Sundown Series | Book 5 | Vengeance

by Konstantin, Courtney

  Liam suddenly sat heavily on the couch, and Max recognized a man admitting defeat.

  “You have to understand, Daddy,” Candace continued. “Losing Mom, everything was completely bleak and lost. In her last moments, she asked a stranger to care for us. And she has. She’s put us first so many times. That alone should tell you something.”

  “I’m not trying to steal your kids, Liam. I love them. They have become part of our family. And no matter what you believe about me and the rest of us, we only want what’s best for them,” Alex said, her voice more gentle now.

  She nodded to Candace, telling her to go to her father. When she looked at Easton, Max could see the confusion in the boy’s eyes. But Alex, always the mother, reached up to push a stray hair out of his face and nodded toward his father.

  With his kids on either side of him, Liam finally raised his eyes back to Alex and Max.

  “Where do we go from here?”

  “I’m leaving that choice up to the kids. You will probably find they are a bit more mature than the children you last saw,” Alex replied.

  “We don’t want to leave the Duncans,” Easton said immediately.

  “We should talk about this,” Liam said, his voice tight and restrained.

  Despite the words the man was saying, Max could read the situation clearly. Liam didn’t believe a word they were saying. He wanted all he came for, his children, and he would get them however he had to. She wondered if the kids realized their father was being deceptive. However, she had no question that Alex knew exactly what the situation was.

  “You should talk about it. Max and I won’t be far away. The kids can contact us if they need to. But we’ll come back tomorrow,” Alex said.

  “That won’t be necessary. I think I know what’s best for the kids. We will pack up what we can from this house and get on the road,” Liam said.

  Max couldn’t fight the chuckle that bubbled up. Liam clearly didn’t know what he was dealing with. Alex didn’t respond to Max’s reaction, but Liam’s eyes narrowed and homed in on her. Max didn’t look away, just raised an eyebrow in challenge.

  “I think you would find it best to discuss the situation with the kids before you make any rash decisions. Taking them back to the military outpost could prove deadly for either or both of them. And frankly, I’m not normally one to let my family waltz out the door, never to be seen again. Especially not during the apocalypse,” Alex said. Her voice had lost the softness and was now cold and cutting, letting Liam know exactly how she felt about his plans.

  “And we are family, Dad,” Easton said.

  Liam didn’t respond to any of it. Max didn’t trust him. But they had to trust the kids to take care of themselves for the night. Without some time with their father, they wouldn’t be able to make any decent decision on the path for their lives. The way Easton watched Alex, told Max clearly what his choice was. Candace on the other hand seemed to have stars in her eyes when she looked at her father. Max couldn’t blame the girl for that, it was the same way she idolized her own father.

  Walking to the door, Alex turned before opening it, “One night. We will be back tomorrow. And the kids better be here. Even if it’s just to say goodbye, they better be here.”

  Easton rose and walked Alex out to their vehicle. Liam watched from the doorway with Candace wringing her hands in front of her. Max jumped into the driver’s seat, knowing Alex wouldn’t be in much shape to drive. Easton opened Alex’s door before she could. Once Alex was in, Easton stepped into the space of the door.

  “We won’t go anywhere without talking to you, Alex,” Easton whispered.

  “I know. You have the walkie. We will be within range. I won’t let anything happen to you,” Alex whispered back.

  The boy leaned in to hug Alex before closing her door. Max glanced over at Alex and she could see her sister’s eyes clouding with tears. She didn’t look at Max, just stared as Easton followed his father into the house. He turned and waved sadly before shutting the door.

  “Just go, Max,” Alex choked out.

  Chapter Twelve

  The house Rafe chose wasn’t one that had been ransacked. The doors and windows were all intact. As she pulled the vehicle into the driveway, Max noted the defense position the front windows allowed. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Of course Rafe would know which house to pick. When she turned off the engine, Rafe opened the front door.

