Chapter 4
FOUR
Jack
“Tío Levi, what are you doing?”
I turned and looked at Lourdes, who rushed up behind Levi, a mix of abject terror and consternation on her face. I stood on the porch pretending to enjoy the cool afternoon breeze before I got back to surveying the property, but I was actually watching Asia. Like always, she was doing something.
So far, she’d weeded the garden, walked the fence, and taken an inventory of the root cellar.
She’d even taken twenty whole minutes to walk me through the farm’s security.
Now, she fiddled with the cisterns, though I suspected she was taking on any task that kept her the hell away from me.
She crouched down, the tails of her flannel shirt blowing softly in the wind, her face set with determination.
At Levi’s harsh exhale, I turned and looked at him.
I heard his labored steps but stayed rooted in my spot.
“Thought I would sit outside and get some fresh air,” Levi said.
The laugh came involuntarily, and I was glad no one asked me what I was doing if I was going to sound as full of shit as Levi did. Levi wobbled, but caught his balance, and used his cane to shuffle onto the porch swing. His forehead was damp with sweat by the time he sat down, his chest heaving.
Once he was as settled as he could be, I spoke. “You mean I’m supposed to believe you didn’t come out here to tear me a new asshole?”
Levi huffed out a strangled sound that was probably supposed to be a laugh, but ended with a deep, chest-rattling cough.
He swiped his arm across his mouth fast, his bushy eyebrows twisted.
I kept my gaze on him, not allowing myself to look away from the devastation.
Lourdes didn’t look away either, but the consternation was replaced with sadness.
I was glad Levi was looking at me and not her.
Levi paused a moment, taking a deep breath, and then, finally, looked at Lourdes.
“I know you have better things to do than hover around me,” he said.
Lourdes smiled. “Okay, Tío Levi, I’ll leave you alone. But you have to get your rest.”
Levi nodded, though whether he agreed or was just placating Lourdes, I wasn’t sure. At least not until the screen door closed, and he looked at me again. “They go on and on about rest like I won’t have an eternity of it shortly.”
“It’s the way they show they care.”
Levi gave a weak shrug. “I suppose so.”
His chest still heaved, and he was so thin, his stained white T-shirt hung on him like he was a little boy stealing his father’s clothes. It twisted my stomach to look at him. But those eyes were the same, and like always, he took my measure.
“You don’t seem surprised to see me,” I finally said.
He nodded. “I knew you’d come to your senses.”
I chuckled. “You sound pretty sure about that.”
“I was. I am. But now that you’re here, what are you going to do?”
“Same thing I always have,” I responded flatly.
Levi laughed, then leaned back against the swing, his weight so slight, it barely moved. He collapsed back, his thin shoulders as sharp as the metal, but those eyes twinkled.
“You ever heard the saying, son?”
“What saying is that?”
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result.”
I shook my head. “All that time in bed leaving you free to read the Reader’s Digest or something?”
He smiled. “I always preferred the paper. But no, the young boy got me into those graphic novels. Reminded me of the dime store comics from when I was a kid.”
I arched a surprised brow. “You’re a comic book guy?”
Uncle Levi nodded. “Well, whatever it takes to pass the time. So no. You don’t have Reader’s Digest to thank for my wisdom. It’s hard-earned.”
It was time to cut the shit. “Why are you being so nice?”
Levi cocked his head. “Way I see it, you two need to get past this. Start looking toward the future.”
I looked away, but couldn’t help but think of Asia, our baby.
Levi, to his eternal credit, didn’t raise that particular specter. In fact, I didn’t even know if he knew. Asia barely acted like she did.
“That still doesn’t explain why you’re being nice. Aren’t you pissed at me for leaving?”
He sighed. “I’m…Never mind. Doesn’t matter what I am. You’re a grown man. You made your choice.” Then he smiled. “And besides, I figure Asia’s going to give it to you good, so I don’t wanna pile on.”
“How saintly, Levi.”
The man laughed. “Never that, never that. Just smart. I know how my girl can be when she gets going.”
I smiled, but then sobered. “You’re not well.”
“Don’t take a triple-digit IQ to see that, son.”
“What are we going to do?”
Levi huffed. “You think I’m the first person to die? No. So you’re going to do what we always do. Keep going forward.”
He stared at me like he expected me to argue.
I didn’t. And if I wasn’t seeing things, Levi gave an imperceptible nod of approval. I looked back off the porch, forcing myself to avoid Asia. I saw Miles, saw the others working, saw both what they had built.
Saw how fragile it was.
I noticed Caitlin staring at me.
I stared back at Levi, whose breathing was even.
I didn’t bother him and instead pushed off the porch and headed straight for Caitlin.
“Caitlin,” I said, nodding at the blonde when I reached her.
She had a clipboard in her hand, scribbling notes much more aggressively than she needed to.
“Jack, nice to see you. I supposed I’m glad you’re alive,” she said, her lips curling as she looked at me.
I shook my head. “You even want to try to convince me you mean that?”
She laughed, her soft, lilting laugh 180 degrees from the anger in her eyes. “After what you did, you think you deserve it?”
“You’re sticking up for Asia?” I said instead of answering.
“I’m sticking up for all of us. I don’t know if you’ve looked around, but things aren’t exactly great. We have to rely on each other. And if you aren’t going to be reliable, you should get gone and stay that way.”
