31. Taryn
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
TARYN
Beck checked the cuffs one last time. “Too tight?”
“No.”
Lucas adjusted the short chain between my wrists. “You can still move?”
“Enough.” I tried to keep the frustration out of my voice because I knew this was hard for them.
Adrian stood a few feet away with the walkie-talkie in one hand, his expression unreadable.
Right after our kiss, he was all about making sure everything went smoothly. He actively planned and prepared multiple backup options in case things didn’t go as planned.
I understood because if any of them went in, I’d be a wreck.
Three men surrounded me. No longer angry or competing with each other, they were now a team, figuring out the best way to keep the woman they each loved safe.
The lonely little girl inside me couldn’t get enough.
Beck touched my jaw. “You see an opening to get you, Lila, and Wren out, take it.”
Lucas brushed his thumb along the back of my neck. “Exactly. Don’t worry about the other women. We won’t leave them in the hell they’re living in.”
Adrian’s eyes held mine. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but in this one instance, follow Ben’s advice. Prioritize your survival over everyone else’s.”
I watched Wren have her moment with Colson, and I knew I cared about that crazy bitch like she was my sister.
Adrian followed my gaze. “I know you love her, but if things go to shit, come to us. We'll get everyone who's left behind out together.”
I nodded. “I—”
“No bullshit, Fox,” Beck interrupted. “I need your promise. Get the fuck out of there if everything goes to shit.” His green eyes darkened. “There’s no me without you.”
Leaving Wren or Lila behind would be damn near impossible for me, but if there were no other way, and I had to leave, these men would find a way to get them out. I didn’t doubt it for a second.
“I give you my word that I’ll get out if things go bad.” My gaze shifted from blue to gray to green. “I love y’all.”
Adrian’s gaze held mine. “But do you trust us to do what we say?”
That one was harder. It was less about trust and more about surrendering control.
I nodded. “I’m trying.”
Beck looked at Lucas. “We’re really letting her do this?”
Lucas sighed. “I’m not sure we have the ability to stop her.”
“She was going with or without us.” Adrian shook his head. “At least this way we have some control.”
I smiled, then stood on my tiptoes and kissed Adrian. “Two points to you for knowing me so well.”
“Only two?” He smiled.
I shrugged. “I have a very complicated point system.”
All three of them laughed, and I took a moment to appreciate their masculine beauty. I’d hit the apocalypse lotto with these men.
Maleficent, eat your heart out. This evil queen was the luckiest in all the land.
Wren and Colson walked over, and she gave the chain a sharp tug. “It’s time to go, captive.”
I turned slowly. “You’re enjoying this entirely too much.”
“Yep,” she agreed.
“Why in the hell did you have cuffs in your bag in the first place?” I asked curiously.
“Colson gave them to me.” She turned to smile at him. “Didn’t you, big man?”
He didn’t respond, his intense gaze locked on Wren. He looked as if he were one breath away from abandoning the entire plan and taking Wren back to the silo himself.
“I’ll come back, I swear.” Wren ran a gentle hand down his arm.
His jaw tightened. “You'd better.”
With a big smile, she turned away, and we walked off together.
I looked back once.
Beck.
Lucas.
Adrian.
All three of them watched me, with an intensity that raised goosebumps on my arms.
“Come on, sis. If we don’t go now, they’ll shit-can the whole plan.”
I knew she was right, so I turned back and took a deep breath. It was time to bring out the old Taryn. I’d need her to get all of us through this.
“Ready?” Wren smiled.
“Not really,” I smirked.
“Good. Me neither.”
Neither of us laughed; we didn’t have it in us at the moment.
The trees started to clear up ahead, and then we saw the compound fence. Chain-link fencing ten feet high, topped with barbed wire. Past it, fuel tanks stood above the buildings like enormous white monuments to all that these men ruled.
As we grew closer, I lowered my chin and let my shoulders slump.
Wren jerked the chain again. “Walk faster.”
Startled by her sudden action, I lost my balance. I slowly turned my head, narrowing my eyes.
She was smiling.
“I will kill you,” I mouthed.
Her smile widened.
Maybe I wouldn’t have any problem leaving her.
