Such a simple request. One he should have thought of himself. Glad that at least she’d brought it up, Derrick smiled, one side of his mouth tilting up. “That’s a great idea.” He tore his gaze from her, sweeping it across the group. “Each RV should have a panel to hook up to its batteries.” He glanced back at Paisley as he spoke, noticing that she seemed pleased that he liked her idea. “A fire would be catastrophic.” Now he turned to Frank and Sarah. “Let’s get some panels for the house as well. I’m not sure how we’d wire it up, but if you could avoid using candles too, that would be ideal.”
Frank nodded. “That would be great.”
“Can we add dog food to the list for the run?” Brooke asked, glancing toward Cleo, her German shepherd, who was stretched out on the deck in the sunshine just outside the kitchen. She looked to Derrick for confirmation.
He nodded. “Yep.” Then he shifted his gaze to Sarah. “Can you put a list together after breakfast?”
She smiled. “I already have one.”
Chapter 6
Jessica
“I’ll be fine,” Jessica said to Matt with a shake of her head. The moment breakfast had finished and they’d gone to their RV, he’d tried to convince her not to go on that day’s supply run—or any run, for that matter.
“You don’t know that.” Limping a bit, he paced the short distance from one end of their tiny living room to the other. “You haven’t been out there. You don’t know what it’s like.”
As true as that was, she had every intention of getting out there. It wasn’t fair for her to stay in the relative safety of the farm while others went out and found food and other supplies that she benefited from. Besides, she felt ready to face whatever danger was out there. She’d been training hard—on using guns and other weapons as well as learning where vulnerable parts of the body where. Like where the carotid artery was located—something she’d had an idea of but had never considered stabbing. In addition, when they’d fought the Emperors, she’d killed a man. It had been horrendous, but she believed that when push came to shove, she could handle herself.
Matt stopped and faced her as she sat on the couch. “I’m not going to change your mind, am I?”
Knowing how much it pained him to admit that, she slowly shook her head.
He sighed audibly. “Fine. Go. But I’m going too.”
She couldn’t stop her gaze from going to his wounded leg. “But you’re not ready.”
This time he grinned. “I’ll be fine.”
Hating the way he threw her words back in her face, she pursed her lips but didn’t argue. “Okay. We’ll both go.”
His face lit up with triumph. “I’ll let Derrick know.” At that, he left the RV, but he was back a few minutes later, storm clouds in his eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
Jaw clenching, he shook his head. “Derrick said he didn’t want me to come. Said he needed people who could climb onto roofs and get panels down. Said I would be better utilized here.”
Jessica could see how upset this made Matt, but she couldn’t disagree with Derrick’s logic. With Matt’s leg still healing, he wasn’t in the right shape to climb onto a roof. “I’m sorry, Matt.”
He shook his head, frustration clear in his face, but after a several quiet moments, the emotion began to clear. That was one thing Jessica had always loved about him—he didn’t hold on to being upset for long.
“I respect Derrick,” Matt said as he stared at the floor, then he sighed deeply. “And I can see his point.” He lifted his gaze to Jessica. “Stay here with me.”
Tempted to acquiesce, if only to make Matt happy, Jessica stared at him but didn’t say anything. He had to accept that he couldn’t always protect her. And she needed to prove to herself that she could stand on her own. As much as she loved and adored her husband, the reality was in this new world there was no guarantee that anyone would live from one day to the next. She had to learn how to take care of herself.
His eyes bored into hers, but when she stayed silent, he clenched his jaw and turned away.
“You ready for this?” Derrick asked Jessica as they got ready to roll. It would be her, Derrick, and Chris.
She glanced at Matt, who, despite his reticence, had come to see her off.
“She’ll be awesome,” Matt said with a confident tone, then he turned to her with an encouraging smile.
Jessica hadn’t expected him to support her like this, which almost made her want to say she’d changed her mind and that she would stay with him. Almost. Instead, she stepped close to him and kissed him on the lips. “Thank you, sweetheart. That means a lot to me.”
He gently stroked her face. “Be careful out there.” His eyes went to Derrick and Chris before meeting her gaze. “You’re in good hands.”
She nodded. “I need to do this.”
Matt smiled softly. “I know.”
Grateful to be married to such an amazing man, Jessica embraced him. “I love you.”
“I love you,” he murmured in her ear.
She drew away. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”
He nodded but didn’t reply.
As they drove away in Derrick’s truck, she turned and looked at Matt, who was watching intently as they headed toward the gate. She was sitting in the back seat while Derrick drove and Chris took shotgun. Jeff stood by the open gate, ready to close and lock it behind them once they went through.
The moment they turned onto the paved road that ran in front of the farm’s driveway, Jessica felt a surge of excitement and fear. The last time she’d been away from the farm had been the day they’d fought the Emperors. That had been terrifying, but they’d had a plan and it had worked. They had rescued Walter’s grandchildren and had eliminated the Emperors, including their leader Randy.
Now though, she had no idea what to expect, but she hoped they wouldn’t have any dangerous interactions with other pandemic survivors.
“I remember seeing a house not too far from here with panels on the roof,” Derrick said as he drove.
