by Kate Morris
“What will they be studying?” Paige asks.
“Diseases mostly,” Robert says. “We’ve lost too many people to various diseases, some simple that could’ve been cured before this all happened. We want that capability back.”
“That’s the first good idea I’ve heard since we got here,” Cory comments, earning a downright hateful glare from Parker.
“You’ll find we have many good ideas, Cory,” Robert counters. “Our medical team is doing very advanced work with extremely archaic supplies and the limited tools they have at their disposal. You may not like all of our ideas, but we need those doctors working on cures for more than just our community. Infections can spread quickly, viruses can wipe out entire towns now, and diseases need to be battled more effectively than what we’ve managed so far since our country collapsed.”
“True,” Doc says, rubbing the silver stubble on his chin thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t mind going in there and having a look around. If you all would like to meet up later closer to dinner time, I’ll be along shortly.”
“I’ll stay with you, Herb,” Derek volunteers.
“Fine with me,” Doc says. “Cory, why don’t you and Paige go and take a look at their other facilities. Maybe you’ll be able to borrow some ideas.”
“I’ll show you around,” Parker volunteers.
“No, no!” Paige is quick to say. Then she has to cover her random outburst. “I just want some fresh air. I think I’ll look around the grounds a little. You’re probably really busy.”
“True, Parker,” Robert says. “Why don’t you take a detail and check on the fence repairs along the northern border.” He turns to Herb to explain. “Nothing to worry about, but we do need to get the place one hundred percent secured soon.”
“No place is fully secure. Not anymore,” Cory says and nods to Derek before turning to go.
Paige isn’t waiting around for an invite. She follows right on his heels as he crosses the street. They walk for a while in silence, which feels as heavy as the dense fogs that blanket the farm sometimes.
Suddenly, Cory grabs her hand and nearly drags her through a grassy area and then between two buildings.
“Where are we going?” she asks with uncertainty.
“Somewhere more private,” he tells her.
He takes her into the alley and comes to an abrupt stop. As the sun begins its descent, there are darkening shadows slinking further down the narrow roadway that cause her the usual uneasiness.
“What’s going on?”
“I needed to talk to you, Red,” he says and turns to face her. He doesn’t release her hand, though. “Damn. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to talk to you since it happened.”
She knows Cory means the confrontation with Simon.
“I know. Sorry. I’ve just been trying to keep my distance. I don’t want to upset Simon.”
“Again,” he adds.
“Exactly.”
Cory touches her cheek, letting his knuckles brush against her skin. She suppresses the urge to lean into his hand.
“I’m the one who’s sorry. We should’ve gone to Simon together and told him. It was wrong to dupe your brother, and I feel like shit about it.”
“Me, too,” Paige admits, looking down the alley to make sure they are still alone.
“No, this is on me. It was my job to deal with this, and I didn’t,” he says.
“Don’t blame yourself. You wanted to tell him. I wouldn’t let you.”
“Doesn’t matter. I have to make this right with him,” Cory says, clearly having been in turmoil these past weeks. “I can’t stand this, and I can’t stand being away from you, either.”
Paige doesn’t say anything. She feels the same way but doesn’t want Cory to push the issue. He takes her hands into his own and pulls her forward.
“I’m also really sorry that you had to deal with the whole situation in front of the family. I didn’t want that to be the way you heard about my real feelings for you, Red.”
“You were just saying that because you knew Herb would be pissed if he found out we were just being casual. I understand. I get it.”
“No, that’s not what I did at all.”
“It’s ok, Cory. It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” she says, trying to come off as nonchalant.
He leans down to kiss her, but Paige turns her head.
“What’s wrong?”
She tries to slide her hands-free, but Cory only tightens his grip.
“I think we should just keep this the way it’s been the last few weeks. We can’t do this anymore.”
“End it? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes, Cory. I thought we did, right before Simon found out,” she says, each word feeling like sandpaper gliding across her tongue.
“We’re not ending this,” he says vehemently and tugs her close again until Paige is pressed up against him. “I’m not giving you up.”
“Cory…”
“I love you, Paige,” he says quietly. “I wasn’t just saying it to appease the family. You should know me better than that by now. I’m not going to lie just to save my ass from getting bitched out.”
“Don’t,” she says, trying to stop him.
“I love you. My answer’s not going to change. Not ever.”
This is more staggering hearing it from his lips without the rest of the family around and him yelling the words over the melee of the squabble with her brother. It hits like a ton of bricks, piercing her heart.
“I didn’t exactly want this to happen,” he continues. “I wasn’t looking for anything like this when I met you. I still wasn’t over the loss of Emma. I sure as shit didn’t want a relationship with anyone.”
“And I don’t want one now,” she counters.
“Damn it, Paige,” he says, using her name again, which he never does.
“Don’t be angry. I don’t want you to hate me. I just think it’s best if we end this now before anyone else gets hurt.”
“You? Before you get hurt?”
She grimaces and looks at her feet. Paige has no desire to get into this with him. Revealing her fears is a horrible idea.
