Collide (51 page)

The ride was quiet. I could tell the wheels in Merrick’s mind were turning. He was freaked but didn’t want me to know. How could a human speak to someone’s mind when he wasn’t a Special. He shouldn’t be able to have a gift. I pushed it aside to focus on our task.

I reached over and peeked behind Merrick’s ear at the cover up job I’d done. It was much better this time. He shivered and I giggled at how I could still drive him crazy. I leaned over to rest on his shoulder and enjoyed the remainder of the silent ride. Silence wasn’t my favorite thing but, if Phillip wasn’t in my head, it was golden.

The same young guy was behind the counter at the print shop. He took the flyer to make my two thousand copies and I boasted about how I’d gotten married since the last time I was there but that didn’t seem to interest him in the least.

Retrieving the copies and paying for them I wondered when our money was going to run out. And then what would we do? Yet another thing that was inevitable yet no one wanted to discuss it.

When we pulled into the coffee shop parking lot, I grabbed some flyers from the huge stack and start to open my car door.

Merrick stopped me with a hand on my arm. He took the flyers from me and laid them on the dash.

“Are you ok, honey?” he asked me, his face full of concern.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Well, you’re so quiet. I thought that you might be upset about Phillip.”

“Well, I’m not thrilled...but, what am I gonna do about it?”

“Most women would crumple under what you’ve been through lately.”

“I want to sometimes,” I admitted softly, “but I’m afraid I don’t get to have that luxury. What with the world under invasion and all.” I smiled at him to let him see my light mood.

“Ok but, just remember that I’m here. You don’t have to be a stone all the time, not with me.” He refused to leave his gaze from mine until I understood and nodded.

He reached over to run his fingers through my curls.

“Thanks, babe. I’m fine, I promise. As long as he doesn’t do it again...and we can figure this all out.”

“I promise you I won’t stop until I do. Remember, don’t think about home or Danny. Love you and hurry.”

“Ok. Love you too, Finch,” I said as I grabbed the stack of flyers from the dash, kissed him quickly and exited the car, his quiet laughter following me from the open window.

The usual places were pretty packed; the truck stop, the gym, the coffee shop, diner. I tried to pay attention while I was in there, walking among all of them, trying to feel out who could possible be on our side.

In every establishment the television was on and the news cast was spewing the Lighters lies. People weren’t really even engaging in conversation that much, just glued to the tube.

How weird that these people didn’t think it strange that they all wanted to sit around and watch the news all day, even the older kids. What in the world could the news be talking about for 24 hours a day anyway? I didn’t listen though because Merrick told me not to.

Though I was so curious and thought it could be helpful, I had learned it was best to always listen to Merrick.

“Hi there. Can I leave some of these flyers here on the counter for your customers. I’m advertising my store out off the interstate,” I asked the young, very nice looking non-threatening guy behind the counter.

He had a small sliver lip ring through his bottom lip and a tattoo on his arm, some military thing that I couldn’t see full on, and a brown leather band around his wrist.

“Why bother when Crandle is starting up the need warehouses soon?”

“I’m sorry...who? What?”

“Crandle? The guy who’s gonna save us from all this mess. Where have you been lady? Under a rock?” He smiled but I could tell he was suspicious.

“Kind of. What’s a need warehouse?”

“Well, we aren’t going to have grocery stores and places like this anymore. He’s starting warehouses where we can go and get whatever we need for free. Pretty great, huh?”

“Yeah. Great.” I tried to keep my face straight but, all I was thinking was that this would be my misfit clan’s demise. “So, how long before that happens?”

“Why don’t you go sit over there and watch the news and see for yourself?” he suggested and toyed with his lip ring with his tongue.

“Well...uh...I’m kinda in a hurry. I got some more errands to run.”

I started to slowly back away.

“Why won’t you watch?” he whispered to me, grabbing my wrist gently and leaning towards me across the counter.

