Olive glanced at Reno’s form in front of them. Part of her that desperately wanted to say something. Even though she hated Reno, she was dying. Dying for his attention and to be back in his good graces. He was mad at her. She knew as much based his treatment earlier. He’d done nothing to Rose. She’d stood by, silent as always while Olive had suffered.
Olive wouldn’t be silent, not even for the pregnant woman. Out there, it was survival of the fittest. And she was going to survive. God had a plan for her and she wouldn’t let anyone mess that up. The decision made, Olive opened her mouth to call for Reno.
“Where are Joseph and Maddie?” Eve nearly choked on the words when she spoke them. She had all but forgotten about their new companions since she’d woken up in an even worse version of hell. The two disgusting looking men hadn’t left too long before, taking the gargantuous jenk, Estelle, with them.
“Of course you’re worried about him.”
The sarcasm in Gage’s voice had Eve spinning on her heel to look at him. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” he muttered, not looking at her, but examining the wooden door that stood between them and freedom. His body was stretched to the end of his chain. “They have a lock on the outside of the door. I bet you could wiggle out of the top, but they bolted that door on the outside and I don’t see any other way out. No windows. Nothing.”
She already knew this. They’d discussed it minutes before. “I know. Duh. Don’t try to avoid the subject.” He didn’t say anything in response. Just continued to look over the door, while staying as far away from the wall on their right, where five jenks were reaching for him through the bars. The muscles in his shoulder bunched underneath his dark skin. “Umm, hello?”
He stopped and looked back at her. “What?”
“You heard what I said. Why did you make that comment about Joseph and Maddie. You aren’t concerned about them?”
He narrowed his eyes and turned completely around, facing her with his exposed chest heaving. “I am concerned about them. I’m only wondering why you are, Miss doesn’t give a shit about anyone but herself. Looks like someone wormed his way under your cold little shell.”
“What is that even supposed to mean?” Eve cocked her head not understanding what he was getting at. “We are stuck in a fucking Lurker dungeon and you want to argue with me about being a cold bitch? Seriously?”
He mumbled something and turned away from her.
“What?”
“I said, it’s not a dungeon. It’s a barn.”
“Well—wait, what?” Eve frowned.
“It’s a barn, Eve. A f—”
“No, I heard you the first time. I just never considered that we were in a barn.” The wheels were turning in her head. “If we’re in a barn, then we aren’t in a basement.”
“Obviously, Eve.”
“Then we aren’t underground!” She all but shouted before biting down on her lip. “We can get out of here easy! It’s just getting into the house and getting our stuff that will be tricky.” The wheels kept turning in her head as she tried to figure out a potential plan.
“No, Eve. When we get out of this place, we aren’t going to go hunting for our stuff.”
Panic gripped Eve’s heart. “Uh, no.”
“Yes.” His face was blank of emotion. “We are less than half a day away from Eden. There are plenty of provisions there.”
“No, I need my Craftsman.” She fumbled over the words, her tongue feeling foreign in her mouth. “I have to have it, Gage! We can’t go out there unarmed.” She shook her head back and forth and waved her arms in the air. “We’ll be eaten alive.”
He jerked his head once. “We won’t. Why do you think that we didn’t see any gurghs while out on Tim Pistol? It’s because these Lurkers have trapped them all. They’ve cleared out this area. More than likely we won’t encounter any on our way there. And if we do…well, we will just have to figure it out.”
Eve clenched her fists repeatedly. I won’t leave my money! That’s what she wanted to scream, but she didn’t. She kept her mouth shut about her pack, knowing he would never agree if that was her reasoning. “No. I refuse to leave here unprepared to face the world. I’ve had that Craftsman since the beginning. I need it.” Eve looked down at her feet, at the rusted link that tethered her to the wall. Her mind raced to come up with a good way convince him.
“This isn’t about your pry bar is it?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You just want to get your little bag full of money, don’t you?” The accusatory tone in his voice sent a spark of anger down her spine, making her even more agitated.
“Think what you want. I just don’t want to die at the hands of a jenk.” She didn’t look him in the eye as she spoke but stared down at his feet, which were bare like her own, hoping he didn’t notice the weakness in her mannerisms.
“Oh, but you want to die at the hands of a Lurker? Cause I guarantee that it’s not going to be any prettier. At least out there it will be on our own terms.” He took two steps forward, the eroded chain making a clanking noise. “If we stay in here and try to get our stuff, then it means certain death. Out there we have a chance.”
“I don’t care, I want my—”
The sound of squeaky door hinges successfully shut Eve up. A good thing, because Gage was running on empty when it came to the exasperatingly beautiful woman. She was more hard-headed than any person he had ever met. He couldn’t grasp her need and attachment for her weighted down pack, full of money that couldn’t be used anywhere. Yet here was she was, trying to risk both of their lives to retrieve the thing. He didn’t want to leave Hilda behind, but he damn sure wasn’t going to put his life on the line to retrieve her.
Quiet footsteps followed the squeak of the door, and instantly Gage knew that it was neither of the two men who’d previously been to see them. He stood on his tip-toes to peer over the heavy wooden door when a head covered in white hair appeared. The cherubic face of a young woman stared back at him. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, as if she was afraid.
