Page 57 of Claimed By Ruin

“Okay.” A single word in a voice that gave away nothing and told me everything.

Then she jumped up from the bed and walked out of the room. I reached for her hand and stopped her, holding it for a moment, my eyes locked with hers. I was searching for something, but I didn’t find it. Her face was serene. Her lips weren’t held taut like they were when she held in a curse. They were soft, pliant, and I couldn’t help but remember kissing them, remembering how she’d yielded to me, looking into my eyes with something like wonder in hers.

Not now, though.

There was no wonder in her eyes, no anger.

No want.

There was nothing at all.

My heart kicked with the realization I couldn’t deny.

She wanted me.

She hated me.

Now she was done.

I let her hand go. “I need the truck.”

“You know where the keys are.”

She walked away, and I watched her go.

I shouldn’t have risked doing that, but I did. Wanted to stay, but I didn’t linger. Instead, I left the house, hoping my memory of the booby traps on the farm was true.

Asia was hurting. I caused that, and I’d have to deal with it. But that would take time that neither of us had. But there was something I could handle quickly.

I should have stopped her, forced her to listen until she understood, but there’d be time for that.

First things first.

I took Levi’s truck, thankful I could pop the clutch without kicking on the engine. I made sure Elliot saw me but wanted to get away without waking Miles. The kid would have questions, and now wasn’t the time to talk.

Once I was far enough away from the house to risk it, I turned on the truck and made my way to town. The moon was bright enough that I didn’t risk the lights. I didn’t need to. The road was as clean as any I’d ever seen, no trash, no abandoned cars, certainly no bodies. There weren’t even that many leaves.

That cleanness only confirmed I was right. Asia didn’t like this. It didn’t matter. I failed Evan. I was not going to fail Miles, fail her. My baby.

Christopher had to go.

That was the only option.

As I got closer to town, I grew more confident in my decision.

All the resources he wasted keeping the streets clean, stealing scraps from Asia, and there wasn’t a guard in sight. This road led to the heart of town. With the muscle he had, I shouldn’t have been able to get within five miles of this place.

It could have been a ruse, but my gut told me it wasn’t. Christopher was too arrogant, too used to intimidating pregnant women and old men. He wouldn’t even consider a frontal attack. A blind spot I’d use to my advantage. I just hoped I didn’t have to kill too many of the others, but that was for them to decide. I’d kill as few or as many as I needed to get my point across.

And then I’d be free to focus on proving to Asia that I wasn’t going anywhere and making a safe place for her and my baby.

I left the truck about a mile outside of town and set off on foot. I packed light, an AR and ammo, two nine-millimeters, and the knife I strapped to my ankle, so the jog in was easy.

It was dark, but I saw enough to know I still hated this fucking place. A few things had changed since I was last here. I’d expected fortifications, but instead found a beautification project. The streets were lined with blue fifty-gallon barrels with fake flowers stuck inside.

Main Street had three neatly lined hopscotch boards and two four square courts. A partially deflated pink and green neon ball lay off to one side, and a banner that said COMMUNITY in blocky black letters was strung between the sheriff’s department and the diner.

And it was quiet.