“Sweetie…” he starts.
Paige can’t take anymore. She leans up and kisses him, surprising Cory. He recovers quickly and wraps his arms around her back, holding her tight. His mouth moves on hers with expert skill. He knows every intimate detail about her body but still decides to explore it with his hands.
“Damn!” she hisses and jerks away.
“Our break-up didn’t last long,” he says with cocky confidence and a smug grin.
“Cory!” she admonishes and takes two steps back from him.
“See what I mean? We belong together,” he says.
“No,” Paige retorts.
“You can’t resist me, Red,” he taunts.
Paige grits her teeth and retorts, “Yes, I can. I’ve done it for the last few weeks. You were just getting all mushy and hardcore feelings with me to manipulate my emotions. Go back to calling me Beanpole.”
He laughs loudly and leans back against the wall, folding his arms over his chest, which only draws her attention to his thick forearms.
“I don’t know why you try to deny it all the time,” Cory says. Then he sighs and continues, “We have chemistry. I know you care about me, too, but you don’t want to admit it. That’s ok. We’ll get to that eventually.” Cory shoves away from the wall and places his hands on her shoulders. “I know it’s not easy. But we both deserve this, Paige. You deserve to be happy. I punished myself for a year over Em’s death and left the family. But you know what I learned? That she wouldn’t want me to live like that. Am I still angry? Yes. Do I still blame myself? Of course. It was my fault, completely and totally my fault and mine alone. But my little sister wouldn’t want me to spend the rest of my life alone just to punish myself because she’s gone. If I could go back and trade places with her, I would. You would for the family that you’ve lost, too. But we don�
��t get that choice. Those are made for us. For whatever reason, we’re still here, and we should live each day doing the best we can. You’re definitely the best I can, everything about you is the best. I just don’t want to throw away what we have because of our fears. Then we’ll only be left with regrets someday.”
Paige bites her lower lip and studies the red bricks of the building behind him instead of looking directly at Cory.
“I gave you some space the last few weeks, and I’m going to continue to do so until I’ve got things squared away with Simon. And, hell, I know I need to talk to Doc, too. Kelly already warned me that’ll be coming. But I’m not giving up on us. I don’t want you to, either. Once I’ve atoned for what I’ve done with Simon, then we’ll have an opportunity to be together, and I don’t want you to throw us away.”
“It was just sex, Cory,” she says lamely.
There is a flicker of pain in his brown eyes before he says, “Not for me. And it wasn’t for you, either, Red. You can fool yourself into thinking that if you want to, but you can’t fool me. That wasn’t just sex, not even once, not even the first time. Remember it?”
She allows her mind to drift to that night in the Belmont Mansion in Nashville. The cold weather outside, the fireplace crackling, his hands on her body. She tries to hide her shiver. When she looks up at him, Cory is smiling broadly. His confidence irritates her, and Paige locks her jaw to regain her composure.
“Simon’s never going to give us his blessing, and I’ll never concede to it if he doesn’t.”
“You let me work on your brother,” he says with way too much self-assurance.
“If he works on you anymore, you’re going to need plastic surgery,” she teases.
“That’s ok,” Cory says with a smug grin. “It’ll help keep the ladies at bay.”
Paige rolls her eyes at his arrogance. “You weren’t exactly fighting back. You kind of just let him beat on you.”
“It’s what I deserved,” he casually offers up. “I would’ve done the same if the roles were reversed. Simon just did what he should’ve. That’s how I would’ve handled it, too. Hell, I probably would’ve handled it a lot worse than he did. Probably not if it was Simon who was interested in my sister. I trust him. He’s got good judgment and honor. But men handle our differences like that.”
“He went berserk. I wouldn’t have thought he had it in him.”
Cory laughs at this and replies, “Oh, I did. I knew he’d lose his shit if he found out that way. I gotta hand it to him, though. Those extra workouts we’ve been putting in have really added to his upper body strength.”
“He knocked you out cold,” she reminds him.
He laughs more heartily this time and rubs his jaw as if remembering the moment, “Yeah, no kidding.”
“You got knocked out. I passed out. We’re a real pair.”
“We should probably concentrate on staying on this side of consciousness,” he jokes, making her smile.
“Good advice,” she says.
“Come on, Red,” he orders and reaches for her hand. “Let’s head back. Don’t want anyone getting suspicious.”
“Do you really think it matters now?”
She slides her hand from his grip as soon as they reach the end of the alley.
“True,” he remarks. “I should just throw you down right here in the middle of the street and kiss every square inch of you.”
“I think I’ll pass,” she says and clears her throat to erase those thoughts as they walk side by side toward the mess hall for dinner.
“Wonder if Parker is saving you a seat next to him,” Cory remarks.
“Oh, gross,” Paige says. “I sure as hell hope not.”
“No? No love interest there?”
“Cory,” she warns quietly. “That guy creeps me out. And if you come here with Sam, keep her away from him, too.”
“I don’t know. I think he might have a thing for gingers,” he says, referring to her red hair and even takes a cluster of it in between two fingers.