  Alex and Max brought in the supplies they had in the vehicle. Actually, enough food for five people for a few days. The house was a one story, three-bedroom floor plan. Rafe had already pulled mattresses into the living room area, knowing they would camp together in the strange house. The living room gave them two rooms from the front door, on the off chance of attack.

  “You’ve been busy,” Max joked.

  “Just waiting for you two, how’d it go?” Rafe asked, shooting a glance at Alex. Their sister stood at the front windows, the walkie in her hand.

  “Well, it went,” Max replied.

  “Not vague at all, Max.”

  “Sorry, I’m not good with this crap, ya know? It was emotional and sad. I don’t trust Liam at all. I don’t think Alex does either. I think she’s afraid he’s going to bolt with the kids in the middle of the night and she’ll never see them again,” Max said. She looked up again and saw Alex had come into the room.

  “That’s exactly what I’m worried about,” Alex said quietly.

  “Those two are smart. They know how to reach you. Guarantee they will if there’s a problem,” Rafe replied.

  “Unless he stops them,” Alex said.

  Neither Max nor Rafe had a good way to comfort Alex. The situation was hard, and they were leaving their trust in teens who just got a living parent back. To keep herself busy, Max removed her weapons and checked her ammo and blades. Rafe joined her, providing a whetstone to work on her Bowie knife. He pulled foods out of his pack, setting aside things they could eat for dinner.

  As the sun began to lower in the sky, the siblings sat together around a small camping stove and an open window. They boiled water and each mixed it with a bag of ramen in their bowls. Rafe cut up dried pork and handed the servings out. Max ate quickly, her mind moving onto the next situation they needed to handle.

  “We should make a plan to get to Callahan. This will be the only chance we have with him away from his outpost,” Max said.

  “What are you thinking?” Rafe asked.

  “We need to find a point they will be isolated, of course. We need to have the advantage of higher ground. Maybe we can find supplies for the explosives you know how to make,” Max said, raising her brows at her brother.

  “Sure. Shouldn’t be too hard. Though, our window is pretty slim.”

  “Yeah. That’s going to be the problem. We have three days, maybe four, before he leaves to head to California. From the info I got, his healing isn’t going right, so it’s going to need some more extensive surgery. Once he’s in this bunker in San Francisco, we won’t get to him until he leaves. There’s no knowing how long he’ll stay there,” Max said.

  “Tight timeline,” Rafe muttered into his bowl of ramen.

  “If we left now, we would have one day to get the supplies for explosives and two days to scout and decide on a location. Maybe even track them for a day to know what we’re looking at,” Max said.

  “Leave now?” Alex asked suddenly.

  “Callahan needs to become a priority, Alex. So yeah, we need to get on with this plan. If not, he continues to be a threat to us all,” Max replied, her voice prickly, moving toward pissed off.

  “We already talked about this. We are giving the kids a day to figure this out,” Alex said.

  “I cannot believe this. That guy, trustworthy or not, is their father, Alex. We can leave them with him and handle the more important issue of Callahan,” Max said, her voice rising.

  “Alex is right, Max. We did have this discussion and agreed to this strategy,” Rafe said.

  Max
was sure she would start seeing red. Her sister was again discounting what they really needed to be doing. And her brother did nothing but play mediator between the two of them. Max wondered if her brother had a single original thought about anything at this point. Then she felt slightly guilty for talking crap about her brother in her head.

  “How long are we going to let this drama play out?”

  “As long as it needs to! I’m not just going to walk away from them. I already can’t be sure I will even see them again; can’t you understand this at all?” Alex said, her voice laced with malice that Max wasn’t used to.

  “They aren’t even your kids, Alex! You can’t keep playing mother when their father is right there!” Max exploded.

  The moment her words had left her mouth, Max knew they were a mistake. And the sound echoed in the empty house, making it all that worse for Max. She cringed, regretting the decision immediately. Alex’s face was shadowed, the waning sunlight disappearing, a single small lantern giving them light for eating. Her body had gone completely still. Max waited, expecting a physical response to her shoving her foot into her own mouth again.

