”
“I don’t like it, but I know you’re right. Leaving is the only option.”
“Then it’s settled. We can get everything assembled and packed today and hit the road first thing tomorrow morning.”
Dani stayed in her seat while everyone else stood up and stretched before wandering off to their respective rooms. She knew they had to leave, but it still filled her with dread. Driving all the way to some lake on the border of California?
Without gear or supplies or even warm coats, how would they make it across two states? She chewed on her lip as she thought about all the things that could go wrong. From Jarvis finding them as they headed out, to the Humvee breaking down in the middle of nowhere, to not finding a place to stay once they made it.
Leaving Eugene was the right call, but could they really make it that far? She glanced up to find Colt watching her from the kitchen. He’d stacked up all the bottles of water on the counter and was starting in on the little food they hadn’t yet eaten.
She managed a smile. Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe it wouldn’t be so hard.
Day Thirty-One
Chapter Eight
MELODY
672 Bellwether Street
Eugene, Oregon
7:00 a.m.
Steady raindrops hummed in the background while Melody balanced two bottles of water on her hip. Unable to sleep, she’d crawled out of bed at five and stood on the edge of the balcony, staring out over the town she’d called home her entire life.
The clouds hid the stars and through the rain she couldn’t see a single light. The University sat dark this chilly, wet morning. She glanced down at the water she cradled like an infant and forced a dry swallow. Kids had always been on the horizon; she wanted a family someday.
Now they seemed like a distant dream, almost as ethereal as electricity. Never would she tickle chubby little marshmallow feet or dance barefoot in the grass with a little girl that had her eyes. At twenty-seven, Melody felt for the first time like she’d wasted her life.
Sure,
she’d become a veterinary technician and helped pet dogs and cats and even a pig or two when they came to the vet. But she’d put so many things on hold. Travel. A boyfriend. Family.
She hadn’t even read a good book in months. Now there wouldn’t be any new books or bookstores to find them in. No coffee shops to while away the morning, no museums in which she could lose an afternoon.
The buildings were all still standing, but for how long? How long would any of it last without the government propping them up? When they hadn’t heard from the mayor or the governor or the president, how could they expect to ever go back to normal?
A bottle slipped and she clutched it tighter. The closest she would ever get to a baby in her arms.
“Need a hand?”
Melody spun around. Larkin stood a few feet away, freshly shaven and smiling. A month ago she wouldn’t have given him a second glance. A soldier? No way. But now…
He’d risked his own life to save hers and turned his back on the military he’d loved. She smiled back. “There’s four more on the counter. I couldn’t carry them.”
Larkin nodded and turned away. She’d never noticed before how his eyes caught the light and sparkled. Melody followed him into the kitchen and waited as he picked up the bottles. One slipped from his grip and he ended up carting them all in front of him like a bushel of apples.
“I don’t know how you women balance anything on a hip.”
“Instinct, I guess.”
He stilled. “Did you have any—”
“Kids?” Melody shook her head. “No. I’d wanted to, but…”
“You thought you had more time.”
She nodded.
“Sounds familiar.” Larkin walked to the door and bent to turn the handle. He bobbled the armload and almost dropped all the water, but managed to hang on. “I told myself I didn’t need to settle down until forty. What I wouldn’t give now for a plot of land and a white picket fence.”
Melody eased through the open door and followed Larkin down the hall. “You’re serious?”
