Island Refuge EMP Box Set | Books 1-3

by Hamilton, Grace

Rod moved to meet them, glaring down at Dominic. He raised his rifle and pressed the barrel against the man’s chest. Dominic clamped his eyes shut, and Elna tensed, certain Rod would shoot. Instead, he merely held the gun there a few seconds before lowering it.

  “Unfortunately for you, we’ve heard your whole story,” Rod said. “Using a national tragedy as an opportunity to terrorize your ex-girlfriend? Shame on you. We have a nice place for a man like you. Consider yourself my permanent guest.” Rod turned toward Selene and nodded. “Ma’am, you will not have to worry about this individual any longer. I promise.”

  Selene breathed a loud sigh of relief as Rod’s men dragged Dominic east toward the mainland and into the swallowing darkness. It was the first true moment of relief Elna had felt since seeing Rod. At least Dominic was someone else’s problem now.

  Rod signaled two more of his men. “We have an injured person,” he said, pointing at Garret. “Get him to the infirmary as fast as you can, and provide something for the pain.”

  Two more men rushed forward, approaching the writhing shape of Garret. They tried to help him to his feet, but all he could do was curse and moan. Finally, they picked him up, one grabbing him around the torso while the other grabbed his left arm. Though he was a stocky fellow, they managed to carry him east through the lantern night and beyond.

  Once they were gone, Rod glanced at Elna again, nodded, then glanced at Pop, nodded, and finally turned away. “Come with me. You’re safe now. All of you.”

  And with that, he started up the road, heading toward the rest of his men, who marched into the street to meet him, forming ranks. They’d clearly practiced formations quite a bit. Pop and Norman pushed the bicycle cart, as Elna, Malin, and Selene followed behind.

  “I hope I never see Dominic again,” Selene said, hugging Sniffy tightly.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it,” Norman said. “I’m sure they’ll have him locked up tight.”

  As they followed Rod’s men toward the mainland, Elna glanced at Malin. He was gazing into the night, a wistful, wide-eyed look on his face. She cleared her throat to draw his attention, and when he finally turned to her, Elna said, “What do you think? Did we make the right choice coming here?”

  He tapped a finger against his lower lip, as if carefully weighing his response. “I’m not sure we had much choice. Why? Are you worried? You know this Rod guy better than we do.”

  “He’s fine, I’m sure,” she replied. Hopefully, the bottles of wine are the only cost of our rescue. She decided not to say this out loud. Better not to make people worry. “What will you do now, Malin? Now that we’re on the mainland, I mean?”

  He gave her a confused look.

  Claire, she thought. Will you go after Claire despite what Garret said? Come on, Malin! Read between the darn lines.

  Finally, he shrugged and said, “I’ll stick with the group for now, I guess, and see what happens next. I’m not quite sure what we’re dealing with here.”

  “We’re about to find out,” Elna muttered, kicking a stray rock as she followed the road.

  23

  As they ascended the slight rise beyond the causeway, Elna began to smell campfires and saw a faint orange light ahead of them. Their ragged group marching behind the neat rows of soldiers looked like refugees from a war zone. The causeway connected to a narrow road that cut through a broad field before meeting up with Highway 1 and a series of small coastal towns. Most of that field had been filled with large tents in neatly appointed rows. Elna saw at least a dozen small campfires burning here and there, and numerous people moving about.

  Another line of people walked parallel with them. These men and women weren’t in camouflage but civilian clothes, and they carried small cages. Elna realized after a moment that the cages were full of writhing shrimp and crabs. Coils of ropes were attached to the tops of the cages.

  They’re catching food out of the bay, she realized. Not by fishing but by trapping. Smart.

  Even though the shrimp were raw and wriggling, her stomach rumbled. The thought of fresh seafood was almost unbearable.

  What I wouldn’t give for a plate of my dad’s shrimp scampi right now, she thought. She could almost smell the garlic and lemon, and she tried in vain to drive the thought out of her mind.

