by Belle Harper
“Lock the doors,” Ezra told me as he jumped out. And I did just that. I felt so useless that I couldn’t stop these fears running through my mind.
“Are you okay?” Adam asked me. I didn’t turn to look at him. I made a sound that hopefully came across as yes. I don’t think he believed me, but he didn’t ask any more questions either. As much as I wanted to get in the backseat and hide, I wanted to be stronger more. I could do this, one fear at a time. Just close your eyes and breathe.
15
Ezra
We knocked on the door of the apartment 2B. This place was thoroughly maintained. There were only two floors and four apartments. But the people who lived here must have really kept up with the building. Because it was better than any I had seen in a really long time.
The door opened and an older man, maybe in his sixties with salt and pepper hair and a neatly trimmed beard, looked out to us.
“Yes? Can I help you?” His voice was gruff as he glanced behind us then raised a brow.
“Are you Jeremy?” Colton was straightforward, as always. The man’s eyes darted between us before he answered.
“Maybe. Who asks?” He was giving me weird vibes. I didn’t know if this was the right guy. And if it was, he might not actually know where Eden was. This whole thing could be a set up.
“We are looking for a place and were told Jeremy knows how to get there.”
He nodded for us to enter, and we walked in.
Inside the apartment it was fully furnished. It was nice and cozy and reminded me of when I would visit my Grandma June as a child. Just not the same smell. But I don’t think anything would ever replicate the smell of freshly baked cookies again.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” Jeremy asked as he pulled some cups out of a kitchen cabinet. “We have water here. The pressure is not good, but it’s clean. But only for drinking. We don’t have enough of it, so can’t waste it washing. Have to use the bath house down the street and ‘round the corner if you want to clean.”
I couldn’t stop my feet; they walked themselves over to where the sink was. I watched him turn the faucet and a slow trickle of water started. He placed the cup under and filled it and handed it to me. I drank it down fast. The water tasted fresh and cool on my tongue. I didn’t realize how thirsty I was until then. “Wow,” I said as he filled a cup for Colt and then one himself. “I have not seen water come out of a tap in so long.” It was almost mesmerizing. Apex falls was way ahead of anywhere we had been before.
“Come take a seat.” He gestured to the couch and I took a seat even though I itched to go back and get more water.
“So we are looking for a place,” Colton started and Jeremy put his hand up to stop him.
“Are you seeking… Eden?” he whispered at the end. But we both heard it. Eden. He said Eden.
I almost jumped out of my seat and screamed yes. My heart was thrumming with excitement. But I held myself together as I calmly answered. “Yes, yes we are. We were told by a man named Kade that you are the way there. We needed to find you. To show us how to get there.”
He nodded as he took a sip of his water. “Yes, I guess I’m kind of the… gate keeper, you could say. So you two are here. I assume you left your ah…ticket for entry somewhere?”
Colt sat more stiffly at the words. He didn’t answer at first. But then he finally nodded. This guy was our only chance of finding this Eden place. But we still had to be careful. He might just be someone who would kill us and kidnap her. And take her to his own version of Eden. But I guess if I didn’t try, we would never find this place on our own. So we had to try and trust him. If he becomes shady or weird I won’t hesitate to kill him. Nova’s safety is the most important thing.
“I need to see her, before I talk any further.” He whispered ‘her’ under his breath.
Colton flew up and yelled, “No!”
Jeremy put his cup down and stood up. He was built bigger than Colt. Hell, I was built bigger than Colt. But I still wouldn’t go head-to-head with him. That guy was quick and lithe. Would take you out before you even got a chance to swing at him. I should know, I tried once.
“Show me the ticket. And I will tell you everything you need and will take you where you need to go. Without her, I don’t speak a word. I don’t trust many, and when two men come in my apartment, seeking Eden without a ticket to show me… Can you see it from my position?”
