Chapter Twenty-Two
TARYN
The water in the shower had gone cold.
I didn’t notice at first.
I lingered under the spray longer than necessary, scrubbing away grime and blood as if I could erase the past few days. As if the world beyond the bathroom door hadn’t broken open.
When I finally stepped out, steam clung to the mirror. I wiped it with a corner of my towel and wasn’t surprised to see the lack of sleep and missed meals had taken their toll. I had dark circles under my grey eyes, and my face looked thinner.
I felt like I’d aged years since this journey had begun.
I dried off and put on the clothes Beck had given me, having to roll the pants' waistband several times just to walk in them. I tied the shirt in a knot at my back, then used the rubber band on my wrist to twist my long, wet hair into a messy bun on top of my head. I closed the toilet lid, sat down, and put on socks and my boots. This outfit didn’t look any better than my last, but at least I was clean.
I opened the door and found Beck leaning against the wall. His face was flushed, and his eyes were closed.
“You need to lie down.” I put my arm around him and led him back to his room.
“I’m fine.” The terrible cough that hit him at that moment made the statement into a lie.
I brushed his hair back from his forehead and left my hand there for a moment. “You’re burning up.”
When he answered, it was barely coherent. “—fine, Fox.”
His chest was rising in a way that let me know he was struggling to breathe.
“Beck?” I whispered.
He didn’t answer this time.
“Beck?” I said louder.
His head snapped up a second later, as if the sound of my voice reached him through a fog.
His green eyes were unfocused. “Don’t… leave,” he mumbled, words slurring together. “Love… my… Fox.”
I jerked back.
There’s no way.
We’d only been together on this trip for a few days, and Lord knows I wasn’t lovable. Shit, even my own father had trouble with it, and I was his child.
No, this was the fever talking.
I felt tears well up as I ran my fingers through his damp hair. This man had become very important to me, and the idea of him turning into one of those monsters was sickening.
I stood.
No. I wouldn’t allow it.
I needed to get him medicine and fluids, then he’d be okay. I just knew it.
Outside the room, someone yelled, and a bottle shattered somewhere in the clubhouse. Then I heard a cough more intense than Beck’s—wet and violent.
The kind that made my stomach knot.
Beck surprised me when his eyes cracked open, and his jaw tightened. “They’re getting worse,” he grabbed my wrist with surprising strength. “If I turn, you get the hell out of here.”
I jerked my wrist out of his grasp. “You’re not turning.” I grabbed his face and looked into his eyes. “Do you hear me? You—are—not—turning.”
Even though he was sick, Beck gave me a crooked grin. “Yes, ma’am.” As soon as his eyes closed again, he drifted into a restless sleep.
There was a knock on the door.
I opened it cautiously. A man stood there with dirty-blonde hair and brown eyes. He would have been handsome except for the large scar running from the corner of his mouth down one side of his throat. It was Stain, Beck’s best friend.
“Hi, Taryn. Nash told me Beck was back. Imagine my surprise when he told me who was with him.” He frowned in confusion. “Why are you with him?”
“It’s a really long story, and I don’t have time to tell it right now.” I saw my bat had been brought into the room and propped against the wall near the bed.
Every move Beck made was in my best interest. Why didn’t I lock him up years ago? Apparently, I wasn’t nearly as smart as I thought.
“Beck isn’t feeling well. Is there any ibuprofen around this place?” I rubbed my face tiredly.
He looked at me with concern. "Shit.” Stain nodded towards Beck, lying on the bed. “Maybe you shouldn’t stay in here. We’ve been keeping sick people in a room together in case they turn into deadheads.”
“NO!” He jumped at my raised voice. “That’s not what’s happening with Beck.”
Stain raised his hands in a calming gesture. “I truly hope not, but you need to stay alert. I won’t tell the others, but I’m warning you now—if they find out, even Nash will insist he be locked up.”
I narrowed my eyes, “We’ll just see about that.”
“Follow me, and I’ll find some medicine and food for you to bring back.” He held the door open, then closed it firmly behind us. “Nash and the guys are having Church to discuss their plans for tonight, so we should be able to get you back to Beck’s room without them noticing."
“Church?” I questioned.
He smiled, “Yeah, it’s a meeting of sorts between the patched members in the club.”
I looked pointedly at the patch on his jacket.
“I just rode in. They wanted me to take a turn around town and get a lay of the land.” He led me into a small kitchen with a door leading outside. “I’ll step in after I get you fixed up.”
I heard growling and barking coming from beyond the back door.
“Y’all have dogs?” I questioned as I opened the door.
There was a row of five cages, all of which were empty except for two. As I walked closer, I saw that the dog in the nearest cage was obviously dead. His water bowl was dry as a bone. The dog in the last cage was standing up, staring at me suspiciously.
“Our Prez enjoys dog fights. He’s been sick for a few days, and I guess with everything going on, we forgot about them.” Stain shrugged. “Come back in here and let’s get those meds to Beck.”
I ignored him and headed toward the cage with the standing dog. He growled as I got closer, but it seemed more like a greeting than a threat. He was a pitbull mix. Red and white, covered in dirt and scars, with one ear half gone.
He was ugly, to say the least, but there was something about his eyes that spoke to me.
They looked sad and lost.
“You poor, sweet thing,” I murmured, as I slowly reached out my hand to the side of the cage.
“Don’t do that!” Stain yelled. “That dog is crazy. Last time I tried to open his cage to feed him, he damn near bit my arm off.”
I rolled my eyes and kept my hand in place. The dog slowly approached, sniffed cautiously, then gently licked my fingers.
“He seems so vicious,” I said, sarcastically, then unlocked his cage to let him out.
“He doesn’t seem shit, he is vicious.” Stain scratched his head. “At least he usually is.”
