Wanted (14 page)

Moisture gathered in the actress’ eyes again. She blinked it away and looked off to the side to regain control of herself. She looked back and sat up on the cot, surprising Tanya a little. “Don’t talk,” the brunette said to the young blonde. She wrapped her arms around her and held her for a long moment, her body quivering a little every now and then from the emotions she was battling.

Tanya returned the hug, feeling confused and awkward, but also feeling happy and proud of herself. She had helped, and it made her feel good. Before, she’d always succeeded at her own internal goals. This time she’d made a difference for somebody else.

“
Don’t freak out, okay?” Jessie whispered in her ear.

Tanya nodded, then felt her eyes widen in surprise when Jessie started to pull away from her and then suddenly kissed her. It wasn’t a thank you peck on the cheek, it was an honest-to-god full blown real kiss on the lips! Tanya’s own lips parted out of surprise, she sucked in air through her nose and very nearly did what Jessie had asked her not to: freak out.

Jessie broke the kiss quickly, without pushing her at all. She smiled as Tanya’s fingers went to her lips, touching them in surprise. The gymnast stared at her, confused and feeling out of her mind. “Don’t worry, you’re not gay, I just had to kiss you.”

Tanya nodded, dropping her hand to her lap. “I’ve…um… I’ve never done that before.”

“
Never kissed a girl?” Jessie asked with a smile.

“
No – Yes! I mean… I’ve never kissed a girl before,” she stammered. “Or anyone, not really.”
“Oh!” Jessie said, surprised. “You’re a little scrawny, but why not? Pretty girl, talented. Smarter than anyone else I know. What’s stopping you?”

“
Scrawny?” Tanya said, frowning. “You wait till I’m better – I’ll show you scrawny!”

Jessie laughed. “Atta-girl.”

Realizing she was being played with, Tanya could not help but grinning back.

Chapter 9

Carl rose up, having heard enough, and silently exited his house before Tanya emerged from the closet turned bedroom. Sleep, he knew, would be hard coming for him. He moved across the dark landscape smoothly, trusting his years of experience to warn him of any threats. It served him well, for he found nothing amiss by the time he reached one of his many small caches of stores.

Moving a large rock aside, he cleared away the dirt beneath and below it to allow access to the flimsy piece of sheet metal that covered a hole he had dug. He peered into it cautiously, then gingerly pulled out the guns and other items of interest he had taken from the men he had recently killed. With every move, he was alert for any sign of a scorpion or other stinging or biting pest that might have found a way into the hole. When no threat showed itself, he reburied the cache then made the loaded down trek back to his house.

The sky was lightening in the east when he paused outside the door of his house. He could faintly hear noise inside. Movement and talking-his guests were already up. He frowned and shrugged his shoulders, reseating one of the rifles that hung from a strap. He reached for the handle and paused again, wondering if he knew what he was doing. Then, with a growl at himself, he pushed open the door and walked in.

Dustin, Jessie, and Tanya looked over at him, surprised. Their looks only magnified when they saw the ordnance he was carrying. He ignored their questioning faces and proceeded to the table instead, dumping the items on it none-too-gently. That finished, he sat down and pulled the twelve gauge to him, then began to quickly and efficiently strip it down.

“
More trespassers?” Jessie asked softly, coming over to stand next to him.

Carl glanced at her and noted she was still wearing one of his t-shirts and a pair of his pants. He shook his head slightly, just to remind himself not to bother, then went back to work.

“
Wake up on the wrong side of a barbed wire fence?” Jessie asked him, trying to not be too miffed at his silence.

“
Something,” he grunted, then put the finished shotgun aside and started in on the FX-05 Fire Serpent that the Maelstrom squad leader had been carrying.

“
Fine… you guys want breakfast?” Jessie said, turning her back on him and bouncing toward the kitchen.

Carl caught himself as he turned to watch her go. She really was bouncing. What fucking right did she have to be in such a good mood? He scowled and went back to work, anxious to put it behind him and get back to something he could call normal.

