by Harley Tate
Colt gave him a nod and kept walking, the limp barely noticeable in comparison to the backpacks and rifles strung over his body. He looked like a ridiculous actor in an action hero movie, alive to fight another day. It wasn’t that far from the truth.
He’d get somewhere safe, patch up his leg, and set off. The military wanted to find him? He’d make it easy. Colt would just go to them.
Chapter Twenty
DANI
University of Oregon Campus
Eugene, Oregon
1:00 p.m.
Dani shoved the beef stew around the little tray. She’d already eaten the bread, jam, and chalky stuff the package claimed was peanut butter. Now the main dish sat in front of her congealing while she watched.
She should be thankful. The military picked her up and gave her a place to sleep and food to eat and never once asked if she’d broken some soldier’s kneecap or watched Colt shoot three thugs who wanted to have a little fun.
Leaving Colt had been the right decision. He wanted to hit the road, she’d known that from the first moment they met. The words couldn’t have been more plain: I’m not a family man. I don’t want to be a surrogate dad.
No matter how many times she caught him smiling at her or seeming proud, Colt didn’t want her in his life. Everything he did was to set her up to survive on her own: the supplies, apartment, self-defense skills. He didn’t plan on sticking around.
Her mom showing up only sped up the process.
Dani glanced up at the entrance to the cafeteria. After dropping Dani off in her own room last night, her mother disappeared with Gran down the hall and Dani hadn’t seen her since. She didn’t know where Gran was and she couldn’t risk going to find her.
What if that soldier she hurt was in the hospital? What if he recognized her and sent her to whatever worked as jail in this place? Juvie might have been a blessing in disguise when her mom fell off the wagon, but right now it could be a death sentence. Dani didn’t trust anyone around here to keep their word. Not after that soldier tried to haul her away.
A woman sat down across from her and groaned as she looked at her plate. “Beef stew again? Who can eat this slop?” She rolled her eyes and picked up the package of bread. Her red curls bounced around her face as she tore the package open with her teeth.
Dani couldn’t help but stare. She was beautiful.
“Got a problem, kid?”
Dani ducked her head. “No.”
At last, the redhead got the package open and she let out a little whoop. After chomping down on the bread, she eased back in her chair. “Sorry I snapped at you. I get a bit hangry in the afternoon.”
“It’s okay.”
The woman held out her hand. “I’m Heather.”
Dani wiped her hand on her napkin and gave Heather’s a quick shake. “Dani.”
“Nice to meet you, Dani. Are you in college here?”
Dani shook her head. “Not old enough. I’m just a local.”
Heather cocked her head. “Really? I didn’t think they were letting any locals in here.” She tore open the package of jam and slathered the contents on the rest of her bread. “You some politician’s kid or something?”
“Nope.” Dani pushed her beef stew around again. “What are they doing here?”
Heather shook her head. “Beats me. All I know is they asked all the college kids who had families they could reach to leave first thing. We showed up after our plane emergency-landed just outside of town. So far, they’ve let us stay, but I don’t know any more than that.”
Dani forked a bite of beef and popped it in her mouth. Colt said he arrived on a plane, too. Were they on the same flight? “An emergency landing sounds scary.”
Heather leaned in, her eyes bright and full of excitement. “It was. I’ve been a flight attendant for five years, but I’ve never done anything like that. Our pilot, Captain Sloane? He was amazing. Everyone clapped when we landed.”
Dani wished she could ask outright about Colt, but she didn’t want to get him in trouble. “How did you all make it to Eugene? There’s not a whole lot outside of town. You must have been in the mountains.”
Heather nodded. “We were. But we had an air marshal on our flight and he walked into town, tracked down the National Guard, and they sent up some buses for us. We were here within twenty-four hours after the power grid failed.”
An air marshal. That had to be Colt. Dani wanted to learn everything about him. What he did, where he’d been. There was so little she knew. In some ways it was pointless, the but the more she knew, maybe the easier it would be to hold onto his memory. “What’s an air marshal?”
