Read Online Thirteen Roses Book Four: Alone: A Paranormal Zombie Saga by Michael Cairns - Free Book Online Page B

pretty she was, she was perfectly capable of being a psycho.
    Bayleigh’s device was where it should be and still warm. She wandered back to the private room, head spinning as she tried to sort through everything Harriet had said.  
    Could she really have that much of an issue with someone who’d saved her life? Apparently she could. That alone was worthy of the loathing and annoyance Bayleigh felt towards her. It was selfish and arrogant and those things didn’t sit well at all.  
    She reached the private room first and crept past to the door of the main room. Ten of the ladies were in there, reading magazines or chatting quietly. Sophie sat in the far corner with her feet up on the chair and her knees pressed into her chest. She held her phone at arms length beside her feet.  
    ‘Hey, how you doing?’ Bayleigh said as she reached her.  
    ‘Oh, hi Bayleigh—’
    ‘Call me Bay, if you want.’
    ‘Oh, sure, thanks.’
    ‘Do you know what’s going on?’
    ‘Going on?’
    ‘With Harriet and her…’ Her what? Gang? Cronies? ‘Her group.’
    ‘Oh.’ She looked back at her phone and Bayleigh knelt beside her. ‘Sophie, I’m worried. If you know what’s going on, please tell me.’
    Sophie looked at her, big brown eyes that looked ridiculously young pleading with her not to ask.  
    ‘Come on. This matters.’
    ‘I think they might have said something about leaving? But I don’t know where to or how or anything. I didn’t hear that.’
    Was she really older than Krystal? Bayleigh sighed and stood. ‘Thanks, really.’
    She walked away before she could snap at Sophie. It wasn’t her fault. It was bloody Harriet’s. She’d stirred it all up and now she had some power. Bayleigh knew girls like that. There’d been a few in school and she’d been thrilled the day she left and got away from them. Then she became the boss and forgotten all about them. Yet here she was again.  
    She left the room, checking faces on the way. She recognised most, all lovely people. But then, all one hundred were lovely people. She was still struggling to find negative things about any of them. Except their perfect skin. That she could bitch about till the cows came home. Except she had no one to bitch about to. Layla would have understood.  
    Alex was waiting and shook his head as she approached. ‘Both still there, both still working.’
    ‘I don’t understand. I don’t get it—’
    ‘So what’s Jackson up to?’
    ‘You saw it too?’
    ‘How could you miss it? For a guy who used to be a criminal, he’s got the worst poker face I’ve ever seen.’
    She chuckled and nodded. ‘I don’t like it when he’s up to something.’
    ‘I’m not sure any one does.’
    He stopped talking as Jackson rounded the corner. The big man dug his hand in his pocket and pulled a device from it. ‘Here’s the plan. I’m gonna take two of these into the cavern and charge them up. Then I’ll do the same for the other three.’
    He walked right by them and Alex, despite his past experience, grabbed his arm. ‘You can’t do that.’
    Jackson spun and Bayleigh in turn grabbed Alex’s arm. ‘You can’t stop him.’ She said.  
    Alex shook her hand away. ‘I can and I will. You can’t take the devices, it leaves us unguarded.’
    ‘Not any more, mate, not now you’ve found your inner hunter. You’ll be fine.’
    He threw him a bright smile and stomped away down the corridor.
    ‘Jackson, wait up, hold up.’
    Jackson kept walking and Alex rushed to catch him. ‘Alex, be careful, don’t do anything stupid.’ She called after him.
    He waved a hand and said something she didn’t catch. She longed to follow, but she had someone else to talk to. She headed into the bedrooms, small hospital rooms with eight beds crammed into each making a raft of mattresses. In the third was Harriet.  
    She was cramming underwear into a tiny bag and jumped when Bayleigh said her name.  
    ‘Where are you going?’
    Harriet didn’t answer