  Rod and Pop were walking together. They almost looked like old buddies. Elna couldn’t help but feel a bit resentful. If she’d known he was cutting some kind of deal with her ex-boyfriend, trading expensive wine for their rescue, she would have tried to talk him out of it. Is that why he’d failed to mention it? She couldn’t make out what they were saying, but Pop had a big, silly grin on his face.

  Nope, I don’t like this, Elna thought.

  “Are you okay?”

  Malin’s voice, coming from right beside her, startled her, and she stumbled. He reached out to steady her.

  “I guess I’m fine,” she said. “To be honest, I didn’t expect to be rescued by the guy I broke up with last year. It wouldn’t have been my first choice.”

  Malin pulled a face. “You dated that guy? No offense, but he doesn’t seem like your type.”

  “He’s not.” She shrugged. “But, then again, who is my type?”

  “Someone with a bit of personality, for one thing,” he replied. His eyes glinted in the lantern light. “No offense, but he’s like a blank piece of paper wrapped in camouflage. You deserve someone interesting. This guy is air in an Army hat.”

  “Oh, believe me, I’m not offended. What can I say? All the interesting guys with personalities were taken.”

  Elna felt eyes on her. Glancing up, she realized that Rod was looking at her over his shoulder. No, looking at her and Malin. He always had a rather severe expression on his face, so she couldn’t tell if he was disapproving or not. Had he overheard? She’d tried to speak quietly.

  He knows how I feel about him, so it shouldn’t surprise him. We went around in circles about a million times before we broke up. Surely, he’s moved on by now.

  As they approached the camp, the soldiers split in two again, forming human walls that created a path from the road to the first row of tents. Both Selene and Malin pressed in close to Elna. At the front of the group, two soldiers bore Dominic by the arms, dragging his feet the entire way.

  “I’m glad there’s a recovery effort going on,” Malin said, “but does it have to be so damned militaristic? Why can’t it just be neighbor helping neighbor?”

  “Hopefully, we won’t be here long,” Elna said. “We just have to resupply.”

  “That’s true,” Malin said. “We’ve all got better places to be.”

  Elna could only grunt at this.

  Ready to run off and leave me with these lunatics, aren’t you, Malin?

  As they moved through the camp, Dominic was taken in one direction, the rest of them in another. Elna marveled at the sheer size of the place. It must have been hastily constructed, but people were moving about with purpose. She saw pots bubbling over campfires, heard raucous laugher, and saw children scampering about. But even with the ordinary-looking people everywhere, men in uniform were never far away.

  It’s a refugee camp, she realized. Not just a recovery effort.

  Rod brought them to a tent, grabbed the flap, and pulled it open. It was a huge canvas tent—not some prefabricated tent like one might find in a camping supply store, but a handmade, heavy-duty structure with a framework constructed of steel pipes. The interior was lined with cots and large wooden trunks, almost like a military barracks in a war zone.

  “You guys can rest here for the time being,” Rod said, waving them inside. “You’re safe now.”

  Elna stepped inside and moved to the cot furthest from the door. She sat down in a funk, the cloth of the cot bowing beneath her. She heard the creak of the bikes as soldiers brought it into the tent and parked it near the central support post. Garret followed behind, supported by Norman. He looked worse than ever, his face twisted in pain, a long string of drool hanging from his lower li
p.

  “No, bring him with me,” Rod said, motioning at Garret. “We’ll treat his wound.”

  And with that, Rod, Norman, and Garret left, and the tent flap swung closed, leaving them in stillness, if not silence. Light came from a single flickering lantern hanging from the framework by a thin chain. It wasn’t much, but Elna found the dimness comforting. It matched her mood.

  “Does anyone else feel like we’re kind of prisoners here?” Selene said, saying out loud one of the many troubling things Elna had been thinking.

  “No, not at all,” Pop replied. He was standing near the tent flap, hands on hips. “I’ve worked it all out. We’re going to rest a while, resupply, and then go our various ways. Trust me. It has been taken care of.”

  Malin chose the cot beside Elna’s and lay down.

  How can you rest at a time like this?

