~~~~
Morning sickness woke me up sometime later. Lying in bed, I breathed deeply, trying to control the sickness. When the nausea became too much, my eyes flew open. Within a second, I was out of bed and running for the back door. The early morning chill hit my bare legs as I raced down the porch steps. When I reached the dew–covered grass, my stomach emptied. The wet grass squished under my bare feet but it didn’t matter. My body shook violently as the nausea hit me again with more force.
I prayed that Ryder wouldn’t wake up to find me like this. He would become crazy with worry if he saw me this sick.
After there was nothing left in my system, I brushed my teeth quickly and crept back to the bedroom. Ryder was still asleep, taking up most of the bed. The sheet barely covered him as it lay low on his waist. Sprawled on his stomach, the tattooed muscles of his back appeared as sharp angles and defined shapes. Even in sleep, he looked dangerous and unapproachable.
But he loved me.
I was shivering uncontrollably when I crawled into bed next to him. Without opening his eyes, he reached out and pulled me closer.
“You okay?” he mumbled, sleepily.
“I’m fine. Go back to sleep.” A little white lie never hurt anyone. I drew in a quick breath when his hand moved down to rest on my stomach.
“You would tell me, right?” he asked, opening one eye to look at me.
I nodded yes. Okay, two white lies might be pushing it. But a second later, only one thought was on my mind.
Lips against my neck and warm hands on my body caused a fire within me.
“I don’t want to sleep. I want you,” his deep voice rumbled in my ear.
I moaned as his lips kissed my earlobe gently. When he rose over me, I saw love and passion reflected in his eyes. I saw hope and a bright future despite the darkness around us. I saw life and happiness.
Chapter Thirty–Five
If I only knew that later my happiness would turn to sorrow, I might have stayed in bed longer.
“Boys, we got a problem,” Roger said as we sat around the kitchen table later that night.
Gavin and Ryder stopped eating to look at their dad. The glow of the candlelight reflected off of Roger’s large frame, highlighting the worry on his face.
He waited until he had their undivided attention before continuing. “We got enough food for ten more months. We can hunt and grow vegetables but with winter coming on, things could get lean. Might be tough times ahead.” He pointed his fork at Ryder. “You need some more wood for this winter. Don’t want Maddie to freeze to death.”
“Done,” Ryder said, simply.
“And you,” He pointed the fork at Gavin. “We got to start butchering cattle for the winter. You up for the job?”
Gavin nodded before taking another bite of food.
“Heard on the shortwave that the terrorists are moving further inland. Damn government is fighting with all they got but they still can’t hold the bitches back,” Roger said, looking at each of us. “Now I ain’t sure they’ll head this way but we need to be prepared to bunker down and defend ourselves. You remember the drill?”
Gavin and Ryder both said ’yes, sir’ at the same time.
“Good. Be prepared to do it within minutes,” Roger said.
“I figure I can get Maddie to the barn in five minutes tops,” Ryder said, popping a piece of cornbread in his mouth.
Listening to them made me wonder how a baby would survive in this world. No diapers, no baby food, no doctor. Just terrorists and fright, hunger and death. This was no way to raise a child. How would I do this?
My hands shook as I pushed beans around my plate. I hated the little things. They were one of our major staples and I had come to loath them with a passion. If it was up to me, I would never eat another one.
“Maddie, you need to eat more. You’ve lost too much weight,” Janice said in that nurturing way she had.
I felt everyone’s eyes on me, an object under a microscope waiting to be dissected. I forced myself to take another bite of beans. They felt like sharp little rocks going down my throat.
“You feeling okay, Maddie?” Gavin asked. “You’re looking a little green.”
Oh, hell!
"Are you sick?" Ryder asked, narrowing his eyes at me when I didn’t answer Gavin.
I took a long drink of water, hoping to stall for time and push down my nausea. Ryder was having none of it.
"Maddie, answer me," his deep voice demanded.
“I’m fine,” I said, meeting his penetrating stare and ignoring the tingles that raced down my body. His voice could do that to me.
