6. Taryn
CHAPTER SIX
TARYN
The gate closed behind us with a heavy metallic groan that felt like it echoed across the entire settlement.
Lila flinched beside me and stayed huddled as close to my side as the men holding us would allow.
I tried to take in as much as I could. You never knew when that might be an advantage. Maybe it was a blessing to be captured. I’d be able to make contact with Beck and Adrian much sooner than if I were skulking on the outside.
The town was larger inside the fence than I had expected. Main Street still ran through the center, lined with faded storefronts and old brick buildings. Some still looked as if they were open for business. It was clear it had been through some shit, but it was still functioning.
Floodlights lit the roads as armed patrols moved methodically between buildings. Fires burned in metal barrels along the sidewalks, and men walked around, carrying on conversations as if the apocalypse had become routine rather than catastrophic.
My head snapped around when I heard a child’s laughter from a distance. I felt it was a good sign. It had been ages since the twins had smiled, let alone laughed like that.
“Relax, ladies.” A calm voice said, snapping my attention back to my situation.
A tall, dark-haired man stood in front of us. “My name is Gideon Fisk. I’m in charge here.”
There was a man standing to the left of Gideon, staring intently at me. He was handsome, but something about him left me cold.
Gideon walked closer, his hands casually tucked into the pockets of his coat, as if he were giving a neighborhood tour rather than escorting armed strangers through a fortified settlement.
Seeing him up close, he appeared more dangerous than I had first thought. Not because he was physically intimidating, which he most definitely was, but because of how calm and in control he was. As if nothing about this situation bothered him in the least.
“You’re safe here.” He smiled in a friendly way.
“There are just a few rules I’d like you to follow.
They’re for your safety, more than anything else.
” He winked like we were all old friends.
“We don’t allow weapons on anyone except the men patrolling our little town.
There’s a curfew for all females. And medical evaluations are mandatory for new arrivals.
” He shrugged, like the good old boy he was trying to be.
“You can never be too careful after everything that’s happened.
But most of all, no violence is tolerated against citizens of this town.
” He glanced at our guards and smirked. “Barring times designated for such things.”
“Are you the mayor or something?” I was surprised when Lila asked.
“No.” His gaze swept briefly across the buildings that occupied Main Street. “I owned most of the town before the world collapsed.”
Of course he did.
“Guess being rich paid off,” I muttered lightly.
To Gideon’s credit, he actually laughed. “Resources matter more than morality at the end of the world.”
That was honest, but why wouldn’t he be? It was clear he had all the power, and we had none.
I’d better hold my tongue in the future until I get a better grasp on just what was going on here.
“I’d like to join you in escorting this one, if you don’t mind?” the man who had been staring asked Gideon.
Gideon smiled with a twinkle in his eye. “I don’t mind at all, Mace. Did a lady finally catch your eye?”
Mace shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. Let’s see how testing goes before I commit. Gage and I only want the best.”
“That’s understandable for men of your stature.” Gideon motioned to the other men in our group. “Go back to your posts. Mace and Gage are more than sufficient to protect these two on the way to medical.”
“So, the town’s not safe?” I tried to keep the sneer out of my voice, but I don’t think I succeeded.
Gideon’s smile faded, replaced briefly by anger, before the insincere smile returned. “It’s safe. We just like to add an extra layer of protection when it comes to our females.”
Lila shifted even closer when several groups of men stared more openly as we passed.
“Pay no mind to them.” Gideon winked at her. “They’re excited to see more survivors.”
I had a feeling that wasn’t the whole truth.
I still saw no women. I guess it was past their curfew. What a bunch of bullshit. Why was it still so dangerous to be out late with all the armed men walking around?
Finally, I spotted a woman walking with a group of men. Her eyes were lowered, and her expression was carefully blank.
As we passed, she raised her head, and we made eye contact. Fear flickered across her face. It couldn’t be because of me. I had no power here.
I got cold chills when I realized it wasn’t because of me… it was for me.
Two of the men walking with her grabbed her hands in theirs and hurried her away.
That was odd.
Two men holding a woman’s hand without bloodshed. Maybe they were family?
I saw one of the men reach behind her and grab her ass. Okay, definitely not family.
