32. Isla
32
ISLA
Meandering around the property, I trudged through the foot of snow that covered the grass. I didn’t particularly want to be in the cold, but staying in the mansion wasn’t an option either. As I walked around, I was reminded of the cabins we stayed at and wondered if there were any men hiding out around here, spying on me and ready to jump out at any moment.
I glanced around warily, peering into the distance to see deeper into the trees, but I couldn’t see a thing. Not that I expected to. All of these guys were super good at hiding. If I ever played hide and seek with them, I would definitely lose.
“You’re Isla.”
I spun around, screaming at the top of my lungs as I landed in a karate chop stance with my hands held at the ready. Not that I could actually do karate. But it was just a man who watched me passively.
“Sorry,” I said, dropping my guard. “You scared me.”
“I figured when you jumped and acted like you could threaten me. You’re not very good, by the way.”
Well, that was obvious, but I didn’t need it pointed out. “How did you know who I was?”
“Blonde hair, new woman on the property. Talks a lot just like your sister. Same facial features. Figured it was you. I’m Cotton. Red’s brother.”
“Oh, I met him. He’s nice. Well, it’s nice to meet you, too. Do you work here, also?”
“Nope. I just come here sometimes and help out with the IT stuff.”
He turned and started walking away without a word. Curious, I ran after him and fell in line with him. “So, do you live on the property, too?”
“No, I have a place on Red’s property. Zoe’s having another baby.”
“Awe, that’s sweet. Babies are great.”
“They cry a lot,” he said matter-of-factly.
I smiled at his blunt response. “They do.”
He continued walking, not saying a word.
“So, do you want to give me the five-cent tour?”
He stopped walking and cocked his head at me. “I don’t charge people for tours. And if I did, it wouldn’t be five cents. I’m worth more than that. However, if you would like a tour, you’ll have to ask one of the other people. Rae is expecting me.”
I opened my mouth to explain, but realized it wasn’t worth it.
“Hey! Cotton!” Dash ran toward us, waving eagerly at Cotton. They must be best friends or something. “Hey! I got your note.”
“And?”
“I think it’s doable. I mean, I might have to talk to Laura about getting a boat, but it would be worth it.”
Cotton shrugged. “We’ll see. The scooter is getting boring.”
“Hey, I told you, we can look into getting you some new wheels. I saw a car for sale in town.”
“Red wouldn’t like that.”
I watched the way Cotton brushed off Dash’s excitement and almost ignored him and the way Dash was so eager to gain his attention. It was strange.
“Hey, who’s your guy? I can talk to him. You know me. I got this.”
Dash slapped him on the shoulder and took off in excitement. I turned to Cotton and stared at him accusingly.
“What?”
“I saw the way you manipulated him.”
“I did.”
My jaw dropped in surprise. “You’re not going to even deny it?”
“Why would I do that?” he asked, walking past me.
“Because it’s wrong!”
“I’ve been doing it for years.”
“Why? Dash is a nice guy.”
“Because it’s fun.”
I rushed ahead of him and got in his way, stopping him from going any further. “Why would you do that? Can’t you see he wants to be your friend?”
His brows dipped in a frown. “We are friends. He’s my best friend.”
That took me by surprise. “Really?”
“Yes. He taught me to drive and that’s really hard for me. When I get frustrated with something, he helps me out.”
“Does he know that?”
“Am I supposed to tell him?”
I had an idea that Cotton wasn’t like everyone else, so I didn’t yell at him like I would anyone else. “You probably should. I think he’d appreciate knowing that you like him so much.”
“Okay.” He stepped around me and kept walking.
“It was nice meeting you, Cotton!” I called after him.
He raised his hand and kept walking. I chuckled and kicked at the snow, wondering what I was going to do now. There wasn’t much to do around here. I desperately wanted to escape and go somewhere, not that I had any place in particular to go, but the thought of being able to go somewhere was like an itch under my skin.
Sighing, I walked toward the OPS building. Maybe someone would take pity on me and give me a tour of the facilities. From what I remembered, there were some pretty cool things down there. By the time I got inside, my fingers were chilled to the bone and my nose felt like a popsicle, but at least I wasn’t cooped up in a house.
Eva was behind the reception desk, busy shuffling through a million things. And when she looked up, she barely acknowledged me. “I’ll be with you in just a minute.”
“No problem.”
I walked around the room, studying the pictures on the walls. They were all generic paintings, none of them particularly fascinating or pretty. It was the typical waiting room, but I knew there was so much more to the facility down below.
“Sorry about that. What can I help you with?”
“Hey, I’m sorry. I’m here with IKE…”
She frowned, then understanding lit in her eyes. “I’m so sorry. Things have just been crazy around here. Did you need him?”
“No. He’s busy. I was just bored and thought maybe someone could give me a tour or something.”
“Oh. Um…let me see if someone’s available.”
Crap, she had so much to do and I was adding to her load by asking her to keep me happy. “You know, it’s not a big deal. I’ll just hang out at the house.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m sure there are plenty of people hanging out. Just give me a minute.”
She picked up the phone and called someone. Ten minutes later, I was on the elevator, being escorted downstairs by none other than Fox, who hadn’t stopped talking since he stepped off the elevator and saw me.
“—and that’s when I lost it. Have you ever had something like that happen?”
“Huh?”
“You know, something that devastating?”
Have I lost Funyuns before and cried about it? Nope. But I could see he was really broken up over it. “Maybe I could take you for some Funyuns later.”