He gave me a warning look but didn’t question me further. One more demand from him and I might explode in anger. Or haul him to bed with need.
For a few minutes, the only sounds were the small clinks of silverware on plates and the sound of the wind whipping around the house. Candlelight flickered and danced around the room, fighting the darkness and winning for an instance before the shadows fought back. Suddenly, the quiet of the night was interrupted by a noise outside. Footsteps. Without warning, everyone flew into action.
Ryder jumped out of his chair, hauling me with him. Pulling the pistol from his holster, he flicked the safety off before turning frigid eyes on me.
“Something happens, you hide. Understand?”
I nodded, resisting the urge to put my hand over my stomach in protection.
Brutality lined his face. The tension in his body made his muscles bunch under his shirt, ready to strike. Somebody showing up here after dark meant only one thing. Danger.
Janice blew out the candle, plunging the kitchen into darkness, obscuring everything. The sound of heavy boots on the wooden porch echoed through the kitchen, sending a thread of fear through me.
Ryder grabbed my upper arm, his fingers biting into my tender flesh. Non–too–gentle, he pushed me toward his mother. She led me to the corner of the kitchen, away from the back door and all the windows. The two solid walls would protect us from whoever was outside. It wasn’t much in the way of security but it would have to do.
Above the loud pounding of my heart, I heard Janice flip the safety on the gun she held at her side.
All of a sudden, the footsteps stopped. We held our breath, waiting on a knock, a shout, anything. Fear raced through me along with a terrible foreboding. People were suffering without electricity. Certain death waited for most if the power grid wasn’t restored soon. People would become desperate when faced with dying. That meant the chances of someone trying to steal our supplies increased. Strangers could prove to be deadly, willing to kill to get what they wanted. I prayed that wasn’t the case now.
Another moment passed with not a sound from outside. I was beginning to think that the person had left when a loud rapping on the door that made me jump in fright.
“Who’s there?” Roger asked in a booming voice that spoke of power.
“My name’s Cash…” a voice answered.
Cash? I knew a Cash from high school! He was…
“MADDIE!” another voice yelled.
Wait! I knew that voice!
Breaking away from Janice’s grasp, I darted across the kitchen, only one purpose in mind.
“Maddie, NO!” Ryder bellowed, reaching out to stop me.
I managed to avoid his hands as I ran past him. Ignoring another shout from Ryder, I flung open the door. And froze as I looked down the barrel of a shotgun.
Before I could open my mouth to scream, Ryder was in front of me, putting himself in the line of fire. He snapped his pistol up and aimed it at the stranger’s head. At the same time, strong hands reached around my waist and jerked me back, taking me away from the danger.
As Gavin hauled me back, I watched with terror as Ryder and the stranger trained their guns on each other with lethal accuracy. Animosity rose between them as they stared at each other.
"Drop the fucking gun," Ryder growled, pulling back the hammer.
"Not gonna happen,"
the stranger said. "You pull that trigger, I’ll still have time to fill you full of buckshot."
"I don’t think so, boy," Roger said, stepping next to Ryder with a loaded shotgun. "If you know what’s good for you, you’ll lower that weapon."
Time slowed down to a crawl as the three men faced off. Suddenly, the sound of my name echoed through the night, calling me.
“MADDIE!”
“Let me go!” I screeched, squirming in Gavin’s tight hold. I landed a hard punch to his midsection, desperate to get away. His arms loosened just enough that I could wiggle out from beneath them.
I took off. Past Ryder. Past the stranger. Past the cocked guns, ready to shot anything that moved. I ran.
“GODDAMN IT!” Ryder roared behind me.
Ignoring him, I flew down the porch steps and across the rain soaked yard. There he was! When I reached Brody, I flung myself into his arms with relief. He was alive!
He pulled me tight against him. “Maddie, I’m so glad to see you.”
I untangled myself from his arms to peer at him under the moonlight. Utter exhaustion lined his thin face. There were dark smudges under his eyes and his cheeks were hollowed from hunger. His clothes were ragged and his once perfect hair was now long and unkept.
