Broken World (Book 6): Forgotten World (4 page)

“You will be missed,” I say, when it’s my turn, kneeling down to give him a hug.

Brady hugs me back, and when I pull away, there are tears in his eyes. My own eyes are oddly dry, though. Maybe I’m finally cried out.

“You will be missed as well. Even though I can’t make myself leave this place, I think you all saved my life when you came here. Even if it was only temporary, you gave something to live for and helped me get everything in order.” Brady nods once. “I think I can hang on now.”

I’d thought he was hanging on before we came—he did clear this neighborhood out on his own—but maybe he wasn’t. Maybe he was at the end when we found him, and us being here kept him afloat.

“Try. Don’t do what Winston did,” I say, giving his hand one last squeeze before standing.

Brady nods, and I turn away. The rest of us pile into the cars, and less than a minute after the last door is shut, Axl drives off. Behind us, Brady stands in his yard, watching us but not waving. Just standing in front of his house, once again alone.

4

DAX IS WAITING at the gate to Hope Springs when we drive up. Axl pulls to a stop and rolls his window down as the other man jogs over, smiling. His gaze moves behind us when the van holding the rest of our group also pulls to a stop, and when he turns back, his smile has grown wider. There’s something about it that sends a shiver down my spine, though.

“We were going to head out to see you this afternoon if you didn’t come back,” he says, the smile frozen on his face. “Glad we didn’t have to.”

We were right. If necessary, they would have used force.

“Told you we’d be back,” Axl snaps, wringing the steering wheel like he’s wishing it were Dax’s neck. “We had to make plans and pack our things.”

“Glad to know you’re a man of your word.” Dax doesn’t look away, and I get the feeling he’s waiting for Axl to return his smile. It doesn’t happen, though, and finally the other man steps back and waves us ahead. “Head on up to the dorm and I’ll be right behind you. We’ll have a word with Corinne, and then we’ll get you a place to live for the time being. We’re not totally sure when we’re going to leave just yet, but I promise we won’t keep you waiting too long!”

Axl nods once before rolling his window up, and when he pulls through the gate, he’s frowning. This time, I can’t help sharing his discomfort. Something about Dax just feels off.

“Pretty nice setup they got here,” Angus says from the backseat where he’s squeezed in between Joshua and Parvarti.

“Hadley told me she and Jon have a little house,” Parv says, staring out the window at the buildings we pass.

“They do,” I say. “We were there yesterday.”

Parv nods, and so does Angus, both of them looking out at the street as we drive through town. I glance behind us to make sure the van is still on its way. It is, and not too far behind it, Dax follows in his little golf cart. Looks like he’s in a hurry.

We stop in front of the dorms and pile out, but we don’t hurry inside. I’m not sure what’s going to happen from here on out, but I have a feeling every second is going to be a fight. Dax likes to be in control, but that’s something we just aren’t ready to give up. Axl is already on edge thanks to the looks the other guy’s been giving me.

Dax pulls into a spot on the other side of our SUV, flashing me a smile when my gaze meets his. His eyes move down, and every hair on my head stands up. We need to ask Jon and Hadley about this guy. There is something very off about him.

“Head on in!” Dax calls as he climbs out. “We’ll fill you in on the plans we’ve made before we get you in a house.”

“You have a house for us?” Lila asks, her eyes lighting up.

Dax nods, still grinning. “Need to give you some place to sleep. It will be at least a week before we head out. Probably close to May first.”

“I’d like to see Sophia,” Anne says. She has one child on each side, their hands gripped in hers. “And I know she’d want me to bring Ava to her.”

Dax nods, but before he can say anything, Joshua steps forward. “I can take them to the clinic.”

“Perfect,” Dax says, smiling wider.

That’s when it hits me: he smiles too much. That’s what bothers me about Dax. No one smiles that much, especially not these days. It can’t be real, and thinking about what he’s trying to hide behind that smile makes me nervous.

“Thanks,” Joshua says as he heads off with Anne and the kids.

