Awakened Desires (48 page)

I stood silent for a few moments while I continued to observe our surroundings. “She has her bunker. That’s a start.”

“They can’t stay in there forever, Gun.”

“I know, but it’s more than what we have. Our house is on wheels.” I leaned against the section of fence that was still standing. “And we’re almost out of gas.” The gears in my head were turning. “Let’s find out if there is a town around here and we can go from there.”

“Okay. I can’t bear to see anything happen to those kids.”

I smiled and touched Quinn’s cheek with my cool, weathered hand. “I feel the same, love. Be right back.” I headed back to the truck.

As I approached, everyone was staring at me, waiting for some sort of direction. I opened the back door. “Can you step out for a sec?” I asked Cora.

“Yeah…sure.” Cora slid out, Callie clinging onto her neck.

“Let’s walk over here,” I murmured and pointed to the fence where Quinn was still standing. She was leaning against it, elbows behind her and her chest pushed out. She looked unbelievable. I shook my thoughts out of my head, then asked Cora, “When was the last time you heard any bombings?”

“About two weeks ago, I guess. I heard some happening shortly after Peter left, but they were well off in the distance. There were a few really bad storms, as well. A lot of thunder. I’m wondering if some of this damage is from lightning.”

“It’s quite possible. Is there a more populated area close by?”

“Maybe. The port is a few miles east, and there was a town about fifteen miles west. We used to do some of our shopping there. There were a few stores, restaurants, that kind of thing. The kids’ school was there, as well. Si was supposed to start kindergarten this fall. He was so excited.” I looked at Quinn and, judging by her reaction, she felt my agony. “Anyway, that’s where Peter was supposed to be heading.” I stood silent for a few moments, chewing my cheek, looking around with my hands on my hips and my rifle slung over my shoulder.

“Okay, here’s my idea. We take you and your family back to the bunker. Josie and I will walk to town and see if we can find gas and supplies.”

“I will go. Josie will be safer in the bunker.”

“No. I want you to help keep the kids safe. You’re a good shot.”

“But…”

I interrupted, “Quinn, it’s not up for discussion. This is what we are doing. Josie is perfectly capable to fight beside me, if need be. I think she has proven that time and time again.” I took her by the arms. “And if something happens to me, she will have you. I can’t risk both of us. If we find gas, we will figure out what to do when we get back.”

“She could get hurt, as well. I’m just worried.” She swallowed hard.

“I know you’re worried. When are you not?” I winked at her and kissed her on the forehead. “We will be fine.”

“But what about Hen…”

I cut her off, “Not now,” I warned. I didn’t want her to say anything about Henry around Cora. “I have it handled.” I did my best to reassure her. She knew as well as I did that Henry could have been anywhere around the area, and we both knew he wanted me true dead.

When we pulled back up to the bunker, Cora huddled the kids all together. They didn’t want to go back into their dark, temporary home. Quinn knelt down to Kate and Silas. “Is it okay if I stay with you? Like a sleepover?”

“Yes, Ms. Quinn! I would love that!” Silas was excited, but Kate had skeptical look. Quinn said Kate reminded her of Carrie—shy and a critical thinker.

I picked out a couple of guns for Quinn and Cora, making sure they both had full magazines, and requested they keep them hidden unless needed. We lowered what was left of our supplies, including everything that Josie and I wouldn’t be taking with us, into the bunker. We geared up and turned to say our goodbyes. I was worried it would be goodbye forever, but I was not going to show Quinn my fears. She worried enough for all of us.

Quinn wrapped her arms around Josie. “Please be safe.” She pulled back so she could see her face. “You take care of him and keep him in line. Put your foot down, if need be.”

“I will, Momma Quinn.” Josie valiantly fought her tears. Quinn pulled her in close and hugged her tight. She whispered to her how much she loved her, then Josie stepped away to collect herself.

“Come here, my beautiful love,” I murmured as I embraced Quinn.

She tucked her head into the crook of my neck. Her voice cracked when she said, “I can’t do this.” She pulled away and waved her hands in front of her chest, walking away from me.

“Love…don’t. Don’t walk away from me.” I was upset. I wanted to hold her close for one last time. I wasn’t a fool. I knew it could be our last moments together. I grabbed her arm before she was too far away, marching her away from everyone. “We don’t have any other options at the moment.”

“I know. It just scares the hell out of me. Henry could be anywhere around here. Just thinking that I could lose both of you….” She stopped. “This is definitely the area?”

“You heard Cora. The port is back that way. I don’t know if he would have traveled in this far. And who knows if Roger actually sailed this way. I promise you, I will take care of her and she will be fine. I will take care of myself, as well.” I reached out for Quinn again and she fell into my strong arms. “I love you so much. Words can’t express it,” I whispered.