“Where’s Eva?” I asked, glancing into the darkness. Any minute now I expected her to come bounding out of the shadows with her take–no–prisoners attitude, trying to tell me what to do.
“They have her! The bastards have her!” Brody cried loud enough to wake the dead.
He pulled me forcefully to his chest, cutting off my air and taking my mind back to a dark place. Greasy, hands holding me down, the feeling of suffocating. It all came back. The panic became a living, breathing monster that I couldn’t control. I closed my eyes and concentrated on taking deep breaths, trying to chase the nightmare away. But when Brody dropped to his knees and took me with him, hysteria threatened to push me over the edge. It’s only Brody. He won’t hurt you. You’re safe. When the panic faded, I felt the sting of his words. Eva was taken.
“Who took her?” I asked in a shaky voice.
Brody didn’t answer. He was lost somewhere in his own personal hell. His arms tightened around me, holding me like I was keeping him afloat.
“Let her go, Brody.”
At the sound of the deadly voice, my eyes snapped up to find Ryder pointing a pistol at Brody.
I never even heard him walk up.
Ryder’s cold eyes shot my way before swinging back to Brody. “Don’t make me pull this trigger because I sure as hell will if you hurt her.”
Oh, shit! I had to calm Brody down. Ryder could become downright dangerous if something of his was threatened.
“Brody, it’s okay. We’ll help,” I said in a calming voice.
I must have gotten through to him because his arms dropped away, falling to his sides like heavy weights.
Ryder hauled me to my feet and put himself in front of me, blocking me from the perceived threat. His gun stayed trained ahead, not quite trusting Brody completely.
I placed a hand on Ryder’s back, trying to calm him down. The muscles beneath his shirt tensed at my touch, reminding me that this man was a force to be reckoned with when he was mad.
Shouting came from the house, loud and angry. A cloud obscured the moonlight for a moment but I could still see Gavin and Roger holding the stranger at gunpoint. Just one wrong move and shots would fly. This might be a shoot–first–and–ask–questions–later way of life now but I’d be damned that I would become a part of it.
Stepping around Ryder, I placed myself between him and Brody. No one was getting hurt tonight if I could help it.
I saw the exasperation on Ryder’s face as he swung his gun away. There would be hell to pay for doing this but he could just be pissed at me. No one was hurting Brody.
I ignored Ryder as best as a girl could and focused on Brody. “Who has her?” I asked.
“The damn terrorists! The bastards are rounding people up and throwing them into concentration camps!"
They had Eva? All the blood drained from my face as what he said hit me. I swayed on my feet, suddenly feeling dizzy and weak. The world tilted at an odd angle before Ryder grabbed my arm, steadying me.
“You okay?”
I nodded numbly, shaken.
Brody suddenly closed the distance between us, getting right in my face. This close, I saw his desperation and fear. It scared me because it reminded me of how much danger Eva was in.
Ryder stepped in front of me again, pushing me behind him.
“Back the fuck off, Brody,” he growled.
Brody held up both hands to show he was no threat. “I’m not going to hurt her, Ryder. I came out here…” He stopped and rubbed the back of his head with agitation before starting over. “You got to help me, man. We’ve got to go get Eva.”
Ryder studied him a full minute before pointing to the stranger on the porch. “Who’s that?”
“Cash Marshall, an old high school friend. He was with us when they grabbed Eva.”
Ryder’s frosty eyes shot my way. “Cash Marshall? You’ve got to be joking!” he said with disgust.
My eyes rounded with surprise. Cash had been my lab partner our senior year of high school. He had also been my prom date. And Ryder had been crazy jealous. From the look on his face now, I guess time had not changed his feelings.
“Look Ryder, I need your help. I gotta get Eva back,” Brody pleaded, drawing our attention back to him.
“Let’s talk inside,” Ryder said.