Even though they’re side by side, she still shies away from him. Something she hasn’t done since Jake died. Joshua cares about Anne, but maybe she doesn’t feel the same way. Or maybe she’s just scared. Fear can make a person do some crazy things.

No one talks as we move toward the dorm in a group. People stop to stare, probably trying to figure out which one of us is the future of the human race. I step closer to Angus like I can somehow shield him from everyone but right away feel stupid. This is Angus. He doesn’t need me or anyone else protecting him. Angus has always been capable of taking care of himself, and a couple bites hasn’t changed that.

“That the same guy we saw back at Sam’s Club?” Angus asks, nodding toward Dax, who’s at the head of the pack.

“Yup,” Axl says.

Angus presses his lips together, his eyes boring into the back of Dax’s head. “He’s still checkin’ Blondie out.”

“Yup,” Axl says again. Not glancing my way.

“Stop,” I say, my gaze moving toward Dax. “Right now that isn’t important. What is important is being sure these people know how serious we are about our demands. We can’t let them get the upper hand.”

“You think they’re gonna argue?” Angus asks.

“I’d bet my life on it,” I say firmly.

The lobby is empty when we step inside, and I’m glad. After all the chaos that surrounded the little office holding the ham radio, I wasn’t looking forward to more noise. I want to be able to hear myself think.

Dax hurries toward a door, but it opens before he’s even had a chance to knock, and Corinne steps out. He must have radioed ahead.

“You’re back,” Corinne says, her smooth British voice filling the empty room. She looks us over, her eyes stopping on every one of us before finally coming to rest on Angus. “You’re the one who is immune?”

“Sure am,” Angus says, pursing his lips as he looks her over.

When we first met, I would have been nervous—you never knew what was going to come out of Angus’s mouth when we were in the midst of diversity—but not anymore. Now I know he’s just trying to get a handle on the situation before it gets a handle on him.

“This is Angus,” Jon says, stepping up.

“Nice to meet you.” Corinne gives him a slight nod. “And you’ve decided to go to Atlanta?”

Angus hasn’t stopped eyeing her. “That I did.”

Corinne steps aside and motions toward the open doorway. “Very good. Please come in and we’ll go over a few details.”

Dax leads the way, and I don’t miss when Corinne frowns. She doesn’t say anything, but I get the feeling she isn’t thrilled to have him here. Which is just great. If the people in this town have doubts about this guy, I don’t want to be anywhere near him. Let alone out
there
with him.

We follow the big man in, spreading out once we’re in the small apartment. Hadley lowers herself into an oversized chair, and Jon balances himself on the arm. I take the couch with Axl and Angus while Parv takes the other chair. There aren’t enough places to sit, so Lila and Al settle onto the floor. Dax stays standing, his hands resting on his hips as he looks us all over. Like he’s passing judgment or trying to size us up. Maybe both. Whatever he’s thinking, the creepy smile has at least faded a little.

Corinne frowns his way, but she doesn’t say anything. She too stays standing, but I think it has more to do with the lack of chairs than trying to assert her authority the way Dax is.

“Thank you for doing this,” she says, focusing her gaze on Angus. “I know what a sacrifice you’re making. Believe me, I want to make sure you are safe. Both on the way to Atlanta and once you get there.”

“Sacrifice?” Dax snorts.

Corinne doesn’t glance his way. “Yes. Sacrifice.”

“I ain’t real worried ‘bout myself,” Angus says. “Way I figure it, this is ‘bout the only real good thing I’ve ever done in my life, and it’s a helluva lot more than I ever expected to do. I guess what I’m sayin’ is, when do we leave?”

“That’s not up to me.” Corinne grabs a chair from the small table on the other side of the room and drags it over, lowering herself onto it with a sigh. “We have a group getting supplies together, and they’ll head out whenever they think they’re ready. Dax is in charge of that side of things.”

Dax puffs his chest out—again—and smiles. Again. “That’s right. Atlanta is anxious for us to get there, but we want to make sure we do this right, so we’re getting a group together. If we get overrun when we’re out there, we need to be sure we have enough men to protect you. Keeping Angus alive will be our number one priority.”