“I love you more,” she murmured into my chest.

“Don’t start with me, woman,” I growled with a playful edge. That side of me always made Quinn smile. “Wait until I get back,” I murmured in her ear and I grabbed onto her hips, jamming them into mine. “I’m going to make you come so fucking hard, you’ll scream until you’re hoarse.”

The smirk on her face said it all. She decided to play along, not wanting to spend our possible last moments together crying her eyes out. As she looked up at me with her eyelids at half-mast, she seductively said, “Is that a threat or a promise, Mr. Erikkson?” Goddamn. My J.T. was starting to try to find an escape route out of my cargoes. She shifted her hips purposely, knowing I was thickening by the second.

“Both,” I growled. “I’d do anything to fuck you senseless right now.” She laughed and wrapped her arms around my neck. I groaned into her ear, then kissed her with need and desire. I pulled away from her before my arousal became too obvious. No one needed to see me with tented cargoes.

I took a breather before I helped everyone get down into the bunker, then camouflaged the entrance with natural debris. “You ready?” I asked Josie as I clipped the gas can to my pack.

“As I will ever be. When do you think you will be in need?”

“When we stop and rest. I should be okay for a little while.”

We began our journey. It was the first time Josie and I would truly be alone together since I rescued her. It was a little awkward because Quinn was usually there to get the conversation going.

We had walked for quite some time before either one of us said anything. “Do you think we will find anything?” Josie asked.

“I sure as hell hope so.” She frowned. Apparently, she didn’t like that I wasn’t my usual confident self. I hadn’t been lately. I was at a loss and things were looking more hopeless by the minute.

We continued walking until we came across another stretch of woods that seemed untouched. I felt it would be a good time for a break. After venturing far enough into the trees so that we were out of sight from the road, we kicked back for a bit.

“Is one vial going to be okay for now?”

“Yeah,” I replied as I hooked Josie up.

“What’s it like?” she asked.

I looked at her, confused. “What’s what like?”

“Drinking blood.”

I took a deep breath, trying to decide what to say. “At first, I didn’t like it, but then I ingested a significant amount at one time and felt my first high.”

“I’ve smoked pot a few times. Is it like that?”

I chuckled a little. “Well, I’ve never smoked pot.”

“Really? I thought everyone had lit up at least once. It’s kind of a relaxed, lackadaisical feeling. Then you want to go to Taco Bell for burritos and a taco pizza, then hit up Quik Trip for Doritos.”

I barked out a laugh. “Somewhat like that, I suppose. Depending on how much I ingest, sometimes I just feel a little relaxed; other times, I see double or everything has a haze around it. Sometimes I even hallucinate. You’ve seen me all batty.” I winked at her and she chuckled. “I get this exhilarating feeling that runs deep through my body, like I’ve been charged up or something. I feel alive. When I’m like that, I love a good night of marathon sex, not munchies. It makes it ten times better than it is normally.” I smiled, thinking about Quinn. Then I realized what I said. “But you probably don’t need to hear that, do you?” Josie laughed.

I unhooked her and dumped back the vial. I rinsed it out with a little water and tossed the vial back into my pack.

“No. I think I’m good without knowing about your sex life. It’s bad enough that sometimes I hear you guys.
And have caught you guys
.” She scrunched up her face.

I smirked. “Sorry about that.”

“Yeah, right.” Josie leaned back against her pack on a stump. She sipped on a bottle of water and tore open a small pack of nuts. “What I wouldn’t give to be able to sink my teeth into a tomato right about now.”

“Mmmm…that sounds good. Or a Caprese salad drizzled with a little balsamic vinegar.” My mouth watered, almost tasting the fresh basil. I relaxed against a tree with my eyes shut.

“Oh, I know,” Josie said, dreaming of a nice meal. “A nice roasted turkey with all the sides, including bacon cornbread dressing… Yum.”

“Okay, stop. You’re making me hungrier than I already am.” I stood up and held out my hand to help her up. She took my icy hand and I pulled her up. “Feeling all right to keep going?”

She smiled. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Quinn sat on the couch and watched Kate and Silas put together a puzzle on the floor. Cora was off to her right, nursing Callie. She felt like she was connecting with Cora right away. “So how long have you two been together?”

“Several months. I resisted him when he first was hitting on me, but then I gave in.”

“How could you resist him?” Cora leaned in and whispered, “Good god, he’s gorgeous.”

Quinn smiled. “Yeah, he is. You should see him sans clothing.” Quinn giggled, then blushed. It was nice to have a moment of girl talk, rather than survival worries.

