Another moan sounded, and I turned back to face the group, focusing on Doug when I said, “Maybe we should go inside?”
“That’s a good idea.” Rowan’s ex cleared his throat. “We need to talk all this through, and being out here is only going to draw unwanted attention our way.”
Gabe sighed and moved for the door without another word. Lane hadn’t moved, and she didn’t look at Gabe when he passed her. She did, however, turn and follow him inside, as did the other men. Devon was already heading after them when Lisa and I took up the rear.
She raised her eyebrows when our gazes met. “Why do I feel like we’re about to be on an episode of Jerry Springer?”
“Because some serious drama is about to go down.”
We followed the others to the room covered in maps, which Gabe and his men liked to refer to as the command center. It was difficult not to roll my eyes when I heard it because I couldn’t help picturing a group of wannabe soldiers playing Army, and since these guys fit the stereotype so well, it almost seemed like a joke. Add to that the way they’d insisted the women all cower together inside the school, and it was hard to take them seriously—especially considering all the holes in their supposed defenses.
Gabe had regained some of his composure on the walk inside, and when Lisa and I stepped into the room, he waved to the few chairs lined up against the wall. “Take a seat.”
I had no problem sitting since I assumed this wasn’t going to be a short conversation, but the way he focused on the women made it impossible to give in. Lane was already leaning her hip against the table, her arms crossed in a way that emphasized her defined biceps as she pinned Gabe with a hard stare, and like me, Lisa didn’t seem the least bit inclined to accept his offer—or order—to take a seat. Instead, she snorted and crossed the room, so she was standing at Doug’s side.
Devon, almost like he wanted to contradict the other man, lowered himself into a chair, as did Max. He seemed as uncertain about what was going on as we did.
“Talk,” Devon ordered.
Gabe ran his hand over his head as if pushing his hair back, but it must have been a nervous habit, because it was way too short for that. “It’s complicated.”
“Talk slow,” Devon said, irritation in his voice. “I guarantee we can keep up.”
Gabe’s shoulders slumped. “I’ve known Heath and Lane for a long time. Years. We lived in the same neighborhood when we were both newlyweds, just a few houses away from each other, and did stuff together as couples. My wife and I would go out to dinner with them, and we even joined the same gym. We were friends back then.”
This was the first I’d heard of Gabe being married, and it caught me off guard, but I pushed the surprise away and focused on Lane. “You said you didn’t like Gabe.”
“I don’t.” Her hard gaze was focused on her former neighbor as she talked. “Yes, we were good friends at first, but Heath cheated on me, and Gabe helped cover it up.”
Gabe threw his hands in the air in exasperation. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that isn’t true!”
“I was in the group text,” Lane shot back. “Don’t call me a liar.”
Rick stepped toward her, hand out, but she shrank away. “Lane, you have to believe us. I swear we never tried to cover it up. Once we found out, we told him he had to come clean with you. Honestly, after he told us what was going on with Anie, we didn’t talk to him except to try to convince him to tell you the truth.”
Lane’s body didn’t relax, but her furious expression did waver. I could tell she wanted to believe them, but she was torn because she needed somewhere to direct her anger. With Heath not here, the other men were a convenient target.
“Who’s Anie?” Lisa asked, cutting in before Lane could start throwing accusations around again.
“Another woman from the gym,” Gabe said, his focus still on Lane like he was waiting for her to say she believed him. Maybe even apologize. I didn’t think that was going to happen anytime soon.
“She was my best friend,” Lane said. “At least I thought so.”
“Is she with Heath now?” I asked.
“She died.” Gabe finally looked away from Lane, focusing on me. “From the virus.”
Lane’s mouth scrunched up like she’d bit into something bitter, and she spit on the floor. “I hope she suffered.”
Lisa glanced my way, frowning, and I shook my head. I got Lane’s fury, but wishing someone who was already dead had suffered seemed a bit extreme. Especially considering we all knew she probably had. A lot.
