by Leela Ash
“I’ve got to find them, Tobi,” Jax said. He had sat around as long as he could, abiding by Layne’s wishes. But only because he didn’t want Tobi to come along with him and he needed to figure out the best way to convince her to stay.
“I need you here to protect the house. You’re still hurt. It’s a liability. Stay here, keep the gun and the dog. Take care of things while I’m gone. I’m going to bring our girls back safely. All right?”
Tobi said nothing, but she gave an almost imperceptible nod. Nobody liked being told they were going to have to be the ones to stay behind and out of harm’s way. Especially not Tobi.
“Don’t hesitate to get out the rifle. We’ll be back as soon as we can. What do you know about the tribe of brains you were telling me about?”
“They’re south of here, and to the west of Hex. They’re kind of creepy, honestly. I don’t know what they do for sure, but I think they experiment on people. They say they’re looking for a cure, but really if you ask me, they’re just sadistic.”
Tobi’s words chilled Jax and he headed for the door without saying another word.
He could feel Tobi’s eyes on him as he moved. He would take the bike again. It had served him well before, and although it made him vulnerable to tribe attacks, he would be able to cover more ground that way. Whether Layne liked it or not, he was going to be there to protect her through thick and thin.
Jax could feel Tobi’s eyes on him as he rode away, and he glanced back. She was standing at the window, holding Gilly up. The puppy was growing fast, but she wasn’t anywhere big enough to take with him. Tobi had insisted otherwise, saying it was the perfect time to train her to have a vicious demeanor toward anybody who wasn’t her family, but Jax wasn’t so sure. He felt better knowing Tobi would have some company while he hunted down their runaway women.
Jax would head right toward the settlement where the tribe of doctors would be. He would do whatever it took to find Layne and keep their baby safe.
***
After a few days on the road, Layne was beginning to relax. It had been a long time since she had been away from the homestead. Not since she had first wondered whether or not she was dying or pregnant. It was hard to tell. But now, she was enjoying the freedom and spoke easily with Sam along the way.
The animals were generally kept at bay during the night and nothing terrible had happened yet. It was actually amounting to a pleasant trip, and they had packed enough supplies that they didn’t need to scavenge in the already barren woods. The lack of food showed that they were reaching populated territory. And although that could be dangerous, Layne didn’t feel particularly concerned about it.
“Look out!” Sam cried.
It was too late. Layne felt something nudge her unexpectedly in the back. She whipped around, furious at the inconvenience, when suddenly, a rock hit her in the forehead and she stumbled to the ground.
“Lookie here,” a sickening voice said, coming close to Layne’s face. “I found me a pretty one.”
“Fuck off,” Layne spat. She was slowly moving her hand toward the knife in her belt. Sam wasn’t approaching, which probably meant that whoever this was, he wasn’t alone.
“She’s feisty,” the man said, glancing over his shoulder. Layne opened her eyes and was surprised to find that this man looked vaguely familiar. It was the same man who had escaped on the first day she’d met Jax. He had saved her life and killed two other men that had been chasing her.
“I’ll be feistier when Jax gets here and kills you and everyone you’re with,” Layne bluffed. The man would surely remember Jax.
From the way his already pale face blanched, she was sure she struck a nerve.
“Jax?” he asked, flinching away from her as if she were on fire.
“Oh yeah, he should be coming any second. Good thing he’ll have the element of surprise on his side.”
“Fuck,” the man grumbled. He backed away and turned to his men. “We have somebody to find. Spread out and don’t leave a stone unturned.”
The man walked briskly away from Layne and Sam, cursing to himself, surely remembering the gruesome scene that had resulted when his little posse had decided to hunt Layne down.
Sam looked at Layne, her eyes wide. Layne couldn’t tell if she was impressed or scared.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Sam whispered.
Layne nodded, pulling the knife out of its sheath just in case they encountered anybody else. It wasn’t like she couldn’t take care of herself. She would just prefer not to get into anything too physical in case it hurt the baby. They gathered up their supplies and made a quick escape into the forest.
Chapter Nine
“We’re finally here,” Sam said wearily.
Layne gazed at the wall made of sharpened sticks in disbelief. It looked the same as the other Jamestown-like settlements that had been erected in the area. But this time, there would be people behind the walls that would understand the true value of their discovery.
“Should we just go in like we own the place?” Layne asked. She was trying to act as calm and composed as possible, but there was an anxious nausea building its way up inside of her. It had been miraculous that they hadn’t run into any problems since they had escaped. The last thing she wanted was to have a run in with the tribe she had originally left because she felt like their ideas were going nowhere and she’d nearly been killed by Aydin.
“I don’t think that’s the way,” Sam whispered. “Get out some of your beer and ask to see the tribe’s leader. Give him an offering.”
“Or her,” Layne said stiffly. There had only been two or three promising minds still left in the tribe when she’d left it, one of them being a woman, and hopefully one of the more level-headed of the group had found the position of power.
“Of course,” Sam said, grinning.
They made their way to the entrance and Layne knocked as confidently as she could, praying that nobody there would recognize her. After a few tension-packed moments, the doors opened and a man stepped outside, staring at the women skeptically.
