Read Online Holocaust (The Deadwood Hunter Series Book 3) by Rachel M Raithby - Free Book Online
Authors: Rachel M Raithby
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with the cold gaze of Maura. “No.” She climbed to her feet, her joints cracking and popping as she moved. “I do wish Lexia would take better care of our body,” she moaned, pressing her hands to her back and stretching.
“Don’t talk like that!” Derrick hissed, his pain momentarily forgotten.
“Like what?” Maura replied, seeming genuinely interested.
“Like it’s your body too. You are the monster hijacking Lexia’s mind.”
Maura smiled. “Wrong. Lexia created me, remember? To save her precious Lincoln, and now she hides away because she can’t deal with the consequences of her actions.”
“I’m going to find a way to get rid of you!” he ground out through clenched teeth.
“Yes, yes, not the nicest of ways to talk to me, after I was so nice to go along with the little deal you made. Maybe next time I won’t be so inclined.”
Hearing the light steps of her feet, Derrick strained to see her, but the door slammed signaling her departure. Suddenly weary, Derrick closed his eyes drifting back to sleep, his mind on the woman he was so desperate to save.
It took three days for Derrick to heal enough to leave the infirmary. Neither Lexia nor Maura visited him again. It was Belinda who waited outside when he walked through the door.
“Derrick, you’re okay?”
“I’ll live. Fill me in,” he said, setting off knowing she’d follow.
“Right, straight back to work then?” she asked, jogging to keep up.
“Yes, I’ve already been out for too long as it is.” He couldn’t waste any more time. He needed to be near Lexia, keep her safe because she seemed to be cracking further each day.
“Well, nothing has happened really. Usual training. Lucy hasn’t sent anyone off site, no raids, just boring compound life.”
“Has Lucy been around?”
“Yes…I think. I’ve seen her maybe once. Why?”
“No more unexpected punishments?”
“No, like I said, boring life. Everyone is pretty freaked out about what happened. No one has stepped out of line.”
“And Le- Maura?”
“Holed up in her room, mostly. She’s only left for her training sessions.”
“Let’s go find her then,” he instructed. His walk through the compound consisted of many stares, some even cowered away from him, or quickly passed by as if just being near him, could mean receiving punishment.
His pace was determined, his outlook strong, yet his body ached with every movement; his skin still stretched tight and sore. Derrick saw again how cunning Lucy really was. He had a large following of hunters who trusted him and saw him as a leader. But now, they saw the fifty lashings he’d received. They saw an elite punished for stepping out of line. Lucy was very clever. She’d planned this, which meant she had other plans. Plans he feared were far worse than fifty lashings.
Chapter 10
Every morning Lincoln woke, he told himself, ‘this is the day. This is the day I sober up.’ He climbed out of bed with every intention of not touching the bottle, but then it hit him, hit him square in the chest; a pain with no equal. She was gone and she was never coming back.
It didn’t help that he still felt her. Though it had been a flicker at first, with each day, it grew. Lexia had become restless. Though the darkness was still there tainting their bond, something had changed. He just didn’t understand it.
So he numbed his pain with alcohol. Swilling the amber liquid around, Lincoln told himself he’d ‘just have one.’ Yet before long, he was looking for answers at the bottom of the bottle.
He knew he should be stronger. Lexia deserved stronger, yet he couldn’t pull himself from the destructive path he was heading down. “Looks like I’m more like you than I first thought, David,” Lincoln said bitterly to the ceiling. Staggering around his room, feeling the first fire of his anger taking hold, Lincoln kicked the edge of a safety deposit box, half hidden under his bed.
It was one of the many things left
“Don’t talk like that!” Derrick hissed, his pain momentarily forgotten.
“Like what?” Maura replied, seeming genuinely interested.
“Like it’s your body too. You are the monster hijacking Lexia’s mind.”
Maura smiled. “Wrong. Lexia created me, remember? To save her precious Lincoln, and now she hides away because she can’t deal with the consequences of her actions.”
“I’m going to find a way to get rid of you!” he ground out through clenched teeth.
“Yes, yes, not the nicest of ways to talk to me, after I was so nice to go along with the little deal you made. Maybe next time I won’t be so inclined.”
Hearing the light steps of her feet, Derrick strained to see her, but the door slammed signaling her departure. Suddenly weary, Derrick closed his eyes drifting back to sleep, his mind on the woman he was so desperate to save.
It took three days for Derrick to heal enough to leave the infirmary. Neither Lexia nor Maura visited him again. It was Belinda who waited outside when he walked through the door.
“Derrick, you’re okay?”
“I’ll live. Fill me in,” he said, setting off knowing she’d follow.
“Right, straight back to work then?” she asked, jogging to keep up.
“Yes, I’ve already been out for too long as it is.” He couldn’t waste any more time. He needed to be near Lexia, keep her safe because she seemed to be cracking further each day.
“Well, nothing has happened really. Usual training. Lucy hasn’t sent anyone off site, no raids, just boring compound life.”
“Has Lucy been around?”
“Yes…I think. I’ve seen her maybe once. Why?”
“No more unexpected punishments?”
“No, like I said, boring life. Everyone is pretty freaked out about what happened. No one has stepped out of line.”
“And Le- Maura?”
“Holed up in her room, mostly. She’s only left for her training sessions.”
“Let’s go find her then,” he instructed. His walk through the compound consisted of many stares, some even cowered away from him, or quickly passed by as if just being near him, could mean receiving punishment.
His pace was determined, his outlook strong, yet his body ached with every movement; his skin still stretched tight and sore. Derrick saw again how cunning Lucy really was. He had a large following of hunters who trusted him and saw him as a leader. But now, they saw the fifty lashings he’d received. They saw an elite punished for stepping out of line. Lucy was very clever. She’d planned this, which meant she had other plans. Plans he feared were far worse than fifty lashings.
Chapter 10
Every morning Lincoln woke, he told himself, ‘this is the day. This is the day I sober up.’ He climbed out of bed with every intention of not touching the bottle, but then it hit him, hit him square in the chest; a pain with no equal. She was gone and she was never coming back.
It didn’t help that he still felt her. Though it had been a flicker at first, with each day, it grew. Lexia had become restless. Though the darkness was still there tainting their bond, something had changed. He just didn’t understand it.
So he numbed his pain with alcohol. Swilling the amber liquid around, Lincoln told himself he’d ‘just have one.’ Yet before long, he was looking for answers at the bottom of the bottle.
He knew he should be stronger. Lexia deserved stronger, yet he couldn’t pull himself from the destructive path he was heading down. “Looks like I’m more like you than I first thought, David,” Lincoln said bitterly to the ceiling. Staggering around his room, feeling the first fire of his anger taking hold, Lincoln kicked the edge of a safety deposit box, half hidden under his bed.
It was one of the many things left
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