“Love can do incredible things.” Nick cut her a half-smile, his lips tilting up on one side in a manner that usually sent her heart into cartwheels. This time, though, her face remained sullen.
Nick opened his mouth to say more, but Phoenix slid into the seat beside him with a steaming bowl of crab bisque.
“Do you believe this shit? Crab. Real crab. God, I love living near the coast!” Phoenix exclaimed. The moment the spoon touched his tongue, he recoiled and slammed the utensil back into the bowl. “Shit! That’s hot.”
Nick laughed and shook his head. Even Kate managed a smile as she watched the mother and child get up from the table and head toward the exit.
“Yo, see that girl over there?” Phoenix leaned into Nick, looking past him at a young redhead with curly hair sitting a few tables away. She looked to be barely of age, like Phoenix, and was sitting with an older couple with features resembling her own. “Yeah, I’m gonna make her mine.”
“Don’t be a shithead. Also, you might have to put that on hold. We’re heading out tomorrow. Going back to check in with our friends in Aqua City. You coming?”
Phoenix’s gaze darted between Nick and the redhead.
“Yeah, I think I’ll meet you guys there.”
Nick raised his eyebrows.
“What? My leg’s still healing! Plus, I just need a little time to talk to her,” Phoenix said.
“Right, well I figure we will hit the hospital first. If you wanna meet us at the apartment complex across the street, we will probably stay there for the night and then head back here.”
“Uh huh,” Phoenix murmured, his attention locked into the girl who was now staring back at him and flashing shy smiles. Nick rolled his eyes when Phoenix scarfed down the remainder of his meal and limped over to the redhead anticipating his company.
“He’s not going to show,” Kate laughed.
“I want to be annoyed, but I can’t say I don’t know what that feels like.” Nick kissed the top of Kate’s head, collected his bowl with hers, and placed the dirty dishes on a designated table.
Josh stood behind them with a dirty bowl in his hand. Nick gave the coward a half-hearted nod, and Josh’s eyes lit up at the sight of him.
“Hey, Nick! Hey, so I was hoping that I could be more useful around here. Maybe go out and find supplies or help in theinfirmary. I know what you think of me. I hate myself for it. If I could change it—”
“It’s going to take a lot more time to prove to me that you’re not a piece of shit,” Nick said.
Josh looked crestfallen. He nodded in acceptance and stared down at his toes. The couple pushed past him, raring to crawl into bed and embrace a deep sleep. The food sat heavy in their bellies, offering them a warm comfort.
“No! Please, I’m sorry!” Josh shouted from behind them.
Nick’s pistol emerged from his side as quickly as he turned around. Josh stood with eyes wide, the whites in them as bright as light bulbs. Blood poured from a wound in his neck where a kitchen knife protruded. A woman stood before him. It was the same woman Nick had seen before, one of the new residents.
The woman jerked the knife from Josh’s neck and stabbed him again, this time in the eye socket. He shrieked as his hands wildly shook in front of him, as though he needed to perform some action with them and was not sure which to choose.
Josh’s knees hit the ground with a crack. It echoed throughout a room that had dwindled to terrified silence.
“Hands in the air!” Nick shouted while he approached the woman from behind with measured steps. The woman raised her arms and slowly turned. Blood spattered her face, which was set in indifference. There was no remorse for what she had done and no fear for what was to come. She simply complied.
Behind her, Josh’s body flailed on the ground, smearing the tiles with blood. As he attempted to breathe, blood sputtered through the hole in his throat. A wheeze of wet gurgling narrated his final moments.
That was when Nick knew where he recognized her from. The panic dissipated, though he kept his gun trained on her out of duty. The stabbing became apparent. Nick would have done the same.
Chapter 24
“Ican’t have people running around with knives stabbing people! The citizens here are terrified!” Marcus yelled over the top of his desk. Josh’s sister, Morgan, sat outside on a bench, handcuffed and awaiting her fate.
“I get that, Marcus, but if you were there, you would understand. He locked her out of that building and left her to die!” Nick replied. “If I had done that to you, I guarantee you’d end me the first chance you got.”
Marcus sighed and swiped a hand down his face in frustration. “I’m not saying I wouldn’t, but almost the entire community just watched that woman jam a blade into someone’s eye. How do you expect them to be comfortable with her walking around freely?”
“Marcus is right. This has to be addressed, and she should be punished.” Yara stood beside Marcus, training her firm stare on Nick. While Marcus was calm and agreeable, Yara did not back down when making decisions. Nick understood why they made a great pair in leading the community. Yara was often the strict and final voice Marcus needed when there was dissent.
