Chapter 18
Shark Tank
Theo
Ienjoy having Ollie tucked 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 her mine. 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 could leave 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?”
Mark nods. “Sure, but I’m not doing this for free.”
Beside me, Ollie tenses and her eyes narrow, but she stays quiet. The rest of us remain relaxed. This is to be expected since out here, you can’t afford to just give things away, not when it can be the difference between life and death.
“What are you wanting as payment?” I ask, easily slipping into my role as mediator. Rhys is too hot-headed for this, and Alex has no interest in bartering unless it’s one of our bets.
Mark strokes his chin as he mulls over my question. “Depends on what you’re willing to part with.” His eyes flick over to Ollie.
Immediately, the atmosphere changes as all four of us tense and stare at him with hard eyes.
I’m pretty sure Rhys even growls as his hands ball into fists on the table while Alex draws himself up to his full, intimidating height.
Ollie, meanwhile, has her teeth bared as she glares at Mark with so much malice, I’m not sure how the man hasn’t wilted beneath it.
He holds his hands up in surrender. “Alright, message received. I won’t ask for that.”
“Too fucking right you won’t,” Rhys snarls, his eyes molten with rage.
If I wasn’t so pissed off myself, I’d find the entire thing hilarious.
All of us, without hesitation, jumped to Ollie’s defence with such fervour, we’re painting our feelings about her on neon signs above our heads.
And yet I’m pretty sure the woman in question is none the wiser as she continues to stare daggers at Mark.
Hell, I’m not even sure Alex or Rhys know the true depths of their feelings for her.
Which means this is going to end up amazing or catastrophically fucking bad.
Alright, time to defuse the situation. “Rhys and I could offer our services to check over your guard routines and security,” I say, causing everyone to turn their attention to me.
Mark relaxes back on the bench and nods. “I think that would be an appropriate payment, but I want at least two of you to take a guard shift tonight.”
“Done,” Rhys says with a hard voice as he stands. “Can you show us where we’ll be staying for the night so we can get settled?”
Mark nods, stands and leads us out of the marque and toward the building that once used to be a Travel Lodge before the world ended. As we walk, I wrap my arm around Ollie’s shoulders and pull her against my side.
“How are you feeling?” I ask her quietly.
She seemed pretty uncomfortable all the way through dinner, constantly looking around at the people surrounding us.
Being thrown into the middle of a busy settlement like this must be a massive change compared to the quiet she had at her cottage and with us on the road.
She shrugs. “I’m fine. Seeing Ethan wasn’t exactly great and there’s a lot going on here, but it’s nothing I can’t deal with.”
Speaking of the devil, Ethan eyes us from his post next to the gate as we pass by. Even shrouded in darkness, I can see the lustful hunger in his eyes as they travel down Ollie’s body. The action makes my lip curl into a silent snarl as I glare back at him.
I knew the guy was a massive asshole from the moment I met him months ago, and his reaction to Ollie has only cemented that opinion.
But the worst part is that he’s not the only one eyeing her like a predator; most of the male population in camp is.
It’s like we’ve stepped into a shark tank and everyone is circling, waiting for us to drop our guard so they can take their chunk of Ollie. Not fucking happening.
My arm tightens around her shoulders. “No leaving the room when we get up there,” I tell her as we step into the old lobby of the Travel Lodge.
I half expect Ollie to argue back, or at least bristle under my command, but she doesn’t. Instead, she nods. “I agree.” Her eyes scan the small lobby, narrowing at a few of the men hovering next to the check-in desk. “I don’t trust anyone here.”
Considering she’s been pretty much by herself for over a year, she’s got good instincts. I guess that’s why she trusted us so readily, even after several men attacked her.
“Two rooms?” Mark asks as he steps behind the desk to grab room keys.
“One room,” Rhys says as he crosses his arms over his chest and glares at the men next to the desk. They wilt under his gaze and slink away.
Mark cocks an eyebrow but doesn’t comment. “Here. Room two-oh-seven. It’s on the second floor. Stairs at through that door.” He points to a wooden door on the left before handing Rhys the key. “Come find me down here and we can go over schedules once you’re settled.”