“We also need an inverter,” Chris added.
Derrick turned and looked at him. “We can take one from a solar-powered house.”
Chris chuckled. “Didn’t think of that.”
Soon, they pulled into the driveway of a house. Jessica’s eyes went to the roof, where she saw two perfectly laid-out rows of solar panels.
Bingo.
Eager to help, she hopped out of the truck the moment the engine turned off. “What do you want me to do?” she asked Derrick.
He stood beside the truck as he surveyed the area. When he was apparently satisfied that no one was lurking about, he turned to her with a grim expression. “First, we need to clear the place, then Chris will get on the roof while you and I keep watch.”
Sounded easy enough. Feeling more confident by the minute, Jessica smiled broadly. “Works for me.”
He nodded, then led the way to the front door, his gun in the low ready position. Motioning for Jessica to stand to one side of the door, he stood on the other while Chris turned the knob and shoved the door open. As the door swung wide, Chris held his gun in one hand while supporting his wrist with the other. He swept the entrance, then briskly nodded before stepping over the threshold.
Derrick followed him in with Jessica on his heels. As she entered, she did a few slow blinks to help her eyes adjust to the dim interior. Relying on her recent training, when Chris headed down a hallway and Derrick headed up the stairs, she moved toward the kitchen. Nervous, yet exhilarated, to be on her own, she listened intently for any noises that were out of place as her gaze probed every corner she could see. With her gun leading, she rounded the kitchen island, her heart racing. What if someone was hiding there? But no one was. She checked the walk-in pantry and a nearby laundry room. All clear.
The garage door stood in front of her. Prepared to open it and begin a search, when Derrick and Chris appeared beside her, she felt herself relax.
“This area is cl
ear,” she said.
Derrick nodded. “Upstairs is clear.”
“Let’s check the garage,” Chris said.
Derrick went first this time, and within thirty seconds, they’d cleared the garage as well.
Chris manually opened the garage door, flooding the space with sunlight. “I’ll grab our ladder and get started.”
Derrick nodded. “Looks like the inverter’s over there.” He turned to Jessica. “You’re on security detail.”
Knowing they were depending on her, Jessica felt a powerful sense of responsibility. This was the first time it would all be on her. Lots of firsts, but each one successfully achieved made her confidence grow. She had this.
With a quick nod, she walked out of the garage and strode around the perimeter of the property, on high alert for any movement. She wished they’d brought Cleo along. Having the German shepherd would not only give her a partner, but Cleo would be able to warn her if someone approached—and protect her if needed. Cleo had gone on a few runs, but they didn’t always bring her. Jessica would talk to Derrick about making Cleo a regular.
She reached the front of the house and saw Chris on the roof dismantling a solar panel. Derrick was still in the garage trying to remove the inverter. As they worked, Jessica walked toward the street, her eyes sweeping the area.
Movement caught her eye. About fifty yards away, two armed men were walking down the street, and they were heading in Jessica’s direction.
Chapter 7
Derrick
“Someone’s coming,” Jessica said to Derrick. She sounded out of breath, like she’d sprinted to the garage.
He was nearly done removing the inverter but set down the screwdriver and faced her. “Where?”
She pointed toward the street. He looked in that direction. A grouping of trees blocked most of his view. That was good. It would make it harder for anyone to see them from the street.
Except Chris was on the roof. In clear view.
Derrick turned to Jessica. “Stay here and stay out of sight.”
She nodded and headed into the garage before Derrick turned and trotted toward the trees that lined the property, keeping himself out of the men’s view. He pressed his back against one of the trunks, then craned his head around to watch the men as they drew closer. They were now about ten yards away.
A man wearing a ball cap backwards on his head pointed toward the roof where Chris was working, his mouth moving as he talked to his companion, a man in a blue t-shirt. Both men reached for the guns at their hips, drawing their weapons but keeping them pointed at the asphalt.
Their eyes were riveted to Chris, which gave Derrick the opportunity to watch them without being observed. When they began angling toward the driveway, Derrick moved as well, keeping himself hidden.
Glancing toward Chris, who was hunched over a solar panel, Derrick knew Chris was depending on him and Jessica to watch his six as he focused on his job.
The men passed Derrick, completely unaware that they were being tracked. Being as stealthy as he could, Derrick crept up behind the men, who stayed silent. They both appeared to be in their thirties, both on the thin side. Probably assumed this was Chris’s house and that he had food they could take. No matter. Derrick would shut down any hopes they had of ambushing Chris.
Both men began lifting their handguns, but when Derrick said, “Don’t move,” they froze, their backs to him.
Derrick shifted his Glock from one man to the other. “Drop your weapons.” His voice was low and menacing.
They hesitated.
“I’m not going to ask again.” Derrick glanced at Chris, who must have heard his commands, because he had turned around and gotten into a crouch, his gun pointed at the men. Then Jessica came out of the garage, her gun pointed at the men as she strode steadily forward.
Obviously outnumbered, the men dropped their guns.
“Kick them away.”
They did and Derrick collected their weapons.
“Face down on the ground with your hands on the backs of your heads.”
