Infinite Ties (All That Remains #3) (16 page)

Nic steps between them and hands me a
rifle as if nothing happened. “Your turn, Abby.” I’m usually a good shot, but
with everyone staring at me, I’ll probably miss them all. My palms are damp and
sweat trickles down my sides as I line up my shot.

Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly,
squeezing the trigger just before my next inhale. As usual, the pop of the gun
makes me wince, and I curse as I see all ten cans still upright. “You nicked
it,” Nic reassures me.

“Bullshit,” Jon scoffs, earning him dirty
looks from everyone.

“It moved, Abby,” Nic insists.

“It’s okay, I missed.”

“Let’s say half a point,” Eric speaks up.
“It did move.” Jon huffs again, shaking his head, arms crossed across his
chest. He’s pissing me off.

“Why don’t you run out there and check,
Jon?” I ask, raising the gun again. “See if I can hit a moving target.” His
mouth opens to spit some hateful retort when he realizes all eyes are on him
and thinks better of it. Apparently, anger helps me focus because I make the
next nine cans my bitch. When the last one tumbles through the air, I’m scooped
up from behind.

“Good job, darlin’!” Airen exclaims, kissing
my cheek.

“All right, Annie Oakley, my turn,” Joseph
says with a grin.

When eight of ten cans litter the ground,
Nic laughs. “You both got beat by your girl,” he teases, lining up his first
shot. The laughter fades as we watch him nail all ten cans in a row as if he
did it every day. Troy’s little grin tells me he’s aware of his boyfriend’s
marksmanship skills and proud of him.

“So,” Nic turns to face us. “I win, Abby’s
second, Airen’s third, and Joseph’s fourth.” When the only response he gets is
a number of gaping jaws, he laughs. “Did I forget to mention I was in the
army?”

“You were in the military?” Jon asks.

“Four years. I was a medic in Iraq.”

Gunshots ring out for the rest of the
afternoon as we try out our man shaped targets and discover who can hit a
bullseye from the longest distance. Nic is always the winner with Airen and me
neck and neck behind him. “Christ, Abby,” Nic exclaims with a grin. “You’ve
really never shot one of these before?”

“Nope.” He’s making my day.

“You could wait across the street when we
go in, keep a sight on any runners.”

“No,” Airen snaps. “She stays here.”

“Honestly, man. She’s a natural. Give her
a rifle with a scope, she could take them out without putting herself in
danger.”

“I said no. End of discussion, Nic.”

Joseph scoffs, and Airen glares at him.
“You want to put her in danger?”

“Air, stop,” I intercede.

Ignoring me, Joseph continues, “Where the
fuck were you when Jon was in her face in the camper this morning?”

“What?” Airen spins to face me, and Jon
chuckles.

“He just came in!” I exclaim.

“She was still naked, wrapped in a blanket
when I showed up, and terrified. So don’t give me shit about putting her in
danger!” Gary steps in front of Airen before he can get to Jon or Joseph. At
this point, I’m not sure who he’s more pissed at.

“If I catch you anywhere near my wife,
I’ll fucking end you,” Airen warns Jon, who wisely keeps his mouth shut for a
change. “And don’t you dare lecture me on how to treat her when you broke up
with her. After everything I told you, after all your promises, you tried to
leave her!” Airen shouts at Joseph.

Great. That’s something I wanted everyone to
know. My face colors with embarrassment while everyone watches the drama. A
look of dismay ripples across Joseph’s face as he glances at me.

“Enough!” Gary thunders. “I don’t give a
fuck what goes on between you. We have a fucking job to do tomorrow and no idea
what kind of shit we’re walking into. Get your priorities straight and pull
your heads out of your asses before you get us all killed!”

An uncomfortable silence falls over the
group as Gary’s words sink in. Finally, Troy grins at Nic and says, “You’re the
medic. Surely, you’ve had enough proctology training to retrieve their heads.”

Airen’s snort of laughter triggers the
rest of us, and I smile at Troy. I need to speak to him before tomorrow. I have
so much to apologize for. Sobering, Gary turns to Jon and murmurs something Jon
apparently didn’t want to hear. He walks away, grumbling, a severe look on his
face.