He was right. I wouldn’t trust anyone with a place like Eden, just the words for two guys I have never met. I blurted out “We have a ticket…a her.” I started for the door. Colton shouted out to me, he was pissed. Fuck. I didn’t see it any other way, Jeremy needed to see her. I wasn’t going to go around in circles with them while she was outside hiding in the Jeep. How do we get Nova up here without being seen. I hesitated with my hand on the doorknob and turned to them both, shit I was going to be in so much trouble later with Colt.
“I can go to...” Jeremy gestured to the door. “Don’t bring her here.” And he followed me out the apartment and down the stairs. Colt wasn’t going quietly, no he thundered down those stairs and right past me. Fuck, I just ignored him. I just really didn’t want to beat around the bush here. I wanted Eden so bad for Nova. I hated that we had to hide her and the fact she had been taken from us twice. That was two times too many.
“We have a Jeep,” I explained to Jeremy. I walked past Noah as if I didn’t know him. He turned to speak to me, but Ryker grabbed Noah by his shirt and pulled him away. Jeremy didn’t notice, at least I was doing something right. If we needed back up, Jeremy wouldn’t know there was more of us. Colton rounded the car, his face was hard and eyes piercing.
Some men wandered past and tried to talk to me about the Jeep asking me questions. How much will I sell it for? I told them it wasn’t for sale, and they eventually got the idea and drifted down into the marketplace.
“Just show me from here, I will look in and decide.” Jeremy said with his eyes focused on Kento, who was not taking this Jeremy stare down well. I could see the sweat rolling off his forehead. I nodded in understanding pulling Jeremy away from Kento and looked through the window to Adam, who stared right at us.
I knocked on the window and gestured to Nova. Adam didn’t move. His eyes were fixed on Jeremy.
“Hey, Adam.” I got his attention. “Show him our…ah…goods.” It sounded wrong but I wasn’t going to say woman out loud in this place. Eventually Colt knocked on the other window and told Adam to do as I said.
Slowly, he pulled the blanket off Nova, and her hair was everywhere and stuck to the blanket like static. She ran her hands over her face and got the hair out of her eyes as she looked up to us and smiled.
“There, the goods are here. Yes?” Colton growled at Jeremy.
He grinned as he nodded. “That’s enough showing,” he told Adam, who quickly covered her back up.
“All right, you have the right goods here. I will give you a list of things you are going to need where you are going. Keep your boys watching.” He pointed to Noah and Ryker. “And you and you come with me,” he said, pointing to Colt and me.
Shit. How did he know they were with us? We needed to pick up our game better.
He pointed to the building and I looked up. “That’s my window. I watch everything going on. Especially when a car rolls up on my street.” Colton looked troubled . I grabbed his shoulder. He wasn’t to know that, we had only been using the Jeep for what a few weeks? We always went everywhere on foot. He was doing the best job he could at keeping Nova safe. Hell, us all safe. It was a hard job. One I was glad was not mine.
“All right. Let’s go shopping.” Jeremy clapped his hands together. We followed slowly, swallowed up by the crowd of men in the market place.
16
Nova
We drove for a few hours north from Apex Falls. We set up camp and had a fire going. It felt fantastic being out of the car. We had a new tent that fit five people. Two thin camp mattress things to sleep on, instead of th
e hard ground, not like I did much sleeping on the hard ground to start with. Just hard bodies. So many extra clothes and blankets. And we had Jeremy. Who rode in the Jeep with us.
“So my daughter was the first one in Eden, I help set everything up.” he told us. Mostly to me as I asked him questions. I could tell the guys didn’t like me talking so much with him, as someone was always holding me or touching me in some way when I spoke to him. I knew it was not lost on Jeremy either. He just smiled when he saw them reaching for me. I loved it, they were overprotective. But not overbearing.
“Wow, really?” I couldn’t wait to meet her.
He nodded. “Yes, her and her husbands came out here. Not many venture out here since the weather went crazy, so we thought it would be the best place for her. She has been here for almost ten years now. I haven’t visited in a while. So I’m actually happy you have come along. Gives me an chance to go see her. And my grandson… Jeremy.” The smile lit up his eyes, the crow’s feet more pronounced.
