“I’m Dirk,” the guy said with a little wave. “My wife used to run this place. Now, she’s gone and I’m an officer. Our business donated to the town to use how they see fit.”
“Hi Dirk,” the crowd said almost unanimously before bursting out into a fit of laughter.
Dirk flapped his hands in the air until everyone quieted. “Shh! Quiet down so we can meet our new friends.”
“I’m Robby and this is my girlfriend, Joss.”
“Jenna,” she quickly added with a smile.
“Caleb.”
Dirk pointed at us as he repeated our names. “Behind me is the gang.”
“I’m Evan,” an attractive blonde with a sculpted face said. He was seated at a bar with a glass amber bottle in hand.
“Laura,” the girl next to him said. Her gray eyes glowed almost as brightly as the candles scattered about the room.
The entire group called out their names. Robby nodded or waved. I felt overwhelmed, knowing I wasn’t going to remember a single one of them.
“Have a seat at the bar or just listen to the music. This is our place to unwind,” Dirk said. “Stay as long as you like.”
“Thanks,” Robby said.
Dirk twirled a finger in the air like a band conductor and the music started up. Everyone started talking again. Finally, all the eyes were off us.
I exhaled and jumped slightly when a woman with her breasts popped out of her low-cut tank top approached. She was holding only three bottles of beer.
“Like something to drink?” she asked. “Not a lot of choices but what we have is good.”
“Thanks,” Robby said taking one of the bottles. He twisted off the top and took a long drink. “Nice.”
Caleb reached out for a bottle and she tilted her head as she offered me the last one. “Take it,” she said. “I’m not much of a drinker either but one of these every now and again helps me sleep through the night.”
“Thanks,” I said taking the bottle from her. “Sorry I forgot your name.”
“Krista,” she said smiling. “You were assaulted with a lot of names tonight, weren’t y’all?”
“We definitely were,” I said with wide eyes.
I twisted off the top and took a quick drink. The warm liquid felt like foam in the back of my throat. I almost choked on the thickness.
Krista crossed her arms as a man with thick gray hair approached. “Doug,” he said stretching his hand out to each of us in turn. “You guys are famous around here. Tell me, what was it like out there?”
“Don’t mind him,” Krista said slapping his arm. “Doug, that’s rude to ask.”
“It’s okay,” Robby said. “Not much to say really. Everything to the east, at least as far as we know, has been completely flooded.”
Doug shook his head. “All of it gone, huh?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Robby said.
“Lucky we’re all here then,” Doug said holding his bottle up, waiting for Robby to clink it. “I lived here my whole life. My house is on the outside of town. I live in the hotel to be closer to everyone, though.”
“Doug sees the doctor frequently,” Krista said with a wink. “Liver issues.”
Doug grimaced. “Nothing has been confirmed.”
“I’m not a doctor,” Krista said raising a brow. “But I’ll bet that it’s an accurate diagnosis, nonetheless.”
“I helped find it, I can help drink it,” Doug said with a laugh. He bowed his head and wobbled back toward the bar.
“Sorry about him,” Krista said. “He leans close because his balance is off. Doug’s completely harmless, though, unless you’re made out of booze.”
Someone called out and Krista waved. Her shoulders dropped and her chest bounced with her heavy exhale.
“My work is never done,” she said. “Please, enjoy yourself.”
The crowd hooted as the guy playing guitar strummed a familiar tune. His voice was actually magnificent, although he seemed a bit shy.
“Want to dance?” Caleb asked holding his hand out to Jenna.
“I’d love to,” She said smiling as she took his hand.
“Shall we join them?” Robby asked.
My grip tightened on the bottle of beer. “Sure.”
“Hey,” Robby said into my ear. “It’s okay. You can let yourself relax once in a while. Let’s have some fun.”
“Are you saying we don’t have fun in the room alone?” I asked.
Robby chuckled. “Oh, no. We definitely have fun alone too.”
“That isn’t what I meant,” I said giving him a playful scowl.
I took another drink as I followed Robby through the crowd to an open spot inside the dancing crowd. Robby spun me in a slow circle before he started to sing along.
Once I let myself relax… after finishing my first drink, the hours flew by. The crowd had gotten smaller and Caleb was making sure to talk to everyone in the room. He’d had a bit too much to drink and Jenna rolled her eyes with nearly every slurred word. She was ready to go.
“All right!” Dirk shouted. “I’m going to have to call it. Finish up your last drink and then head on home.”
“Aww,” Robby said frowning as his hands slid down my back, stopping just above my bottom.
I laughed as I shook my head. “You’re going to sleep good tonight, aren’t you?”
“Sleep? Who said anything about sleep?” Robby said winking excessively.
Dirk made his way back over to us. “Seems like you all fit in just fine. Hope you had a good time.”
“Yeah,” Robby said. “It was great.”
“We’re open two or three times a week,” Dirk said. “You guys are welcome back any time.”
“Awesome,” Robby said.
Dirk stroked his beard. “There’s just one requirement.”
“What’s that?” Robby asked still smiling.
“You have to keep this place a secret,” Dirk said.
Robby’s buzz instantly dissipated. “You didn’t mention that earlier.”