I glared at her, then shook my head.
“Look—”
My words were cut off by a low whistle, followed by two others in rapid succession.
Caitlin was immediately on alert.
She moved, and I followed.
I grabbed my sidearm and grabbed the ax that Miles had left in the woodpile. We followed the sound of the whistle, and I took everything in. Zombies, about eight of them, staggered into the pasture. The first one was a hundred yards away.
Asia marched toward it, her steps not rushed but resolute, the machete in her hand glinting in the sunlight.
She swung the machete and sliced off the top of the zombie’s head.
Before it hit the ground, she moved toward the others.
Miles was behind her, with Elliot flanking, and a man I didn’t recognize approaching.
I stepped in front of them, then quickly dispatched the last seven zombies before any of them reacted.
She glared at me, but then looked toward the other man.
“You got this, Roger?”
He nodded, and together with Elliot and Caitlin, started to remove the bodies.
“Jack, can I talk to you?” Asia said.
She nodded toward the barn, and I followed her in. The barn was different now with a couple of stalls cleared and stocked with caches of weapons and supplies. But it was still homey. Welcoming.
She washed her hands in the small bucket to the left of the barn door. I did the same, then turned to look at her.
She was waiting, and wasted no time. “We appreciate your help, but—”
I didn’t, either. “What the fuck were you doing?”
“What are you talking about?” Other than the tilt of her head, she seemed so calm, so unbothered. That pissed me off even more.
“Asia, you’re preg—”
She pointed at me. “I know exactly what the fuck I am, Jack. You think that changes anything?”
I glared at her, my heart racing, but I didn’t answer. She looked at me, her nostrils flaring with her disgusted exhale.
“Look, just remember we do things a certain way around here, you can’t come in and just—”
She cut off and turned away. It was clear her anger had gotten the best of her.
Mine did, too.
I grabbed her arm, then spun her to face me.
“Be as pissed as you want, but you are not going to put yourself or my baby in danger.”
She looked at me, her lips turning up. She saw something in my face that stopped her. That little phantom smile dropped, and she glared at me.
“Is there anything else, Jack?” she said, looking down at where my hand gripped her arm.
When I didn’t respond, she pulled her arm. I tightened my grip. She glared at me, her eyes burning, her chest heaving with angry breaths.
She twisted her lips in an ugly sneer. “But Jack, I’m pregnant. You can’t manhandle me like this. It might hurt the baby.”
I tightened my grip for a split second but then let go. “You think this is a fucking game?” I pushed through clenched teeth.
She laughed. “Don’t you? Big bad Jack knows best, right? I’ll tell you a secret, this is my favorite part.” She dropped to her knees in front of me, and smoothed her hands up my thighs. “You’re not curious about which part?”
She walked her fingers up my thighs and hovered at my belt buckle. “The part where you get all angry and fuck me because you won’t hit me. Sad that’s what passes for nobility these days, but there’s a definite upside.”
A swoosh of leather on leather and my belt was open. She met my eyes. “I’ll tell you another secret. I love to suck cock, and yours is the best I ever tasted. I’ve been really bad today, too. You should come on my face. That would really teach me.”
In a flash, she pulled her shirt and bra over her head and off, her nipples hard and taut.
“Asia…” I said, grabbing her wrist when she went to touch me.
“What?” she said. “You’re already hard, so stop wasting time.”
Her eyes widened when I dropped to my knees, too. I reached out, caressing her cheek, not even trying to hide the way my hand trembled. I gripped her cheek lightly, moving slowly, eyes locked on hers as I brushed my lips against hers, soft at first. Then a little harder.
I breathed out when she sucked my bottom lip between hers.
Yelped when she dug in her teeth.
The hot coppery taste hit my tongue, and I pulled back and stared at her. “What the fuck, Asia?”
She just smiled, looking triumphant.
I should walk away, or better yet, tell her I never would. But she wouldn’t believe me. I hadn’t given her a reason to.
I stood, threading my fingers in her hair with one hand and freed my cock with the other.
She shrieked when I pulled her hair, and I took the opening.
Pushed into her mouth like it was her pussy. She breathed out hard through her nose and swallowed. I shuddered at the sensation of her throat closing around the head of my cock.
Let my eyes drift lower to watch as she squeezed her nipples in time with the little hum at the back of her throat.
I saw the victory in her eyes.
She thought she had me.
I pulled her hair harder. Pushed deeper, her breath tickling the hair at the base of my cock.
Her eyes popped wide when I rocked my hips, but she recovered, swallowing again.
Back and forth we went, thrust, swallow, thrust swallow.
I fought against the sensation, ignoring that tell-tale tingle at the base of my spine the same way Asia ignored pain in her jaw.
“Fuck,” I grunted, pulling out at the last possible second to splash her tits with cum.
She almost looked disappointed but she blinked, and her implacable mask was back in place.
She just stared at my hand when I reached out to help her up.
I thought she would pull away when I grabbed her arm, but she let me pull her to her feet.
She didn’t look at me as she wiped her chest with paper towels and put her shirt back on.
She turned in my direction, preoccupied with something over my left shoulder. “See, aren’t games fun?”
“I meant what I said, Asia.”
Her lips lifted into a ghost of a smile. “You always do, don’t you?” She looked at me without blinking. “Don’t come back into my room, Jack.”
Then she was gone.