The Badass Protector

Iris

Cora is dead?

Cora was killed.

I WAS still shivering. A sudden coldness hit my bones upon hearing the news. I wrapped my arms around my body, berating if I should blame myself or not. I embarrassed her in front of everyone.

It’s just it was even harder to believe when she was just standing right in front of me as I made her admit her mistake, then all of a sudden, she was gone.

She died because of me. I confronted her. If I didn’t let my anger consume me, she might still be alive.

“You okay?” I stopped pacing and stopped biting my lip, looking at worried Colt. “You can’t blame yourself, Iris. She chose to trust those people she barely knew.”

“And she could still be alive right now if I didn’t confront her.”

“She’d planned on leaving the camp. She once suggested a safe zone area. I asked her how did she know about it. She said that she found leaflets. I ignored it-that could be a trap. We don’t need a safe zone because we are safe here. What we need is a vaccine or a cure-that’s all.”

I still feel terrible, even guilty, because somehow she did terrible things because of how I felt for Colt.

“We are totally in oblivion about what happened to half of America. How about Europe, Asia, and the Middle East? Did they figure out a cure? We still don’t know.” Gael rubbed his chin, frowning, not even meeting our gazes.

“We’re not leaving this place for as long as we are safe inside,” Colt said. “We will survive for as long as we stay together and stick to the rules. No more sneaking out. No more secrets. No more lies. We scavenge. We hunt. We plant. That’s how we survive.”

“I agree.” Fisher nodded, and so as his wife.

“We don’t need luxury right now. What we need is safety from the virus and from the people who want to harm us out there. We can think of going back to our old life once we have the vaccine, but right now, we set aside those things. We set aside the future. Focus and think about today. This way, we won’t die bleeding, or from hunger, or with a bullet hole in our head.”

Everyone stayed silent and listened to Colt. I even saw the admiration in Gael’s eyes, and my heart swelled with pride.

Colt continued, “You are all free to speak and share your opinion with Gael if you have heard of a better and safer place to go, but we should think if it’s good for everyone. If you want to leave the camp, I won’t stop you, and I’m sure Gael won’t stop you as well, but if something happens to you outside, we won’t come to rescue you anymore. Once you leave the camp, you’re on your own.”

“What happened to Cora was awful, and you should take it as a lesson, and it could happen to anyone if you don’t take my advice seriously,” said Gael.

“From now on, I demand transparency. You know what happened to our old place and what happened during the ambush. So, we should keep our location discreet from the people outside this camp. We meet them outside but never bring anyone inside unless with Gael’s approval,” Colt added.

Their old place was taken away from them by a larger group, and they were ambushed on the road. They lost members, and Colt’s brother was killed while Gael was seriously wounded, causing his left leg to be amputated.

“Iris shared something about the leaflets of a safe zone. The place may exist, and the offer may sound appealing, but that’s not how it is-that they will provide you with anything for free. They controlled everything; they had powerful weapons and manpower. They have strong infrastructures; heavily guarded walls, but it only looks appealing from the outside. You don’t wanna know what’s in there.”

“Trust me. My experience wasn’t as good as what they advertised,” for the first time, I told everyone. “Was it just me that they had an interest with? No. They killed my brother when he discovered something. So, up to you, really. But I would not recommend.”

“Iris wouldn’t have run away if she felt safe, would she? You saw her when she arrived at our camp. What they care about is to be powerful so that they can conquer this country while they take people in as their slaves or kill everyone that they see as threats.” Gael stood up, looking at us one by one.

“Starting tonight, we should stay alert. We don’t know if those people who were with Cora would come to us. They could be following her discreetly whenever she came back. Just be careful. If you notice anything unusual, knock on my door immediately.”

“Is there anyone of you who wants to speak?” Colt asked, but everyone seemed still pretty shaken.

“Templeton, Colt. Thank you,” Gael said.

“No need to thank us, Gael,” Frost replied.

“Colton, I’m glad you’re back. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” I grabbed Colt’s hand and squeezed it.

“Tomorrow.” He nodded and met my gaze. There was a concern there, but there was also a fire that promised something. “Don’t think too much about it, okay? Good night, twig.”

I smiled at him despite the guilt forming in my throat. “Night.”

***

“WHAT ARE you still doing here?” Lois was already lying in her bed with a book in her grip.

“Just came back from the shower. Where would I be?” I wore my shirt and cotton shorts.

“You call that shower?” She laughed. Her rich voice echoed in the entire cabin.

“Well, that place is a shower room, so I call it a shower.” I laughed with her.

“Please, get out of this cabin. And take your gun with you. I need to be alone for a night.” She turned her back on me, flipping the book open. Lois was an English teacher majoring in 20th-century literature. And yes, she loved books, and one thing she had in common with Colt.

“Is this your way of telling me to go to Colton’s cabin and seduce him?” I felt my face and neck impossibly hot.

“You can’t call it seducing when you both are on the same page.”

I lay and rested my head against the wall, thinking of her advice. It was appealing, but what would I answer if he said to go back to my cabin and get some sleep?

“Life is too short,” she sang.

I sat straight and grabbed my gun under my pillow. “If he rejects me, you’ll work in the garden for the whole day.”

“Not a problem. As long as you will tell me what his beard feels like between your thighs.” She laughed out loud.

“Shush. Lois, keep your voice low. Everyone can hear you.”

“Who cares?”

“Wish me luck.”

“You don’t need one, Iris.”

The walk to Colt’s cabin was faster than a flash. I didn’t want someone would notice me sneaking out to be with my boyfriend.

My stomach had a fluttery feeling when I heard him telling Darick I was his girlfriend for the first time. I thought I had weakened knees.

I knocked softly when I reached his front door and suddenly wanted to flee when there was no response.

What if he’s sleeping? I thought of self-loathing after this, and how on earth would I face him tomorrow? Oh, my God! This is so embarrassing.

I bit my lip.

In an instant, the door swung open, revealing a half-naked Colt.

My eyes grew wide. I was right. After all, there was definitely a treasure beneath that shirt. A few tiny dark hairs sprinkled over his broad golden bare chest.

I could feel his fiery gaze on me, which made my pulse thunder in my veins.

My skin tingled.

My nipples hardened beneath my shirt.

Like a predator to its prey, I strolled my gaze down to the well-defined muscles of his abdomen and to the dark hair trailing down and disappearing beneath his waistband. And that exposed V where his jeans hang low was beyond sexy. Does he even know his presence melts something inside me?

Damn it, Colton.

I raked my eyes back to his strong golden arms and corded neck until I saw a sexy grin spread across his face.

“Done?”

“Would you mind if I come in? Lois kinda kicked me out of the cabin.”