by Belle Harper
But now I was starting to figure out their whole relationship, and yeah I would be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous. I was jealous. I missed the sweetness of a woman just being around. I wasn’t young when NEX took every woman I knew out. I could have settled down and started a family. But I was waiting, and the joke was on me because by the time I was ready, there were no women left to even take out on a date.
So, I threw myself into what I knew best—being a mechanic—and built myself this Jeep that actually works. Since being a mechanic wasn’t exactly going to help me after the Flare and NEX, I had to come up with my own way of making a living. And doing trades with other towns, and even transport was the best way to do that.
“Good morning, Ryker,” Nova said as she stepped out of the house and onto the path toward me. I straightened up and smiled down at her. Trying to get the sounds she made last night out of my head.
“Good morning,” I replied. I saw Colton coming toward us. I backed myself up to the Jeep to show him I was no threat. I got it; I would act like him if I had Nova. You couldn’t trust anyone these days. That was why that kid Noah was watching me from the hallway. I’d hardly slept. Especially after I heard what was going on in there. I wasn’t the only one outside that room that was affected; Noah had re-adjusted himself a few times. I couldn’t stop imagining what was going on in there. Fuck. Just thinking about it is making me hard again.
“We ready to go?” Colton asked me as his hand slipped into Nova’s and she blushed. You would think she was a virgin the way she was smiling so sweetly at Colton. But after last night, I knew better. She’s a little minx.
I nodded. The solar panels were juicing the batteries up enough for us to start the day. I had a look at the maps and worked out how to get north without bumping into too many towns. Like Colton wanted, but I knew we needed to eventually restock and hopefully find the place we were going. Because like it or not, I was coming with them.
“Did you want me to take over driving for a while? Give you a chance to close your eyes and rest for a few hours?” Colton asked from behind my seat. Noah was riding shotgun. Apparently, he wanted to stay awake as long as possible. I could think of one reason why he would do that, and she was sitting in the back seat, flipping through a book she found in my stash. I had been driving for a few hours and my eyes were starting to burn with how tired I was.
“Yeah actually that would be great. I will swap with you.” I pulled the Jeep to a stop and opened my door.
“Noah, get in the back,” Colton ordered. The kid grumbled and got out. Yeah, I knew that would happen, but a guy can dream right. I really wished it was me going in the back. As I rounded the front of the Jeep to the passenger door, Colton had already got in and started off without me.
“Fucker,” I yelled as I chased my Jeep. Fuck. How could I have been so stupid? After about a minute of running, I stopped. I was out of breath, there was no point it was faster then I was. The Jeep came to a sudden stop. Fuck. I started running again and it took off. “Mother fuckers,” I screamed into the dust it left behind. I took a look at my surroundings. Great they left me in the middle of nothing.
I heard a sound from where the Jeep went, then I could see it. It was reversing towards me. I jumped out the way, unsure what Colton was going to do. Then white hair spilled from the front passenger window.
“Jump in the back, Ryker. I’m sorry Colton did that. He promised not to do it again,” she said with the sweetest smile. I couldn’t even be angry right now; she was talking to me. I nodded and opened the back door up, and Ezra had moved to the middle seat. He didn’t say anything when I got in.
None of them did, actually. But Nova didn’t care. She wanted to talk, and she really wanted to talk to me and I didn’t want to be rude so I talked back.
“So, have you read this whole book?” She turned in her seat to face me and waved the book around in her hand. I nodded. It was my favorite book growing up. Percy Jackson. It was a great adventure story. My mom bought me the book when I was ten. And I couldn’t part with it. The book was all dog-eared and worn out from all the years of reading. But it wasn’t missing any pages.
“Yeah, that book has been with me for over thirty years.” She smiled shyly at me and then glanced over to Colton in the driver’s seat, who had a stiff way about him. He wasn’t happy she was talking to me, but he wasn’t stopping her either, so I tried to continue the conversation.
“Do you like it so far?”
She nodded and then turned back to me. “How…old are you?” She hesitated as if I would be offended. I winked and she smiled.
“I’m old.” I chuckled and then added, “But I’m not that old. I have had a few hard years…. Like fourteen of them. How old do you think I am?” She giggled and her eyes darted to Colton as she bit her lower lip. God that was not helping me at all. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Honestly. Finally her gaze returned to me.
“Maybe like forty?” her brows scrunched in the middle of her forehead as if she was unsure of her answer.
I nodded and replied “Close enough.” She smiled and bounced a little in her seat. Then Ezra spoke.
“You’re old enough to be her dad.” And I instantly got aggravated. Asshole.
“Well if that’s the case, then so is Colton,” she quipped back at him. I couldn’t help but chuckle at her. She sure was a firecracker. I knew Colton was older than these two. But I was definitely older than him. Not by much but enough.
I had drifted off to sleep at some stage, and the sun was starting its decent. I was hungry, so I reached into the back and pulled out some protein bars. I passed one to Ezra first. He mumbled a thanks. Noah grabbed it.
“Thanks, man. My stomach is eating itself.”
I handed two forward and Colton looked over and took one. Nova didn’t take the other, so I moved forward in my seat in case she didn’t see it. Colton spoke then.