“Let’s get back to Heath,” Devon interjected. “You knew each other before all this, and we know you’ve seen each other since. Where? Just at the hospital? I need details.”
Gabe let out a long sigh as if trying to decide what to say. “We were together at first.”
Doug stiffened. “What?”
“When the shit hit the fan, I texted just about everyone I knew to see who was alive—including the old group text. Honestly, I wasn’t thinking straight. I mean, I’d just watched my wife die, for God’s sake, and none of my neighbors answered their doors. There were no cars on the streets. It was terrifying. When I pulled up the group text and asked anyone who was still alive to meet me at the gym, I didn’t realize how old it was.” He focused on Lane. “Somehow, I must have pulled up a text from before you guys split. I swear, I had no idea Heath was going to show up.”
Lane swallowed but said nothing.
“Go on,” Devon urged.
Gabe focused on the floor as he spoke. “I thought he would be able to play nice. I mean, we used to be friends, and everything was gone. Why wouldn’t we work together? And it was fine at first. We put the past behind us and started gathering supplies. Rounded up as many animals as we could find and took them to one central location. Things were going well.”
“Then I showed up,” Lane said, her voice low.
She lifted her gaze, focusing on Gabe, who had looked up as well. They seemed to be communicating silently, him begging for forgiveness, her asking if she could trust him.
“Heath lost his shit,” Rick continued when Gabe said nothing. “We’d been together for only two days when Lane showed up out of nowhere, and Heath just—” He shook his head. “He said she had to leave. He said the two of them being together would dishonor Anie’s memory. Like Lane was the one who’d fucked someone else.”
“He always did try to blame me.” Lane rolled her eyes. “Acting like he and Anie were the victims in the whole thing. It was insulting.”
“So, you stood up to Heath?” Lisa asked, her gaze on Gabe.
“I told him I wasn’t going to send someone off to die when we could work together. He got pissed, we fought. He threw a punch, and the others had to hold him back. He’d always been a hothead, but I hadn’t expected it. I mean, we’d already lost everything. I just didn’t get it.”
“He left after that?” Doug asked.
“We parted ways a couple days before meeting you,” Gabe said. “We didn’t know where he went, so we were surprised to find him at the hospital a week later. By then, he’d gathered a pretty good size group of survivors, and they were heavily armed. I don’t even know where they got the weapons because I thought we’d cleaned out every place we knew of.”
“He left with no weapons?” Devon asked.
“No, of course not.” Gabe sounded slightly offended by the assumption. “We gave him a couple guns and some ammo. I’m not a monster, and I didn’t want him to die. I didn’t even want him to leave!” He threw his hands in the air. “I mean, if you can’t put your differences aside after the dead come back, you have a problem. It’s the end of the fucking world as we know it, and he’s going to hold onto that shit?”
“I can’t believe it took you this long to realize he had a problem,” Lane grumbled.
Gabe gave her a look that I interpreted as don’t start with me, and she gave another exaggerated roll of her eyes.
“You saw the s
hit he put me through during the divorce,” she shot at him. “I mean, he wanted half the furniture even though he was moving in with Anie and her house was already fully furnished. They just wanted it so they could throw out her old shit and keep my good stuff. And don’t even get me started on my Louis Vuitton purses. Three of them. He asked for them in the divorce. What the hell is he going to do with a Louis Vuitton purse, let alone three? Of course, I knew what was going on. She wanted them. It was bullshit.”
Devon sighed, and Lisa and I exchanged another look, but we said nothing. Lane had a right to be pissed, but like Gabe said, the world as we knew it was over. It was time to move on. The only use for Louis Vuitton purses these days would be carrying extra ammo, and even that was pointless. Get a backpack.
“What happened when you bumped into Heath at the hospital?” I asked, hoping to get back on track.
