After the Crux (4 page)

“I’ll be okay. And we’re in luck. There was a tire shop around the corner.”

“Only you would say we were in luck right now.” Jake smiled, but his amusement didn’t reach his eyes. “Finding food on the way back will be a bitch.”

“Remember that pack of wild dogs we passed?”

Jake shuddered. “You’re kidding, right?”

Ross chuckled. “Go get the kid so you can wrap up my leg.” The pack of dogs had looked healthy, so there were other creatures to be found. But if worse came to worse, he wouldn’t hesitate with the dogs. He’d eaten worse and was pretty sure Jake had, too.

Ross drove in near reckless fashion the last twenty miles up the mountain, his sweaty hands slipping on the steering wheel despite the freezing air slipping through the loose right side window. The trip was so much easier since he and Jenna had installed the new snow plow blade he’d found on the last supply run, but it was still a rough drive.

Ross swallowed, noted his throat had started to hurt. They hadn’t been able to find the teenager, and it was driving him crazy. The kid had said only Spade had hurt him, but the others had to be angry about him setting Ross free.

“I bet Jenna is fit to be tied about now with us taking so long,” Jake said, breaking into Ross’s thoughts. “God, I miss Lynn and…” He broke off.

Ross shot him a questioning look. “And?”

“The kids.”

Ross had a feeling that wasn’t what was supposed to have come out of his mouth. But he didn’t dwell on it. It took all he had to keep his shaking hands still. He was sure a fever was setting in.

“You don’t have to hide how you’re feeling. I’m more observant than you think.” Jake frowned at him. “We really should have stayed longer for you to recuperate. Want me to take the wheel again?”

“I’ve only been driving two hours,” Ross pointed out.

“Yeah and like a maniac.” Jake smiled. “But I didn’t get stabbed in the back of the leg. I’m really worried you have an infection.”

“Dorian will know what to do. That’s why I’m driving so fast.”

“Yeah, like I believe that.”

A fierce gust of wind threw snow across their path. Ross’s fingers tightened on the wheel. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Jake held up his hands. “Okay, whatever. But I think you should let me drive. You look like shit.”

“Thanks.” A tremor ran through Ross, his throat growing worse. “I wish we’d found the other kid.”

Jake’s frown was fierce and full of regret and disgust. “You know those other two men probably hurt him once we got away. He couldn’t have been out of his teens.”

Ross glanced in the back seat at the sleeping teenager. The other one, the kid who’d freed him, had made the boy sound younger than he actually was. Ross was guessing he was thirteen and he had a sick feeling about the boy’s former life, because the hell in his eyes reminded Ross of Georgia. Thirteen goddamn years old and nowhere near the size Ross had been at that age. He gritted his teeth, but the pain in his head forced him to relax his jaw. “Hope he likes his new home.”

“You kidding? It’s the coolest home ever.” Jake grinned, his smile soon fading as he leaned closer to peer at Ross. “Man, you’re starting to look really rough, Ross.”

Ross blinked as the snowy road in front of him suddenly blurred. He quickly stopped the truck as wooziness scrambled his head. “We’re going to have to go back out. Find the other boy.”

“He could be anywhere by now, Ross. I hate this, too, but we have to get you home. I’m worrying here.”

Ross dropped his forehead on the steering wheel.

“Whoa.” Jake put his hand on Ross’s arm. “Yeah, I’m taking over.”

“You drove two days. Need to rest.”

“I’ll get all the rest I need at home. We’ve stocked up the pantry to last most of the winter. With that and the trout, we’re set and you know it. Besides, I’d like to get home to my wife in one piece.”

Ross didn’t argue. His head was swimming too much for coherent speech anyway. When Jake opened the driver’s door and reached for him, he blinked. “How’d you get there so fast?”

Real worry clouded Jake’s expression. “We need to get you home. Have to say, I’m getting scared here. We need our leader, you know.”

“Not a leader.”

“Bullshit. You’ve put together this little community and kept us safe. We all love you, Ross. You get really sick, it’s going to fuck up everything.”

