Theo
Ienjoy having Ollietucked into my side more than I probably should.
She’s soft and warm, something I’ve missed since I haven’t been this close to a woman since the world ended.
To be honest, I’ve never been much of a cuddler—mostly to do with my upbringing—but I can’t seem to keep my hands to myself around Ollie. It’s like as soon as she gave me the green light to pretend to be her boyfriend, the floodgates opened. She doesn’t seem to mind from the way she melts into me, and I’m definitely not complaining.
We’re sitting at a picnic table in the dining marque, wolfing down steaming stew from the plastic bowls in front of us while the rest of the community hustles and bustles around us. There are a few curious glances toward us, mostly from the men, as they eye Ollie with a hungry glint in their eyes. Even though I know why they’re eyeing her like she’s a slab of meat—women are rare nowadays—it’s pissing me off.
I glare at them, hard, until every one drops their gaze from her while I resist the urge to pull her close to me, bare my teeth and declare hermine. I’m emotionally mature enough to understand that it’s not appropriate since Ollie belongs to no one.
Although goddamn do I wish she was mine.
I meant what I said to her earlier; she’s beautiful and strong. There’s a resilience to her that speaks of a life filled with tragedy and hardship. I’ve seen the shadows in her stunning green eyes, the way she curls up in her sleeping bag at night, terrified of falling asleep. She’s haunted by the memories of her past, just like Rhys, Alex, and I are. It’s what draws me to her because, despite her emotional scars and fear, she’s determined to risk her life to save her brother. That kind of loyalty is hard to find and to find it in such a pretty package…
Well, I’m fucking gone for her and I wouldn’t be surprised if the others are, too.
“So, are you guys going to tell me why the hell you’re all the way out here?” Mark asks once we’ve finished shovelling food into our faces.
“Hunting down the Scourge,” Rhys says as he leans forward to rest his forearms on the wooden table. “They took three women from Haven—”
“And took my brother and another woman,” Ollie says before he can finish.
Rhys shoots her a scowl for interrupting him before continuing. “We were hoping to intercept them before they reach camp, but we ran into four separate hordes and had to abandon our vehicle. So the plan has changed to infiltrating the camp and freeing them.”
Mark whistles and shakes his head. “You’ve got your work cut out then because that place is like a fucking military base.”
“You’ve seen it?” Alex asks as he mindlessly stacks the empty bowls.
“Not just seen it, but been in it.”
I cock an eyebrow. “Care to explain why you were in the base camp of a notorious gang?”
We’ve known Mark for about six months, and while I wouldn’t say we know him well, I’m usually pretty good at reading people. He’s never seemed the type to mess around with a gang like the Scourge, or possess the ruthlessness the gang is known for.
He levels me with a stare. “It’s not what you think. I was never a member, but we’ve done some trading with them last month when we all but ran out of food. Desperate times and all that.”
“What did you trade?” Rhys asks. He’s got his military game face on, the one that’s unreadable, even to someone like me who’s known him for over two decades.
Mark grimaces. “People, mostly.” He holds his hands up before any of us can speak. “It was done on a voluntary basis. We didn’t force anyone, but it meant I got rid of a couple troublemakers.”
Ollie wrinkles her nose. “What would they need people for? Surely that’s just more mouths to feed.”
“The people I traded wanted to be gang members, but I’m sure the men they kidnap are forced to work on their food production, if I had to guess,” Mark says as he scratches his stubbled jaw. “And the women. Well…”
“I get the picture,” Ollie says, her voice coloured with disgust. “Does this mean we’re going to have to save more than the five people we already agreed on?”
“Girlie, I don’t think that’s—“
“It’d make the rescue mission more dangerous, for us and for your brother,” Rhys says, cutting Mark off. “But I don’t think any of us couldleave people behind when we know we can help.” He glances at me and Alex.
Both of us give him a small nod, telling him we’ll agree with whatever he thinks is right.
He turns to Mark. “Is the main camp where they keep the captives, or is there a separate one?”
The older man doesn’t look too pleased with our change of plans, but he doesn’t try to dissuade us. “Two separate camps. The main one and where the captives are kept. The main camp is a little further north, in the centre of Birmingham, while the other camp is on the outskirts where there’s more space for growing shit.”
“Perfect. That makes our lives easier if we don’t have to confront the entire gang,” Rhys says with a nod as he sits back. “Do you think you can draw us rough schematics of the camp?”