“That’s very kindhearted of you, but there’s just no replacing them.”
“Sure there is. You go to the store and get more.”
“That’s what everyone says,” he sighed.
Probably because they were a snack that was mass-produced and they were literally everywhere. But who was I to point out something so logical?
“What can I do to make you feel better?”
“Does it matter? Nothing would help.”
He kicked the ground with his toe, looking like a kid who was sad after losing a baseball game. I knew I was going to regret this, but I just couldn’t stand to see Fox so depressed. It was making me depressed, and I was already struggling to find cheer anywhere I went. “What about a movie?”
He perked up at that. “Any kind in particular you were thinking about?”
Man, I was going to owe myself big time for the sacrifice I was about to make. “You said you liked Oklaho ? —”
He snatched me up before I could finish saying the word and spun me around. “Yeehaw! Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about, Lori!”
“Who?”
“Best movie ever, am I right?”
He kept spinning me harder and faster. I squealed for fear of flying out of his arms, but he took it as a sign of excitement.
“Let’s go, Lori! With any luck, we’ll have time to make it to the box social!”
As he set me down, I stumbled back, dizzy from his sudden release. He grabbed my hand and dragged me down the hall, making me wish I had never made the suggestion. But it was too late for that now. There was no escaping what fate had in store for me.
Fox was sleeping like a baby. He’d dozed off about an hour into the movie. I could only imagine that his devastation over the loss of Funyuns had wiped him out. It was awkward at first when he snuggled into my side and wrapped his arm around my stomach. I thought for sure someone would walk in and accuse me of being some kind of home wrecker.
And I was right. Someone did walk in, and that someone was his wife.
But Anna just grinned at me. “He got to you, too.”
“This isn’t what it looks like,” I said, my voice laced with panic.
She quirked an eyebrow at me. “It looks like you were kind enough to watch his favorite movie with him. He likes you.”
“Like a friend. That’s it. I swear.”
“I know. Trust me, that’s not the way he holds me,” she said, a mischievous grin appearing on her face. I suddenly got the feeling that this was the least seductive position Fox would ever be found in, which made me feel a hell of a lot better.
After peeling myself from his arms, I followed Anna out into the hallway. “Does he do that a lot?”
“What? Take in strays and trap them? All the time.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s protective of them.”
“Of women?”
She nodded, her face turning solemn for a moment. “His mom died when he was young. And it wasn’t pretty. Since then, he’s always had a bit of a protective side for women.”
“Especially for you.”
She chuckled at that. “You have no idea. So, has he gotten you a throwing knife set yet?”
“A what?”
“I’ll take that as a no. Don’t worry, it won’t be long. He’s probably got it on order as we speak.”
“Why would he order me throwing knives?”
“Because he gets them for everyone. Eva was the first. And since her, it’s been a sort of tradition. He gets me a new set every year,” she grinned. “So, why are you over here instead of lounging around at the mansion?”
“Boredom. I just spent the better part of a week lounging at a cabin with IKE. I can’t spend any more time on my back.”
I didn’t know where she was taking me as she led me through the halls of the silo, but I didn’t care. I was stretching my legs and seeing new things. It was better than twiddling my thumbs at the mansion.
“Cabin fever is a real thing,” she agreed. “And how are the nightmares?”
I shrugged, not really wanting to talk about them.
“They get better with time.”
“You’ve had them?”
“You should have seen me after I was attacked by that creepy guy who went after Fox. He was the son of the guy who killed Fox’s mother.”
“And he took offense to Fox still being alive?” I asked, not understanding.
“Well, Fox walked in on the guy killing his mom, and then he bashed in the guy’s skull with a trophy. Apparently, the kid witnessed it. Then followed Fox and took his revenge by taking me.”
“That’s a little messed up.”
She stopped and spun toward me. “He saved my life. He’s a little crazy, but he’s my crazy, and I would do anything for him.”
“I can see that.”
“So,” she said, continuing to walk on. “This is home for all of us. It’s where we come to let off steam and be someone other than who we are out there.”
“The face you put on for all the normal people.”
“Exactly. Because our men are not normal, Isla. They never will be. And if you think for one second that anyone out there will ever understand what it’s like to be married to or even date one of these men, you’re wrong. All we have is each other.”
“But they still go out. They go to bars. They grocery shop. I’ve seen it.”
“Uh-huh. What’s the last thing you saw them do when they were grocery shopping?”
I thought about it and frowned. “Um…buying melons.”
“Do you remember what they were buying them for?”
“Something about target practice for umbrellas?”
She gave me a pointed look. “Now, think about how many men you know that use umbrellas of any kind for anything other than rain. Or could even formulate a sentence that includes melons and umbrellas.”
Shit, she was right. And now that I thought about it, the last time I saw Fox in the store, there was the whole fiasco with Funyuns. They couldn’t even go shopping normally. What happened when they went to a bar? I was almost afraid to ask.
“So, when you’re ready, you ask Fox to give you lessons, and he’ll be more than happy to show you the ropes.”
“You mean, throwing knives.”
“That and so much more,” she grinned. “Don’t worry. We all fall in love with it. It’s just a matter of how long and what your weapon of choice is.”
Well, I could honestly say I never saw that coming. But as I looked around the bunker, it didn’t look that strange. And maybe that’s why I made an appointment with a therapist when I got back to the mansion later that night.