“At least we found another generator.” Ross leaned on Jake, shivering as the frigid air hit him. Jake helped him walk around to the passenger side of the truck and helped him inside. It wasn’t easy. Besides the deepening snow, Ross was six-four, topping Jake by at least three inches.

“Jenna will love the DVDs we found. Can’ wai’ to show her.” Ross heard the slur in his voice and blinked.

“Nearly delirious and you’re thinking of pleasing Jenna. You know, Ross, it’s a new world. None of the old rules apply. And even if they did, a family is a family. You won’t hurt Dorian.”

Ross slumped into the seat, his mind unable to catch up to the fever now tearing through his big body. “Dorian. Beautiful.”

Jake paused. “Really. Hmm.” He threw a blanket over Ross.

“Found books for him. He’ll be happy.” Ross gripped the blanket, his mind going to the place it had gone every damned night since he’d driven away from home. Dorian’s butt, flexing as he pushed inside Jenna. Her long, slim legs wrapped around his back. He groaned.

“I’m getting you home,” Jake assured him, completely unaware that groan hadn’t been pain but remembered desire.

Ross had hardly slept, his dreams plagued by that vision. But in his dreams, he’d taken off his clothes and stepped into their embrace. He’d been welcome.

“Want to be home,” he mumbled.

“Almost there, Ross. Please hang on.”

Chapter Four

“Dorian!”

Dorian dropped the myrtle he’d been carrying across the room to repot. It crashed onto the floor and he dropped to his knees to save it. Getting his hands on seeds for this one had been a bitch and the fragile, young plants had to stay in the greenroom this whole first winter. The plant was good for so many things—was a natural antibiotic and could help with digestive problems, coughs and more. The essential oil would work as an antiseptic.

The panic and insistence in Jake’s voice scared the shit out of him, but none of them could afford to lose any of these plants. He cradled the root ball in his palms and hurriedly placed it in the new pot before surrounding it with fresh, nutrient-rich soil. He did pour the water too fast, but his hands had started shaking.

“Dorian! We need you now!”

Dorian quickly washed his hands and dried them on his jeans as he ran toward the main room, his steps faltering when he saw the ragged fear in Jake’s expression.

“Ross got stabbed. Think an infection set in.”

Dorian didn’t stop to grab a coat. He raced outside, Jake at his heels. The late-November blast of freezing air slammed into his body as he ran to the truck. He saw Ross slumped against the passenger seat, so he was careful to open the door slowly so he could catch the unconscious man before he tumbled to the ground.

“Where was he stabbed?” he asked Jake, catching a glimpse of fiery red hair as a kid peeked over the back of the seat. Scrawny thing, probably starved. Dorian hugged Ross close as he pulled him from the truck. The big guy could never pass up people in need. Not that any of them would.

Jake grabbed Ross’s arm to help. “If you can get under one arm, I’ll take his other side. We got nabbed in Texas. They tied Ross up, but a kid helped him escape. He took out three bad guys on his own—two after being stabbed.”

“The kid in the back seat helped?”

“No, this one was a little older.”

“And you left him?”

“Not on purpose. Some of the raiders escaped with him. We tried to find them but Ross was getting pretty sick, so I brought him home.”

Ross’s body was warm—too warm. And he hadn’t so much as blinked. Real terror tightened Dorian’s chest. “What’s this kid’s name?”

“Colin.” Jake grunted under Ross’s weight. “I think the wound is worse. Ross wouldn’t let me look at it.”

“Yeah, he’s pretty private. He has a fever. Let’s get him to his bed.”

Lynn, red hair flying as she ran out to meet her husband, lost her grin when she saw them come around the truck with the unconscious Ross between them. “Oh no! Let me get the door. Jenna is hunting, but I’ll send Georgia out to find her.”

“Georgia?” Jake asked, frowning. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Dorian ignored them. All he could focus on was Ross and the near deadweight of the man. He’d never seen anything get Ross down, not even a cold. A knot of true fear formed in his chest.