  Fear and discouragement had created a potent mix inside of her. She was truly miserable, her belly churning, worry eating away at the edges of every thought. Her father thought he’d worked it all out. Did he know what he was doing?

  Maybe the island wasn’t such a bad place, after all, she thought. I almost had all of our needs taken care of. Another day or two and I would have worked out the complications. Did I abandon it too hastily?

  Now, they were going to be indebted to Rod Smith, of all people. Beyond that, now that Malin was on the mainland, his future with the islanders was coming to an end. Would he leave right away to find Claire? Of course, he would. Elna wanted to ask him, but that seemed too direct.

  I don’t want him to leave. It was the closest she’d come to admitting her true feelings for him.

  Yes, he was engaged to someone else. It didn’t matter. She looked at him now, saw the small smile on his face, the kindness in his eyes as he stared off into the distance, and she felt a stirring in her heart. Suddenly, she was close to crying. She chided herself for this, but she couldn’t help it. Finally, to hide any possible tears, she lay down on her cot and laid an arm over her eyes.

  Maybe they’ll bring us some shrimp scampi, she thought, trying to shift her mind to more pleasant possibilities.

  Although she was famished, it didn’t help. The future was too uncertain.

  24

  Rod’s voice started in her dream, emotionless as a one-key piano echoing down a vast, vague corridor. Elna forcefully pulled herself out of the dream, willing her eyes to open to get away from that sound, the sound that crawled over her flesh. The corridor disappeared, and she found herself gazing at the flickering orange glow of the brass oil lamp hanging from the framework above her. The canvas flapped gently in a breeze she could not feel.

  The cot she was lying on was surprisingly awful. She wondered if she wouldn’t feel more comfortable on the dirt floor. She heard something scrabbling nearby, and when she peeked over the edge of her cot she saw little white Sniffy rooting around along the edge of the tent. Malin was sound asleep beside her, lying on his side with his hands tucked under his cheek. He looked quite peaceful, and he was breathing softly through his mouth.

  Gradually, as the fog of sleep fell away, Elna realized that Rod was still talking, and her father seemed to be responding.

  “This tent will be your assigned living space for the time being,” Rod said. “It’s just too easy for things to spiral out of control if we don’t maintain some kind of order around here. We’d rather you not wander off, okay? It might make the men nervous.”

  “I hear what you’re saying,” Pop replied. “I’m just not sure how the others will feel about this.”

  Elna craned her head to see them. Rod was standing just outside the open tent flap, two of his soldiers behind him. All of them were silhouetted in early morning sunlight. Pop stood inside, leaning on the edge of the bicycle cart. As Rod’s words sank in, Elna grabbed the cot’s flimsy frame and pulled herself into a seated position.

  “Wait a minute,” she said, her voice creaking. She cleared her throat and tried again, “Wait a minute, Rod.”

  She rose and stumbled to the nearest tent pole, catching herself against it. Her head was swimming, the world spinning around her. Rod had just started to say something else, but he stopped, his mouth open, and looked at her, one eyebrow going up.

  “Are we being detained or something?” she asked. “Is that what I just heard?”

  Rod reached up and adjusted the brim of his cap for no particular reason. She knew that gesture. As restrained as it seemed, it was his way of showing supreme annoyance. “Let’s not start putting words in my mouth, El. I didn’t say detained. You’ve been assigned this tent for the time being. We can’t have people wandering around the camp. It creates chaos. That’s all. As soon as your father gets back, you’ll all be free to go.”

  She made her way over to the front of the tent, passing a sleeping Selene and Norman. The whole camp reeked of smoke, dirt, and people. It wasn’t especially pleasant. Elna missed the familiar salt air of the island, the woody scent of the guesthouse. She moved up beside her father and put a hand on his shoulder.

  “Pop, where in the hell are you going? I don’t like any of this,” she said.

  He laughed, but it didn’t sound right. Clearly, he wanted her to think this was no big deal, but she knew him too well. “I just need to pay for the medicine, for Garret’s treatment, and for whatever other supplies we need.”

  “Cash is no good anymore,” Rod Smith said. “We’re bartering with your father. I hope you don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Medicine is hard to come by these days.”

