Fractured Hearts (Shattered Lives, Book Three) (27 page)

Her body shivered from the cool breeze. I took off my hoodie and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Love…it’s cold out here. Let’s get you inside.” Elaina looked around. No one else was out there but her and me. Everyone had gone inside and she hadn’t realized it.

I stayed with her the entire time, supporting her much like I did when we buried Claire and Willow. I interlaced my fingers with hers, guided Elaina around the grave and back into our home, tugging her the whole way as she dragged her feet and glanced over her shoulder. She was torn and didn’t want to leave Nick. Walking her right to our room, I tucked her into bed and held her until she fell asleep.

Several days had gone by since Nick’s burial. Gunther and I had spent the time in the technology room, finishing the arbor and benches for the ceremony.

We both took a step back admiring our work.

“Pretty good for two freaks, eh?”

I had to laugh at his statement. “Yeah. I think it looks great. Elaina will love it.” I held out my hand. “Thank you for helping me. I appreciate it greatly.” Gunther smiled and shook my hand. I was in awe of how well we were getting along. He had definitely became a great friend and confidant, which was weird for me to say. My brows furrowed when I noticed the coloring of his eyes. “You know you’re gray, right, mate?”

“Yeah. I’m feeling it. Quinn hasn’t been feeling well, so I haven’t been taking too much from her. Just a little at a time to sustain.”

“Just be careful,” I cautioned. “I’m sure Thomas or Josie would be willing to donate.”

“I know. I just hate asking.” He sighed, then ran his hand up the side of the arbor. “You know, once you’ve had your ceremony, I was wondering if Quinn and I could use this.”

“What would you need it for? I was hoping to set it up toward the back of… Wait.” I looked at him curiously and he smirked. “You asked her?”

“Yes.”

“And she said yes?”

“How could she resist all of this?” He waved his hand up and down his body.

I laughed. “Congratulations. I’m happy for you, you prat. I was thinking of setting it up by the woods toward the back of property line. It would be a nice place to sit and relax.”

“Sounds good. Now, when’s the ceremony going to be?”

“I have to talk to Elaina and see when she’ll feel like having it. Nick’s death has been very hard on her, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

“She has hardly left your room. Quinn has some plans, so when she decides, let Quinn know.”

“Will do.”

We headed to the cafeteria, which was buzzing with activity. The kids were working on school lessons; Josie sat in the corner, playing music; Thomas bounced a tennis ball off the wall repeatedly; and Quinn was reading. It was nice to see a bit of normalcy.

Jane and her crew weren’t anywhere to be found. As I requested, they were laying low. It was for the best, and they knew and understood that. If Elaina saw them, I wasn’t so sure I could stop her from doing something she would regret.

Gunther sat beside Quinn and whispered in her ear, “Hey, my foxy lady.” Quinn smiled and laughed. “What?”

“You’re funny sometimes.”

“You
are
my foxy lady.” He brushed his lips across hers. “Oh…and I told Henry.”

“You did? And?”

“He said he was happy for us.”

Feeling a little emotional, her eyes grew wet. “I’m so glad you two set aside your differences.”

“I am, too. I think I’ll feel guilty forever over what I’ve done to him. I fucked him up, Quinn. Big time.” The shame hit him, making him look at his lap.

“It’s not your fault.”

“I can’t help but feel I have severely contributed to all his mental issues. I need to do everything I can to make it up to him.” Gunther let out a heavy sigh. “Anyway, he wants me to help him get back into shape. Apparently, someone is jealous of my stellar physique. Not bad for an old man, yeah?” Gunther winked at her.

“If you are old, so am I.” They both laughed loudly. “This is when you say I don’t look a day over twenty-five.”

“Right. Quinn, my beautiful fiancée…”

“Oh, can it,” she grumbled with a smile. She settled back in the chair and continued to read more of the book in front of her on the table. Out of nowhere, she was hit with a bout of nausea. “Oh god…” She got up and bolted toward the door.

“Quinn?” Gunther chased after her. She made it as far as just outside the door before vomiting. “Oh, love…” He knelt and helped her to a sitting position.

Cora came out behind them. “What’s wrong?” she asked as she squatted next to Quinn.

“I must have eaten something bad,” Quinn said, completely mortified.

“What did you eat last?” Gunther asked.

“I shared some carrots with Josie.”

“Cora, watch her for a sec, please.” Gunther got up and jogged into the cafeteria. A few minutes later, he came back with a roll of paper towels and cleaner. “Josie said she feels fine.” He looked at Cora and shrugged.

“I think I’ll steer clear of carrots for a while,” Quinn mumbled as she wiped her face with a towel.

“I’ll take care of this.” Cora grabbed the cleaning supplies from Gunther. “Go take her to bed, just in case she’s coming down with something. We should keep her away from the others for now.”

“Right. Good idea. Thanks, Cora,” Gunther murmured as he helped Quinn to her feet.

He held her steady as they walked to their room. By the time they made it, Quinn was completely wiped out. He helped her change, wash up, and get into bed. “Rest up, love. Do you need anything?”

“Maybe a bucket…just in case?”

He tucked her wavy brown hair behind her ears, then cupped her cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

Quinn was exhausted. The past week of staying up late, working on projects for Elaina and Henry’s ceremony, and Nick’s death had wiped her out completely. She was ready for a week-long nap.

By the time Gunther came back with a bucket, she was sound asleep. He left her a bottle of water and a cloth. He worried about her and hoped there wasn’t something wrong. His throat tightened thinking about what life would be like without her. After watching her sleep for a minute, he decided to take off and let her rest.