She moans with disgust. “I don’t know, Cory. He seems odd. Not just because he seems like a creeper and won’t leave me alone, but he seems like…I can’t describe it.”
“Yeah,” he says, ushering her through a gate in front of him. “I know what you mean. We talked about it when we left here the last time. Just don’t go anywhere alone with him.”
“I don’t think he’d be that bold.”
He shrugs and holds the door to the mess hall open for her. “I don’t know. Just don’t take any chances. He’s a power-hungry freak and thinks he can wield it around since the general’s his bestie.”
Paige laughs at his phrasing as they join the others for dinner. Herb is absent, and they find out that he’s still with the CDC doctors who came to this camp. Robert does not join them, but Paige wonders if it is because of his health. Unfortunately, Parker does eat with them. Lucky for her, he mostly engages the men in conversation about the camp and fortifications.
They finally meet with Herb and Robert after dinner when she forces Herb to eat something. He seems highly distracted and suspects this is exactly the way he used to be when he was a younger doctor in a country that wasn’t in the state this one’s in. For a man of his age, he is suddenly energetic and jazzed up on science.
They are gathered in the general’s private quarters. It’s not a five-star hotel, but it is comfortable and well-appointed with working electricity, running water, and a fireplace for heat. Lucas is nowhere in sight, which leaves her to believe that he is still hanging out with his friends.
“Robert, we have a problem with these highwaymen that I told you about,” he says to his son.
“They are definitely dangerous,” his son agrees.
“If the reports are accurate, they have big numbers, possibly near a thousand,” Herb tells him.
“That’s a lot more than you originally thought when we last spoke,” Robert says.
“They are destroying families and killing entire groups of people, just wiping them out,” Derek explains.
“The men I was telling you about,” Robert says to his man Parker.
“Ah, yes, I see,” Parker says.
“We believe that they have some tactical experience, as well, which is making it difficult to track them down,” Cory adds.
“Former military?” Robert inquires.
Derek shakes his head, “I sure as hell hope not. But we can’t be too sure, and as of yet, most of the people we’ve run into who have actually survived an attack have reported that they seem like ordinary people.”
“What else do you know about them?” Robert asks.
Again, Derek answers, “Some of them wear masks to conceal their faces. We recently found this out from a group we helped. They don’t leave survivors unless, like the people we’ve found, they’ve escaped unknowingly. There doesn’t seem to be females with them when they are attacking, but we did see some in what we believe were their hidden camps in the woods in our area.”
“Odd. We never came up against any group this big at the bunker. We had problems with groups like these people you are describing, but they had their women fighting, too.”
Doc says, “One of our people saw a woman being struck, physically abused by one of the men in their forest compound. They may not allow the women to fight alongside them because there is the possibility that they aren’t with them by choice and are being held against their will. We’ve run into this before, as well. Perhaps they feel that the women will flee if allowed to leave the camp. We’re not sure on any of this yet.”
“How did you handle situations like this out there?” Derek questions. “You said you had similar problems.”
“Yes, of course,” Robert says. “There are problems like this everywhere. Not necessarily with such a large group, but people like this are out there. We simply sent our top security men out to deal with it. Sometimes it went well, smoothly, no casualties, and other times, not so well.”
“T
hen you had casualties, you mean?” Derek prompts.
“Yes,” Parker answers. “Our missions were always successful to one degree or another, but sometimes things happen, as I’m sure you’re all well aware of, that can’t be helped. Our men were trained, some ex-military like the general, but not every factor can be accounted for before a mission. They fought with dignity for the greater good.”
And there is the collectivism that she has come to loathe from Robert and his men. Why does he always express their bunker facility in such a way? It makes her uneasy. She also wonders what the general will want or require in return for his help with the highwaymen. Moving away and hightailing it far away from the farm is sounding better and better every day. She knows her brother will never go for this idea, though. And worse yet, Cory will absolutely refuse, too. Her own love of the family would also be a bit of a problem. She’s stuck.
“Keeping your unity is the most important thing,” Derek says. “I agree. But we have people all over the area, the condo community, our town, our friends, neighbors, and allies. It’s going to be more difficult than simply fighting for the greater good of one community. If we don’t get this situation under control soon, we may lose a lot of our friends and allies, maybe Pleasant View.”
“If it’s attacked,” Robert says. “However, it may not be. It may never be.”
“From what we’ve been seeing lately they are moving on from merely attacking people on the roads. We think that they might be pushing inward onto farms, towns, and the like. That is probably what prompted them to attack our allies.”
“Unless they knew it was them and what you all have been doing in the area to push them out,” Parker says.
“Possibly,” Derek agrees with a nod. “But if they didn’t know who Dave the Mechanic was and how he’s been working with us and that we’re all responsible for the signs to warn people on the roads, then they are getting ready to start waging war on communities now.”
“If the people stop using the main roads to travel because of the signs, then the highwaymen assholes are going to need to source their supplies elsewhere,” Cory tells him.