“All right. Now that the soap opera is
over, listen up,” Gary announces. “We need a plan for tomorrow so I suggest we
meet back up after dinner and figure it out.”

After agreeing, the group breaks up, and I
take Joseph’s hand. “Come with me.” My tone leaves no room for argument, and he
allows me to lead him to Airen. Grasping his hand as well, I drag them toward
the RV. “I want to talk to both of you.”

“Abigail,” Airen says, his voice holding a
warning.

“Shut up and listen. Gary’s right. You two
have the worst damn timing. We need to be on the same side tomorrow.”

“We’re on the same side. Just because
we’re not together doesn’t mean…” Airen trails off.

“Say it, Air. Who knows what will happen
tomorrow? What if one of you doesn’t come back? You want the last thing you
said to Joseph to be some hateful remark?”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t care,” he finishes.
“You know I won’t let anything happen to Joseph.” He stares at Joseph and adds,
“I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Joseph swallows audibly. “I’ve always got
your back, Airen. I don’t know exactly what’s going on in your head, but,
please, try to deal with it when this is over. Don’t just…shove me aside,” he
murmurs. Visions of his parents and their abandonment flash through my head,
and I know this must be tearing him apart.

“Joey…I’m not.” Airen’s hands sweep
through his hair in frustration as he tries to find the right words. “I’m not
trying to hurt you.”

“I know, but you can try harder not to.”

Airen nods, and I grab their hands again.
“I want us all together tonight. We don’t have to have sex, but I can’t choose
who to stay with when it could be the last…” I stop as my voice cracks. I’m
instantly surrounded by strong arms, enclosed between their warm, solid bodies.

“No, ladybug, don’t say that.”

“Don’t even think it, darlin’. We’ll be
back. Don’t we always come back?”

When they pull away from me, Joseph leans
to kiss my forehead. “I’m so sorry I hurt you, baby. I don’t know why I reacted
the way I did. I just…I’m always the one that gets left, and I guess I thought
I’d beat you to it. I swear I didn’t mean it.”

“I know. We’re okay. I’m past it.”

His skeptical look makes me avert my eyes.
“You wouldn’t have told Airen if it wasn’t bothering you. Please tell me I
didn’t screw things up between us. I can’t lose you too.”

Airen watches as I cup Joseph’s nape and
pull his lips to mine. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Everyone gathers at the picnic tables after
dinner to plan out tomorrow’s rescue mission. The plan is pretty simple.
They’ll come at them from both entrances, shooting the men while they evacuate
the women and children. “Have them hide at the laundromat across the street
until we come get them,” Nic advises.

“I can wait at the laundromat, keep the
kids calm,” I suggest. It’s a waste of breath.

“No,” Airen and Joseph reply in unison. At
least there’s one thing they agree on. It pisses me off. It’s not like I’ve
never been in a dangerous situation before, and I handled them well. I’m a
better shot than Joseph, but they won’t even consider it.

“Just listen, if I…”

“No. We had a deal. I’ll tie you to the
bed if you give me any shit, Abigail,” Airen threatens.

Seeing no hope of getting my way with him,
I turn to Joseph. “Joseph…”

I’m greeted by the palm of his hand. “No.
Absolutely not. You’re staying here.”

“Give it up girl,” Gary speaks up.
“They’re right. You, Sammy and Diane need to wait here.” Troy and Mac nod their
agreement. Well shit. I’m surprised Sammy doesn’t argue. Maybe he’s already
pleaded his case.

“Fine,” I grumble. “If any of you come
back shot, I’ll kill you.” After another hour of discussion, they load the cars
with guns and ammunition and we say goodnight. They want to leave at dawn.

In bed, cuddled between the two halves of
my world, I’m determined not to cry, not to worry them. They have enough to
deal with. “Are you pissed?” Airen asks, kissing my temple as Joseph plays with
my hair.

“No. You’re going to rescue children. It’s
kind of hard to be angry about that.”

“You’re scared,” Joseph says.

“Scared doesn’t touch it. I’m terrified,
but I know you’ll take care of each other.” They glance at one another.

“Always,” Airen murmurs. We manage a few
hours of sleep before dawn, our bodies wrapped tightly together. We can talk
positive all we want, but we know what could happen.

