Rivals (26 page)
Authors: Felicia Jedlicka
Cori smiled and moved to him. “You chose me over the whole world?”
“You are my world,” he leaned in and kissed her. She wrapped her hands around him, being careful not to grip him to tightly. They parted and he smiled at her. “Maybe we can try this again... a little slower.”
Danato stared at the judges battling out the logistics of the testing. He had already told them that he was choosing Ethan as his replacement, but they didn't seem to care about that anymore. It had more or less turned into a debate on brains versus brawn.
Belus had taken up the chair in front of his desk to watch the regressive argument. He turned to Danato and shook his head. “This is all your fault, you know?”
“What is my fault?” Danato asked.
“Everything from day one leading up to this…” Belus twirled his finger in the air. “…bullshit.”
“How is this...” Danato retorted with another finger twirl. “...my fault?”
“You were supposed to bring back one person for the warden job. One, not two.”
Danato nodded and grimaced. “I suppose it’s too late to send one back.”
“Yeah, little bit.” Belus smiled, but it faded fast. He glanced at the judges and leaned forward in his chair. “Since we're on the subject of things that are too late to take back...” Belus swallowed. “I was wondering when you plan to tell them about Olivia.”
Danato's chin jutted forward and he glanced to their squabbling guests. They were thoroughly occupied with their argument and wouldn't be listening in, but he couldn't help but think that Belus had intended to have an audience for this conversation. It was a little underhanded for him, but nonetheless clever.
“Gentlemen!” Danato barked to interrupt their quarrel. “Get out.” They each looked from Danato to Belus and back again before shuffling out the door. Once they were alone, Danato gave his friend a civil smile. “Tell them about what exactly?” He shrugged pretending to be indifferent to the topic.
“Ethan and Cori are officially part of this prison now. They've proved their loyalty and I think they deserve our honesty. They should be told about
all
the dangers in this prison.”
Danato furrowed his brow. He wasn't sure why Belus was suddenly doubting his ability to train his staff, but he was more than happy to answer for it. “I think you and I have done an excellent job detailing the dangers in this prison. As we will continue to do in the future to keep them vigilant.”
“That's not what I mean. I don't want to limit their knowledge just because the facts are personal. I know how hard it is for you to talk about her, but—”
“You do?” Danato raised his brow. “You know?” He bit back his anger to keep his volume low. “I'm sure that you have no idea what I feel.”
Belus's jaw clenched and he took a breath. “I'm not going to compare pain with you Danato. We've been through this. There are no winners in that competition.”
“No, there aren't, so let's just drop it.” Belus looked away, but Danato could tell that he was no where near done making his point. Belus wasn't an easy man to anger, but the topic of Olivia always brought out the worst in both of them.
“I'm just saying,” Belus said, maintaining a firm grip on his diplomatic tone. “History has a tendency to repeat itself. Especially when we are ignorant of it.”
“Nothing like that will ever happen again.”
“You're sure of that?” Belus asked.
“Yes,” Danato assured him, “I won't let it.”
“It may not be something you can stop. You know Cori doesn't adhere to the rules as well as Ethan. I just don't want to see her get hurt, because you neglected to warn her.”
“They both know about the eight dead guards, one more body won't make the difference in their adherence to the rules.”
“It will make a difference in how they view this place... and in how they view us.”
Danato leaned back in his chair. He was finally seeing the purpose for this discussion. He didn't like it any better, but he couldn't help but chuckle at Belus. “What do you want me to do? Tell them that I'm not the good guy. I think they kind of figured that out when I bought them off a slave auction.”
“I'm just going to say this, because it needs to be said, and it's my job to do so. I'm glad that Cori passed her test today, but you and I both know, Ethan is the right choice for this job. Cori is too impetuous; she needs to understand that her mistakes can have consequences that don't involve potted plants.”
Danato stared at him, waiting for his temper to simmer down before he broke his desk... again.
“Cori needs to know the truth about Olivia,” Belus said. “Not just so she doesn't make the same mistakes, but so she starts to take the rules more seriously.”