  “Listen, both of you calm down,” Rafe said, putting his hands up in a surrender motion. “We agreed to this plan, no matter how you want to change it now, Max. Let’s give the kids the night and tomorrow we will know which way this is going.”

  Alex immediately stood up and walked into the dark living room. Max looked down into her cooling ramen. She didn’t want to continue eating, but she knew her body needed fuel, even if her emotions were making it hard to stomach. She chewed on the ramen slowly, tasting nothing as she swallowed the last noodles. Thankfully, Rafe didn’t try to have any sort of conversation, leaving Max to her embarrassment.

  An hour passed of silence, Alex sitting near the front windows, the walkie never far from her. Max stayed away, studying maps she had brought with her. She shot glances at Alex’s profile that she could see in the lantern light.

  “Leave it alone, Max,” Rafe said quietly. He had laid back and closed his eyes, but Max knew he wouldn’t be sleeping for a while yet.

  “What?” Max asked.

  “You screwed up. We all know it. You just need to let her cool down.”

  “I didn’t really mean what I said,” Max mumbled.

  “Yes, you did. You aren’t like Alex. And that’s fine. But you have to remember who Alex is. She loves everyone. Letting those kids in was natural for her. And it’s eating her alive now that she doesn’t know what they will choose,” Rafe replied.

  Max thought about what her brother was saying. He was right, Alex and Max were vastly different people. However, Max didn’t have a problem caring about people outside of the family. She cared about the teens. Possibly even as if they were her actual nephew and niece. But she saw Liam as trumping all of that now that he was back. Clearly, it wasn’t nearly as easy for Alex to let it go.

  Alex took the first watch, telling Rafe she couldn’t sleep now even if she wanted to. Rafe let her do as she wanted and told her to wake him in a few hours. Max tossed and turned until she finally fell asleep. Her dreams were of Griffin and Jack, her heart leading her to what meant everything to her. It was a sweet place to be until she was shaken awake by Rafe.

  “Your turn,” he said with a yawn.

  Max stretched and pulled on her boots and her weapons. One of her siblings had set up a soft sitting place at the bottom of the large front window. It was easy to sit back in the shadows and still see the street by the light of the moon. A few wandering bodies would come through, but with nothing to attract their attention, they would fade into darkness soon after.

  When the sun began to illuminate the sky with beautiful colors, Alex was standing at the window. No one had to wake her. She was ready to go. Rafe convinced her to sit and eat breakfast before going back to the house for the kids. They probably needed more time, he told her.

  Alex fidgeted through a breakfast of instant oatmeal and canned apples. Max was glad to see she was actually eating, despite her mind being elsewhere. Rafe met Max’s eyes when she looked over, her eyes imploring him to help her. Rafe just shrugged and nodded, telling Max she should just open her mouth.

  “Alex, uh, I’m sorry for what I said,” Max said. Her sister stopped with a spoon halfway to her mouth and looked at her.

  “Which part? Where you suggested we leave the kids here? Or when you found the need to remind me that they aren’t my children?”

  Max had enough brain to wince. Alex’s voice was even and calm, but the words were like daggers of ice.

  “All of it. I mean, maybe I don’t understand your priorities, I still want to put getting Callahan first, but they are your priorities. And I should back you up on that,” Max said.

  “Sometimes it worries me, Max. What world will this be if we can’t love those around us? Those that are part of this family, but maybe not blood? Would you say the same about Charlie, leave her behind when she wasn’t convenient for you?” Alex asked.

  “I mean, no. Rafe would probably kill me anyway if I even suggested that,” Max muttered.

  “You’re right. But you know I wouldn’t try to do that, so you just say whatever you want to me. And that’s fine, we’re sisters. I want your honesty. But I also want you to see that there is more around us than a vendetta.”

  “I want to protect our family!” Max sputtered, feeling anger rise in her throat. Sure, she had plenty of reason to be angry and want to take out Callahan. But she wasn’t doing that, despite her family.