“Well, you’ll have more than enough hands to back you up,” Al says, grinning at his own joke.

“Excuse me?” Dax’s blue eyes move over us, stopping on Al’s stump, and a frown that looks a lot more natural replaces his constant smile. “I never intended for any of your people to go. We’ve got a good group put together already. We’ll keep him safe, I can promise you that.”

“We don’t doubt you on that,” Axl says calmly. “Angus makin’ it to Atlanta will be just as good for you as it will for us, but we’re still goin’. We’re a family, and splittin’ up ain’t an option for us.”

Dax shakes his head, but Corinne stands before he can argue. “They go.”

She turns to face Dax, whose frown deepens when their eyes meet. A silent confrontation follows that makes all of us squirm—Jon especially.

“We don’t need them,” Dax finally says.

Corinne doesn’t blink. “It’s not up to you. The committee voted. I’m in charge.”

“But you put me in charge of this.” The words have to push their way through Dax’s clenched teeth.

“Yes, and you know why I did that.”

“What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?” I mutter.

Corinne blinks and steps away from Dax, turning toward us. “It’s just a small issue. Nothing to worry about, really. Dax is our best man, and I know he would never do anything to risk the mission.”

Dax presses his lips together, his eyes on Corinne for just a second longer before he turns to face the group. The smile that finally spreads across his face looks faker than ever.

“Corinne’s right, and I’m sorry. Of course you can all join us. I would never dream of splitting up a group that is obviously as close as all of you are.” His eyes move between Axl and me. “Just be sure you pitch in out there and we won’t have any problems.”

“Hard work is something we’re used to,” Axl says, scooting closer to me.

“Good. Then it’s all settled.” Dax slaps his hands together, and the clap echoes through the small room. “I’ll let you know when we pick an exact date, but in the meantime we’ll get you all into a house.”

We stand, and when I turn to face Hadley, my gaze goes right to her hand, slowly making circles across her stomach, and I freeze. It didn’t occur to me until now, but it should have. She and Jon won’t be coming with us. They can’t. It wouldn’t be safe for her on the road. Not this close to her due date. Which means going to Atlanta will require us leaving Hadley and Jon behind. Again.

“We have houses for them, yes?” Corinne says, staring at Hadley.

“We do.” Hadley shrugs and shoots us an apologetic look. “We had two houses free on our street, but I already gave one to Sophia, Anne, and the kids. The other is only three bedrooms, so it will be a tight fit for the rest of you.”

“We have the dorms,” Corinne says. “There’s plenty of space here.”

“We’d rather squeeze into a small house than be separated,” I say before I’ve even checked with the others. None of them argue, though, and Lila even nods.

“It ain’t for long,” Axl says.

“We have space.” Jon turns to Hadley. “We have two spare rooms. The one has a crib, but the other has a full-size bed in it. There’s no reason Axl and Vivian can’t stay with us.”

Hadley cringes even as she nods. “Yeah,” she says, focusing on me. “Of course.”

Axl doesn’t say anything, and even though he doesn’t look insanely uncomfortable the way Hadley does, it’s obvious he’s avoiding looking her way.

Her eyes dart toward him, so briefly most people probably wouldn’t notice it, and then she turns and heads for the door. “Let’s go. We can have dinner together.”

The group follows, and I go with them, walking at Axl’s side. I shoot him a questioning look, but he just shrugs. What the hell am I missing? It’s obvious something is still bugging Hadley, but now isn’t the time to get into it. We have a million other things to worry about, and whatever it is, it’s probably stupid and none of my business. Let those two work it out.

Axl hands me a pile of dirty dishes, and I take them. The normalcy of the act isn’t lost on me, and the hope that sprouted in me the second I found out Jon and Hadley were here grows. It isn’t he first time I’ve fantasized that Axl and I could have a real life, but now that dream has grown so big it physically hurts. If Atlanta is anything like this place, we could be starting a real future very soon.