Heather snorted. “A big, fat jerk, that’s what.”
Dani raised her eyebrows.
“You really want to know?”
Dani nodded.
Heather forked a bite of carrot and pointed it at Dani as she spoke. “They’re arrogant, conceited, selfish bastards. But they’re really good in bed.” She put the carrot in her mouth and chewed while Dani stared like she’d just seen her grandmother dancing.
“Oh, sorry, kid. You probably didn’t need to know that last part.”
“It’s okay.” Dani tried to play it off. “I don’t mind. He was a real jerk, huh?”
“The worst.” Heather shook her head. “Came onto me on the plane and sweet-talked me nonstop when we got back here. Two weeks go by, I think he’s really into me, you know, and then, bam! He gets up one day and says he’s leaving. That he’s not a ‘relationship man.’ Whatever that means.”
Heather flipped her hair behind her shoulder and stabbed another bite of food. “I swear if I ever see Colt Potter again, I’ll have him arrested for fraud.”
Dani swallowed. “I don’t think you can do that.”
“Then I’ll lie! The jerk deserves it.”
She couldn’t believe it. Colt had been in a relationship with a woman as beautiful as Heather and he just got up one day and walked away? It didn’t make any sense. When he said he didn’t do relationships, he really meant it. Heather probably hadn’t been rejected very often.
She seemed like a difficult woman to handle. Dani tried to smile. “What are you going to do now?”
“Wait until they finally let me go home, I guess. I’ve got a sister in Sacramento. I need to get back there. But every time I bring it up, I just get the brush off. It’s like all these macho guys around here are in the middle of some big thing but they won’t tell any of us civilians what’s going on.”
Dani chewed on her lip. It’s exactly what Colt had said earlier. The military was up to something, but he couldn’t figure it out. “Do you think they’re getting ready to leave?” If they did, what would happen to Gran?
“I have no idea, sweetheart, but if they do, one of those guys is taking me with them.” Heather looked down at her tray and snorted in disgust. “I’m throwing this slop in the garbage and finding a vending machine. Want to come?”
Dani shook her head. “No thanks.”
“Suit yourself. Nice meeting you, kid.” Heather stood up and dumped her tray in the trash before heading out the double doors.
Dani leaned back in her chair and looked around. Apart from a couple three tables over, an older woman by herself, and a man who looked like a professor, she was alone. She thought about all the things Heather had told her. How Colt had walked out with no notice, how the military was keeping everyone in the dark and not letting any townies into the campus.
She had woken up that morning depressed over saying goodbye to Colt, but now she knew it was the right decision. The last thing she wanted was to wake up one day and have him be gone.
After shoveling a few more bites in her mouth, Dani stood up and threw her trash away. The army had figured out how to get power to critical equipment and they’d rigged up portable showers down the hall. Just the thought of water pouring over her head was incredible. She reached back and felt beneath her ponytail to the wound on her scalp.
It still hurt, but
a shower would probably be okay. She walked down the hall to her room and pulled open the door. Everything was as she left it. A twin bed, nightstand, and a single window to let in the light. She hadn’t brought any of her things and she wasn’t planning on it.
Although she could tell her mom about the apartment and the supplies Colt helped her gather, she wanted to keep that part of her life to herself. The little she’d seen of her mother had been positive, but Dani still didn’t know if she could trust her.
Was she really sober? Had the military helped her like she claimed? Or was she just putting on a good act? Dani didn’t know, but she hoped it was the former. Maybe the EMP shocked her mother into cleaning up for good.
She kept the positive thoughts in her mind as she headed to the shower. Halfway there, she froze. Her mother stood at the end of the hall, chatting with a soldier on crutches. Dani couldn’t tell from her vantage point, but the hair and the shape of his head reminded her of the man who caught her on the street. The one who wanted to drag her back here and throw her in jail.