“Please don’t shoot us,” the man in the blue t-shirt said. “We were just looking for food.”
Just as Derrick suspected. “Look, we don’t want to hurt anyone, but we’re not about to take a chance on you hurting us either, so cooperate and we’ll all walk away.”
They both got on the ground and put their hands on their heads. By then, Chris had scrambled down the ladder and joined Derrick, and Jessica had reached them, her gun pointed at the men. Derrick and Chris each searched a man while Jessica covered them. Each man had a knife, which Derrick and Chris pocketed before straightening. The men stayed on the ground with their hands on their heads.
Derrick looked at Jessica and Chris with a frown. What were they supposed to do with these guys? Derrick wasn’t about to kill someone who hadn’t attacked them, but he couldn’t just let them go. Not when they were working on getting those solar panels.
“We could tie them up,” Jessica said, clearly understanding his dilemma.
Chris nodded.
Derrick sighed, annoyed with this wrinkle. “Agreed.” He gestured with his chin to Jessica. “See if you can find some rope.” She nodded and jogged away. Derrick looked at Chris. “Back to work?”
“Yep.” Off he went.
Derrick didn’t speak as he waited for Jessica to return, which she did a short time later with a long length of rope. While she held her gun on the men, Derrick cut off shorter lengths of rope and tied the men’s hands behind their backs while they were still on the ground.
“Can we get up?” Ball Cap asked.
“No,” Derrick said with a tone that said the matter wasn’t up for debate.
The man swore vehemently.
“Not in front of the lady,” Derrick growled before kicking Ball Cap in the side hard enough to send a message without doing any serious damage.
Ball Cap quieted, although his body had tensed like he was furious. That didn’t bother Derrick in the slightest.
Still needing to remove the inverter, but not wanting to leave Jessica alone with the men, Derrick tried to figure out what to do. There was still a long section of rope he hadn’t used. He got an idea.
“I changed my mind,” he said with a smirk that only Jessica could see. “Get up.”
“What for?” Ball Cap asked. “So you can shoot us?”
This guy was getting on Derrick’s nerves. “Don’t give me a reason to.”
Ball Cap didn’t reply as he struggled to get up. Blue T-Shirt had silently rolled onto his side before getting his legs under him and standing. Ball Cap was on his feet a few moments later. When his gaze went to Derrick, his eyes widened like he recognized him.
What the heck? Trying to get a read on the man, Derrick narrowed his eyes as he studied his face. Ball Cap gave nothing away.
“Something wrong?” Derrick asked.
Ball Cap smiled in a way that said he knew something Derrick didn’t, which annoyed Derrick mightily.
“Nope. Everything’s great.”
Grunting, Derrick stared at the man. Then he motioned with his gun toward a tree with a sturdy trunk. “This way.”
The men did as he commanded, stopping beside the tree.
“Put your back against the tree,” Derrick said to Ball Cap.
Grumbling the entire time, he did as he was told. Jessica kept her gun trained on Blue T-Shirt while Derrick tied Ball Cap to the tree.
“Your turn,” Derrick said to Blue T-Shirt. “On the other side. Back against the trunk.”
The man followed the instructions without complaint and Derrick tied him to the tree as well, wrapping the rope around Ball Cap a second time in the process. These men weren’t going anywhere. At least for the duration of time Derrick and Chris needed to get the panels and inverter.
With a nod at Jessica, who was watching the men closely, her gun in her hand, Derrick hustled off to the garage. The tree was within view, and as he worked, he checked on the men and
the surrounding area from time to time.
Once the inverter was uninstalled, Derrick placed it in the back of the truck, then he helped Chris get several panels down from the roof, placing them carefully in the bed of the truck and wrapping them in blankets Frank had supplied.
“What do you want to do with those guys?” Chris asked with a chin-lift at the men tied to the tree a short distance away.
Derrick smirked. “We could leave ‘em.” Then he frowned. “But that would be a death sentence.”
Chris nodded. “Let’s cut ‘em loose.”
They walked over to Jessica. Her body language told Derrick that she was alert but relaxed. Derrick was proud of how she’d handled herself on this run. They still had more to do, but his confidence in her had grown tremendously.
“You gonna let us go?” Ball Cap asked.
Derrick stared at the man. “Only if you tell me why you reacted the way you did when you saw me.”
The man’s forehead furrowed like he was confused. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Had Derrick imagined it? He didn’t think so, but obviously Ball Cap wasn’t about to tell him anything. “You sure that’s the answer you want to give?”
Ball Cap shrugged. “You looked familiar. Like someone I used to know. That’s all.”
Derrick didn’t believe him, but did it matter? What could the man possibly know about Derrick that could make the man dangerous?
Derrick walked around to the other side of the trunk and looked at Blue T-Shirt. “Anything you want to say?”
The man’s eyes widened like he was suddenly terrified. “You gonna shoot me?”
Why would he jump to that conclusion?
Derrick tilted his head. “Any reason I should?”
The man vigorously shook his head. “No.”
“Then I guess I won’t.”
Pandemic (Book 4): Insurrection Page 3