Danato considered his point, but ultimately he didn't agree. The only purpose that bedtime story served, was to scare her into obedience. If worse came to worse he could use that tactic, but not after everything she had done to earn her place in the competition. And certainly not after he had finally gained her trust and friendship.
“I appreciate your concerns, Belus, and I would be happy to relinquish the continuation of her training to you, if you think you know best. However, the details of my wife's death are not a topic I wish to discuss with anyone. Not now. Not ever.”
Sneak
Peek
THE WARDEN
(Book 3)
Ethan approached Duke without his usual smile. Duke however, had a broad one for him. “Hey, boss man.” He pulled Ethan’s outstretched hand into a one armed manly slap hug. “What brings you on the roof without a coat?” Duke looked him over, slowly losing his smile as he did.
Ethan was in his usual black t-shirt and black cargo pants, just like the other guards. He had never seen a reason to distinguish himself even after receiving his title. Duke was bundled to the nines with a hooded jacket, ski mask, gloves, and something that looked like chaps. The fall season wasn’t as cold as the winter, but it was still too damn cold to be stepping outside without the proper attire.
“Could I have you step away from your post for a bit?” Ethan said trying to smile, but failing.
“Sure thing, boss,” Duke said propping his weapon on his shoulder. Ethan didn’t like that he called him “boss.” It made him feel separate from him, but since Duke wasn’t the type to give up a nickname, Ethan never requested he stop. Somehow asking him to stop calling him “boss” seemed bossy.
They stepped back into the stairwell, and Ethan stopped at the first landing. Duke must have realized the seriousness of the situation, because he gripped his weapon tightly with both hands. Ethan could see the furrow in his brow even through the ski mask.
“Why the long face?”
“I have a job for you to do.”
Duke slapped his shoulder and guffawed. “Is that all? You know I ain’t too proud to do my job.” His Texan accent laced his words with a friendliness that couldn’t be beat by any other burr. “What can I do for y'all?”
“I need you to arrest my wife,” Ethan said.
A favorite amongst my fans. Everyone goes into this series expecting one thing and finding something even better. This little story of a small town girl discovering her destiny as a hero of the apocalypse is not to be missed.
It's a zombie apocalypse, meets Armageddon, meets kickass heroine—well, I mean she's kickass eventually. Let's face it, this reluctant hero is just plain stubborn.
Sneak Peek
Corn, Cows, and the Apocalypse
“This is Jimmy the Card coming to you live from the end of the world. Cheer up all you ungodly rejects, we are free from the anarchy that
was
civilization. So, take the nooses off your necks, and the barrels out of your mouths, and rejoice in the rebirth of the new world.
“In case you’ve been living under a rock, or just been hiding in your house like a crazy cat lady, you should know that those saintly silver son of a bitches that are lying around in your neighborhood, pretending to be dead, are coming back…
with a vengeance
.
“Those conniving bastards are
not
, I repeat,
not
, coming to bless you, take you to heaven, or pander their religious beliefs to you. They are coming to
kill
you. So people of the Metro and anyone close enough to hear this broadcast: STOP TRYING TO INTERACT WITH THEM! They are bad. Run.
Run away.
”
Check out the first book FREE!
About
the Author
As a Nebraska native, and a small-town girl at that, I have very little to occupy my time beyond imagining a world outside of my own reality. By the grace of God and the seat of my pants, I have kept my waning attention span on the task of becoming an author.
So here I am, an indie author, peddling my words in cyberspace and enduring my comeuppances with an unwavering determination. I may not be a professional, and I certainly am not perfect, but if you've made it this far, you have to admit, this smartass yokel does spin quite a yarn.
From the self-inflicted sweatshop conditions of my unairconditioned childhood home, to the arthritis reaping positions of a sedentary lifestyle, I bring to you: my sarcasm, my oddity, and my heart. Take it with a grain of salt or a teaspoon of sugar, but take it for what it is: a story born of the mind, translated to paper, and gifted to you.
I thank you for your readership and even more for your support. Please drop me a line and let me know what you think of my books. You can find me on
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. Plus, I am not about to stop writing so be sure to
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.