“We thought we’d lucked out. He had an entire hospital at his disposal, and we’d been friends for years. No one told him to leave, not even Lane. We tried to convince him to stay. Even when Heath decided to go, we didn’t let him leave empty handed. We sent him off with weapons and supplies. I never thought there would be any ill will, you know. So, I asked for some meds and things to get us through. He laughed.”
“Told us to go fuck ourselves is more like it,” Brian said.
Gabe’s head bobbed three times, then he switched to shaking it.
“Son of a bitch.” Devon ran his hand down his face like the conversation was exhausting then focused on Gabe. “Did you ever consider moving the animals? I mean, he pretty much told you he didn’t want to play nice, and he knew where they were. Did you really think he wouldn’t eventually go get them?”
“He’s a selfish asshole, but I never thought he’d do this,” Gabe said. “When we parted ways at the hospital, we agreed to stay out of each other’s way. We’d keep our shit and he’d keep his, and as long as that happened, we wouldn’t have a problem.”
“Who came up with that deal?” Lisa asked, her frown telling me she was thinking the same thing I was. Gabe was a shortsighted fool.
“We did.” His shoulders slumped as if he’d finally accepted how stupid he’d been. “He said he agreed, but it was my suggestion. I thought his word was worth something.”
“Really?” Lane snapped. “Did you learn nothing from watching him shit all over our marriage?”
Devon lifted his hand, stopping her from saying more, his focus on Gabe. “Tell me he won’t hurt Rowan.”
Gabe looked at Ari, then at Brian and Rick.
“I don’t like how long it’s taking you to answer,” Devon said, his voice low.
Lane was the one to speak up. “He isn’t going to hurt her.”
All eyes turned her way.
“The most he’s going to do is use her to get something he wants.” She looked at the men who had once been her husband’s friends. “He’ll offer to trade or something. Right?”
“Yeah.” Gabe stared at the floor, thinking. “I can’t imagine him hurting her.”
“But you can imagine him using her to barter for something?” I asked.
Gabe lifted his gaze, meeting mine. “Yeah. I can see him doing that.”
“So,” I said, “I guess the next thing we need to discuss is what he might want.”
Gabe and his men exchanged looks, their expressions thoughtful but serious as well, and I held my breath. Waiting. It was obvious what they were going to say because there was only one thing that would improve Heath’s position.
“Weapons,” Gabe finally said, and this time when his shoulders slumped, they didn’t lift again. “He’d want to trade for weapons.”
“We can’t do that.” Rick raised a hand when Devon shot him a death glare. “Look, I get what you’re going through, or at least I can sympathize with you, but we need those weapons. If we hand them over, not only are we leaving ourselves unprotected, but we’re also opening ourselves to an attack by the very man you’re talking about giving more firepower to. Things are bound to get pretty desperate before they get better. Assuming they ever do. So, what’s to stop him from deciding he needs everything else we have?”
“Rick’s right,” Lisa said, shaking her hand. “We can’t just hand him our weapons.”
“Then we’re going to need to find another way to get Rowan and her dad out of there,” Devon said. “And fast.”
2
Rowan
I stood in anxious silence, watching as Heath’s men loaded the animals onto the trailers. Cows, pigs, dozens of chickens, and even goats. They took them all. It was difficult to think over the constant squawking of the birds. Or maybe that was the sound of my heart pounding in my ears. I wasn’t sure. One thing I did know, however, was that I was about to see my dad. Until this morning, I’d thought he was dead for sure, but he wasn’t. He was alive, and he was close.
Heath pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and extracted one, his hard, brown eyes on me as he popped it into his mouth. He watched me as he lit it, his movements calculated and slow. The flick of a finger against the lighter, a spark, then a flame held to the end of the cigarette. He inhaled, and the end glowed red. He was still watching me as he sucked the chemicals into his lungs, holding it for a few seconds before blowing it out. The smoke floated into the air, getting caught on the wind a second later and disappearing from sight.