Oh, my God, they have kids in Eden. This dream just got better and better. “How many…ah husbands does your daughter have?” I stumbled over my words at first but I wasn’t ashamed of my men. But I wanted to know going into to Eden if I had an average amount, you know.
He coughed and laughed. “My daughter has eight. She calls them her husbands even though they never married formally. All the women in Eden call their men that. Makes everything easier you know?”
I nodded and Noah snuggled in close to my ear. “Husbands, I like that.” I smiled at the words. I liked that too.
The night was perfect as everyone laughed and joked. Even Kento joined in a little as the night went on. I knew he wasn’t good in a big group situation, but he seemed to relax as the night progressed. I noticed he was happier to sit closer to Noah, which made me so happy to see. Jeremy announced he was going to sleep and went off to a small area he had set up for himself.
“I got you something,” Ezra said as he jumped up from where he was sitting. He ran to the Jeep, which was parked off the road and hidden in some trees and bushes. When he returned, he had his hand behind his back.
“So, I remembered how much you loved them when we were in the bunker. So when I saw them earlier, I had to get you one.” He slowly pulled out a red apple. I almost squealed as I jumped out of Noah’s lap and ran over to him. I clutched the apple to my chest as I wrapped my arm around him and gave him a side hug.
“Yes, oh my God, Ezra.” I pulled him down for a kiss.
Noah laughed hard as Ryker chuckled. “Gee, princess, if I knew an apple was all it took to get a kiss, I would have gotten one when I first met you.”
I gave him a devilish smile as I took a bite of my apple. It was juicy, sweet and tart at the same time. I almost died right there it was so good. Ryker chuckled and the rest of them started to laugh at the sounds I made as I chewed.
I turned and placed the apple against Ezra’s lips, and he took a small bite. I skipped over to Colton and did the same. He took a bite then stole a kiss.
“Hey, me next,” Noah whined. I walked over to him and stopped a few feet away. As he reached out for me, I jumped back and ran over to Kento. His eyes went wide, but he smiled as I placed the apple against his lips. He took the smallest bite.
“More,” I told him. There was enough for all of us to enjoy it. He gave me a bigger smile and held my hand as he took another bite. Noah made sounds of complaint as I went to Adam next and gave him a small kiss and a bite. I loved the way everyone laughed as Noah made his sulky sounds. He had the biggest smile on his face as he pretended to cry. I cracked a smile at that as I walked to Ryker. His lips tugged at the corner of his mouth with a sly smirk.
“Mmm….it’s so good. Maybe I will eat the rest,” I teased Ryker. Then two big hands wrapped around my waist and picked me up, spinning me. I giggled as Noah put me down on my feet, grabbing my hand he took a small bite from my apple and then placed a wet kiss on my neck.
“You cheater,” I jokingly accused and he all but danced his way back to where he was seated.
“Well, looks like I’m the only one who hasn’t had a bite,” Ryker says. His eyes darkened as I slowly moved to him. The laughter had died down, and I knew they all watched me. The way he was seated on the dirt made it easy for me to walk right up to him and straddle his lap. So I did. He made a low moan as I put all my weight into him and rubbed myself up against the hardness I could feel between us.
I lowered my voice. “You want a bite?” A wicked smile streamed across his face.
“I want a bite” he drawled out… and I knew when he pulled the collar of my top to the side that he didn’t mean my apple as he bit me where my shoulder meets my neck. The small tingles of pain had me gasp softly and when he released his teeth and licked where he had bitten me, the thrum of pleasure through me had me pushing myself closer. I didn’t know something like that could make me feel so… so turned on. He ran his tongue up my neck to my ear.
“Oh, you meant the apple?” He whispered. My breathing now heavy, my body hyperaware of his touch. He pulled back and quirked his eyebrow. I didn’t move or speak, so he took my hand and placed the apple against his lips and he… licked it. Grabbing the back of my neck he pulled me in for a taste of his lips.
Ryker kissed like no one else. The way he demanded my attention, how he dominated the kiss reminded me of Colton. But there was something darker about Ryker, he was more… intense. That I forgot everyone was here.
