by Eric Vall
“We need fuel from them,” Paige said.
“That’s right,” Bailey said, and she bit her lip.
“They might not give it to us at all now,” Anna said. “But we need it, not only for harvesting, but because we need to take out the druggie groups. We can’t keep having them around.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “They are encroaching on our territory. They need to be taken care of.”
“What do you mean they might not give it to us?” Bailey asked. “I thought we were going to figure out a trade.”
“What we did taking out that caravan should have been trade enough,” Tara muttered.
“That’s true,” Anna agreed. “But what I mean is that he’s definitely pissed. Tav didn’t shake his hand, and that definitely upset him. Who knows if he’ll do business with us at all.”
“Shit,” Tara said. “You’re right. And the fort and refinery are full of civilians, we can’t just attack.”
“We’ll figure out another way to get fuel,” I told them. “Don’t worry too much about it. We’ll make it work without Brody.”
“I don’t think we can,” Paige said. “The Lebanon outpost is huge, and if there’s another one in Burlington then that just means we’re going to have to do double the work that we originally thought.”
“All that driving and shooting is going to eat into our fuel and our ammunition,” Bailey said.
“Besides,” Paige said, “just because Brody’s mad doesn’t mean he won’t try to find Tav.”
“You think he’ll try and find us?” Anna asked.
“He definitely knows I’m not happy with him,” I said, “but he doesn’t know where we are.”
“I think he knows that none of us are happy with him,” Anna said.
“Brody’s seen us in action,” Paige said. “He knows how dangerous we can be… do you think he’ll try to attack us before we attack him?”
“That’s a possibility,” I said with a nod. “If he thinks we’re going to attack that is, but right now I’m not sure what he thinks, besides that we’re up in Burlington.”
“This seems like it's getting messier and messier,” Bailey said.
“It is,” I told her.
“He must have had that plan from the beginning and he just didn’t say anything to anyone,” Anna said.
“Those poor women,” Paige said softly. “They’d already been through so much.”
“You’re right,” Bailey said, and the sadness in her voice was replaced by anger.
“I don’t think we can avoid Brody,” Anna said. “The outposts are too much. We’ve run into them too many times.”
Shit.
I had been so caught up with what happened with Brody that I had almost forgotten all about that. Those guys were still on our tail, and they were bound to send more people to attack the refinery. Luckily, they didn’t know where we lived, but if they went after the refinery then not only did that take away our supply of fuel, but it also killed a lot of innocent civilians, and I couldn’t have that. They were still out there, and they were still dangerous, and they were a pressing matter.
We needed to take out the druggies, and we needed to do it as quickly as possible. We couldn’t ignore them just because we were trying to avoid Brody, especially when we seemed to run into them wherever we went.
“That does seem pretty urgent,” Paige said.
“We can’t just let them take out the refinery,” Bailey added. “There are innocent civilians in there.”
“I was just thinking the same thing,” I sighed.
“Lebanon needs to be dealt with,” Anna said. “We need to focus on what our number one priority is.”
“You’re right,” I told her. My second in command had always shown great leadership ability, and today was no different. She was absolutely correct, we couldn’t just let the group at Lebanon sit on the backburner so we could avoid Brody. They were going to strike, and they were going to do it soon. And Brody’s group and the civilians at the refinery were in no way equipped to defend themselves against such an attack.
“Do you think if we save the people at the refinery that they would turn against Brody?” Tara asked.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Paige said. “I mean, we’d save them anyways, but that would be a nice bonus, then maybe we could get some fuel out of it.”
“It would,” I said. “And that could help us out a lot. But the group at Lebanon is huge, and if we keep taking out their guys, then we’re looking at a war.”
“Plus, Brody said they have another outpost,” Paige added.
“Right,” I said, “up in Burlington.”
“That’s even more men who could go after the refinery,” Paige said.
“And even if they didn’t go after the refinery, they could still go after the fort,” Anna said.
“That would put even more civilians in danger,” Tara said.
Shit had just gotten a lot more complicated than I had thought five minutes ago. We’d have to take out these druggie guys or else they’d continue to be a threat, and not just to us but to the innocent civilians under Brody’s care. It was clear that he couldn’t be trusted to take care of them, and I wouldn’t allow more people to die because of those assholes.
I thought for a moment about what we were up against. If the Lebanon group was any indication, then the Burlington group would have just as many men and firearms. It would be difficult to take them out, especially with the amount of runs that they went on, and how spread out the groups were. We were up against a whole army in comparison to the people we had, and a well armed one at that.
It would be difficult, but my girls and I would have to handle it on our own. There was no way around it, I wasn’t going to work with Brody again. Not after what he had done.
“Brody has fuel,” Bailey said. “And ammunition.”
“He has that giant gun, too,” Anna said. “Maybe that could be of some use to us while we take out the Lebanon group?”
“We don’t know if he’ll even want to see us again,” Tara said.
“He loves Tav,” Bailey said. “If Tav apologized and played nice, then he would definitely believe it.”