“Who are you?”
His voice was quick and mouse-like. He seemed suspicious, but unfamiliar. Layne breathed a sigh of relief. This was probably a whole other group altogether. She had no reason to worry.
“May we speak with your leader?” Sam interjected, pushing herself protectively in front of Layne. She seemed to have picked up on Layne’s tension and anxiety and decided to take charge. She’d had some experience speaking with this tribe before, so she knew how they handled things. “We come bearing gifts.”
Sam gestured at the bottle of beer Layne was holding and the man raised his eyebrows approvingly. To be honest, Layne was excited to get rid of the beer. It was the bulk of their burden and both women were bogged down by its weight. It made them slow and clumsy as they moved through the woods, where everything felt dangerous and uncertain. They could be taken as prey at any moment.
“Wait here.”
The mousey man let the heavy doors slam shut behind himself as he disappeared onto the settlement, presumably to send the message to the leader. After what seemed like ages, the door opened again, and a beautiful blonde woman opened the door this time, her silver eyes glittering at Layne.
“Do come in,” she said. “Aydin is waiting.”
Chapter Ten
Sam eyed Layne in shock. The burn on her cheeks must have been obvious. If the blonde woman had noticed too, she showed no sign of it.
Layne hadn’t told Sam the whole story about her past with the tribe. What was going to happen when Aydin saw her again? And what in the hell had she been thinking all those years ago? She had tried to forgive herself for the disaster. Layne, young and naïve with the hope of curing the virus and saving humanity. Part of the reason she had stopped searching for a cure was because of this–the memories were just too painful to endure.
Layne smiled over at Sam, putting on her best poker face to fool her friend into thinking that s
he was all right. That none of this would phase her. But in truth, she didn’t know if she would be able to handle having him so near to her again. It had been a reckless, dangerous stunt, and it had nearly cost innocent people their hard-earned lives.
After a short walk, they arrived at a little hut with a ratty red blanket over the doorway. Layne glanced at Sam. They were both nervous, but that was only natural. They had big plans. It had nothing to do with the past and everything to do with the future.
During their journey, Sam and Layne had already discussed how much they should say to the tribe. They wouldn’t get anybody’s hopes up about a cure. They would simply do some bartering for the equipment they needed and then head out on their way to find the members of the forsaken herd of green-tinged people that walked around in mourning, drinking themselves to death because they had unwittingly caused the apocalypse. They were carriers of the disease, and the formula they had come up with together would only work if they had DNA from one of the carriers.
“But it could be dangerous to get that close, even just pregnant,” Sam had cautioned. “I should do this part on my own. If the tribe is generous, we can stay for a few nights so you’re safe while I go get the samples I need. When I come back for you, we can go home again.”
But the idea seemed wrong to Layne. While Sam was brilliant and had been trained in combat during her time in Hex, it didn’t make her a fighter. She didn’t seem to have the vicious spirit necessary for survival out in the wilderness. That was why she had become a member of Hex in the first place.
Layne didn’t speak up about her concerns however. She just figured she would tag along, whether Sam liked it or not. Sam could protect Layne’s health and her baby, and Layne could protect Sam’s life. It seemed like a fair trade.
“Welcome.”
Aydin’s smooth voice immediately sent shivers through Layne’s body. She hadn’t seen him in years, but he still sounded the same. Charismatic. Comforting. Able.
Layne tried to fight her way out of the confusing feelings she’d had for him back then and remember the truth at the heart of it all. He was a monster.
The room was dark and they had to squint before the woman who had guided them into the room lit a candle. Suddenly, the golden glow of Aydin’s handsome face was clear in front of her. If he was surprised to see her, he didn’t say so. He only just smiled as if he had expected her to come crawling back all along.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” he finally asked, his silky voice purring at her from across the room. Layne’s cheeks burned red and she lowered her eyes to the ground. She would let Sam handle this part.
“We’ve come to discuss a trade,” Sam said, somehow keeping her low voice even and confident. If Layne had tried the same, everybody would have seen how shaken up she was. She was grateful that Sam was there with her.
“You know, Shark Tooth is looking for you, Sam. You were highly valued at Hex. They thought maybe you came to join up with me and came here, bearing all kinds of sweet rewards for your return. It was kind of adorable.”
“I have other things to worry about right now,” Sam said. “They’re much more important than tending to battle wounds the people at Hex give each other training in combat.”
“Oh?”
If they weren’t careful, Aydin would slip his way right into the goldmine of information. His silver tongue would open them up and he would soon have everything he needed to be hailed as a hero in their broken world, even though Layne and Sam had done all the work. Layne had to take charge. Sam didn’t know what she was dealing with.
“Cut the shit, Aydin,” Layne said, glowering at him.
Sam looked at her in surprise and Aydin’s handsome face broke into a smile. A smile Layne had both missed and hated more than anything else in the world. How could she have let herself be so vulnerable to this man? This snake of a man?
“The little bird wants a turn to speak,” he said, exchanging a grin with the blonde woman, who was standing silently by the candle with her arms crossed over her chest. Layne had half a mind to ring his neck right then, but she knew it wouldn’t be productive of her if she did. They would never get the supplies they needed.