“Yeah, I should have,” Dirk said. “It’s just that Rex likes to make sure all of us are well-rested. He wants us all ready in case something happens, which I can understand. But we all need to have fun sometimes too, right?”
“Yeah!” Caleb said stepping up behind Dirk. He placed his arm around his shoulder as if they were longtime friends. “Who doesn’t like fun? I bet it’s Joss. She’s always a party pooper.”
I scowled, although I didn’t disagree.
“Make sure your friend here understands the requirement in the morning, okay?” Dirk asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “We will.”
“Rules? There are rules?” Caleb said wobbling slightly. “Rules suck!”
Robby chuckled nervously. “All right, Caleb. Time to go home.”
“Jesus! Already? We just got here,” Caleb groaned.
“Finally,” Jenna muttered from my side. I flashed her a quick smile. She peered at me through half-closed eyes. “Your cheeks are a bit rosy.”
“How can you tell in the darkness?” I asked with a raised brow.
She leaned closer. “And your eyes are all shiny.”
“Whatever,” I said waving her away.
“I had a glass of warm water,” she said with wide, jealous streaked eyes.
“Sorry,” I said biting my cheek, so I didn’t laugh. I really was sorry she hadn’t been able to join in the fun… or whatever it was.
Jenna crossed her arms. She turned to Robby and stared. “Help me get him home since this was your bright idea.”
“Of course, m’lady!” Robby said.
It was my turn to roll my eyes. But I wasn’t alone. Jenna’s eyes rolled too.
“Thanks for having us,” Robby called back over his shoulder. There were only five other people left in the basement and a huge mess.
“Take care,” Dirk called.
My eyes locked onto Evan’s for a long moment before I looked away. He was so gorgeous it was hypnotizing… or
maybe that was just the alcohol talking.
We exited the building. Robby and Caleb had their arms around each other. They were singing one of the songs, trying to keep their voices down but failing.
Robby stopped abruptly. “What was that?”
“What was what?” I asked.
“Hey!” Caleb called out. “Come back here!”
Robby let go of Caleb and grabbed my hand. “Let’s get back.”
“What is it?” I said noticing the concern in his eyes.
Robby ushered both Jenna and me forward. “Someone was in the shadows… watching us.”
8
Adam
My eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I think we should pack away some supplies,” Leah said as she began pacing. She flicked her fingers up as though she was mentally making a list of some kind. “We’ll hide a bag, you know, just in case.”
“That’s a great idea,” I said. “Unless, of course, someone comes in here and finds it.”
Leah grimaced. “We’ll just have to hide it well. I’ll figure it out. Leave it all to me.”
“Are you sure? I can help,” I said cocking a brow.
“It’s fine,” Leah said. “I actually want to do this. It’ll give me something to do.”
“I thought writing in your notebook was your something to do?” I asked.
“A person can do more than one thing,” Leah said. “We need to place an order but it can’t be obvious what we’re doing. Like, make several orders over time. And we’ll have to pick stuff up too. Different days… different times. I’ll make a list.”
“Sounds like you have it all figured out,” I said.
Leah grinned. “Not yet but I will.”
She moved around the room with purpose. Leah was reinvigorated. Not at the idea that we might have to leave but because the project would keep her mind occupied.
“We have to be super careful not to draw any suspicion since we’re already on Eva’s bad side,” Leah said as she dashed over to the bookshelf to grab a new notebook. She slapped her hand on the front cover as she looked at me. “I have a lot of work to do.”
“Well, ideally, we won’t have to leave,” I reminded her.
“I know but with all the Eva stuff and now someone sneaking around town, things could change like that,” Leah said snapping her fingers.
I sat down on the sofa but kept my eyes on her. “I can go pick up some stuff when you’re done.”
“We’ll go together like always,” Leah said tapping the pen rapidly on the table. “Now, we can’t get everything all at once. We need to forget something that we frequently use so we’ll have an excuse to go back.”
Leah put her head down. Her pen scratched the paper as she moved quickly down the page. I was glad she was taking charge because the only thing I could think of that we would absolutely need was food and water.
The second knock on the door was more startling than the first. Leah’s eyes flicked up and stayed glued to the door.
My heart skipped a beat and I felt frozen. It was like if I moved, my bones would crack, alerting to whoever was on the other side of the door that we were there.
But of course, we were there. Where else would we be?
“Your dad?” Leah mouthed.
I shrugged but went to the door. I was about to try to peek out the window when they knocked again.
“Adam, it’s me,” my dad said. “Open up.”
“Geez, Dad,” I said as I opened the door and gestured for him to come inside.
He shook off his umbrella and set it down by the door. “Cold out there today.”
“Hey, Mr. Williams,” Leah said offering him a smile.
“Hi there, Leah,” my dad said smiling right back at her. “What did I tell you about that? Call me Martin.”
I took his jacket and hung it on the hook. It felt weird to be following the rules of our life before. Be polite. Take their coat. Be a good host.
“Can I get you something to drink, dad?” I asked.
“No, but thanks,” my dad said.
“Come on in,” I said as I waved my hand toward the sofa. “Sit down.”