“Promise me you’ll hang out with Diane and
Sammy today,” Joseph says, pulling on his shoes the next morning. “Don’t stay
here and worry yourself crazy.”

“But I’m so good at it.” I get a flash of
those dimples that grabbed my heart so long ago. “I promise. Don’t worry about
me. Focus on keeping yourselves alive. Use Jon as a shield at every
opportunity.”

Airen’s rough hands run up either side of
my jaw as his dark eyes study mine. “I love you, Abigail.”

I thread my fingers through his hair and
bring my lips to his. Our kiss is long and thorough, comforting and reassuring.
“I love you. Be safe. I’ll give you the best blow job of your life when you
come back.”

My heart lightens a bit at the sound of
their laughter as Joseph pulls me into his arms. “That better apply to me too.”

“You two can flip a coin to see who goes
first.”

A soft, gentle kiss lands on my mouth and
I take the opportunity to suck his lower lip one more time. When we part, he
rests his forehead against mine. “I love you, ladybug.”

“I love you, too.” Swallowing back the
knot in my throat, I gaze at my two men. “Don’t say goodbye.”

Airen cracks me on the ass. “Nope.”

“You better have dinner waiting when we
get home,” Joseph adds, leading the way outdoors.

Everyone is gathered around the vehicles,
waiting for them. Diane waves to me, and I join her to watch the men leave.
When the cars have disappeared down the drive, Diane turns to me and suggests,
“Come and have a drink?”

What I want to do is curl up in a ball and
pretend none of this is happening, but I reply, “I’d love to. Where’s Sammy?”

“Still asleep. I didn’t want to wake him.”
She leads the way to the kitchen. “I have tea, coffee, or lemonade. Or maybe
something a little stronger?” A bottle of bourbon dances in front of me.

“Hell yes.”

She laughs and fills two shot glasses.
“Whiskey before breakfast. What these men do to us.” We’re silent for a bit
before Diane says, “I should wake Sammy, I suppose. He’s usually up by now. I
thought we could fire up the generator and watch some movies. Try to pass the
time.”

“I’m sure he had as much trouble sleeping
as the rest of us, poor kid. A movie sounds good. Thanks for inviting me.
Sitting in that RV all day would’ve been torture.”

“Of course. We may as well wear a groove
in the carpet together.”

“I’ll start the generator,” I volunteer,
and head outside while Diane goes to wake Sammy. Just before I press the start
button, I hear her curse.

She bursts out the cottage door. “He’s
gone!” After a frantic look in the garage, she curses again. “Fuck! He took the
ATV!”

“What? Wouldn’t we have heard him?”

“He must’ve left before dawn. He rolled up
a blanket so it would look like he was in bed. Dammit!”

“You think he went to the hotel?”

“Where else? Shit. I wondered why he
didn’t give the guys more trouble when they told him he couldn’t go.”

“We don’t have a way to contact them?”

Diane’s face lights up. “Nic took a
radio!” She darts back inside, returning with a walkie talkie. It’s no use,
after ten minutes of trying, we get nothing but static.

“Maybe they’ll find him,” I try to
reassure her.

“If those men get their hands on him
again.” She shakes her head, tears rolling down her face.

“Do you know where the laundromat is? Can
you find it?”

She nods.

“Then let’s go. We have to let the guys
know.”

“Mac’s going to kill me. I swore I
wouldn’t go.”

“They can bury us together,” I quip. My
guys are going to be furious. “Do you have a gun?”

“They took them all.”

“Shit. Let’s go. We’ll find them.”

Diane parks her small car a few streets
south of the hotel and leads the way through a few overgrown yards and
crumbling parking lots to the rear of the laundromat. The back door is chocked
open with a cinder block, but I don’t hear anything. “Do you think they’re
already in the hotel?” I whisper, inching my way into the doorway. A strong
hand shoots out of the gloom and grabs my arm. Before I can scream, a hand
clamps over my lips. I’ve never understood the term blinded by fear until this
moment. The link between my eyes and brain seems to be interrupted, but my
instincts are intact. And without a second’s hesitation, I bite down on the
palm covering my mouth.