Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 106092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Inside, I find Tyler quietly sobbing.
This brings tears to my own eyes. I gather the filthy man into my comforting embrace and try my hardest to assure him everything will be okay.
I hope he believes my lies because nothing is certain in this world.
Nothing.
As promised, our clothes are clean and neatly folded by our room door the next morning. Because we can, me and Tyler take another shower. We’re both too beat and somber to get frisky and settle for holding one another. Once dressed and ready to face the day, we head outside to find Aaron, Hope, and Wayne standing just beyond our door.
“How are Dan and Hailey?”
Hope frowns. “They haven’t stopped crying. We told them to stay inside and rest. Jesse is going to watch over them while we meet with Harry.”
My gut twists painfully. If I feel like my world might literally end if I lost Tyler, whom I’ve known briefly in comparison, I can only imagine how Dan and Hailey are feeling losing half their family.
Aaron leads the way with Hope at his side. Tyler falls in step beside me as Wayne trudges behind us. The motel front office is bustling with people. When I smell something savory—cheese and eggs—my stomach grumbles.
Harry, another man with a gray goatee, and Florence are all seated at a table that’s been placed in the center of the room. In the middle of the table is a carafe of what I pray to every god in the universe is coffee. There’s also a basket of muffins and a tray of breakfast sandwiches.
He only promised a hot lunch, though.
Harry, upon noticing our starved expressions, chuckles and waves a hand at the spread. “Help yourselves. This is a business breakfast. Not part of your one meal a day promise. Sit. Feed yourselves and whatever’s left over, take back to the others in your group.”
Tyler doesn’t have to be told twice, going straight for a breakfast sandwich. He tosses one to me and I’ve barely gotten it unwrapped before devouring half the meal in one bite. The salty, savory flavors explode in my mouth, making me groan with pleasure.
While we eat, Harry introduces the other man. “This fellow here is our mayor, Jared Snead. Jared’s held this town together while the rest of the country falls apart. We owe him a debt of gratitude for his quick thinking and ability to act to protect our town.”
We all turn our gazes to the serious man who eyes us with an unreadable expression. I give him a nod but don’t try to talk over the mouthful of sandwich I’m trying to swallow. Florence begins pouring coffee into cups and passes them around to us. I wash down the dry crumbs of the biscuit with the hot, bitter coffee.
Heaven.
I’ve never tasted anything so delightful in all my life.
Once I’m feeling less like a starved animal and more like a civilized human, I make my way over to Jared and shake his hand.
“We can’t thank you enough for taking us in when you did.” I gesture at my group. “We’ve nearly died more times than we can count. It’s been a rough couple of weeks.” Or months? Hell, maybe it’s just been days. To be honest, the entire journey has run together in a blur. Sadly, I’m unsure how much time has really passed, which is jarring to me.
“Sit,” Jared says. “We’ll discuss what all you’ve endured.”
For the next hour, we stuff our faces with muffins and coffee until we’re all looking a little green. We regale the St. George trio with our travels. They all listen with rapt attention, only interrupting to clarify something or ask more questions. None of them judge us for stealing cars, food, and supplies.
“Hello,” a chipper voice says, entering the office. “I’m a local EMT here. My name is Amy.”
Amy, with her strawberry-blond hair and bright smile, enters the room with a small child in tow. She squats to whisper to the child, who then runs over to the table to sit beside Florence, who’s waiting with a muffin for her.
“That’s Cora. She was found wandering outside St. George a few days ago,” Amy says as she sets her bag on the table. “She doesn’t ever leave my side. I promise she’s well-behaved.” Then she scans our weary group. “Who needs medical attention?”
My gash to the side feels like eons ago, so I don’t raise my hand. Tyler grunts and points at me and then Aaron.
“Kellen here got speared by metal in a high-rise building. A bullet grazed my brother Aaron. I’ve treated both their injuries the best I could, but I’m no professional. Just a delivery guy with a first-aid kit.”
Amy eyes Tyler with appreciation. He’s hot as fuck, even tired, beat down, and depressed. She clearly has eyes and sees everything I see in him. Because I’m feeling possessive, I place a hand on the back of his neck and squeeze lightly.