When Gunther quietly closed the door to their room, he saw Henry sprinting down the hallway toward him.

While looking out the window, I heard a commotion outside the doorway, but decided to stay put since it looked like Gunther and Cora had it handled. I slipped in and out of a daydream, thinking about my upcoming wedding. I was so excited to actually be able to call Elaina my wife. She still hadn’t really decided when, but she assured me it was still going to happen. I grinned like a nutter, which made me chuckle to myself.

Seconds later, I was snapped out of my thoughts when I saw a few people come into view outside. Then a few more and a couple after that.

“Shit. Gunther!” I called, without looking behind me.

“He took Quinn to bed,” Cora said. “She’s not feeling well. What’s going on?”

Without responding, I ran out of the cafeteria and headed down the hall to find Gunther, seeing him leaving his room. “Come on. Gear up,” I barked as I passed by him, heading toward the weapons room.

“What’s up?” he asked as he easily caught up to me.

“There’s a group of people coming into town.”

He ran back into his room, grabbing his vest and a hoodie. Seconds later, he met me in the weapons room. We both loaded our vests with a variety of weapons, along with taking fully automatic assault rifles. With a larger group, those would make a much bigger impression. We sprinted back to the cafeteria.

“Listen up!” I yelled. “I want everyone back in their rooms with the doors locked immediately. Thomas, make sure your gun is loaded and station yourself by the side door. Josie, alert Elaina and Quinn to lock both of their doors. Then inform the others. No one is to leave their rooms until Gunther or I come knocking. Clear?”

“What’s going on?” Cora asked. Henry pointed and she looked out the window. “Oh, wow.” She scooped up the kids and ran out of the room.

As Gunther, Thomas, and I ran to the side door, Gunther and I slipped into program mode. “You go around and come up the back. I’ll be up front and stop them. Follow my lead.” Gunther nodded at my command. After all, I was the captain of the ship.

With silent, deft, and calculated footsteps, I positioned myself behind the bush at the front of the building. I counted seven. Only a couple had packs with no visible weapons, but that didn’t mean shit.

I licked my dry lips, waiting for the perfect moment. They were all looking around at the town center, chatter hanging on their lips.

I jumped out with my rifle pointed at the group. “Stand down!” I ordered. The group stopped just as Gunther stepped up to their rear. “If any of you make a move, my partner and I will take all of you out, no questions asked.”

It was a little harsh, but I wasn’t about to take any chances.

A couple of the people glanced behind them and saw Gunther. He smiled and waved. It was quite sadistic but, bloody hell, it was great fun.

A middle-aged, partially bald man spoke up, “We intend you no harm. We have no weapons, except baseball bats and a couple of small axes.”

How the fuck did they survive?
“Empty your packs and pockets!” I ordered, and quickly took inventory as they pulled out everything. “What brings you here?” I asked.

“We were passing through, looking for shelter for the night,” he replied.

“Where are you headed?”

“We have no destination. We’re just wandering…trying to survive.”

“Line up against the building.” I waved the tip of the rifle at the wall.

Frightened, a couple of the women started crying. Gunther and I stood in front of them, looking over the whole group. There were a couple blokes about my age that looked like they would be of use working around the area. My eyes lingered a little too long on the one who was taller than Gunther, lanky, and completely scarred up…like he had scrubbed a jagged edge of a glass all over his face. He caught me examining him and pulled his ball cap further over his face, eyes looking at the ground.

“Please, don’t hurt us. We mean no harm,” a younger woman begged. She reminded me of some sort of doll. The bird had make-up on, for crying out loud! I couldn’t imagine Elaina saying, “While you’re out getting those essentials to survive, grab me some eyeliner.”

“People do mental things when they are in survival mode, sweetheart,” Gunther smiled.

“Do you take shelter here?” asked the balding man.

“Yes. This is our home,” I stated with a firm set of my jaw. “We have been here for quite some time.”

“May we have a room for the evening?”

Gunther looked at me. We took a couple steps back and spoke quickly, barely audible, “Mate, you are
really
gray,” I said with a raised brow. He shrugged, obviously not caring right then. We needed to get the situation under control first. “We could lock them in the workout room for the night, then let them out in the morning. We can rotate guards.”

“Sounds good,” Gunther murmured.

We stepped forward again. “I want everyone’s hands in the air,” I demanded. “My partner is going to lead you to a room. We’ll lock you in and will be standing guard at the door. When we let you out in the morning, you are to leave. Am I understood?”

The group looked at one another, murmuring about the safety of walls, then agreed to our terms.

“Single file, please. Follow me.” Gunther led them to the side door. “Walk with us,” he said as he passed Thomas.

Thomas looked to his right. In an instant and with a stagger in his step, his breath was stolen from his gaunt body. A taller teen girl with brown wavy hair looked at him through her long eyelashes. She wasn’t gorgeous, but I could see the immediate attraction to her.

I knew the look right away. It was the same one Elaina and I had when we met. She looked down at her feet when she realized he was gawking at her.

He looked back toward me, trying to remember what he was supposed to be doing.

“Thomas…,” I warned. “I need you with me.”

“Yes. Sorry.”

With a chuckle, I took up the back.

Gunther began parading the group toward the gym. Just as we made it to the cafeteria, Quinn came out. “Stop!” Gunther shouted, freezing Quinn. “What are you doing? We are in lockdown!”

“I had no idea. I was sleeping…” Quinn looked at the group, dropping the bottle of water she was holding.