“What she means to say is, we came here with a deal to make. We want to trade.”
Sam gently took the beer bottle from Layne’s hands and walked toward Aydin. She handed it to him and took a step back.
“That’s for you to keep. If you want more of it, we would like to trade for some supplies.”
“Hmm…”
Aydin uncorked the beer and guzzled it down. Layne watched in disgust. Finally, he grinned at them.
“This is good. Layne made it, didn’t she?”
Layne refused to answer, but Sam nodded.
“Yes,” she said evenly.
“She’s always been so talented,” Aydin said, fixing his cat-like eyes on Layne. She shuddered despite herself. Why did she like his praise so much, even now? After all he had done?
“Tell you what. I’ll think this over. You two should stay for dinner and get some rest. I’ll have an answer for you tomorrow.”
With a flick of Aydin’s wrist, Sam and Layne were escorted out of the room and led toward the mess tent.
“I don’t like this,” Layne whispered.
Sam linked her arm in Layne’s.
“Hang in there. We have to do what we have to do.”
Layne sighed. She knew Sam was right, but she hadn’t been prepared for this. Especially the confusing things that Aydin made her feel. She would just have to keep her eye on what was really at stake. Her baby’s life was worth it. She would just have to be strong and try to put the past behind her.
Chapter Eleven
“Found him!”
“Finally!”
Jax frowned as his bike was approached on both sides by men running on foot. He swerved and leapt off the bike, landing with his full weight on one of the men. He quickly sliced the man’s throat and turned to face the other, who was still running to catch up to him. The man paused, uncertain when he realized that his friend was dead on the ground.
Jax took the opportunity to attack and seized the man’s head in his hands, snapping his neck like an animal. He wasn’t going to tolerate any funny business. Especially not if these guys had been looking specifically for Jax. Nobody would report back to Shark Tooth about his location and endanger his family.
“Aw fuck,” a third voice whined.
Jax whipped around, throwing his knife at the man. He was familiar somehow. But before he could register who he was, the man had turned on his heel and ran away, leaving Jax’s knife stuck in a tree. Jax grabbed it and went after him, but it was too late. He’d lost him.
“Fuck!” Jax growled, getting back on his bike. He didn’t have time to worry about that. Not when Layne was missing.
Jax pedaled furiously, careful to avoid the areas he knew would be crawling with men from Hex. He wanted to get to the settlement where they were heading as quickly as possible. Maybe the girls would still be there. They wouldn’t be particularly pleased to see him, but that wouldn’t matter.
Jax sighed. He had another day left before he made it since he was taking the long way around. And if he didn’t find Layne at the brainy tribe, he would just comb through every inch of the place until he did find her and bring her home.
Suddenly, Jax remembered the man who had run away. They were part of the Jackals, a vicious tribe full of fierce, bloodthirsty men. They were a lot like Hex, only somehow even less reasonable. The man who had escaped had witnessed Jax kill every man who was after Layne on the first day they met. His name was Jinx, and now that he was on Jax’s trail, that meant more trouble from the Jackals. But he couldn’t let that stop him now. He had a mission. He would find Layne and Sam and bring his family home.
***
Layne tossed and turned. She and Sam had been served dinner and then taken to the far end of the camp, where there were tents set up for them to sleep in. She didn’t
like being so far away from Sam. Their tents were far apart, leaving them both vulnerable to attack.
Sam had promised not to sleep during the night, which would probably leave negotiation in Layne’s hands the next morning. But still, she didn’t feel safe being anywhere near Aydin, and hated more than anything the cruel twist of fate that left her baby’s life in his hands.
Suddenly, the tent flap rustled. Layne expected to see Sam, but instead, Aydin was standing before her. His amber eyes scanned her body on the floor where her sleeping mat was laid out, and a forbidden longing seemed to captivate her as soon as he smiled. What the hell was wrong with her? She had let this man take her too far once. Why was she even considering doing something like that again?
It had to be her hormones. They were making it impossible to resist him, just has it had been impossible during the early days of the crisis. A capable, handsome doctor focused on bringing the world the relief it so desperately needed. He had been a vision from a dream to her then. A miracle worker disguised as an ordinary person.
Until he had asked the impossible of her.
“What are you doing here, Aydin?” Layne asked darkly, sitting up and looking into his eyes.
“I missed you,” he said simply.
Layne tried to read whatever double meaning he had laced in his words. She looked deeply into his eyes to find the sarcasm, the game. But there was nothing. Maybe he was being genuine.
“I didn’t miss you,” Layne said finally. But she wondered if that was true.
“I don’t blame you. I made a huge mistake back then,” Aydin said, sitting down beside her on the sleeping mat. She was suddenly engulfed by his spicy scent and his clear eyes looked into hers with an intensity she had forgotten could exist in a man. Jax was so much different. So soft and yet so fierce. Aydin had a magnetism that left everybody spellbound. It was no doubt the reason he had become the leader of the little group, even after the incident that had nearly cost them all their lives.