Rhys nods, takes the key, and leads up through the door to the stairwell. Two flights of stairs later and we find ourselves in a narrow, barely lit corridor. A few people are milling around, leaning against the wall as they eye us—or rather Ollie—with curiosity and lust.
I don’t know what’s changed since the last time we visited the Lodge, but it’s causing alarm bells to blare in my head.
There’s a dark savageness lurking in the shadows in this place, and I can’t help but wonder if the people here are slowly becoming their own gang.
Or maybe they’ve always been like this and it’s only because Ollie is here that I’m noticing.
Either way, I’m thankful we’re only here for the night and can get the fuck out of here tomorrow.
Rhys finds our room and unlocks it. The room is small but clean with two double beds, a desk, a sofa and a functional en suite bathroom.
We filter inside with Ollie immediately bee-lining toward the bed furthest from the door and collapsing on top of it with a sigh.
Harlow happily follows her, jumping onto the bed beside her and curling into a ball of fur.
Rhys makes a noise of disgust. “Dogs don’t belong on the furniture.”
“Too bad I don’t care about your opinion,” Ollie shoots back, her voice muffled by the duvet.
“So I’ve noticed, princess,” Rhys says drily as he shakes his head, but there’s a gleam in his eyes.
He probably enjoys winding her up just as much as she does.
Although I doubt either of them would admit it.
Alex and I share knowing smirks, but the atmosphere quickly turns serious with Rhys’s next words.
“Anyone else noticed how downhill this place has got in the past month? I’m half-regretting coming here and putting Ollie in danger like this.”
That catches Ollie’s attention, and she quickly moves to a seated position on the bed, her eyes intent on Rhys. “Why do you say that?”
“Because every man here has stared at you like you’re a juicy piece of steak and they haven’t eaten in a week.” He tenses, almost like he expects her to argue with him, but she doesn’t.
Instead, she sighs, relieved by his blunt statement. “Thank fuck you all saw that. I thought I might be too sensitive or something.”
Rhys’s eyebrows jump, but neither Alex nor I are surprised.
She may be stubborn and enjoy tormenting the former SAS officer, but she’s not an idiot.
She understands when she’s out of her depth and when a situation calls for seriousness…
Most of the time. None of us are thrilled that she risked her life to save Rhys and me during that horde attack by the bridge.
“I think she should stay in the room for the night with one of us with her at all times,” I say, glancing between Rhys and Alex.
They nod.
“Since you and Rhys need to go down and review their security measures, I’ll stay here with Ollie,” Alex says as he strides over to the other bed and sits with a groan. “Bloody hell, I forgot how good a soft bed can feel.”
“Don’t get too comfortable,” Rhys warns as he shrugs off his backpack and unclips his rifle. “I’m leaving this here. Don’t touch it.” He narrows his eyes at Ollie, directing his command toward her.
She rolls her eyes. “I’m not an idiot. I know not to touch a gun, especially one as big as that.”
Rhys flashes her a grin. “Oh princess, they get much bigger than that.”
I mock scowl at him. “Hey, stop flirting with my girlfriend.”
“Fake girlfriend,” Ollie grumbles. “And I’m pretty sure that wasn’t flirting.”
I snort. “Yeah, sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Denial isn’t only a river in Egypt.
Alex looks unsure and uncomfortable with whatever the hell is going on as he stays silent and glances between the three of us.
We’re definitely going to need to have a conversation about what’s happening between the three of us and Ollie.
Sooner rather than later, judging from how enamoured we all seem to be with her.
Rhys leans his rifle against the wall and straightens, his face a stern mask.
“Come on, we should get this security briefing out of the way. Theo and I will be the ones to take patrol shifts while you two stay up here. Keep the door locked, and don’t leave the room unless it’s an emergency.
Understand?” He directs that last part to Ollie, who rolls her eyes.
“Yes, I understand,” she says with an exasperated sigh. “I’m not an idiot.”
Rhys shakes his head and mutters something about annoying women as he stalks out of the door.
I chuckle and wink at Ollie. “Catch you later, girlfriend,” I say before following Rhys with Ollie shouting, “fake girlfriend” behind me. I just grin.
That first part won’t be there for long if I have anything to do about it.