“Hi,” Gage said quietly, and flashed a smile, a plan forming in his head when the girl blushed. She looked surprisingly young for a Lurker, but he had never seen a woman Lurker before. “What’s your name?”
“What are you doing?” Eve’s voice was like a knife slicing through the air. The girl jumped, alarmed.
“Nothing. Don’t worry about her. What’s your name, beautiful?”
The girl smiled, revealing teeth as white as her hair, shocking Gage again. “Landry.” Her voice was as soft as her features with twang of an accent.
“Landry, that’s a pretty name. How old are you?” Her cheeks heated further and Gage thanked his lucky stars that he still had some charm left in him.
“Seventeen.” Her eyes darted back and forth between them again, an uncertain expression ruffling her features. “I brought y’all dinner.” She bent down out of sight and slipped a tray under the door. “Y’all should be able to reach it.” She took a hesitant step backward.
“Wait! Wait. Don’t go. Can you talk to us, Landry, please?”
She halted her footsteps, but didn’t come forward again. “I’m not supposed to. I—”
“Can you tell us anything about our friends?” Eve blurted from behind him.
“Uh—” she shook her head. “No. I can’t.”
“What are you going to do to us, Landry?” Gage asked calmly, not wanting the girl to be scared away. If there was one hope for escape, it would be through her.
“I’m not doing nothin’ to you.” Her expression was one of horror.
“Okay, not you, but them. The other people, what are they going to do with us?”
Landry’s eyes flickered to the gurghs reaching through the slats before coming back to meet his. They were the lightest blue he had ever seen.
“They’re going to feed us to them?” Gage motioned toward the gurghs.
She gave one
quick nod and turned around heading for the door.
“Wait, no, don’t go! Please let us out of here,” Eve said frantically trying to reach the door. “Don’t leave us down here to be dinner.”
To Gage’s surprise the girl turned back around. “It’s gettin’ late. I will be back later to get the tray.” She let the last word roll from her lips and her eyes locked with Gage’s, when the door opened behind her and Bubba emerged.
“What’s taking so long, sister?”
“Nothing, Bubba. Just lookin’ at the new ‘un’s.” And she followed him out the door.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The Before
In Eve’s dreams, things changed after that Thursday he drove her home and held her hand. He sat next to her class, he stopped seeing the horrid Sally McCallister. He even ditched her in the cafeteria in front the whole school. Amazing didn’t even begin to cover it. Of course, that’s why it was a dream.
Reality was far from amazing, in fact things seemed to be worse than before. He didn’t break up with Sally. Every time Eve turned around they were there on display before her, with Sally draped across his body or his arm around her shoulders while he laughed at something she said or high-fived his best friend, Noah. Gage’s hand was always secured in hers. The hand that had held her own only days before.
He didn’t sit next to her in Physics again. He continued to sit next to Allison and rarely even glanced back in her direction. On the Friday after he held her hand, they had even had to break off into partners. He hadn’t even glanced her way and became Allison’s partner instead. Eve did the whole assignment by herself. No one wanted to be her partner, which wasn’t a change from normal. No one had ever wanted to be her partner, not until Gage. The reality of it all made her realize just how shitty her life had been before Gage took notice of her. Being alone was something she had accepted before and now…now she ached for him to glance her way, to flash her the lazy smile she had come to love.
Pathetic. Yes, that was a good word for what Eve had become.
Over the course of the week Eve had cried herself to sleep most nights. She’d gone through several different phases. At first she was appalled, shocked, perhaps a little in denial. She just knew that Monday would be better. It wasn’t. So she became weepy and sad, avoiding Gage like the plague for fear another glance in his direction would splinter her heart into a million pieces and she would just die there in the middle of the floor. But by the time Thursday rolled around, a new emotion blazed to the fore. Anger. In her heart she knew that he wouldn’t be waiting to pick her up. She was angry because she didn’t know why.
What did I do? Did I hold his hand wrong? These were just two of the questions tormenting Eve as she walked out of the elementary school. She couldn’t help the excitement she felt when she saw Gage’s car parked in his usual spot, waiting for her. She managed to push it away, and did probably one of the hardest things she had ever done in her life—instead of going over to his car she turned and started walking toward the parking lot exit.
She wasn’t going to make any assumptions. He probably wasn’t even there to pick her up, but to laugh at her and rub it in that he didn’t want to give her a ride home.
She hadn’t made it far when she heard footsteps behind her.
“Eve!”
She didn’t stop walking at the sound of his voice, even though every part of her being screamed for her to.
“Wait, what the heck? Where are you going?”
“Home.” She still didn’t turn around, but kept walking. If she looked at him, she would crumble.
“I’m giving you a ride. Like always.” There was a pleading in his voice. Eve tried hard to ignore it, but she couldn’t disregard the heat of his hand when he grabbed her upper arm, jerking her to a stop.