The guy—Mace—threw his head back and laughed at my expression. “You’ll get used to it, cupcake.”
I narrowed my eyes at the bastard. “I’m not your cupcake.”
He just laughed and elbowed his friend as if I were the cutest thing he’d ever seen.
Gideon smirked. “Our little town is a bit different since everything happened. But I have faith you’ll understand and even come to appreciate it over time.”
I wasn’t so sure of that.
“He’s right.” I felt warm breath near my ear. “And I’ll make sure of it if your test results are positive.” Mace smiled in a way that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
I heard a low growl from some distance away and saw Adrian holding Beck’s arm tightly. Both men’s eyes were narrowed on Mace, standing so close to me, with death in them.
Max was standing beside them, but the growl came from Beck.
My knees went weak when I saw both of them safe, after all the worrying I had done.
My sweet baby’s ears perked up the second he saw me, but Beck rested one hand briefly against the back of his neck before he could come toward me.
Smart.
Everything about this needed to look casual. It was important that we kept the fact that we knew each other to ourselves.
Beck caught my eye for half a second. The tension in his shoulders proved I was right to be wary of these men and this town.
Adrian made eye contact next, his anger at me blazing hot. I knew he’d be pissed I followed them, but he understood me well enough that my actions shouldn’t have surprised him.
Lila whispered, “I don’t like this.”
“I don’t either.” I grabbed her hand and held it tight.
She looked at me in surprise, and I widened my eyes at her, trying to communicate silently: just go with it.
To my satisfaction, she understood and nodded slightly.
Looking helpless would work to my advantage. Men often underestimated women, but the more frightened I seemed, the better, until I fully understood our situation.
We stopped outside what used to be a small urgent care clinic near the courthouse. Metal plating reinforced the windows while generators hummed loudly behind the building.
Two armed men opened the door.
I wondered what kind of clusterfuck this was going to be.
I must have paused too long because Mace put his hand on my lower back and shoved me with more force than I thought necessary. “Inside.”
I wanted to punch him in the nuts, but it would blow the damsel in distress act I was trying to pull off.
“Don’t worry. Just a few questions, then a blood test, and we’ll get you fed and settled in holding until the results come back,” Gideon said, his fake smile spread across his face.
The scent of bleach and alcohol had reached my nose from afar, and now that we were inside, it was nearly overwhelming.
The inside of the urgent care was surprisingly quiet.
They turned off half the overhead lights to conserve power, leaving pools of pale fluorescent light scattered throughout the building.
Empty chairs lined the waiting room, and a television mounted in the corner sat dark and silent.
Folding tables covered with medical supplies had replaced the reception desk.
Despite the late hour, a nurse and a few doctors moved between rooms with practiced efficiency, keeping their voices low, as if speaking too loudly might disturb the fragile illusion that the world hadn’t ended.
All the doctors were male, with only one female nurse.
She was blonde, dressed in faded blue scrubs, holding folded towels she placed on the old reception desk.
Her movements were efficient and practiced, and she looked comfortable in the room.
It was clear she had medical training and had most likely been a nurse for several years.
She glanced up briefly as we entered.
Blonde braid.
Brown eyes.
Late twenties or early thirties.
Her eyes were tired but sharp.
Her gaze moved over me once before briefly flicking toward the men surrounding us. Recognition settled into her expression almost immediately.
Not of me necessarily, but of the situation.
A little girl sleeping beneath a blanket in a chair near the back wall lifted her head at the sound of voices, then, after looking us over, closed her eyes and drifted back off.
The nurse’s face softened right away as she rushed over and wrapped the blanket around her like she had done it a million times before.
That had to be her daughter or a child she had in her care.
One of the doctors nearby watched her with a quiet intensity that felt a little too personal to be professional.
Nothing that had any relevance to my present situation, but I’d learned a long time ago that you never knew what knowledge might come in handy.
“We have two new potential citizens for you to process, Finley,” Gideon said in a jolly voice.
The doctor I’d seen, gazing at the nurse in affection, hurried over. “We’ll get it done immediately.”
I couldn’t keep the sneer off my face at his obvious ass-kissing.