by Stasia Black
Tim was a good big brother. But there was an anger in him Gabriel didn’t know what to do with. The older he grew, the more they butted heads. So Gabriel had thought, maybe if he could give him a maternal influence, someone he could talk to, confide in…
Besides, the odds had been stacked against him winning. He was in one of the lower draft tiers where the odds were lower.
But then his name had been called.
Gabriel’s eyes moved from his sons to Shay. And the more he looked, the more he couldn’t help his eyes traveling down her body.
She was a beautiful woman, there was no denying that. Truth was, he thought about her a lot more than he liked.
Especially after what happened last week.
He and the boys slept in the downstairs bedroom. But once in the middle of the night, he and Tim had both woken up at the same time and needed the restroom. Gabriel told Tim to take the downstairs one and he’d jogged up to the second floor.
He’d meant to go straight to the bathroom and then back down to bed. God’s honest truth.
But he’d frozen in his tracks when he heard the muffled groans of passion. And he was drawn forward like a moth to a flame until he came to a stop in the hallway right outside the bedroom. And listened. There were men’s voices. Well, vocalizations, he should say.
And then he’d heard her. Dear Lord.
Her little high-pitched feminine ecstatic gasps of pleasure.
His head went crazy imagining what was going on on the other side of the bedroom door. Was she taking two of them inside her at once? Did she like ass play? Or was she sucking one while the other entered her from behind?
He’d all but run back to the bathroom and shut the door behind him, breathing as hard as if he’d run a damn mile. And when he shoved his pants down, all thoughts of going to the bathroom were forgotten.
He replayed that gasp he’d heard and imagined scene after scene as he jerked himself to a hard, startling release.
It wasn’t just that night, either. She was always walking around wearing these oversized t-shirts with tiny little shorts. It made it look like she wasn’t wearing anything at all on the bottom. The t-shirts didn’t help any either because her perky breasts still poked out like two gorgeous mountain slopes through the thin fabric. Half the time he could see the outline of her nipples. And he looked. Lord help him, he looked.
Then there were those legs.
Even now he couldn’t help his eyes dropping to her legs as she bent over the huge sculpture of a rose she was creating.
Damn. The woman had legs for days.
Gabriel’s breath got a little bit short just looking at her. Knowing that every night she was upstairs, wrapping those legs of hers around the other men in the house…
Gabriel shoved back from the window. He’d only put his name in the lottery for the boys, dammit. Not himself.
Letty was the only one he’d ever—
Letty would want you to be happy.
He pressed a hand to his temple. He didn’t know if that voice was her whispering to him or just his little head trying to lead his big head around.
He’d go take a cold sponge bath. That would help.
Or are you just gonna go in the bathroom to jerk off to thoughts of those gorgeous legs wrapped around your waist?
Shit.
He stopped and breathed out hard. Maybe he should go out to play with the boys. Get his damn priorities straight again.
He’d just looked toward the back door when he saw a small shape fly out of the tree and land hard on the ground. Oh Jesus no.
“Alex!” he shouted, vaulting for the door.
As he threw it open, he saw Shay streaking across the yard ahead of him, pulling Alex into her lap. Gabriel was right on her heels, but when he got close, he slowed down. His first instinct was to yank Alex out of Shay’s arms so he could make sure his boy was okay. But he stopped himself right at the last moment.
Shay was murmuring to Alex and he was responding. Thank the Lord, he was all right.
“Is he okay?” Tim sounded freaked out as he dropped out of the tree, landing deftly on his feet.
“All right sweetie,” Shay said to Alex. “Follow my finger, can you do that for me?” She lifted her forefinger and moved it back and forth in front of Alex’s face. His eyes tracked along perfectly.
“You’re doing great,” Shay cradled Alex in her arms. “You’re so brave. It’s okay to cry, honey. I know that had to hurt.”
Alex’s bottom lip had been trembling, and at her words, tears spilled down his cheeks. He turned his face toward her chest and sobbed.
“Oh, it’s okay, sweetie,” she cooed, clutching Alex to her and rocking him back and forth. She did it so naturally it was as if she’d been doing it all her life. “It’s all right now. You just let it out. That’s just fine. You’re such a brave boy.”
She held him to her so close and bent her head down, like she was breathing him in and reassuring herself he was real and safe at the same time. Gabriel knew because it was the same thing he’d done many times.
Suddenly Gabriel was the one fighting back tears. Did Alex really not think it was okay to cry even if he was hurt? Where had he learned that? And Shay… God, she was a natural. She was perfect. Everything he could have hoped for. Why had she been hiding this side of herself?
“Shh, you’re okay now.” She kept rocking Alex for a good five minutes before she glanced up, looking startled to find Gabriel and Timothy there.
And then her eyes widened. Like she was horrified. She looked down at Alex and her mouth dropped open. She pulled back abruptly from him. Alex blinked in confusion.
“Oh look, your dad’s here now.” She helped Alex stand and then stood herself. Alex grabbed her hand and she swallowed hard, then lifted the hand and tried to pass it off to Gabriel.