The cleanup job was done soon enough. He put the last rifle in a pile, a tried and true Heckler & Koch G3A3, and turned to face his houseguests as they munched on some concoction Jessie had made with corn meal, coyote meat, and some canned peas. He would be glad when they were gone, his food stores in the house were starting to run low.

Watching them he found himself hesitating again though. They looked at peace. Eating and talking to one another, it was almost as if things were normal. Carl watched, knowing he was about to throw a major wrench into things, and found himself remembering the conversation he had overheard the night before. He nodded to himself, his resolution restored.

“
Time to go,” he said, standing up and interrupting their peaceful breakfast.

“
Huh?”

“
What?”

“
Go where?” Tanya asked.

“
Beats me. Not here,” he said again. “They ain’t ready yet, but I’ve had enough of you,” Carl said, pointing at her.

Jessie’s eyes widened and the color drained from it. She snapped her mouth shut and glared at him. “Just like that?”

“
Yeah, just like that,” he said, standing his ground. “I don’t trust you and you know too much already. There’s bad news following these kids; they don’t need you making it more complicated.”

Her chin trembling a little her eyes narrowed, emotions running through her rapidly and beyond her ability to control. “Great, okay, fine,” she snapped. “What about me? Huh? What the fuck am I supposed to do?”

Carl shrugged. He wished he’d never said anything to her, then wished he’d have just shot her and saved himself the headache. “Take your pick,” he said, nodding at the table. “All the water you can carry too.”

At a loss for words, Jessie turned to look at Dusty and Tanya. Tears brimmed in her eyes, the genuine sort that called out to them. She turned back to Carl and stared at him, pleading with him silently. “I’m… I… Carl, please!”

“
Save it,” Carl interrupted. “Don’t make this harder on anyone than it needs to be – you know you got nothing that can change my mind.”

Jessie stared at him, angry and lost at the same time. A tear ran down her cheek but she ignored it. Finally she looked at Tanya and Dustin and offered a weak smile. “Sorry guys,” she whispered.

Dustin hopped up, grimacing a little but moving better than he could be expected to. “I’m going too,” he said, his chin stuck out defiantly.

“
Dustin!” Tanya hissed, staring at him.

“
Sure, maybe she’s got problems. Maybe she had her own reasons… but damn it Sis, I like her!” he told her. “She saved our butts and without her we’d be dead or worse now.”

“
Carl saved our butts too,” she pointed out to him, standing up as well.

“
Look, Dusty… don’t do this,” Jessie said, surprising everyone, including herself. “It’s not safe out there. You stay here and look after your sister. I’m sure Carl will get you back home safe and sound.”

“
What about you?” Dustin asked.

“
I’ll get by. I’m a survivor – I’ll find a way.”

“
This is fucking stupid,” Dustin swore.

Tanya took a step closer to him and smacked him, stunning everybody by the sudden action. “Watch your mouth! Mom may be gone, but she wouldn’t want you talking like that.”

Dustin stared at her, his cheeks flaring with embarrassment. Words failed him.

Jessie turned to look at Carl. “Can I talk to you a minute?”

“
No.”

“
Look, I know I was a bitch… I screwed up, okay, I know it and I’m not making up any excuses for it-“

“
Good,” he said. “Then leave.”

“
Carl, come on. Look at these two,” Jessie implored him. “Maybe I ain’t much, but what else have they got? You? You’re Mr. Fucking Stone Wall. What good are you to them other than somebody that can keep them from getting killed?”

“
Better than you,” he growled at her. “And you still talk too much. Grab your shit and get the fuck out.”
“No,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. “I’m not leaving them.”

Carl reached down smoothly and picked up a pistol. He slid a clip in it, worked the action to introduce a bullet to the chamber, and pointed it at her face. “This ain’t up for discussion.”