  “And we’re paying in wine?” Elna said.

  “That’s right.” Rod gave her a sharp look, the muscles of his face twitching as he clenched his jaw.

  “And you’re okay with this, Pop?” Elna asked.

  “Of course,” he replied, furiously scrubbing his mustache with his fingers. “It’s only fair.”

  Elna sighed. Clearly, her past relationship with Rod wasn’t going to buy them any favor, and Rod ran a tight ship around here. They weren’t quite as charitable as she might hope, but she couldn’t complain. “Yeah, it’s fair,” she said, after a moment. “I’ll come with you.”

  Rod and Pop both spoke at the same time.

  “No, Principessa.”

  “We haven’t agreed to that.”

  Elna was having bad flashbacks of a million profitless arguments with Rod over the course of their relationship. She glanced over her shoulder, seeking an ally, but everyone else was asleep.

  “Elna, I’ll be fine,” Pop said. “A couple of Rod’s men are going with me to keep me safe. I’ll be back in another day or so.”

  “And when he gets back,” Rod added, “you people will be free to go. Nobody is forcing you to stay here against your will.”

  “Until Pop gets back,” Elna said.

  Rod adjusted the brim of his cap again, this time for a good five seconds. “For your own safety, yes, we’re asking you to stay here. If you need to use a restroom or visit the infirmary, I’ll have guards posted outside to escort you, but you aren’t prisoners. They’re here to help. We just need to keep things orderly. It’ll only be a day or two. Okay? There is no reason to overreact, El. No reason whatsoever.”

  He gave her a stern look, as if daring her to argue with him, and she fully intended to. Oh, yes, she was not going to give in to Rod Smith. She hadn’t done so when they were dating, and she had no intention of doing so now. However, as soon as she opened her mouth, Pop pulled her into an embrace.

  “Just keep an eye on the others until I get back,” he said. “Don’t make trouble. Rod and his men are helping us.”

  “Fine,” Elna replied, returning the hug. “Just be safe.”

  “I will. I’ll say hello to Joe and Rita for you while I’m there. I’m sure they’ll be relaxing on the veranda.”

  Don’t bother, she thought, then immediately regretted her negative feelings about the Dulleses. Yes, they’d largely been dead weight, but maybe they had enough to worry about
. Some people were doing good just to take care of themselves.

  “Just hurry back,” Elna said.

  He pulled away from her and went to the bicycle handcart. One of Rod’s soldiers came into the tent and helped Pop push the bikes out of the tent. Once they did, another solider unloaded the remaining supplies from the cart, setting them on the ground. Elna watched her dad walk away, feeling helpless. Her father had clearly worked this out with Rod without her input.

  Pop and the soldier disappeared into the camp, moving behind a tent, the cart’s crude framework creaking as they went. Rod lingered at the tent flap a moment longer, as if making sure Elna would comply with her father’s wishes and stay put.

  “You should have sent me instead of him,” she said.

  “It was his decision,” Rod replied. “We’ll give him food and water for the journey. There’s nothing to worry about.” He looked at her again, that same blank, unfriendly look. Oh, how she hated it.

  You think you’re saving the world, don’t you?

  “You’ve got quite an operation here,” she said. “I noticed the fishermen on the way into the camp.”

  “Yes,” he replied. “We’ve established food and water supplies, and we sent messengers to open trade with nearby communities. We are creating stability in the midst of chaos. Once someone with leadership skills exerts a bit of authority, people get in line pretty quick. They’d all be starving by now if it weren’t for me.”

  She looked past his shoulder into the camp. In the early morning light, people were already up and about. She saw men and women cooking breakfast, washing clothes in large tubs, or doing various forms of manual labor. A glint of light on a smooth edge caught her eye. An old man was adjusting a large solar panel, turning it toward the morning sun. The panel looked handmade: three rows of solar cells glued to a plexiglass sheet and set in a simple framework.

  “You’re generating power?” she asked.

  “Some,” he replied. He pulled the tent flap wider, as if to make sure she got a good look. “Impressed?”