CHAPTER TEN
Apollo
It’d happened. The one thing Apollo feared most. Survivors without control over their abilities, due to a lack of knowledge or youth, openly using their mutation in the world.
Asher’s innocence could be their downfall.
His protective instincts rushed forward, and his need to ensure the safety of this small family became his top priority.
“We’ll invite them to come over. Then we can chat about how to better protect the little girl. We must also determine who the original survivor is, because if it was the father…”
“He may not have left them willingly,” Rocko finished what Apollo was thinking.
It wasn’t the first time. The two of them always seemed to be on the same wavelength, and it was comforting to Apollo and somehow lessened his burden.
“Shit,” Griffin growled. “This is a whole can of worms.”
“It is, but we knew this would happen sooner or later,” Apollo said. “It’s our mission to protect them. We’re fortunate that the family lives way out here, where the odds of discovery are slimmer.”
“The problem will be how to broach the subject with Frank and Mary,” Rocko said.
“Yeah, without them getting pissed off and defensive,” Griffin added.
“Leave that to me,” Apollo said. “Let’s finish up and get back to the compound to prepare the others for our visitors, or Ellen will hand me my head.”
The crew spent the next few hours tidying and repairing the property, eventually finishing up and gathering back at the side of Frank’s house.
“I don’t know how to ever repay all of you for helping us yet again,” Frank said.
“Well, there might be a way,” Apollo said.
Frank glanced over at his daughter, Mary, who was holding Asher in her arms, eyes full of suspicion.
“Okay, what do you want?” Frank asked, sounding less pleased than before.
“For the three of you to come over to our place. This afternoon, we’re having a barbecue to mark how far we’ve come over the last year. Our barn is up, and our livestock has been delivered, so we would love to celebrate with our friends there as well,” Apollo explained.
Frank appeared hesitant, so Apollo doubled down.
“It would mean a lot to Renee, Ellen, and Rosaline. They’ve been working so hard and cooking for days. Even if you pop in for a drink.”
Apollo waited as Frank looked at his daughter and then his granddaughter. Obviously, he was weighing his options and considering the odds that Asher would behave long enough to visit without incident. Little did the older man know that the cat was out of the bag on that secret.
Frank took a deep breath. “Okay. We’ll stop in for a bit.”
“Wonderful. Having new friends with us for the celebration will be fitting. We’ll see you three later today,” Apollo said before shaking Frank’s outstretched hand and turning toward the truck.
They had to return and inform everyone else about the revelation that Asher had mutations and begin the steps needed to protect all three.
As his mind processed what needed to be done and what was at stake, Apollo realized that while working things out, his brain wasn’t racing as it normally would, with all the “what-ifs” that normally plagued him.
His need to control all variables to his detriment was under control, his mind clear, and as he glanced in the rearview mirror and caught sight of Rocko, he understood why.
Rocko’s calming effect on him was in full force, connecting the two of them.
Once the team gathered around the large kitchen table they’d built from trees harvested on their land, he filled the remaining members in on what Rocko had seen.
“Holy shit,” Ace said.
Damon looked over at Xavier before saying, “Maybe they should come stay on the compound for safety.”
Apollo often wondered if Xavier had some way of communicating with Damon.
“Frank won’t agree to leave his farm,” Blade said.
“Yeah, I agree it would be safer here for them,” Apollo said. “But Frank wouldn’t go for it.”
“What are we going to do?” Ellen asked. “We have to help them.”
“We will,” Apollo agreed.
“How?” Hendrix asked.
“First thing we need to do is let them know they aren’t alone and we aren’t a threat to them,” Rocko said.
“Which means we need to show them what we can do both in abilities and protection.”
“Are we going to show him the honey hole?” Ace asked.
“What’s the honey hole?” Rocko asked.
“A secret place we only share with people we trust,” Apollo said before standing. “Follow me.”
Rocko stood and followed Apollo out the back door. He led Rocko into the forest roughly seventy meters before stopping at a rocky outcropping.
“This is one of the first places we built.”
“Places?” Rocko asked, looking around the area.
With practiced movements, Apollo slid a faux stone to the side and pulled the small lever underneath.
A couple of feet to their left, the hatch popped open a few inches.
Nothing fancy, a simple latch release. Apollo gripped the hatch and pulled open the entrance to their honey hole, as it’d been nicknamed.
“Holy, James Bond-style shit,” Rocko chuckled. “You must trust me to show me this.”
“I told you I did.”
Apollo bent down and led the way through the five-foot opening until the interior expanded and the lighting flickered on. He could stand upright once they made it through the tunnel, and the room opened before them.