“I don’t know if I could do that,” I said grimly. “Besides, how will that help us now?”
“It could get us access to more people and weapons,” Anna said. “Things that we could use to take out these druggie guys.”
“As much as I hate to admit it,” Paige said, “I don’t think we can do it on our own. Especially not without more resources.”
“Those guys are well armed,” Anna said. “And they’re pretty organized, a lot more so than most of the groups we’ve dealt with in the past.”
“Plus the sheer number of their members is pretty impressive,” Bailey said. “We’re pretty badass, but there’s only five of us.”
I’d done plenty of damage to huge groups on my own, but it was dangerous as hell, and I wouldn’t put my girls into that kind of situation. Plus, they were right, the times I’d been able to do that was with groups that were poorly organized.
I hated to admit it, but the girls were right, we could use Brody’s weapons. He had the Howitzer, that I knew, and he had given Bailey the Barrett. There was no telling what else he had at his disposal. And the fuel we would need to travel around would eat into the supply that we had for the harvest, so we’d need more of that as well.
Fuck.
I didn’t like the idea of working with him, but it seemed like the only choice we had right then. We were looking at war with these druggie assholes, and one that we wouldn't be able to win on our own. It would take far too long, and there would be too much room for error. These guys also had far too many men, and it was possible that they could gather more quickly if they were offering drugs and security.
“I hate to admit it,” I sighed. “But I think you girls are right. We’re looking at an all out war with these druggies, and we can use all the help we can get.”
&nb
sp; “There are a lot of them,” Bailey said, and she bit her lip. “And two locations.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “It will be a lot of work, but they won’t stop going after the refinery until we take them down.”
“We need to deal with them first,” Tara said. “As much as I want to rip Brody’s dick off, we have to prioritize.”
“Geez,” Bailey said.
“It’s true,” Tara told her with a shrug.
“Not saying he doesn’t deserve it,” Bailey said, “but we agreed not to see him for a reason.”
“Yeah, but it looks like we have to now,” Anna said. “And if we have to deal with him again, then that means that things have changed.
“You’re right,” Bailey agreed. “We can’t let him kill anybody like that again.”
“Right,” I agreed. “As much as I don’t want to see him at all, this might give us a chance to see how he acts again.”
“He’s already proven himself to be a fuckbag,” Tara said.
“It will be hard enough to take these guys out,” Anna said. “The sheer number of them, and the fact that they’re so organized is going to be a problem. We might as well make it easier on ourselves and use Brody’s resources. Besides, we might be able to bargain for some other stuff. ”
“The drugs won’t help either when it comes to taking them out,” Paige said.
“You’re right about that,” I said. “That just makes them jumpier and more paranoid.”
“Yeah,” Tara agreed. “We’ll kill Brody after all the druggies are dealt with, but for now we need that stuff and the easiest way is for him to give it to us willingly.”
“We’ll see how he acts,” Anna said. “He could have had an episode if he really does have PTSD.”
“It’s no excuse,” Tara mumbled.
“It’s not,” Anna agreed, “and I think we should agree to take him out at the first sign of trouble.”
“Deal,” the platinum blonde said.
“Annnnd let’s just say that two or more people have to see this trouble,” Anna said.
“You’re onto me,” Tara said dryly.
“Always,” the redhead chuckled.
“So how are we going to get him to agree to this exactly?” Paige asked.
“Tav needs to pretend to apologize to him,” Bailey said, and she bit her lip.
I took a deep breath and sighed it out. Just the thought of apologizing to him, even if it was just pretend, made me sick. I had no reason to be sorry for beating up that sorry asshole. He was a pig, and I was glad I had attacked him, I was just sorry I hadn’t killed him right then, but the girls were right, we needed fuel, and possibly his larger weapons if we were going to take on two outposts the size of Lebanon.
“Fuck,” I breathed.
“We know you don’t want to,” Anna said. “But we’ll be right there with you.”
“Yeah,” Bailey said. “Brody likes you so much you’ll probably barely have to do anything.”
“That’s a good point,” Paige agreed. “He is oddly obsessed with you or something.”
“I hate this,” I said. I didn’t like to complain to the girls, but I really was opposed to apologizing to this asshole, though I knew it was the quickest way for us to get supplies to take out the druggies. I had to think about that threat versus the threat of Brody. One was much more imminent. “But, I’ll do it. First thing in the morning.”
“Thank you,” Bailey told me with a smile.
“But I’ll need a few drinks first,” I said.
“We thought you might feel that way,” Tara said, and she pulled out a bottle of bourbon from under the coffee table.
“You know me too well,” I chuckled.
“Just well enough,” Tara retorted, and she winked at me before she poured me a hefty glass and handed it over.
I took the drink and headed outside to get some fresh air. The sun had just begun to set, and the warmth of the day slowly faded to a nice, cool night air.
I took a deep breath and found a place to sit on the grass. The animals had all been put away for the day, except for Winchester of course, who was now playing with the kids in the courtyard.