I followed the two of them toward the house as the gentle night breeze blew around us. The noises of the night followed. The nighttime sounds that I had once feared, I now had come to love. They lured me to sleep at night and gave me peace. They were my lullaby. But tonight there was no peace. My best friend was in enemy hands. There was only terror.
As we ascended the porch steps, I felt Cash’s eyes on me. This man was nothing like the nerdy, gangly boy I remembered from high school. He was now tall and lithe looking with a face cut from stone.
“Maddie,” his deep voice said in acknowledgment.
I barely got in a hello before Ryder stepped in front of me, blocking Cash’s view. His don’t–even–think–about–it stare spoke volumes as he glared at Cash.
“Remember me?” Ryder asked. His voice was quiet but I could hear the animosity underneath.
“Yeah, you threatened me years ago,” Cash answered with coldness, not intimated by Ryder. “Something about kicking my ass if I hurt her.”
“This time I’ll just kill you.” Ryder’s words dripped with venom.
Cash nodded, curtly. “Understood but I’m here for Eva, not Maddie.”
“Then let’s do this.”
Chapter Thirty–Six
Brody’s story unfolded with grimness and hopelessness. His words made me question our own chances of surviving.
According to him, the hostiles were slowly making their way across the country, capturing people or simply killing them along the way. The military and locally formed militias were trying to fight them but without communications, electricity, or supplies, we were crippled and the enemy knew it.
If people were not being killed, they were starving to death or dying from diseases. Brody said the most dangerous place to be right now was in the middle of a city. Supplies were nonexistent and starvation was prominent.
So at the insistence of Eva’s parents, Brody and Cash took Eva and left town, heading for Maddie’s house and safety. Along a deserted road, the terrorists ambushed them, three versus twenty. The shotguns Brody and Cash had were no match to the military–grade weaponry the hostiles carried. Within moments, they were outnumbered, outgunned, and Eva was captured.
That was four days ago.
Worry for Eva had tears filling my eyes and my throat closing up tight. The thought of her in danger, possibly hurt, had me squeezing my eyes shut tightly and saying a quick prayer that she was safe.
<
br /> I slowly opened my eyes to see Brody rubbing his hands together nervously. He was beside himself with panic. The fatigue lining his face proved that it had been days since he last slept.
“So you were there when they overran the town?” Ryder asked Cash.
“Yeah, I was there. It happened in the middle of the day. Worse day of my life.”
In the lantern light, I could see Cash swallow hard and shift in his seat uneasy. “At first they shot everyone in their path. Men, women, children, didn’t matter to them, they were killed. After a while, they stopped shooting and started rounding people up like cattle. Next thing I know, the place is a concentration camp. Don’t know what is worse, being dead or being starved and beaten.”
Brody jumped up from his chair and started pacing around the room liked a caged animal.
Cash had the same coldness in his eyes that Ryder and Gavin had in theirs. This world had made them harder, meaner, and more than ever, deadlier.
“The town is on lockdown but I know a way in. There will be guards everywhere, heavily armed and itching to kill,” Cash said. “It could be a bloodbath.” The silence stretched as his words sunk in.
“How much ammo y’all have?” he asked.
“Enough,” Ryder answered, leaning forward in his chair and resting his elbows on his knees. “We’ve got what we need to get her out and then some.”
Brody stopped pacing long enough to throw his hands up in aggravation. “So are we gonna do this or just talk about it?”
Gavin spun the cylinder on his gun, his gaze locked on the movement. “I say we go kick some foreign ass.”
Roger pushed away from the wall he had been leaning on. “Y’all do this, gotta do it right. Ride all day. Stake out the place. Watch all the comings and goings. Who is in charge, what is their weakness, and what they have for firepower. Then hit them at night when they least expect it,” he said, fiercely. “Take hell to them, boys.”
My body trembled as the reality of what they were going to do sunk in. I suddenly had a bad feeling. Something was going to go wrong. They were walking into a death trap.
Janice must have thought the same thing because she began to argue with them. “No,” she said, her voice shaking with tears. “It’s too risky. I want my boys here safe.”