“Aren’t you worried about them going off like they did?”

If Cora only knew the worries that ran through her mind. “Absolutely. I’m scared out of my mind, but I have to trust that he will bring her back. I don’t have a choice. This is him. This is how he is.”

“Well, we will say a few extra prayers tonight.”

“I would appreciate any sort of help to get through this.” Quinn fiddled with her fingers.

“I understand your worry.” Cora smiled sadly and looked down at Callie. “Asleep already. She loves nothing better than this.” Quinn smiled as she watched Cora tenderly care for her youngest. It made her miss those days and miss helping care for Max. If only she wasn’t infertile. She would have loved to give Gunther the child that he wanted.

Dusk came quicker than I expected, but Josie and I had made it to the town center without incident. It was hit pretty hard. A few of the places were burned to the ground, others looked to be piles of lumber. There was one storefront and a partially demolished restaurant but, for the most part, I couldn’t even tell what kind of businesses they were. To me, it looked like storm damage, rather than bombing. The school Cora told us about was still standing and looked to be untouched. Essentially, the rest of the town was destroyed.

“Well…I believe this is what Cora was talking about and I don’t see a single vehicle anywhere.” I sighed and cursed a blue streak. “Fuck me.” I didn’t like wasting time and energy, but what could I have done? I had to check it out.

“At the very least, maybe we can find supplies. Maybe those stores over there have something we can use.” Josie pointed off to the left to the few buildings still standing.

“I hope so.” Doubtful, I shook my head and headed to the first store.

The glass door was completely intact. I tried the handle and it was unlocked.
That’s not a good sign
, I thought. I paused for a moment, looked around the area, and pulled out my Sig. When we stepped into the dark store, it looked like it had been stripped clean.

“Fuck,” I grumbled. The stress of the situation was getting to me. “Damn it!” I kicked the empty shelving unit that was to my right.

Josie sighed. “This was a great trip. Nothing better than walking fifteen miles for nothing.”

I didn’t appreciate her attitude at the moment. “We had to try,” I snapped. She could see the stress and guilt that was crippling me. “There are three little ones that need to eat, not to mention us.”

“I know,” she mumbled.

I know she hoped I wouldn’t have another one of my epic meltdowns without Quinn nearby because I was pretty sure Josie couldn’t talk me off the ledge. I needed to keep my composure. I walked out the door to take a moment to cool off, leaving Josie in my wake.

Suddenly, Josie felt a cool hand cover her mouth. “Don’t scream,” a low, gritty voice with a familiar British accent filled the quiet. The cool, boozy breath from the lips that were pressed against her ear made her shiver. “I’ll take those.”

He pulled her pack off and patted her down for any weapons, discovering a gun neatly tucked away in the back of her pants. Her body was riddled with panic when he took her gun, and she began shaking. Josie knew it had to be Henry.

Knowing he could drain her at any moment and it would all be over caused tears to form in her eyes. She felt his big body press into hers again and his cool, tainted lips made it back to her ear. “I want you to go out there and bring Gunther back in here. Tell him you found something rather…brilliant that he absolutely
needs
to see.” His voice was sadistic and he even chuckled a little, making Josie’s hair on the back of her neck stand on end. “I have two others stationed outside. They have been instructed to shoot when I signal. If you run, you will become true dead. Are we clear?” Josie replied with one slow nod. “I’m going to remove my hand from your mouth. If you scream, I will drain you. Understand?” She was absolutely terrified. Henry removed his hand from her mouth, but he still held a tight grip on her arm. Josie swallowed hard. “Go.” He shoved her toward the door.

Gunther’s back was turned to the storefront. She could see him looking around, running his fingers through his grimy hair. Josie felt like there was lead in her shoes. The muscles in her legs weren’t responding. Fear had taken over.

“I said to go…now!” he barked.

It took every ounce of energy that Josie possessed to take one step forward. Her jaw was trembling and the tears were flowing, which she wiped away with the sleeve of her jacket. She managed to make it to the door. His impatience was scaring her, but her body wasn’t cooperating. She could hear him seething behind her. She put her hand on the handle and pushed the door open.

Josie opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. When Gunther turned around and saw her face, he immediately suspected something and pulled out his Sig. He turned around quickly and looked around, aiming in every direction.

“Josie…,” he whispered.

“C-come in here. Th-there’s something…” She wasn’t able to finish what she was supposed to say before Gunther yanked the door wide open and stormed inside. Josie stood pressed up against the glass, unsure of what she should do or where she should go.

“Well, well, well,” Henry laughed maniacally. Gunther had his Sig aimed at Henry’s head. “Look who decided to grace us with his presence.”