Read Online Safe In Your Arms by Kelliea Ashley - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kelliea Ashley
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She should run. Any woman with half a brain would be nothing but a trail of dust by now. Staring at her messy hair, tied back from a pale face that was scratched up and without a drop of make-up on, Mina realized she wasn’t the same silly little chit who thought the world revolved around her.
The pleading look on his face when he asked her to stay and let him explain wouldn’t let her run. Damn. Hearing him out wouldn’t take long and she did know how to defend herself, though against him, she’d yet to come out on top. Except for while they were having sex. Her breath hissed through her teeth as she clutched the knives. At least she’d try to make an escape a possibility. But she had to move quickly. Z’s didn’t take long to eat.
Mina was sitting on a bench just before the opened front door, waiting for him, when he came back down the stairs with the empty bowl in his hand. The stink of the beast upstairs followed him, making her want to vomit once more. Disgust must have shown on her face, for he stopped at the foot of the stairs and shrugged out of the leather jacket to toss it back to the top of the staircase. The smell seemed to dissipate at his action.
“I’m not sure where to start.” He shoved a hand through his hair and stepped toward her. Mina was up in a second, two blades crossed in front of her in a clear stance of defense. She wasn’t about to let him get within grabbing distance. He stopped and set the bowl down on the steps as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
“How about starting at why the hell you have a fucking zombie chained upstairs? Let’s start there.”
“Okay. Isabella is my little sister. I couldn’t go back to my unit because I’d promised my father that I wouldn’t leave her. He wanted us to stay here where we’d be safer—fewer people, less danger of being infected. He was wrong.” He heaved a ragged breath and sat down on the steps. His look was one of complete surrender. “When it became clear that the disease was starting to move north, I decided to head across the border into Canada.”
“The borders were closed as soon as word got out that we had an epidemic.”
“I know. I tried anyways, but there were heavily armed guards shooting anything that moved on the water. That’s when we landed here. I knew the doctor who owned this island. He and his family were friends of my father’s since they used his company for several upgrades and repairs.” He looked up the stairs as he spoke. “I failed her. Mrs. Faucher was here with her son, Michael. He was ten years old and a sweet boy. When Michael came at us, Isabella didn’t run. She went to say hello to him. Izzy always had to be so damn friendly. I was barely able to pull him off her...” Pain flashed in his blue gaze as he stared at her. His hands clenched on his jean-covered knees.
“I’m sorry, Gabe.” Her sympathy came naturally, but Mina shoved down the urge to go to him as she gripped the handles of the knives. She couldn’t afford to be so soft, not when he was harboring one of them in the master bedroom. The look of guilt and torment in his expression when he looked at her had her dropping her hands a couple inches. He was torn by what he’d done, struggling to deal with the repercussions.
“Long story short, I took care of Mrs. Faucher and her son. I put my sister in that room and watched her die. Then I watched her come back in the form of a zombie.” He stood up to pace the small foyer. “I couldn’t...” He shoved a hand in his hair and pulled hard.
“You couldn’t kill her.” She wanted to go to him when he looked at her. There was something so wrong about a big strong male looking vulnerable and destroyed. The soft woman within wanted to hold him until the pain eased, but the hard survivor side of her knew better. She might have felt safe in his arms last night, but knowing what he’d done betrayed that trust.
“No, I can’t. She’s still my
The pleading look on his face when he asked her to stay and let him explain wouldn’t let her run. Damn. Hearing him out wouldn’t take long and she did know how to defend herself, though against him, she’d yet to come out on top. Except for while they were having sex. Her breath hissed through her teeth as she clutched the knives. At least she’d try to make an escape a possibility. But she had to move quickly. Z’s didn’t take long to eat.
Mina was sitting on a bench just before the opened front door, waiting for him, when he came back down the stairs with the empty bowl in his hand. The stink of the beast upstairs followed him, making her want to vomit once more. Disgust must have shown on her face, for he stopped at the foot of the stairs and shrugged out of the leather jacket to toss it back to the top of the staircase. The smell seemed to dissipate at his action.
“I’m not sure where to start.” He shoved a hand through his hair and stepped toward her. Mina was up in a second, two blades crossed in front of her in a clear stance of defense. She wasn’t about to let him get within grabbing distance. He stopped and set the bowl down on the steps as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
“How about starting at why the hell you have a fucking zombie chained upstairs? Let’s start there.”
“Okay. Isabella is my little sister. I couldn’t go back to my unit because I’d promised my father that I wouldn’t leave her. He wanted us to stay here where we’d be safer—fewer people, less danger of being infected. He was wrong.” He heaved a ragged breath and sat down on the steps. His look was one of complete surrender. “When it became clear that the disease was starting to move north, I decided to head across the border into Canada.”
“The borders were closed as soon as word got out that we had an epidemic.”
“I know. I tried anyways, but there were heavily armed guards shooting anything that moved on the water. That’s when we landed here. I knew the doctor who owned this island. He and his family were friends of my father’s since they used his company for several upgrades and repairs.” He looked up the stairs as he spoke. “I failed her. Mrs. Faucher was here with her son, Michael. He was ten years old and a sweet boy. When Michael came at us, Isabella didn’t run. She went to say hello to him. Izzy always had to be so damn friendly. I was barely able to pull him off her...” Pain flashed in his blue gaze as he stared at her. His hands clenched on his jean-covered knees.
“I’m sorry, Gabe.” Her sympathy came naturally, but Mina shoved down the urge to go to him as she gripped the handles of the knives. She couldn’t afford to be so soft, not when he was harboring one of them in the master bedroom. The look of guilt and torment in his expression when he looked at her had her dropping her hands a couple inches. He was torn by what he’d done, struggling to deal with the repercussions.
“Long story short, I took care of Mrs. Faucher and her son. I put my sister in that room and watched her die. Then I watched her come back in the form of a zombie.” He stood up to pace the small foyer. “I couldn’t...” He shoved a hand in his hair and pulled hard.
“You couldn’t kill her.” She wanted to go to him when he looked at her. There was something so wrong about a big strong male looking vulnerable and destroyed. The soft woman within wanted to hold him until the pain eased, but the hard survivor side of her knew better. She might have felt safe in his arms last night, but knowing what he’d done betrayed that trust.
“No, I can’t. She’s still my
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