It can’t be. If her mother was talking to him, was this all a setup? Did her mother plan on selling her out? Dani took a step back and collided with a warm body.
She spun around in a panic. “I’m sorry, are you okay?”
The soldier nodded. “I’m fine. Sorry to have startled you.”
“It’s okay.”
“Danielle! Danielle, wait right there!”
Her mother’s voice echoed down the hall and Dani glanced behind her. The soldier on crutches was hopping her way. Crap. She spun back around. “I’ve got to go. Sorry again.”
“Dani! Wait!” Her mother’s voice grew frantic. “Sir! Sir, stop that girl, please!”
Dani lunged around the soldier, but he reached out and grabbed her arm.
“Let go of me.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
Her mother jogged up, winded and out of breath. With her mouth sagging open for air, Dani could see all her rotting teeth. Even if her mom cleaned up on the outside, the drugs had taken a toll no shower and new clothes could repair.
She clenched her side as she spoke. “It’s about time I found you. There’s someone here you need to meet.”
Chapter Twenty-One
DANI
University of Oregon Campus
Eugene, Oregon
2:00 p.m.
Dani tugged on her arm, but the soldier to her right still held on, his grip tight enough to bruise. “Let me go!”
“Is she your daughter?”
Dani’s mom nodded. “Yes, sir. I can take her from here. Thank you.” She reached out and grabbed ahold of Dani’s arm even harder than the soldier, her nails digging into Dani’s skin through her sleeve.
“Mom! You’re hurting me!” Dani practically shouted in her mother’s face, hoping someone would intervene.
No one paid them any mind.
Her mother eased closer, voice barely above a harsh whisper. “It’s not nice to run away from your mother when she’s speaking to you.”
Dani bit her cheek to keep from lashing out again. No one there would help her. She would need to wait for an opening and exploit it. Just like Colt had said.
The soldier on crutches hobbled down the hall. At ten feet away, Dani confirmed it was the same one who caught her in the store. The guy she kicked and who lost his rifle to Colt. Despite the smile on his face, he would never be her friend. He would never be on her side. She probably ended his career.
“I’m not going anywhere with that guy.”
Her mother dug her nails in harder. They had to be drawing blood. “You don’t have a choice.”
Dani sucked in a breath as the soldier stopped in front of her. “Is there a problem?”
“No. Dani’s just anxious to talk to you. Isn’t that right, dear?”
She pretended her lips were sewn shut and scowled instead.
Her mother made an excuse. “Typical teenager. You know how crabby they can be without enough sleep.”
The soldier eyed her up and down. “Take her down the hall. Follow the signs to the auditorium. Room 105.”
Dani swallowed. That wasn’t anywhere near her room. The hair on the back of her neck rose. What was her mother planning? Did she even know what this man wanted to do with her?
She focused on the woman who never did a nice thing without a motive. A shower and some makeup and decent clothes covered up the ugliness, but it still lurked beneath the surface. From the way she gripped her arm, to the fake sweetness on her tongue as she talked to the soldier, Dani saw it all. Her mother hadn’t changed.
When she’d first seen her the night before, she’d let herself hope. She’d foolishly gone along with her because deep down somewhere, Dani was still a little girl who wanted a mom who cared. A mom who loved her.
“How long will it take?” Her mother’s words echoed in her head.
The soldier sneered. “Depends on how cooperative she wants to be. I’ll meet you there.” He turned on his crutches and hopped back the way he’d come, his blocky head bobbing up and down with every sweep of his injured leg.
“Come on, you heard him. Let’s go.” Her mother tried to pull her along, but Dani resisted.
She leaned back, balancing on her heels as her mother yanked her arm. “What’s in room 105?”
“It’s nothing. Just move.”
“No.”
Her mother puffed out a breath. “Can’t you for once not be a spoiled little brat? I need you to do this for me.”
