Chapter 20
In too Deep
Rhys
Everyone’s acting strange this morning.
Theo is quieter than usual, almost contemplative compared to his usual antics of annoying the fuck out of me in any way he can.
Alex has this smug expression permanently etched onto his face while constantly flicking his gaze to the princess.
And Ollie… well, she’s being the weirdest out of everyone.
She’s not said a damn word since she woke up this morning and is sitting as far from Alex as possible.
Did something happen between them while Theo and I were on guard duty? Is that why Alex was naked last night?
I narrow my eyes at Alex over the table, hating the sudden surge of molten jealousy that erupts in my chest. Why does it matter if something happened? It’s not like I’m interested in her or anything. She’s annoying and frustrating to deal with. Definitely not my type.
I prefer my women quieter, more submissive. I’m not a brat tamer. It’s never something I’ve been interested in and everything about Ollie screams brat. From her attitude to her blatant disregard for my orders; she’s everything I shouldn’t want.
But there’s something so magnetic about her. While she may be a pain in the ass, she’s also loyal and one of the bravest people I’ve ever met. And I served for over a decade—both in the Army and then in the SAS—and met some damn fine people.
Although none of them made me want to fuck them like Ollie does.
No. Stop that train of thought right now.
Not only is it a bad idea to fuck a woman I barely know, but I doubt she’s even attracted to me.
No woman has been since the shrapnel from that damned IED blast scarred my face and body.
Even my own fucking wife didn’t want me once she got a good look at my ugly mug.
And with the apocalypse decimating the female population, my chances of finding someone willing to find me attractive enough went from tiny to zero.
Besides, I don’t care that she’s not attracted to me. She’s just a means to an end and once we free the people being held captive by the Scourge, I’ll never have to see her again. She’ll go back to wherever the fuck she came from with her brother and I’ll move on with my life. It’s for the best.
So why does it hurt so goddamn much?
“Here,” Mark says, disrupting my thoughts as he slams a piece of paper onto the table next to my half-eaten bowl of porridge. “This is what I can remember of their secondary camp.”
Grabbing onto the new conversation like a lifeline, I turn my full attention to the paper.
It’s a crudely drawn map of what appears to be a large farm.
There are several buildings clustered on one side of the map, all of them labelled as either captive housing or guard barracks.
On the other side of the map, fields have been outlined, as well as several small barns and workshops.
Surrounding the entire camp is what I assume is a perimeter fence, complete with watchtowers and patrol routes.
While it’s not as detailed as I would have liked, it’s better than nothing.
“Do you know the number of guards we might face?” I ask as I glance up from the map.
Mark’s brow furrows and he shrugs. “It’s not accurate, but I’d say twenty. Probably more since their operation has grown in the past month or so.”
“Twenty?” Ollie says, speaking for the first time today. She’s looking between me and Mark with wide eyes and a look of horror on her face.
Mark turns his attention to her and nods. “At least. You sure whoever you’re trying to save is worth it?”
Her jaw clenches and her shock morphs into steely determination. “Very sure.” There’s not an ounce of doubt in her voice.
That’s my girl.
I can’t help but smirk at the bewilderment on Mark’s face.
What, did he think she’d back down that easily?
I knew from the moment I saw her pinned beneath that man, slamming her knife into his thigh, that she’s a fighter and not someone who backs down when things get tough.
I hate that something happened to her in her past to make her like that—you don’t get that kind of determination from an easy life—but damn, is it fucking sexy.
Mark shakes his head. “You guys are fucking nuts to even attempt this.”
Probably, but we have no choice. Since we ran into so many problems on the road, this is the only way we’re going to free our people. Judging from the grim yet determined expressions on Alex’s and Theo’s faces, they feel the same.
“Is there any other information you can give us? Anything that might help us?” A plan is already forming in my mind—not a great one, but it’s something—so anything he can give us will help.
Mark shrugs. “Nothing really.” There’s a pause. “They do their deliveries every Friday on the back of these huge horse-drawn carts.”
I perk up. “What time? And how long are they gone for? Do they take guards from the farm to escort it?”
“I don’t know, sometime in the early morning. Maybe seven or eight? They’re gone pretty much all day, but return before sunset and I guess? I didn’t pay much attention to it.”