Jessie’s eyes widened and the color in her cheeks drained. She saw the deadly calm in his expression and the rock solid aim of the pistol. She found herself nodding quickly. This was one bluff she would not call. “All right! Just give me a minute.”

He nodded and lowered the gun. The safety remained off and the gun never left his hand. She turned and hurried to the closet, trying to think of what she’d need and how she could possibly change his mind. She emerged a few minutes later, hearing some heated arguing again. They fell silent when she emerged, wearing her halter top and Daisy Duke’s again. This time she had a rucksack tucked over her back with some things shoved in it. Carl saw it and his eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.

“
Now what?” she said, trying to bluff her own way around the red and puffy skin around her eyes.

“
Nothing,” Dustin muttered. “I’m going too.”

“
Dusty… that’s,” she began but was interrupted by the kid.

“
You’re not the badass you think you are – you can use the help. My ribs are almost back to normal. This way we can look out for each other,” he argued.

Jessie paused, a surprised looking smile on her face. “Not the badass I think I am?”

“
Yeah,” he said.

“
And you are?”

He shrugged. “Carl taught me how to shoot a gun,” he said.

“
My hero,” Jessie said, sending a meaningful glance Carl’s way. He ignored her.

“
Dusty, you can’t just-“

“
Yes,” he snapped at his sister, “I can.”

“
Fine,” she snapped, though she was clearly not happy.

“
Tanya,” Jessie said calmly while she stepped over to her. “I’ll keep him safe, if it’s the last thing I do.”

Tanya stared at her, moisture brimming up. She nodded and grabbed her brother’s arm and jerked him into a hug. He returned it hesitantly at first, then finally worked past his embarrassment and hugged her in earnest.

“
You’re just going to let this happen?” Tanya said to Carl after she had released her brother.

Carl looked at her and shrugged. “I’ve been shot at by kids half his age. He’s got the right to pick his own way.”

“
You’ve been shot at… and did you shoot back?”

Carl nodded and took no pleasure in the look of fear and horror in Tanya’s face.

Jessie walked past him and looked down at the assortment of guns on the table. She picked up the Mexican FX-05 and the magazines Carl had laid next to it. She grabbed a couple of grenades as well, then went to fill up some water bottles. More nervously, Dustin looked at the table and reached out to grab a rifle. Carl’s hand fell on his arm, stopping him. Dustin jerked his hand back as though he’d been burned and looked at Carl.

“
Take the shotgun,” Carl advised, pointing at the 12 gauge. “It’s a SPAS 15. Not as good as the SPAS 12, in my opinion, but those are hard to come by.”

Dustin nodded and picked up the combat shotgun, then grabbed the shells for it and a single grenade as well. Carl frowned when he saw this, but he did not stop him.

“
Don’t trust her,” Carl growled to him, “but she’s still your best bet in a firefight as long as she don’t turn on you.”

“
She’s not going to turn on me,” Dustin said, sticking his chest out and glaring at Carl. He turned away from the older man’s smirk and walked over to fill up some bottles for himself. He already had a small bundle tied around his waist and acting like a fanny pack. Carl had let him take a heavy shirt to help him get through the night, as well as some other clothes for warmth.

They met at the door then turned to look back. Mostly they exchanged gazes with Tanya, but Jessie looked at Carl as well. As always, he kept his face expressionless. She shook her head as she looked at him and said, “This time you’re making a mistake. I just hope it doesn’t hurt any of us too much.”

Carl watched them go out the door, not moving. A few minutes passed as they made their way through the minefield he called a front lawn and there was no report to indicate they had forgotten the way through it. He turned back to Tanya and offered a faint smile.

“
He’s right,” Tanya whispered, staring at the door and then looking at Carl.

“
What’s that?” Carl asked, expecting to be in for a rough night.

“
This is stupid!” she said. “Why can’t you just let us stay? Is your life so great out here by yourself that we’re screwing it up? Do you really have that much going for you that our company ruins it? Do we need to do more work? Hunt for food? What? What do we need to do?”