All the chairs and tables had been brought back out for dinner, and I looked around to see that everybody chatted easily amongst themselves. I took another drink, but when I looked up I caught Kimmy’s eye from where she sat at one of the tables. She had baby Anthony on her lap, and she quickly blushed and looked away.
“I don’t know why you don’t just go for it,” Tara purred, and her voice startled me.
“Shit,” I breathed as I spun around to see all the girls standing behind me. I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts I hadn’t been paying attention.
“That’s a first,” Anna laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever startled you before.”
“Really, though,” Tara said as she took a seat next to me. “You know that none of us would be mad.”
“You say that now,” I said, “but you don’t know how it would make you feel if it really happened. Either way, I won’t let it. I never want to hurt any of you.”
“None of us would be hurt by it,” Paige said.
“Yeah,” Bailey agreed. “I think we’re all pretty comfortable with our situation.”
“Totally,” Tara agreed. “If you want her, just go for her.”
“It’s not exactly that easy,” I laughed.
“For you, it definitely is,” Tara said, and she eyed me up and down. “Besides, the sooner you get to it the sooner I can watch. She’s so fucking hot. I can’t wait to see you side that big white cock of yours into her mocha--”
“Yeah, that’s good.” I laughed her off and took another drink of my bourbon.
“We thought you might want this,” Anna said, and she set the bottle down next to me. “But really, think about what we said. We wouldn’t be mad at you.”
“Thanks,” I told them. “I think I’ll go share a drink with Rolly.”
“Oh, no,” Tara joked, “the manly urges are kicking in, he has to go stand by a grill now. We’ve ruined him with our feelings-talk.”
“Hardly,” I laughed as I stood up and headed toward Rolly.
As I did I glanced back to see the girls walk over to Kimmy who locked eyes with me again before she quickly looked away.
“Hey, old timer,” I said as I walked up to Rolly.
“Howdy,” he greeted me.
“I know you said you didn’t need help,” I said, “but how about a cup of bourbon?”
“I’ll always take some bourbon,” he said and he took a swig from the bottle.
I smiled as I looked over at Kimmy and the girls. Bailey and Tara cooed to baby Anthony while Paige chatted with Marla and Anna talked with Kimmy. They all looked so happy, it reminded me of a commercial of a family barbecue.
My smile was quickly cut short though when I remembered what I had to do in the morning.
Brody was one lucky sonofabitch to get an apology out of me, fake or not.
I poured a bit more bourbon into my cup and cheered Rolly to a good night.
“I really appreciate all your hard work today,” I told the old man as he grilled.
“Of course,” he replied. “So where are you all off to tomorrow?”
“Is it that obvious?” I chuckled.
“You seem a bit bothered,” he said with an amused smile.
“I’m going to speak with Brody tomorrow,” I told him.
“Gonna tell him to fuck off again?” he asked.
“I wish,” I laughed. “We need some of the resources he has if we’re going to take out the outposts. They’re huge and well manned. The girls made me promise to make up with him for now so that we have access to the supplies.”
“Smart,” the old man replied, then he took another sip of bourbon. “It might be a bit difficult after the beating they said you gave him, but men fight. I doubt you’ll have to apologize too much.”
“I wish I didn’t have to at all,” I sighed
.
“I know,” he said, and he looked at me with dead serious eyes, “but I know you. You’re a leader, and you’ll do whatever it takes to protect this community we have here, even if that means setting your pride aside for a time.”
“Thanks, Rolly,” I said, sincerely touched by his words.
“Besides,” he said with a sly smile, “you’re a smart sonofabitch. I’m sure you’ll get your vengeance.”
“It’s not vengeance for me that I’m after,” I said.
“Which is why I fully support it,” Rolly said. “I can’t stand a woman beater… and what he did was just so much worse.”
“You’re a good man,” I told him with a clap on his shoulder.
“You, too,” he replied.
I stood and talked with Rolly for a minute longer, but it had grown cool out, and I started to get cold, so I went inside to put on a sweater and some jeans.
I brought my full bourbon glass with me, and I sat on my old dorm bed for a minute and slowly sipped the dark liquor before I stood up and pulled my shirt off. I picked up a long sleeved thermal, but just before I could throw it on there was a small knock on the door.
“Who is it?” I asked, not sure who would have followed me up to my room.
“It’s us, duh,” Tara said, and I could practically hear the eye roll in her voice.
“Hey,” I said as I opened the door and found Tara and Paige. “Do you guys need to talk to me again?”
“We didn’t come here to talk,” Tara said, and she eyed my bare chest.
“You didn’t, huh?” I asked, and an anticipatory smile came to my lips.
“Nope,” Paige said, and she brushed past me into the small room.
“Is there something else I can help you with?” I asked as they both sat on the small bed.
“Oh shut up,” Tara said, “you know what this is.”
“Just checking,” I said with a grin, and I closed the door and walked over toward the two of them.
They sat on the bed and looked at me with hungry eyes, which only made me want them even more.
I leaned down and captured Paige’s mouth with my own first. Her lips were soft against my own, and I could feel the catch in her breath when I reached down to put my hand on her waist.