He watched in amazement as the big dog lay on the ground and rolled over so I could scratch his belly. “I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”
“I’d bite the assholes who forgot to feed and water me, too.” I stood, “Come, dog. Let’s get that medicine to Beck and feed you both.”
The dog stood dutifully and followed behind me.
“You can’t bring him in here.” Stain blocked the door.
“And just why not?” I put my hands on my hips.
“The Prez won’t like it.” He told me, eyes widening as my new pet posted up in front of me and started growling.
I smirked, “Prez is sick, and everyone else is in Church with bigger things to worry about.”
“You’re not going to listen to anything I say, are you?” Stain opened the door, shaking his head.
“Nope.” I followed him in.
“You and Beck are perfect for each other.” He muttered. “Always doing just what you want to, no matter the consequences.”
I smiled wryly. “I wish that were true.”
He looked at me in confusion for a moment, then shrugged and showed me where the food was. I made a sandwich for myself and a large bowl of Ramen noodles for Beck, hoping to get him to eat something. The selection sucked, but I did the best I could.
“Do you have food for Maximus?” I looked in the cabinet for a bowl.
“Maximus?” Stain questioned.
I pointed to the dog that hadn’t left my side since we entered the clubhouse.
“That’s a regal name for a mutt like him.” Stain laughed, grabbed a steak from the refrigerator, and held it up to my new friend.
“I think it’s perfect.” I smiled, scratching behind Max’s good ear. “It’s the name of a warrior.”
Max lifted his nose in the air and turned his head, refusing to take the meat.
I grabbed the steak from Stain, and Maximus immediately took it and almost swallowed it whole.
“Well, fuck you too.” Stain growled at the dog.
Maximus licked his lips and stared at me with adoration, ignoring Stain completely.
I filled the bowl I was holding with water. After Max drank his fill, I took several bottles for myself and Beck. Stain helped me carry everything back to our room, keeping his eyes on my snarling dog. Max kept close, ensuring he stayed between Stain and me at all times.
I paused at the door listening intently. When I heard the sound of Beck snoring fitfully, I entered the room.
“Thanks. I’ll feed him and try to make sure he rests.” I set the food on Beck’s nightstand.
“Don’t leave the room. I’m going to check in and see what plans they’ve come up with." He started to go, then paused, “Taryn, watch Beck. From what I can tell, everyone turns at different speeds. Some fast, others take a while. Don’t take any stupid risks.”
“The one thing I’m not is stupid. Now go on and let me tend to him.” I hurried him out the door and locked it behind him.
Beck wasn’t going to become one of the infected. There was no way I’d allow that to happen.
I made Max a bed in the corner out of an extra blanket at the end of Beck’s bed, and he immediately fell asleep. I’m sure the poor baby had been hungry and thirsty, and after his meal, he could finally rest.
What kind of assholes made dogs fight for fun? I might have to burn this clubhouse down around them after Beck recovered.
I propped an extra pillow behind Beck’s head and woke him up. “Come on, big guy. You need to get some food in your stomach and drink some water.”
Beck’s eyes opened when I touched his shoulder. “Taryn?”
“It’s me.” I tried to smile.
His skin was so hot it scared me, and his breathing seemed shallower than it had before.
“You should go.” He forced out between dry lips.
I shook my head and reached for the water bottle. “It’s not happening.”
“If I turn, you need to kill me.” He took a sip from the water bottle I held to his mouth. “I mean it.”
“You’re not going to turn. How many damn times do I have to say that? I forbid it.” I raised my chin, “Are you going to defy your queen?”
He smirked, “Not if I can help it.” The smile dropped. “You’ll get trapped here, and I don’t want you anywhere near Nash without me.”
“Stain is here.” I grabbed the bowl of noodles and made him take a bite.
He swallowed with difficulty but managed to eat a little more before shaking his head feebly. “That’s all I can stomach.”
I set the bowl back on the nightstand and gave him a few more sips of water and the ibuprofen.
“You can trust Stain.” He coughed violently, “If all of this turns to shit, he’ll get you out.”
Maximus chose that moment to walk over and lay his big square head on my leg.
Beck’s eyes widened, “What the hell is that?”
“That is, Maximus.” I smiled down at him and ran a hand over his dirty head.
“Maximus?” He turned his head to study my dog more closely. “That looks like one of the Prez’s fighting dogs.”
“It was one of his dogs, but not any longer. He belongs to me now.” I scratched behind his torn ear, “And when you get well, I’m going to burn this clubhouse to the ground before we leave for the way he’s been treated.”
“We leave?” He raised a brow, but a coughing fit ruined the look.
I made him lie back down, and he was out again before I could respond.
“Yes, we.” I leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.
The dog whined as a tear rolled down my cheek. I stood and sat on the floor, leaning back against the bed. He put his head on my lap, and I stroked his back.
“What am I going to do, Max?”
I was so tired.
I heard loud coughing from down the hall. That must be the room they’d locked all the sick people in. I had to get Beck out of here fast. When those people turned, and I knew they would, it was going to be hell on earth in here.
“Fox?” Beck rolled over, and I felt his warm breath in my hair.
“Yes?”
“Thank you,” he whispered quietly, then fell back into a restless sleep.
“You’re welcome,” I whispered back.
I grabbed the necklace tucked into my shirt that I never removed. It was a single letter.
T.
Small, perfectly set stones that caught the light in quiet flashes instead of blinding ones. The metal—white gold, maybe platinum—sat cool against my skin, the weight familiar and comforting.
A gift from Adrian for my sixteenth birthday.
As much comfort as the quiet snoring of Max and Beck gave me, I drifted off to sleep, wishing my stepbrother were here. And hating that I did. He’d know what to do, and I could use his kind of strength right now.