“What do you want, Gage?” She could hear the exasperation in her voice and was instantly saddened that she had let herself come this far. She had always watched girls fall for guys who clearly didn’t want them. She watched plenty of them give their heart away to someone who didn’t want it to begin with. I’m that girl.
“I’m here to give you a ride home.”
Eve stared down at his worn cowboy boots, the ones he always wore, still refusing to look at his face.
“Look, there’s no reason for you to walk home. Just let me give you a ride.”
Eve couldn’t fathom why he was pushing this, why had giving her a ride had become important to him when she was as good as invisible to him otherwise? She looked up at him, into his expressive gray eyes and was lost. Just like she knew she would be. And then he was leading her to his car. His large hand warm against her arm, even through the fabric of her long-sleeve shirt, as if she had never protested at all. Her body was magnetized to his, like she couldn’t stay away from him no matter how hard she tried.
His hand rested on the steering wheel in his normal lazy fashion. His eyes were glued to the road and the radio was playing quietly in the background. Nothing was different. He was wearing the red basketball playoff tee that the school had been selling for the last week. His body was relaxed like he didn’t have a care in the world. He wasn’t bothered by the fact that she was hurting. Granted he didn’t know, but he probably wouldn’t have cared if he did. His life was perfect. Perfect girlfriend, perfect body, perfect smile, perfect future. And what did Eve have? A crush on Mr. Perfect. Which was equivalent to having nothing.
He gave her a ride home every week…but why? What reason was there behind it? Pity. The word was life a knife slicing at her insides. She didn’t want anyone’s pity, especially not Gage’s. She wanted a lot of things from him, but pity wasn’t one of them.
“I don’t want you to give me a ride home anymore.” The words rushed out of her with a burst of hot air. She didn’t really want these car rides to end. They were the highlight of her life, but to what end?
“What?” He was staring at her, his dark brows furrowed.
“I just…would rather that you didn’t anymore. That’s all.” She looked down at her denim skirt and smoothed her hands over her thighs.
He was quiet for what seemed like forever and Eve could feel the tears threatening to spill onto her cheeks. Just hold it in. You’re almost there. She could do this. She could make it home without crying.
“I’m going to keep giving you a ride home.” His voice was gruffer than moments before.
“What?” She looked at him again. He was staring at the road, though he was no longer lazily steering with one hand. Both hands were on the wheel gripping the black surface.
“You heard me.” He still didn’t look at her.
She shook her head in disbelief. “No.” Never in her life did she think she would have the strength to deny him, but it was there. She did it and she felt stronger for it. I’ll be okay.
“Yes, Eve.” He was looking at her again. The strangest emotion reflected in his eyes. She couldn’t place it.
Anger flushed her cheeks. “I said no.” Why is he being so difficult? Part of her was thrilled. He’s fighting for me! But she knew better. Boy’s like Gage didn’t fight for anything. Everything was handed to them on a silver platter.
“Dammit, Eve.” He jerked the car into the parking lot of the old Church of Christ that was no longer used. “Why are you making this so hard?” The frustration on his face seemed to be etched into every feature.
“I’m not…what are you even talking about? I’m—”
“The average person spends about twenty thousand minutes of their life kissing.”
“What?” Eve blinked, processing his words.
“Yes, I read that somewhere.” His words were husky. He flexed his hands around the steering wheel and looked at her, the emotion in his eyes burning full force, sending a wave of heat washing over her body. The attraction that sizzled in the air between them seemed to flare like an unruly flame.
“How could anyone know that?” she asked breathlessly.
He didn’t respond, but his darkened
gaze focused on her mouth and she felt it like a caress against her skin. “Have you ever been kissed, Eve?”
She should have gotten out of the car right at that moment and walked away. She had no business being in the car with him at all. But she didn’t. In spite of everything, she wanted to be there. In the car with the most handsome boy she’d ever seen, talking about kissing in an old church parking lot.
She shook her head no, finding herself speechless. The corner of his mouth crooked in a smile that didn’t show his teeth. His gaze flicked to her eyes and back to her lips and then he was kissing her.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Eve stared up at the dingy light bulb overhead to avoid looking at Gage. The silence that hung around them was only punctuated by the moaning gurghs across from her. She had her back against Estelle’s stall, since it was now vacant, and Gage had his back to the barn wall to her right making it hard to look anywhere, but at him.
Not looking at him only made her think about how hungry she was. She’d spent most of the last four years hungry, so it was nothing new, but it had been awhile since she had gone almost twenty-four hours without eating. Her stomach rumbled, though even in spite of her hunger, there was no way in hell she was going to eat the food the girl had brought. The meat on the plate was charred pretty badly, but that wasn’t why she didn’t want to eat it.
The knowledge of where the meat came from only made Eve want to throw up and the way it smelled…she had no doubt that it was barbequed jenk. Her and Gage hadn’t talked about the food, but it was clear he felt the same way.
Eve tried to push thoughts of sustenance out of her mind, but it only brought forth the memory of the way Gage talked to that Lurker chick. She remembered his flirty side, though he had never directed it at her. When he was speaking, she was right back in that hallway watching from the sideline while he laughed with his arm around Sally McCallister.
Alive (The Crave) Page 16