The two men at the gate noticed us almost immediately, and one reached for his rifle.
The other squinted, right before recognition hit. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
Wren waved cheerfully. “Hi, Carl.”
The man’s expression flattened. “My name’s Curtis.”
“That’s what I said, Curtis.” The smile never left her face.
The other man snorted, but Wren ignored him.
His eyes shifted to me, and everything about him changed. His posture stiffened, and his hand settled more firmly on the grip of his rifle. “Well, shit.”
The other man straightened. “That’s the brunette everyone is looking for.”
Wren lifted the chain between us as if she were performing a magic trick. “Ta-da.”
I almost rolled my eyes.
Curtis stepped closer to the fence. “You found her?”
Wren rolled her eyes so hard they almost fell out on the ground. “Obviously.”
“Where?”
“In the woods.” She waved her hand in a giant arc.
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
“I-found-her-in-the-woods.” She emphasized each word.
His jaw tightened.
Wren leaned closer to me and stage-whispered, “He’s not very bright.”
“I can fucking hear you, bitch.” Curtis spit on the ground.
“No shit?” Wren blinked innocently.
The other guard laughed, and Curtis shot him a glare before looking back at Wren. “How the hell did you manage this?”
Wren looked offended. “Whatever do you mean?”
“She’s enhanced.”
“So am I.”
“Yeah, but you’re…” He stopped.
Wren’s eyebrows rose. “What?”
Curtis looked the slightest bit uncomfortable.
Wren leaned toward the fence. “Crazy? Psycho? A few dicks short of a circle jerk?”
The other guard laughed as if she were the funniest thing he’d ever seen.
Wren pointed at him. “See? Dennis gets me.”
The guard in question wiped the tears from his eyes. “My name’s Mike.”
I dropped my head to hide the smile trying to break free.
There wasn’t another one like her.
Curtis looked at the cuffs around my wrists. “So, what happened?”
“Well, I caught her pulling the wings off a couple of fairies I’m friends with, and it pissed me off.” Wren leaned in as if she was telling them in confidence.
“Really?” Curtis glanced at Mike and smirked.
Wren shrugged. “It’s not like this chick is my sister or something. So, who cares.”
My head came up before I could stop it. This bitch.
His mouth curled. “I bet being held captive by this nut job is humiliating.”
“You have no idea.”
Wren jerked the chain. “Behave, fairy killer.”
I turned my glare on her. She had better know that I was going to get her back for this.
A grin spread across her face, and she winked.
And just like that, I understood exactly what she was doing. She was trying to keep all the focus on her crazy ass and off me, giving me the opportunity to focus on other things. Like searching the faces of the women who were much closer now.
I saw one woman carrying a basket of clothes and another walking swiftly toward a trailer, but none of them was Lila.
Curtis leaned against the fence as if he had all the time in the world. “Your leader Gideon has been frantic to find her. He’s been whining to Caesar since his town fell.”
Wren looked almost offended for Gideon. “That’s embarrassing.”
Curtis grinned. “He lost most of his people and still thinks he’s in charge.”
Wren leaned closer to him. “If the crazy bitch can find her before the big, scary leader, maybe he shouldn’t be leading shit.”
Mike barked a laugh, and even Curtis smiled.
Wren was doing an amazing job of making herself look harmless. Good. Let them think they were smarter. Men got sloppy when they felt superior.
Curtis pulled a radio from his belt. “Tell Caesar we’ve got something he’s going to want.”
Wren frowned. “Caesar?”
Mike’s face changed. “That’s what he wants to be called now.”
“Was King Ding-a-ling taken?”
I bit the inside of my cheek so hard it hurt.
Curtis stared at her. “I’d advise you to wise the fuck up before you meet him.”
Metal rattled, and the gate rolled open.
My pulse quickened. There was no going back now, even if I wanted to.
Wren pulled me through, and the gate closed behind us with a heavy metallic clang. The sound settled somewhere deep in my stomach.
Inside, everything looked even worse up close. The tanks were bigger, the men seemed dirtier, and the women were more beaten down.
A woman hauled two buckets from the hand pump. One man near her reached out as she passed and slapped her ass hard enough to make her stumble.
