Chapter Twelve
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“HERE YOU GO, COWBOY,” GG said, placing a mug of coffee in front of Dalt.
He was slouched on the couch, playing a video game.
A corner of the carpeted area had been converted into a living room.
Semiaza had scrounged up a huge TV, gaming console and games for them.
Xanthia had copies of most of games. She’d used her magic to alter them all so they no longer needed to use the internet to install or play them.
She’d said she could explain it to them, but they just wouldn’t get it, which was the truth.
“Thanks, darlin’,” Dalton said, pausing the game to wink at her. “When are you going to let me teach you how to game?” he asked.
GG made a face as she took a seat. The battered old couch had been replaced with a much newer, real leather version, but it was still black. “How about never?” she suggested. “I’m not into shooting zombies and having my brains eaten when they swarm over my corpse when I die.”
Dalt chuckled in amusement. “There are no brains being eaten in this game. They prefer to munch on my guts.”
“Gross,” she said, wrinkling her nose. Grace had sent a bunch of fresh books over with Wynter the last time her best friend had visited them. There was no danger of her running out of entertainment anytime soon.
A computer sat on the desk next to the TV.
The screen was split into four sections.
Each one displayed a different area around their base.
Xanthia’s cameras captured anyone who approached the huge building.
Amaros had erected a ward that hid their presence.
It also subtly urged humans and soldiers to move away.
GG watched the screen as the images changed to a different set of cameras.
Ascertaining no one was lurking around, she watched Dalt play his game.
“This seems kind of ironic,” GG said after a few minutes of watching the cattle rancher blast shambling zombies to death.
“What’s ironic?” he asked without pausing the game.
“You’re playing a game about a fictional apocalypse while we’re living through an actual apocalypse,” she pointed out. “Instead of zombies, we have militants and Soldiers of Chaos trying to kill or capture us.”
“I sure as hell never pictured my life turning out this way,” her ex joked. He paused the game to take a sip of coffee, wincing when it was too hot. “I wish we could break out of here and take a walk in the fresh air,” he said wistfully.
GG snorted out a laugh. “Said no one who ever lived in New York before the Rapture,” she said in amusement.
“But I know what you mean. I’m feeling a bit cooped up as well,” she agreed.
While the soldiers had moved on from searching this area, it was too dangerous for them to leave the building.
The only time they left their home was when a knight teleported them to New Jersey to visit Pastor Hogan.
“I’m looking forward to catching up with Larry again,” her gorgeous companion said as if he’d read her mind. “His congregation is growing larger week by week,” he added.
“That’s thanks to Qi and Koach,” GG said. “The doc is tireless. She’s healed over five hundred people by now. Kochab uses his mind control to make sure they won’t betray their allies.”
“Their souls might not be black, but they were all left behind for a reason,” Dalt said cynically. “Just like us, I guess,” he mused.
“At least we’ve all been given a second chance to redeem ourselves,” GG said.
If someone had suggested that to her a year ago, she probably would have punched them in the face.
She’d had a lot of time to reflect since escaping from Rahab five months ago.
It wasn’t nice to realize just how horrible she’d been before the Rapture.
She’d been so self-absorbed that it made her cringe to think about it now.
“You’ve got to stop doing this to yourself, darlin’,” Dalton scolded her.
“Doing what?” she asked, lifting her eyebrows.
“Blaming yourself for the things you did in your past,” he said. “You and Wynter rescued ten women from our enemies. Thanks to you, Faye, Paris and the others are safe now.”
“Yeah, they are,” GG agreed. “But dozens more women are still being held captive five months after we all escaped.”
“I know,” he said, expression sympathetic. “I wish it was easy to break them all free, but they’re too well-guarded for us to try to storm the building.”
GG had heard that too many times by now. There had to be a way to free them, but none of them could come up with a plan. The soldiers would sense them as soon as they entered the building. Reinforcements would arrive within seconds and the knights would be captured or killed.
Despair once again rose its ugly head and GG let out a tired sigh. “What if I offer myself as bait?” she said, desperate to rescue the females.
Dalt dropped the controller and his character became overwhelmed by hungry zombies. “Don’t even joke about that, Glory Gold,” he scolded her.
“I’m not joking,” GG said, meeting his worried brown eyes squarely. “Rahab would send his entire squad after me if he caught a glimpse of me. I could draw them away and Amaros and his brothers could break in and rescue the women.”
The idea was growing on her, but Dalton was shaking his head in denial.
His expression had become alarmed. “That’s a terrible idea, GG,” he warned her.
“You know how fast the knights and soldiers can move. Rahab would be on you before you could run ten feet. They can move faster than any vehicle on this planet. There’s no way you’d be able to outrun them.
I won’t let you sacrifice yourself and neither would Wynter, Tolas or any of our allies. ”
“Vic would,” GG said sullenly. “She’d probably deliver me to Rahab on a silver platter herself.”
“Now you’re just being petty,” he said, relaxing when he realized she wasn’t about to rush off on a crazy plan. He saw his character had died and slid a look at her. Picking up the controller, he resumed playing with his respawned avatar.
GG let the topic drop, but the idea didn’t fade away.
She had no desire to see Rahab in the flesh ever again.
He would kill her slowly and horribly, that much she knew.
There had to be some way she could use herself as a decoy to draw their enemies away from their base.
She just needed to figure out how. Maybe she would talk it over with Wyn sometime.
The cambions all used the rink every couple of weeks or so.
If they put their heads together, they might be able to come up with a workable plan.
“Promise me you’re not going to do anything stupid, darlin’,” Dalt said in a grave tone.
GG turned to see he’d paused the game again. He was regarding her with a serious expression. She put her hand on her heart. “I promise I’m not going to sacrifice myself to save the captives,” she vowed. Her tone was less mocking than it had sounded in her head, which was probably a good thing.
The cowboy nodded in satisfaction. “I don’t want to lose the woman I love when I’ve just found her again,” he said, staring at her intently.
Color rose in GG’s cheeks and she squirmed internally.
They’d both admitted they still had feelings for each other.
She’d even told him about her infertility being one of the reasons why she’d broken up with him nearly nineteen years ago.
Yet they still hadn’t moved on to the next stage of their relationship.
She was holding back and he wasn’t pushing her.
GG had intended to talk to Qiana about her problem, but she hadn’t been able to catch the doc alone the last time their allies had visited them.
“I’m not going anywhere, cowboy,” GG vowed.
His dark eyes softened and he gave her the lazy grin she remembered from their childhood.
He’d grown into the kind of man any woman would kill to have.
She knew she hadn’t been good enough for him back when they were kids.
They were both different people now. They’d grown up and had both gone through a lot.
Fate was giving them another chance at happiness, but GG still had baggage.
She couldn’t commit herself to him yet, but it was getting harder to remember why she was hesitating.