Spoiled? Her mother had the nerve to call her spoiled? She tugged her arm again and pulled her mother off balance.
Her mother cursed and glanced around the hall. Whatever she saw seemed to satisfy her and she used all her feeble strength to drag Dani a handful of steps. She couldn’t let her mother take her to room 105 and whatever that soldier had planned.
As her mother took another step, Dani reared back, tugging against her mother with all her might. Her mother stumbled and her grip on Dani’s arm loosened. The second her mother released her, Dani spun away. Her footsteps pounded on the linoleum floor, echoing against the walls.
“Danielle!”
No stopping. No looking back. She would get away from that woman and whatever horrible plan she’d concocted. No one was going to trap her in some room she couldn’t escape.
Dani neared the end of the hall and slowed to round the corner.
She didn’t see the rifle until too late. The stock slammed into her shoulder and Dani flew back, arms and legs circling in the air like a cartoon character. She hit the ground hard on her butt and kept going, falling back until her head slammed onto the floor.
All the air rushed from her lungs. She gasped like a beached fish.
Hands wrapped around her arms and hauled her upright while the room spun. Her vision dimmed, telescoping into a tunnel ringed in black. A humming eclipsed all sound in her ears and Dani fought the urge to vomit.
Cold metal slapped her wrists and Dani tried to speak. “Wh-What—”
“Shut up before I knock you out.”
She didn’t have to be told twice. Dani couldn’t stay conscious even if she wanted to. The ground loomed, her vision failed, and Dani passed out.
“Do it again.”
Cold water drenched Dani from above, soaking her hair and running in rivulets down her face. She blinked and tried to lift her hand to wipe it away. Her arm wouldn’t budge.
“She’s coming around.”
“It’s about damn time.”
Dani opened her mouth and water droplets landed on her tongue. She smacked and tried to speak. “Wh-What’s wrong?”
“Aw, how cute. She’s talking.” The voice turned cruel. “Smack her. That should wake her up.”
A flat, hot palm landed hard on her cheek and Dani’s head careened to the right. She blinked again and the world came into focus.
She sat in a chair in the middle of a room, a soaked blanket spread out beneath her. Zip ties s
ecured her hands to the back of the chair and an empty bucket sat on the floor beside her feet.
“Where’s the man who rescued you?”
Dani snapped her head up and the quick movement roiled her gut. She fought back the bile rising in her throat. An army soldier stood in front of her, older than the others she’d seen before. His uniform looked pressed and clean, and he’d shaved within the past day.
His blue eyes honed in on her face, and he asked his question again. “Where’s the man who took you from Sergeant McAllister?”
“Who’s that?”
Her voice sounded thick and foreign.
“That would be me. The guy you stomped on, remember?”
Sergeant McAllister’s face loomed too close, his big head eclipsing all but the overhead lights from her field of view.
She smacked her lips and tried to remember how to talk. “H-How’s the leg?”
He snorted and backed up, throwing his arm out as he pointed. “You see? She’s nothing but a punk. I told you we won’t get anything out of her.”
“Patience is a virtue, Sergeant.”
The blue-eyed man never stopped staring at her. His gaze made Dani squirm. She looked away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do.” He took a step closer. “Colt Potter. Where is he?”
“How should I know?”
“You were with him last night.”
Dani twisted around, looking for her mother. Had she told them about Colt? Did they want him for the assault on Sergeant McAllister? Did they know about the murders?
When she didn’t see her, she sagged against the chair. No way would she rat him out. “The guy’s gone. The second you all picked me up, he left. I think he said he’s headed to California.” Lies came easily. She’d learned from the best.
“No.” The senior soldier shook his head. “He’s still here.”
She shrugged but her shoulders barely moved thanks to the restraints. “Sorry.”
“You aren’t yet, but you will be.”
Dani’s eyes narrowed. What was so important about Colt? “What do you want him for? It’s not like he’s an AWOL soldier or something.”