Heath removed the cigarette from between his lips and said, “Your name is Rowan.”
It wasn’t a question, so I didn’t respond, instead waiting for him to say more. When he stayed quiet, I simply nodded.
He mimicked me, his head bobbing twice as he took another drag off his cigarette, his gaze moving over me until my scalp prickled and I had to look away. A low chuckle followed, echoing through his chest, and I squirmed, crossing my arms as an uneasy realization settled over me. I was a hostage. Yes, I’d volunteered, but once again I’d acted without considering the consequences, and thanks to that impulsiveness, I was no longer free. What the hell had I been thinking? Oh, yeah, I hadn’t.
“Relax,” Heath said. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Hesitantly, I lifted my gaze, once again meeting his. He was grinning, and not looking at all like someone who would hold a person hostage. Maybe Gabe had it wrong about this guy. Maybe he wasn’t holding nurses and doctors prisoner. Maybe there was some other explanation as to why my dad hadn’t come home. It seemed like a long shot, but I couldn’t help hoping it was true.
“Is my dad okay?”
“Of course.” Heath shrugged like it should have been obvious.
I studied him, trying to reconcile the grin on his face with the hard glint in his eyes, but failing miserably. He watched me a moment longer, saying nothing, before turning his focus to something behind me. I followed his gaze to where the rest of his people were hard at work. Heath was the only one doing nothing—other than me—but no one seemed to mind. Did that make him more of a dictator than a leader? Were any of these other people here against their will?
“Make sure you get all the animal feed, too,” Heath called.
“Got it, boss,” a thirtyish man replied.
I studied him for a moment longer before turning my focus to the rest of the group, really taking them in for the first time. There were men and women, all between the ages of twenty and fifty, and for the most part, they looked like a pretty healthy group. Not all fit like Gabe’s men, but able to take care of themselves and pitch in. They were all armed, too, meaning Heath had made sure they knew how to shoot—something Gabe hadn’t thought to do—which also told me their leader was smart and organized.
For the second time, I found myself wondering if Gabe had been wrong. Maybe there was more to the story when it came to Heath.
I replayed what Gabe had told Devon and me, searching for clues. The three of us had left the school together less than an hour ago, going to check out the swiftly growing wildfire before following the others to the farm. That was when I’d seen the m
ap for the first time. Gabe was using it to keep track of the areas they’d already been, putting an X over places they’d cleaned out and circling others they still needed to visit. It had been the square drawn around the hospital that caught my interest, though. What had Gabe said when I’d asked him about it? I turned his words over in my mind once again, but something about this whole situation just didn’t make sense. At the time, his explanation had seemed pretty straightforward, but now, something about it nagged at me, clawing to get free. It took another moment of thinking to realize what it was. When Heath had first gotten out of his car, Gabe had acted like they knew each other. He’d even known known the other man’s name.
I spun to face my captor. “How do you know Gabe?”
The cigarette hanging from his lips, Heath’s smile widened. “He didn’t tell you?”
I shook my head.
He inhaled deeply, holding the smoke in his lungs as his gaze stayed on me. Seconds passed, and my scalp prickled, then he finally plucked the cigarette from his mouth and released the smoke.
“He must have told you something,” Heath said, “otherwise you wouldn’t have known about the doctors.”
I tugged on my braid as I once again replayed the conversation from earlier. “Gabe said he went to the hospital to try to get supplies, but you opened fire. He said they put up a white flag and managed to make contact, but you refused to trade.”
Heath listened in silence, smoking the whole time, his smile never fading. The hard light in his eyes didn’t disappear, but a glint of amusement did flicker in them.
“Gabe also told me he’d bumped into other people who claimed you were holding doctors and nurses hostage.”
“That’s what he’s telling people, huh?” Heath snorted out a laugh. “I should have known he’d lie.”
“What’s the truth, then?”
Far Series | Book 3 | Far From Lost Page 3