“I just remembered, I have to go,” she mumbled.
But Alex didn’t want to let go of her hand.
“I’m sorry, honey,” she said. “I’m so glad you’re feeling better.” She leaned over and dropped a kiss to the top of his head at the same time as she peeled her hand away from his.
And then she started running—literally running—like she couldn’t get away from them fast enough.
“Shay,” Gabriel called. He looked at Timothy and Alex. “Stay here, boys.” Then he started after Shay. “Shay. Wait!”
But he only got to the back door in time to hear the front one slam. “Dammit,” he swore.
“What’s up?” Jonas asked, standing by the kitchen counter, sandwich halfway to his mouth. He must have gotten home in the last few minutes.
Gabriel looked back at his boys, Timothy holding onto a still-shaken looking Alex as they came toward the house. “I have to stay with the boys. But can you go after Shay? She’s upset.”
To his credit, Jonas didn’t ask anything else. He just dropped his sandwich and then took off for the front door.
“Is something wrong with new mommy?” asked Alex, concern knitting his small brow.
“Nothing for you to worry about.” Gabriel kissed his son on the forehead. “Now why don’t we all play pirates and robbers?”
“I’m the pirate king!” Alex shouted.
Timothy rolled his eyes but followed his brother out the door to find a stick that would make for a good sword.
With one last glance toward the front door, Gabriel followed his sons.
Chapter 14
SHAY
It all sounded so simple when Jason first came to her and made his proposal. A proposal that was quickly followed by a threat.
Not just any threat, either. He went straight for the throat, threatening what she held most dear.
All she had to do was infiltrate Jacob’s Well Township, he said.
Get married and become part of a clan.
Fuck them. She’d get a birth control shot before she left so she wouldn’t have any of their bastards.
Get close to other clan women.
Mak
e her ugly little art shit for all the important clans and plant bugs in them. She just needed to be Jason’s eyes and ears.
Why did he need her? He already had spies in the camp. She knew he got regular reports of what happened in Jacob’s Well. She was always mindful to listen and she heard things. So why did he want this extra level of intel?
She didn’t ask.
She hadn’t wanted to know.
But now that she was actually getting to know these people? Her husbands?
Her… stepsons?
She ran even harder and still it wasn’t fast enough. She needed to run faster. Harder. At a more punishing pace. When she tripped on a pothole in the pavement and went sprawling, she welcomed the pain.
God, she deserved it.
She deserved it and so much more.
What the fuck was she doing?
She could be destroying people’s lives by helping Jason. Not just destroying them.
Ending them.
She stumbled to her feet just long enough to run over to the bushes at the side of the road and throw up.
She’d seen what happened when Jason took over Central Texas East Territory. Not firsthand, but she’d heard enough about it because he was so proud of himself. He couldn’t help bragging about it.
He didn’t attack outright. Not like with guns and tanks. It was the same thing he was doing here. He got his men on the inside. And when they took over, to the outside world, it just looked like a coup from within the community.
But she knew. It was Jason’s men who’d gone into the houses of the community leaders and slit their throats. Not just theirs, but all the men in their family, even the children. The women had been captured and brought to the Processing Facility. Then the assassins went after anyone in the community who Jason’s spies had identified as a potential threat.
It was a bloodbath.
Jason had his puppets put in charge and there was barely a ripple in the surrounding territories. Unsurprising since on the south, Central Texas East was bordered by the Black Skulls MC territory and on the west, by Travis Territory. To the east, he set up a heavy patrol, which meant the only means of escape was to hazard the dead zone of nuclear fallout to the north, where Austin used to be.
Shocker, but it didn’t seem anyone had taken that option, or if they had, they weren’t talking. So news of the slaughter hadn’t spread.
Now Jason was trying to do the same thing here.
And she was helping him.
She dropped her head into her hands, but then looked around her. God, she was just standing here like a wreck on the edge of the main road leading into town. Someone would see her soon. And she couldn’t handle keeping up the façade of happy lottery bride right now.
She stood up and stumbled over to the side of the road. She was right by the quaint little rock bridge that led over the small tributary stream of the main river on the way into town.
Half stumbling, half sliding on her ass, she made her way down the steep embankment to the river.
She managed to stop herself right before she rolled into the water itself, but there were leaves and dirt all over her clothes. She ignored all of it, though, sitting up on her knees beside the gently moving water. The peaceful scene mocked her.
“You don’t have a choice,” she whispered to herself.
Her fate was sealed the day she walked into Jason’s office.
She couldn’t believe she’d ever seen him as a savior.
Closing her eyes, she was back in his office, that first day.
“I’m Colonel Arnold Jason Travis. But I know that’s a handful, so you can call me Jason.”
When he’d extended his hand, she’d shaken it so eagerly. “I’m Shay. You have no idea how good it is to see you. We were afraid for a while there that the government and the National Guard had forgotten about us.”
Jason just smiled at her, calm and confident. He was a little young to be a colonel, but then, what did she really know about the Army or Army rank?
He was tall and broad-shouldered, with light brown hair and a face that was almost too angular to be strictly called handsome. But he definitely had a presence about him. She understood why men would follow him.