All I could feel was Ryker.
17
Ryker
Fuck me, Nova was so responsive. I was sure that’s why Colton gave me first watch. Fucking asshole. I was pissed off. So much for everything being fair and equal, right as things heated up between Nova and me, he goes and calls out that it’s time for bed and that I’m on fucking watch first. I have calmed down now, just was really frustrated for a while there.
“Come on, Ezra, it’s time for a shift change.” I nudged his shoulder as I passed by him and brought the flashlight to life.
I opened the door to the new tent. I could see Nova curled up in Colton’s arms, Noah wrapped around him, and Adam was at odd angle away from them all. He opened his eyes at me. I had the flashlight aimed away from the door as to not wake everyone. But the look in his eyes told me he hadn’t gotten much sleep. If any.
“Hey, you all right?” I whispered as I stepped inside, muffling the light with my hand. Ezra was right behind me. The tent was big enough to stand up in at least. But you could still feel the chill in the air, it wasn’t any warmer in here.
“I’m just hurting. It’s weird. It’s like I have pins and needles in my right hand…but I have no right hand. I don’t know how to make it stop.”
Shit. That got Ezra’s attention too. I rubbed my hand over my face and willed my eyes to stay open as I looked between Ezra and Adam.
“I have heard they call it phantom pains. I don’t know what to do for it,” Ezra told him as he nudged Noah with his foot. Noah groaned and tried to get closer to Colton as if that would stop us from a shift change.
“Up, Noah. Move,” Ezra uttered as he pulled the blankets down off him. That got him awake.
“Nooo…I’m so warm leave me alone.” But Noah eventually got up and Ezra took his spot. He didn’t touch Colton; he turned and faced the other way.
“Adam, you were supposed to swap with me. But shit man, you need to sleep. Jeremy said we will be mostly on foot for the next three days since we can’t exactly drive to Eden, it’s all trees and forest from here. Can’t have you slowing us down because you haven’t slept any.”
He tried to get up but I told him to stay. I closed the tent door behind me as I left.
“Noah, can you watch from the back? I did that one just before. I need a change of scenery.”
He looked behind me and then nodded. “He was moaning a lot earlier. I feel for him, losing an arm. That’s painful, in more ways than the obvious.” I nodded. But at least Adam was alive. I wished
I was in the tent now, but fuck it. Colton always took the last watch in the morning. I would swap with him and get to hug Nova.
Noah was exceedingly good on watch. The guy moved around silently and changed positions often. I saw him completely focused into the dark woods. I liked him; he was a good kid.
“You got something?” I whisper-yelled.
He put his hand up for silence and then lowered it. “No, I think it was an owl. Was too high up to be human or wolf.”
I nodded and continued watch from my spot on the hard log. I was going to have a sore ass in the morning, but at least it was keeping me awake.
“Colton, your turn for watch,” I told him as I shook his leg through the blankets. His eyes flared open. He was quick. I could see Adam was asleep as Colton looked over to him.
I shrugged.
“He wasn’t sleeping well, so I took his watch.” Colton nodded and slowly unwrapped himself from Nova. I stepped out of my boots and quickly jumped in where Colton had been. It was so warm and I grabbed onto Nova who made a sound as she tried to pull away from me.
Shit. I forgot I just came out from the cold. I was just too excited to be next to her. But as soon as I wrapped myself up in those heavy blankets I was asleep.
I felt it on my nose. It was warm and then cold. I shivered and opened my eyes to a big smile in front of my face.
“Good morning.” She laughed as she stuck her tongue out and licked the tip of my nose. I chuckled as I grabbed her under the blankets and drew her to me.
“It is now, princess.” I licked the tip of her pert nose. She squirmed and giggled. And that had me rock hard. I pulled her closer and ground myself into her. I wanted to show her how she made me feel. Her eyebrows went up as she got that sexy tease look in her eyes, the same one from last night when she teased me with that apple. That apple, holy shit.