My dad grumbled but limped over to the sofa. He noticed me watching.
“Slipped getting out of the shower,” he said. I opened my mouth but he already knew what I was going to ask. “I’m fine. It was just an accident. Eva fixed me right up.”
“Where was she when it happened?” I asked.
Leah glanced at me from her spot at the table and I wished I could take the words back. Would my dad hear the suspicion in my words?
“In the other room,” my dad said folding his arms. “Why?”
“Oh, just wondering how long it took for her to get to you,” I said.
“Not long after I started calling for her,” he said with a sigh. “I know you two don’t get along any longer but it would be nice if you both could try. Anyway, that’s not why I’m here. Something is going on around here and I wanted to bring you up to speed.”
I looked at Leah. Her head was down… her eyes glued to her notebook.
“The guards already stopped by. Guess someone’s sneaking around the resort?” I asked.
“Indeed, and people around here are pretty worried about it,” my dad said. “They came to us, pleading for Donovan to do something.”
My throat dried. “What do they want him to do?”
“They want to put it to an end. As long as they keep sneaking around and stealing our stuff, we’re not safe.” My dad scratched the top of his head. “That’s what they think anyway.”
“What do you think?” I asked.
“I’m not sure we have enough evidence,” my dad said with a shrug. “We know there are people living in a town roughly to the east. It’s likely some of them have been there longer than we’ve been here.”
I rubbed my palms together. “Why do we need to put an end to it? Couldn’t we talk to them and figure out a way to work together?”
“They’ve been stealing,” my dad said. “Not that I don’t agree with you but the others don’t think we can trust people that steal from us. I’m just afraid people will get hurt.”
“They’re going to want me to fight, aren’t they?” I asked. I touched my throat, where the words had felt as though they’d scratched on the inside.
My dad held up his hand. “Oh, no. I told Donovan to keep the both of you out of it. You both stay here. Under no circumstances will either of you leave this resort.”
“What are they planning to do exactly?” I asked.
“No exact plan has been devised as far as I know,” my dad said.
He pushed himself to his feet. He wobbled slightly but quickly steadied himself. The look he shot me sealed my lips shut.
“I should be getting back to Eva,” my dad said. “She’s hosting a dinner party of some kind. I need to get ready before guests arrive. She didn’t even want me to come by today.”
“Shocking,” I said. “I wish you’d give your whole relationship with her some thought.”
My dad groaned. “I’m not going to get into it.”
“I just don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into,” I said.
My dad huffed. “I don’t know either. Anyway, I’ll stop by as soon as I can.”
“Adam, we need to get to the store,” Leah said folding a piece of paper and tucking it into her back pocket. “Ready to go, Adam?”
“Yeah,” I said.
My dad shook his head. “I can take her. It’s on my way and I’d love to get to know your girlfriend better.”
“Oh, it’s okay, Martin,” Leah said. “Adam doesn’t mind.”
“Of course, I don’t,” I said smiling at her.
“Well, I won’t mind either,” my dad said. “Get your jacket, sweetheart.”
The back of my neck felt hot. “Are you sure, dad? Maybe I should come with you two.”
“Don’t you trust me, Adam?” my dad said furrowing his brow.
/> Well, he was sleeping with my ex but there was no need to bring that up. Not to mention, I trusted Leah. It was the rest of the people at the resort I didn’t trust.
“It’ll be fine,” my dad said. “I’ll take good care of her.”
“I don’t know,” I said.
Leah forced a smile. Perhaps she didn’t see a way out of our predicament. “I won’t be long, okay?”
“Okay,” I said. “Sure, I shouldn’t join you?”
“Jesus, Adam,” my dad said giving me a grimace. “You make it seem like I’m an incompetent old fool.”
“I’ll be fine,” Leah said placing a kiss on my cheek. She pulled on her jacket and grinned. “Shall we?”
“We shall,” my dad said wearing the biggest smile I’d seen since arriving. Even bigger than when we’d been reunited.
I couldn’t blame him, though. Leah was not only beautiful but just being next to her made me feel amazing.
After the door closed, the room felt empty. And quiet. I couldn’t sit down. My arms itched.
It felt like days had gone by before I heard the key slid into the lock. I bolted to the door almost before she got it open.
I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her inside, quickly locking the door. She was stiff in my arms. I instantly knew something was wrong.
I pulled back and looked at her. Her head was down.
“Leah,” I said placing my finger under her chin.
She raised her head enough that I could see the blood dripping out of the cut above her eye and the long scratch on her cheek. I swallowed hard as I took a step back. Anger clenched my fists.
“What happened?” I asked. “Where’s my dad?”
“I told him I’d be okay,” Leah said refusing to meet my eyes.
I stared at her. “And then what?”
She didn’t answer. She pushed past me and locked herself in the bathroom.
9
Stevie
I paced on the already worn-down living room carpet. “How are we going to find weapons? Leaving here would be a risk.”
“We’ve got shotguns and knives,” Gage said. “I could go south and see what if anything I can find.”
“If they are heavily armed, we’re definitely going to need more than a few shotguns and knives,” Shawn said.
The Reset Series | Book 5 | Torrent Page 4