  “And our family is bigger than just the three of us and our kids. I want you to learn that. There’s so much to enjoy in what’s around us, even during this apocalypse. You need to let it in. You need to care about others.”

  Max didn’t respond. She wasn’t sure there was anything she could say to make the sinking feeling in her stomach go away. Every word Alex was saying was true, even if it hurt. Max didn’t extend her emotions outside of the circle that mattered. That circle was her siblings, Griffin, Jack, and Alex’s kids.

  She cared for people, she did. But in the large picture, she could see them as expendable when necessary. Alex knew Max well and without saying a word, she already knew how Max functioned. She had been the same as a child. Even when she thought Griffin had disappeared and left her alone to raise her daughter, she didn’t mourn the loss the way most young adults would. She moved on and did what was needed.

  “I love you, Max, because you are my sister. But sometimes, I have a hard time liking you,” Alex said.

  With the last parting shot, Alex stood and packed her last items before stalking toward the door. Max and Rafe had no choice but to follow. However, when they went outside, Alex was already leaving in one vehicle, alone. Max sighed. She was going to have to try harder to fix things with Alex.

  Rafe drove the truck he brought and they arrived just in time to stare in horror as a horde started down the street at the sound of Alex’s car. Alex had seen them too, because she rushed to park in the driveway of the house where the kids were and ran to the door.

  As Max was jumping from Rafe’s truck, the door was swinging open with Liam blocking the way.

  “We have to go now,” Alex was saying, her voice full of urgency.

  “The kids aren’t going anywhere,” Liam said.

  “Dad! That was not what we talked about,” Easton’s raised voice came from deeper inside the house.

  “Quiet, Easton,” Liam shot over his shoulder. Looking back at Alex he continued, “These are my children, and they will be going with me.”

  Alex looked from Liam to the approaching horde and then over her shoulder at Max and Rafe. Max’s eyes were on the infected headed their way and with a groan she pointed to show Rafe there were faster dead in the group. Rafe and Max both pulled their handguns and stepped toward the end of the driveway, waiting for the right shot.

  “You are an idiot; do you know that?” Alex shouted.

  “Damn, she’s gonna give it to him
,” Rafe said to Max.

  “He is real stupid if he thinks she’s just going to give up,” Max replied.

  If Alex could hear them, she didn’t show it. Instead, she continued on her rant.

  “Did the kids tell you how they came to be with me? I found them inside a Walgreens. Your wife wasn’t prepared to face the infected. Easton had nothing but a bat and Candace was walking around scared like a deer in headlights. When your wife was bitten, there was nothing any of us could do to save her. And as the light went out in her eyes, do you know her last thought? It was to give her children to me. So I could protect them. And I have. I’ve protected them, taught them, loved them. I will not allow you to just disappear with them,” Alex yelled, breathless by the end.

  Max took a chance to glance over, and she noted that Liam’s face was an appropriate shade of white. Easton started to shoulder his way between them, and Liam easily stepped back.

  “That was a pretty low blow. You probably wouldn’t have said that,” Rafe said.

  “Probably would have. That guy’s head is as thick as a brick.”

  Easton was now standing on the porch, looking down at the horde and then back into the house. The wheels were obviously turning, and the decision needed to be made fast.

  “We need to get into those trucks and get the hell away from here. Once we’re in the clear, then we can argue this all out,” Easton said.

  He turned and motioned to Candace who came running out with her pack on and Easton’s in her hands. Alex ran with her, putting her into her vehicle. Easton had his bat and knife and headed down the driveway just as Rafe and Max started shooting at the faster infected.

  Seeing Easton joining forces with the Duncans seemed to put Liam into motion. He came running out of the house with a rifle at his shoulder. He stood further into the street, shooting at the nearest infected. Alex had started her vehicle, but jumped out to help clear a path.

  Easton stepped up with his bat and swung the nail encrusted wood with all his might. The head of the first infected he met exploded in gore.