Well shit. This is it. The information that might save our asses. “Great. Thank you for all of this.” I turn my attention back to the map, dismissing him. However, Mark lingers, shuffling from one foot to the other. I sigh. “Spit it out.”
“What?”
“You obviously want to say something, so spit it out. We have planning to do.” I know I’m being a surly bastard today, but I barely got any sleep last night, and I’m antsy to get back on the road.
Mark’s eyes flick from me to Ollie. “I think she should stay here while you guys go raid the camp.”
“No,” Alex snarls with more savagery than I’ve ever heard from him.
My eyebrows shoot upward. What the hell has got into him?
Not that I disagree with his sentiment because fuck leaving the princess here, not when there are so many men ogling her like a piece of meat.
Even Theo agrees, because if looks could kill, Mark would be a corpse on the ground from the force of his glare.
I turn my own glare onto Mark. “I suggest you leave before you say another idiotic thing,” I say in a cold, hard voice.
Mark grimaces and nods before shuffling off, leaving the four of us to finish our breakfast in peace. Once our food is finished, we make our way toward the pen Bean spent the night in. Ollie is still avoiding Alex like he has the plague while Alex is trying everything he can to catch her eye.
My eyes narrow on him. Something definitely happened between them last night. But I’m not jealous. Not at all. That burning sensation in my chest is just indigestion or something.
Once at the pen, the three of us hang back as Ollie steps in to prepare her horse for the day.
“Do I even want to know what happened last night?” Theo asks. He’s leaning back against the perimeter wall, his arms crossed over his chest. At first glance, he looks at ease, comfortable. But the usual amusement is gone from his eyes, leaving them hard as he stares at Alex.
Alex shrugs. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He tries to appear casual, but his eyes keep straying to Ollie.
“Don’t bullshit us,” I snap, feeling my irritation rise. “She’s been avoiding you like the fucking plague and you can’t tear your eyes off her.”
“Neither can you,” he shoots back with a scowl. “You try to act like she annoys the hell out of you, but anyone with eyes can see that’s a lie.”
I grind my teeth. “That’s not a lie. She’s frustrating as fuck to deal with and a brat. You know I don’t do brats.”
Theo sighs heavily and rakes a hand through his dishevelled hair. “This is what I was afraid was going to happen.”
Alex and I snap our gazes to him in confusion.
“What?” Does he know something I don’t? I frown at the thought. We’re supposed to be a team. There should be no secrets between us, and yet I can think of several. Shit. Is this all because of Ollie? Is she going to tear us apart just like that bitch did nearly a decade ago?
“Rhys, I can feel you freaking out from over here,” Theo says, cutting through my spiralling thoughts. “We’re overdue for a discussion and I think we all know what it’s going to be about.” The look he gives Alex and me promises pain if we try to bullshit him.
I grimace as my eyes flick over to Ollie. She’s still fussing over Bean, brushing the mare thoroughly before slipping the saddle on. Glancing over, I see I’m not the only one watching her.
Shit. If all three of us are developing feelings for the princess, we’re fucking screwed.
We tried sharing once, and it almost ruined our friendship.
I’d rather die than let that happen again.
Maybe it’s best if I bow out now and save the heartbreak; not that I was in the running, anyway.
There’s a reason she didn’t pick me as her fake boyfriend and it has everything to do with my ugly mug and shitty personality.
It’s for the best, even if it hurts like a motherfucker.
“I don’t think—”
“Hey fellas!” the wank stain that is Ethan calls as he saunters over to us and sidles up next to Theo. “Bet you didn’t get any sleep last night, huh?” He bumps his shoulder into the other man and winks.
Theo looks at him in disgust. “What are you on about?”
He snorts. “No need to be shy around me. I’ve fucked her too, remember?” He grins as his lecherous eyes roam over Ollie’s form and whistles low. “The girl may have a lot of issues and a broken pussy, but goddamn, does she have an appetite.”
Blinding rage rushes through me, colouring my vision red as all three of us turn scorching glares toward Ethan.
“Excuse me?” I ask in a low, dangerous tone.
How dare this piece of shit talk about Ollie like that.
My hands flex, desperate to rearrange his face and maybe a few of his organs.
A growl rumbles in Alex’s chest, his face a mask of fury, and while Theo appears outwardly calm, I can see the rage burning in his silver eyes.