They got Ross into his room. “You said the back of his thigh? Lay him on his stomach, so I can cut off these pants and see it.” Dorian made sure Jake had Ross before he let go long enough to pull the black comforter and sheets back.

Lynn followed close behind. He was pleased to see her gentleness as she held Ross’s head while they wrestled the big man onto his belly.

Dorian grabbed a pair of scissors, wincing when he had to cut Ross’s favorite pair of jeans. Angry, swollen, red skin started about mid-thigh and when he saw black, he kept cutting until he got to the waist. There weren’t any red lines, yet, but it was bad. “He’s going to have to lie exposed for a time. I’ll have to reopen this wound and clean it. Work to get his fever down.”

Lynn shivered, pulled Ross’s comforter over the upper part of his body. “Maybe we should move his bed into the room with the fireplace.”

Dorian nodded. “Good idea, but let’s not move him again yet. Leave him here. I’ll gather the medical supplies I need, and you guys move the bed I share with Jenna into the den. It’s bigger and I’ll need to stay near him.”

Ross groaned and turned his head. Dorian saw his eyes were open, so he squatted next to the bed. “Hey, Boss. Bet you feel like shit.”

“Felt better.” Affection filled Ross’s blue eyes and he slid his hand toward Dorian.

Dorian clutched his hand. “Lynn is gonna sit with you while I get what we need to take care of that wound. Be right back.”

“Where’s Jenna?”

“She wanted to test out her new crossbow. I’ll tell you more about it later—or she will. Just rest here a minute.”

“There’s a breeze on my ass. It’s exposed, isn’t it?” He tried to lift his head to look around Dorian. “And I’ve got an audience. Great.”

“I can’t watch.” Jenna squeezed her eyes shut as Dorian soaked Ross’s wound so he could reopen it and give it a better cleaning. He’d knocked Ross out with one of his magic herbs but he moaned faintly into the pillow when Dorian went to work on the wound.

“You should. We need more than one person who can do this around here.”

“Not me. Teach Lynn. She seems halfway interested in all this stuff you do.”

“I think she was more interested in Ross’s ass.” Dorian’s smile quickly faded when Ross moved restlessly on the bed. “He’s big. I should have given him more.”

“What about his whiskey? He loves the stuff.”

“Trying to ply a downed man with whiskey and have your wicked way with him?”

She put her hand on the small of Ross’s back. “I’m no stronger than Lynn. Have you looked at this ass? Who knew the man had an ass like this? Of course I want to knock him out so I can have some fun.”

“I heard that,” Ross grumbled.

Jenna yanked her hand off him, glad he couldn’t see her blush. “Sorry.”

He chuckled, then winced at something Dorian did. Jenna refused to look. She was the one who did most of the fishing, the one who hunted and even dressed small game. But when faced with human blood, she was a complete wuss.

Ross’s face was still mostly buried in his pillow, so his words were slightly muffled. “No apologies. You took my mind off the sadist sitting next to you.”

Dorian winked at her before lifting one of his hands off Ross’s thigh and patting his butt. “Be nice. I could make this worse.”

Ross had gone still at Dorian’s intimate pat. “Doubt this could be worse.” He lifted his head, bloodshot eyes glittering at Jenna. “You had the right idea earlier.”

“Which one? Whiskey or having my way with you?”

He didn’t answer, just narrowed his eyes. Even feverish, exhausted and red-eyed, the man was gorgeous. Stubble shadowed his chin and the chestnut hair he usually kept crazy short had grown out enough to show a bit of curl—which was probably why he cut it so short to begin with. She curled her fingers into fists so she wouldn’t touch, then changed her mind. She’d always been a touchy person. So were Ross and Dorian. She wasn’t about to stop being affectionate with this man because her feelings for him had started to shift into something new, something deeper.

Uncurling her fingers, she stretched out on the covers next to Ross. They’d moved the king-sized bed she shared with Dorian in front of the fireplace, and shoved all the furniture against the walls. It gave the room a sort of cozy, secluded feel that she was thinking of keeping. They could curl up on this bed and watch DVDs on the big screen by the fireplace.