He asked her questions about the state of the women in the dorm and she told him everything they’d been through.
“So you’re a nurse?”
She blushed under his intense gaze. “Oh. No. I was just taking my basic pre-med prerequisites and I did rotations as an orderly at the hospital sometimes.” God, the hospital. It was just across the highway from the college. “Have you been there?” She felt stupid as soon as she’d asked the question. Of course his men would have gone there. “How is it?”
His face went grim. “It wasn’t pretty. But my soldiers are getting things back in order. The women we rescue from the dorm will be taken there to be treated for any malnutrition or if they have other medical concerns.”
Shay had to stop herself from putting a hand on her stomach. She felt the baby moving every day but still, she was constantly terrified that her limited diet was hurting her little sweet pea. She could at least get some prenatal vitamins at the hospital, or maybe from one of the local pharmacies if they hadn’t all been completely raided.
The Army might be here and maybe that meant things could start getting back to normal—well, as normal as things could be with so many women dead—but she knew being pregnant could be seen as a liability.
Colonel Travis found her useful now. She’d do whatever she could to continue being useful.
Because being useful meant being protected.
And being protected meant her baby would be safe.
Even though having a baby was the last thing she’d have wanted even four months ago, now she couldn’t imagine a future without her little sweet pea in it. Thoughts of holding her beautiful, precious baby had been the only thing that got her through the gruesome days of the past few months.
She wasn’t even showing yet. And she’d lost weight since everything had started. That couldn’t be good for the baby.
“Do you have any food?” she blurted. The soldiers with the fire truck had given her a bottle of water to drink but she was still starving.
Colonel Travis looked briefly surprised, but then he said, “Of course. Forgive me. I should have thought of that first. Here.” He turned and unzipped a duffel bag on the floor. “Help yourself.”’
Shay felt her eyes widen as soon as she saw what was inside. Granola bars. Pop Tarts. Candy. Chips. It was like he’d emptied a vending machine into the bag. Hell, someone probably had. She didn’t care. She dropped down and grabbed a granola bar, ripping the packaging and shoving half of it into her mouth.
Her mouth was still so dry. One water bottle hadn’t been nearly enough.
“Water,” she coughed out around the granola.
“Here.”
Colonel Travis crouched down on his haunches and handed her another bottle of water, pausing to open it first.
She took it with a grateful nod, drinking a swig before downing the other half of the granola bar. Then she reached in the bag for another. And after it, another.
By the time she was done, her belly felt bloated and she was a little nauseous, but she didn’t care. It was the first full meal she’d had in over two months.
“Thank you,” she looked at Colonel Travis gratefully. “You have no idea how much I needed that.”
Colonel Travis—Jason—was just watching her, his head slightly cocked to the side. “You’ve got a few crumbs. Just there.” He reached forward and brushed his thumb over the outer edge of her lip.
And Shay didn’t know if it was the intimacy of the touch, or the fact that he’d just fed her when she was all but starving—or if it was simply having someone take care of her after she’d had to take care of everyone else for so long—but she couldn’t hold herself back.
She threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you. Thank you so much. You’ve saved us. You have no i
dea—”
He let her hug him and after a few moments, his arms came around her in return. She squeezed him with all her strength which, admittedly, wasn’t much. But it felt so good to be held in his strong arms. He made her feel like everything would finally be all right. Like she could set down the heavy burden she’d been carrying for so long because he’d carry it for her.
When she pulled back, she wiped embarrassed tears from her eyes. “God, I’m sorry. Here you are just doing your job and I’m throwing myself at you.”
“No, don’t apologize,” he said, his voice low. With a finger, he tilted her chin up so she was looking at him again. “You’re a very beautiful woman, Shay.”
Which should have been a giant fucking red flag. Who the hell said that to a girl who’d just been through what she had?
But then he went on. “The whole world’s gone crazy. So many people gave up or gave into the madness of the riots and mobs. But you—” He shook his head, his face full of admiration. “You didn’t. You fought and saved those women. You’re extraordinary.”
She dropped her eyes but again, he lifted her face back to his. And that was when she saw him leaning in, gaze on her lips.
And God help her, but she had wanted the kiss as much as he seemed to. She’d survived when hundreds of others had died. And then there was this charismatic, virile man, charging into town to save them all like the proverbial shining knight on a white horse.
Even the memory had her feeling like throwing up again.
Shay crawled the last couple of feet to the river’s edge on her hands and knees, ignoring the mud she was getting all over her legs and shorts. She was sweaty and overheated from running. It was probably ninety-five degrees if not hotter. She dipped her hands into the cool water and splashed it on her face.
She couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen what a snake Jason was right from the beginning. For Christ’s sake, he had her in his bed by the end of that first week.
She’d been so vulnerable and he’d taken every advantage.
She shook her head as water dripped from her face down her neck and onto her shirt. He’d put her in charge of settling the healthy women in apartments and acting as a liaison between them. She believed every line he fed her about how the US government was working on getting communications back up and that the military law and order he was establishing were just temporary.