“Fuck.”
“This is what Jagger, Griffin, and I concentrated on for the first six months once we got power and water set up in the compound.”
“It’s an armory.”
“We like to keep the more specialized equipment here, away from prying eyes.”
“Specialized? You have multiple different types of firearms, explosives, tactical gear, sniper rifles, electronics, systems, and shit I haven’t seen since being in the service, and that’s what I can see after a cursory look around.”
“Yeah, we like to be prepared.”
“For what? Fucking Armageddon?”
“We wouldn’t be able to assist survivors with thoughts and prayers alone.”
“True.”
“Besides, this is nothing compared to what Brick and his men got over in Fire Lake.”
“Again, true. I wondered where the rest of your stash was after seeing the boat you bought.”
“It’s a start. Over the years, we’ve collected gear as necessary. However, we’ve increased our firepower and contacts now that the Noah Group has escalated their efforts and attacks on survivors.”
***
Rocko
He stood dumbfounded at the stockpile Apollo and his team had amassed over the years.
Any military munitions specialist would be impressed by what Rocko found before him.
As he wandered around the room, Rocko could tell where parts of the existing stone walls had been chiseled away with a jackhammer and other parts built with a mixture of cement and metal beams. This place could double as a bomb shelter.
“If there’s ever an emergency, the team knows to bug out to this bunker for safety,” Apollo said as if reading Rocko’s mind. “There’s a second way out over there.”
Rocko turned toward the back of the facility. “You’ve accomplished a hell of a lot in twelve months. The team and you should be proud of yourselves.”
“Thank you. It was a hell of a lot of work, but it’ll all be worth it in the end,” Apollo said as he slowly moved closer to Rocko.
Rocko could smell Apollo’s earthy cologne, or it might have been his normal scent.
Whatever it was, he smelled damned good, and as he got closer, Rocko had no intention of backing away.
Thoughts of last night’s kiss fanned the flames of desire, heating up in his body the closer the sexy man came.
Apollo stopped directly in front of him, his dark eyes looking down at Rocko, and he couldn’t help but wonder what was going on in his mind.
“There’s something wrong with me,” Apollo said.
“What’s that?”
“I can’t seem to stay away from you, and it has nothing to do with your calming effect on my mind.”
“And that’s a problem?” Rocko couldn’t see the issue. After all, he wanted to be close to Apollo.
“Yes, it is. This has never happened before,” Apollo growled while cupping the back of Rocko’s head and pulling him in for a deep, all-consuming kiss that had Rocko moaning in under five seconds.
For a man of Apollo’s size, he was surprisingly gentle when he wanted to be.
The kiss overpowered him in the best ways, and Rocko had no intention of stopping or slowing down.
His hands traveled over Apollo’s muscled chest, and all he wanted to do was remove the offending fabric so that he could get even closer.
Apollo’s growl was all the incentive he needed to search out the hem of his shirt and push it up out of his way to explore more freely.
The handsome man’s hot skin and growing bulge had Rocko edging closer to losing the last bit of his control. Damn, had anything felt this good in his entire life? Rocko doubted it as Apollo slowly broke the kiss and released him.
“See what I mean. That’s the problem,” Apollo said. “You’re driving me crazy.”
“I don’t see the problem.”
“If I don’t control myself, I’ll end up taking you to my bed and never letting you out of my sight again. Considering you’re returning to Florida soon, that might not be the smartest idea.”
Before Rocko could reply, the hidden door opened, and Griffin walked in. Instead of breaking apart, Apollo pulled Rocko closer as if staking his claim.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Griffin chuckled. “But our visitors will be here in under one hour.”
“Thanks,” Apollo said. “We’ll be back up to the house in a few minutes.”
“Got it.” Griffin grinned before walking back out without a comment, which Rocko found odd.
“We have important things to take care of today. We should go,” Rocko said, not wanting to get in the way of what needed to be done.
“You are important to me. We’ll pick up this discussion once we care for Frank and his family.”
“We have to ensure their safety. That’s the priority,” Rocko agreed.
Apollo leaned down and kissed him one last time before leading him to the door and back into the real world.
At times, it was far too easy for Rocko to forget everything when Apollo was around.
He had to remember to keep his priorities in place.
He and Apollo might be attracted to one another, but other things in play took precedence over their own needs.
Rocko had to remember that, as well as the discussion he’d overheard.
Was this a way of convincing him to stay?
Even as he thought it, Rocko had a gut feeling that wasn’t true. Time would tell.