“She is asleep, man. Keep it for her when she wakes up.”
I moved forward and peered around the seat to see her. Her hair had fallen across her face, her mouth just visible through the white locks, and her lips were slightly parted. She made the softest sounds. I was surprised Colton let me look as long as I did. The book was still in her hand, lying open on her lap with her hand barely holding it. Without thinking, I reached over to the book. A firm hand grasped my arm before I got to it. I glanced over to a very angry Colton. His teeth gritted together and his eyes piercing right through me.
“Don’t you dare touch her. You are fucking lucky you are still in here with her. If I had my way, I wouldn’t have fucking stopped,” he hissed. I moved my arm back slightly and looked him dead in the eyes.
“I didn’t appreciate you trying to ditch me back there. As I said, trust gotta go both ways, and so far it seems I’m the stupid one here.”
He didn’t say anything, but I heard the other two clearing their throats. I turned back to see Ezra sitting very tense, watching me with that piercing blue eye of his.
“I wasn’t going to touch her,” I told him.
Noah eyed me next. “Sure looks like you were trying to touch her.”
I let out a deep breath. “Fuck, I was reaching for the book. It will fall out of her hand and she will lose her page. I was going to mark where she was up to and put it in the console for later when she wakes up. I wasn’t trying to touch her.”
I shook my head and Colton let go of my arm. He reached over and grabbed the edge of the book and passed it to me. I tagged it and put it in the console.
“Fucker,” he mumbled. I sat back in my seat and we continued the drive in silence.
33
Noah
A few days later we got within a few miles of a functioning city that we didn’t see on the map. As we got closer Colton drove the car behind a building a few miles back to hide it. It was decided that Ezra was going to stay with Ryker and Nova, while Colt and I went into town and to get supplies. But I knew there was a hidden message in that too
. We were going to ask about this Eden place too.
As we approached, we noticed this place had more guns and protection than any other town we had been to before.
“State your business.” The guard at the front signalled with his gun for us to stop.
“We are here to trade and buy supplies, mainly food, then travel on,” Colton replied. His voice steady and calm as if there weren’t a bunch of eyes and guns on us.
“Show us what you have.” The guard stepped forward. Colton hesitated at first and then opened his bag, showing some stuff Ryker gave us to trade with. He nodded and let us pass.
“Fuck, that was intense,” I muttered to him. He nodded. Grabbing my arm, he led us away from the front gate.
“Let’s find the nearest bar and buy a drink each. Get talking and see if we can find this Eden.”
When we walked into the busy bar, there were a bunch of drunks swinging at each other. I had to swerve around them to avoid being hit. One of the guys looked at me with a puzzled expression. I turned and followed Colton up to the crowded bar. He ordered us a couple of whiskies. We didn’t drink alcohol much, and I avoided it if possible. ’Cause that shit tasted like fire. But to blend in, you needed to look like you were drinking.
Colton knocked his drink back and then slammed the ceramic cup down. He asked for another. My cup had a chip in it. I took a small sip, the burn hit as soon as it touched my tongue. I tried not to wince at the taste. Colton started scanning the crowd. Working out where to start first and walked away from the bar. I looked around but decided to try finish this drink before I started talking to anyone.
Colton looked like he fit in so well here. He started laughing with some men and then offered to play darts with them. He was unquestionably the hottest guy in here by far.
“Hey,” a guy said as he sat on the stool next to me. I nodded in greeting but my eyes never left Colt.
“You new here?” he asked. I turned to him and I saw he was around my age. He had dark eyes. His smile was big as he tipped back his drink. Nodding, I took another sip of my whisky and he waved to the bartender.
“Another one for me and my new friend.” He winked at me.
Um…shit. Is he flirting with me? I turned back to Colt who had a group of men chatting and laughing with him. I had seen him do this many times before if he wanted information. He buttered them up like they were his new best friends and slipped in a few small questions here and there and got all his answers without the men realizing they had even given it.
“Hi.” I decided I might as well play along too and maybe get some information from this guy. When the bartender gave me a refill, the guy tapped his cup with mine and slammed it back. I took a long sip. It burned as it went down, my body felt warm from the alcohol.
“I’m Kade.” He held his hand out and I took it in mine as I shook it.
“Noah.”
The small talk was awkward. I didn’t know if he would stop talking to me once I told him that Colt was my boyfriend. Or if he was really flirting with me to start with. So I decided to not tell him about Colt until needed. Maybe he just wanted a friend? Not everything is about sex.
But after a few more drinks and not much of a chance of finding out about Eden unless I spelled it out, that protein bar from earlier wanted to come back and make an appearance.
“I think I drank too much,” I told Kade. He was starting to slur his words also. I looked around and saw some small lights on. What’s the time? It was dark outside now. Shit. I saw Colton in deep conversation. Ugh, I need to get up. I hope he was getting good intel. Those guys looked scruffy as all hell. They usually had the best information and gossip.
“I have to go talk to my boyfriend,” I told Kade. I started to get up. I was a little lightheaded and unsteady on my feet. Shit. I sat down fast. That whisky was strong.
“You have a boyfriend? It figures,” he muttered. I felt bad he had been paying for my drinks.