The others laughed.
Showing no reaction, she merely straightened and continued on her way.
My hands curled inside the cuffs, and Wren gave the chain a tiny tug.
It was a warning.
But it was unnecessary. I had the sense to hold back, but that didn’t prevent me from daydreaming about how fantastic he’d look with a gaping dent in his skull.
Curtis led us toward what I assumed was the office, with Mike close behind. Neither bothered hiding the way they looked at me.
That was fine. Let them look. I was doing the same thing, counting and learning. At least fourteen men were inside the fence now. I was almost certain five were enhanced. Possibly six.
There were women everywhere. Cooking, cleaning, serving, and waiting on the next order.
A woman came out of one trailer. Her hair was wet, and her shirt hung crooked.
A man followed her a few seconds later, buttoning his jeans.
I looked away before my expression betrayed me. Not because I couldn’t handle seeing it, but because I couldn’t let them see how it affected me. My face would have clearly shown my rage, and if I wanted any chance of helping, I had to use all the cunning and smarts I had.
Wren’s expression didn’t change, but I could feel her fingers tighten around my chain.
Good.
She was just as enraged by this shithole as I was.
The office door opened, and a man stepped outside. He was maybe in his late forties and heavy through the shoulders. Gray threaded through a trimmed beard. His clothes were cleaner than everyone else’s.
He wore a black shirt and dark jeans. His fingers were covered with heavy gold rings, and he had a thick chain around his neck that looked out of place in the middle of an apocalypse.
He surveyed the yard like he owned the ground beneath every foot.
This had to be Caesar.
He looked at Wren first. “What does the beautiful homecoming queen want?”
For a minute, Wren looked confused.
“Such a shame,” Caesar said, smiling. “Oh well, not everyone has the same metal fortitude.”
Wren grabbed her head as if it hurt. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He laughed. “It’s not important.” His eyes moved to me. “Well, what do we have here?”
Curtis grinned. “Told you.”
Caesar descended the office steps slowly, in no hurry, as if he were a king approaching tribute.
His gaze moved over my face, my clothes, then to the cuffs. “Gideon’s enhanced little lost lamb.”
I stared. “Lamb?”
“Taryn.” His eyes sharpened on my features. “Beautiful.” He moved closer and reached for my chin.
I turned my face away before he touched me, and his hand stopped.
The yard seemed to quiet.
“Careful,” Curtis muttered.
“I like strong women.” Caesar smiled. “Just remember who holds all the power here, Lamb.”
Wren tugged my chain, and I stumbled back away from him. “She bites.”
He ignored that ridiculous statement. “How’d you take her?”
Wren shrugged, seeming to have recovered from her earlier confusion. “Golden lasso.”
I looked at her, and she seemed entirely serious. Maybe she genuinely believed what she was saying. She definitely had her ups and downs.
Caesar stared. “So now you’re Wonder Woman?”
Curtis and Mike started laughing.
She wasn’t far from it in my eyes.
Wren puffed out her chest. “Most of the time.”
Caesar rolled his eyes as he stepped closer to me, apparently deciding to chance being bitten. “Gideon believes you destroyed his town.”
“Do I look like I’m capable of something like that?” I tilted my head toward Wren. “She captured me.”
“That doesn’t mean it isn’t true.” He kept his eyes locked on my face. “I’ll figure you out in time, and if Gideon’s words prove true, the punishment will fit the crime.” His expression darkened. “Our deal with him was proving quite profitable, and I’m not happy about it ending.”
“What are you? Judge and jury?” I wanted to see how far I could push him.
His mouth curved. “Oh, sweetheart.” There was no warmth in his voice. “I’m whatever I say I am, and as far as you’re concerned, I’m God.”
He was much smarter than I’d hoped and didn’t let anger dictate his actions. Shit, I’d hoped for someone easier to handle.
This man was going to be difficult.
I was reminded of something Ben always said. “You don’t survive by acting first. You survive by acting at the right time.”
Okay, Dad. I hear you.
This guy might be smart, but he’d never come up against me. Ben may have done a lot of things wrong, but he definitely didn’t raise a fool.