“I’m sorry. He is over there, looking for the way to this place called Eden,” I told him. I jerked my head up. Shit I shouldn’t have told him that. His eyes went wide as he glanced at Colt and then back to me. I had spent all this time not saying it, and now I blurt it out. I blame the alcohol.
“What have you heard about it?” he asked, suddenly very serious.
Um…I don’t know how to interrogate people. “Just that certain people go there to live without all this shit.” I swung my head around to demonstrate what I meant. He scanned the room over his shoulder and then leaned in close.
“Why would someone like you, with a boyfriend, be looking for Eden?” he whispered close to my ear. His warm breath tickled my neck.
“Do you know of it? Do you know where it is?”
He looked around again and he seemed restless. After a quiet moment fidgeting with his hands, he gave me a slight nod. Shit. My heart started racing. My stomach still wasn’t settled after the alcohol, so I took a few deep breaths to help steady it.
“Come with me.” He got up and walked out the bar. I tried to get Colt’s attention, but I didn’t want to miss out on finding out what Kade knew. And I was worried he would disappear on me if I didn’t follow closely behind.
As I followed him out into the dark, I saw him cross the street standing outside a shop. When I got closer, he started walking again. I worried we were getting too far away and maybe this wasn’t a good idea. I didn’t know who this guy really was. He spun on his heel and swayed lightly.
“Tell me what you know,” I demanded. Getting upset on how stupid I had been to come here alone without Colton to back me up. My stomach lurched, but I held it all down. I’m making myself sick now.
He came closer and said, “You are telling me you have… a woman?” I didn’t know if I was supposed to say yes or no. So I just stood there staring at him, biting my tongue and not giving anything away. He nodded, running a hand through his short dark hair. “Really?” he whispered.
After a stare-off for what felt like forever, he whispered to me again, “You better not be fucking with me.”
I didn’t move. I wanted Colton to come out. To help me. Then I decided I needed to step up and be a man, so far it was only Kade here. A few drunks stumbled passed us but apart from that we were alone. “I’m not fucking with you. Do you really know where it is ’cause I need to take someone there.” I hissed out under my breath.
“My sister…Emma,” he trailed off. I stepped closer nodding for him to continue. “She lives there with her husbands.”
My mouth dropped open. Holy shit. This guy hasn’t just heard of it. He knew someone who is living there. In Eden. It’s real. “Husbands?” I ask, as in more than one. Like what we are doing right now with the four of us?
He nodded. “Yeah, she has like seven, I think. It’s one of the rules they have there. Men can only live there if they are married, or you know committed to the woman…A lover. They protect her and the settlement. So, if your woman has men, she has to be with them as in… husbands.” He turned around, and I saw Colton walking around outside the bar in the moonlight.
“Colton,” I called over to him. He ran over. Was that worry in his eyes as he looked at the stranger I was with outside. Or Jealously? Could Colton get jealous? Did I want him too? Yes, yes I did.
“I didn’t get shit, and now it’s fucking late as fuck,” he said while eyeing up Kade.
“Well I have got better than that. Meet Kade. He has a family member who lives in the place we are searching for.” I tried to be cryptic as a group of men stumbled past. Colts eyes went wide then narrowed on Kade.
“Are you serious? So, it’s real?”
Kade nodded and whispered to me. “Does she have room for one more?” And gestured to himself.
Colt heard what he said and grumbled loudly. “No,” he hissed out and Kade stepped back a bit, his hands up in defence.
“Where is it? Please help me.” I wanted to beg, but I stood stock still waiting, hoping he would tell us. After some silence, I coul
d tell he was internally debating if we really had a woman with us and if he can tell us.
“Go to Montana. Go to Apex Falls. Ask for Jeremey at the gate. He will instruct you the rest of the way.”
And with that, he slipped away into the night, leaving Colt and I stunned that we had somewhere, an idea of where to go. And north was where we need to be. In Montana.
34
Nova
I thought it was rude we had taken Ryker’s tent. He kept insisting I take it, knowing the boys would be sleeping in it with me when Colt and Noah returned. It wasn’t large, just a two-person tent, but that was okay. I liked to be close to them when I was sleeping. It gave me security, and I slept so much better for it. Ryker had the keys to the Jeep and had set up his sleeping bag much farther away from us than I thought he would. He stood there, looking at the sunset.
“Ryker?” I asked. He turned to me with a smile on his face. Ezra wasn’t too far away from me, and I knew I was safe with him. I didn’t feel like Ryker would hurt me, if anything I trusted him. He hasn’t done or said anything to make me believe he would want to hurt me or the guys. I was starting to get to know him a bit better. Especially now that Colton wasn’t here, and I could talk to him more freely.
“Can I ask you about a few things in the book?” I knew how to read, but some words I didn’t know or understand. Books and paper were a little hard to come by, and even when we could trade for things, food was more important. Still my dad taught me a lot, but there were a lot of big words in here I didn’t know or understand.
He nodded and we sat down, not too close to each other though. He explained what the story was about but didn’t give away the ending. “There are more books in the series. I wish I had them, but this is the only book I have, unfortunately.”