I tried not to panic or cause a scene, tried to be nonchalant and easygoing. Looking from side to side I saw no one was even paying us any attention.

“I’m just in a hurry right now. I’m sure you can understand that,” I said smiling the sweetest smile I could plaster on my face.

“I think you should come with me. Right now,” he whispered harshly and gripping my wrist tighter.

All the blood drained from my face and I knew there was no way out. Oh God, I was taking too long and Merrick would come in looking for me and then we’d have even bigger problems.

I couldn’t jerk away and run. There were too many of them. What should I do? So I decided to follow him as he guided my shaking wrist in his hand down the length of the counter to the opening.

He then pulled me closer to him placing me in front and pushed me with his hands on my back to the back room and through the door to the stock room.

Once inside he closed the door and pushed me against the wall. He grabbed my hands and pulled them over my head as Merrick had done the first day we met. He started searching my body with his free hand for a badge.

“You’re not gonna find one,” I whispered, too scared to do anything else as his hand slid over my upper thigh a little too slowly for my married taste.

He stopped moving, not removing his hand, and looked me in the eyes, cocking his head. He was so close, if I breathed too heavy our faces would touch.

“Oh yeah? What is it I’m looking for?” he asked condescendingly.

“I’m not marked by them. That’s what you’re looking for isn’t it? A badge. Well I don’t have one and I’d appreciate it if you’d remove your hand from my thigh,” I said trying not to show too much emotion but my breathlessness was betraying me.

He slowly slid his hand away but kept me held against the wall.

“What are you in here snooping for?” he asked without removing his gaze, even without blinking.

“Why would I be snooping? I was just handing out flyers for my store.”

He banged his free fist on the wall by my head loud and forcefully. His light brown hair was very short and I wondered what with his tattoo and all if he’d been in the military because he certainly acted like he had authority.

“Don’t lie to me. Everyone and their mother has heard of the need warehouses. You would know that your flyers are useless...if...you watched TV or came to town very often.” His eyes changed to something else as he spoke, not suspicion but recognition.

“I don’t like TV and I get by fine with my store. I don’t
need
anything else. What exactly is it that you think I’m trying to do? I’m...not one of
them
,” I over emphasized the word ‘them’ trying to get him to see what I meant
.

“I’m...I hope you’re telling me the truth, lady,” he whispered and then blew out a long breath. “I’m not one of them either. I’m part of the...resistance, as corny as that sounds.” He rolled his eyes. “I live with a couple others like me and also with a...Keeper.” He waited to see how I’d react to that word, which I did by gasping slightly and unintentionally, eyes going wide.

He was telling me the truth and must have seen that my intentions weren’t hostile because he continued.

“We live in a cabin back in the hills not very far from here but few people go up there because it’s so steep and windy. Now, tell me who the heck
you
are?”

Before I could speak, someone came through the door, pushing the guy into me further...and then he was kissing me.

At first I thought he just got knocked into me by accident but then I realized it was not an accident. Tongue usually wasn’t involved in accidental kissings.

I tried to struggle but he just pressed harder into me and brought my hands down to hold them in between us. He was warm but not as warm as Merrick and he tasted sweet like cinnamon rolls. I could tell he’d kissed and been kissed quite a bit from his obvious skill. His body was hard and muscular and I instantly felt regret for making all these conclusions within the few seconds he’d been kissing me.

I heard the intruder speak.

“Woops. Sorry, Cain.”

And then he was gone and ‘Cain’ released me slightly, pulling back far enough to see my face, which I was sure was anything but pleased. I struggled for breath with the sudden kiss and proximity of my attacker but his blue green eyes were bright and his breathing was crazy too. If my hands were free, I wasn’t sure what I would have done. Touch my lips in awkward awe or slap him.

“Sorry,” he said breathlessly and relieved. “It was all I could think of at the moment.” He smiled and looked a mixture of embarrassed and cocky and I had no idea what to think. “They can’t know you’re here.”

“Kissing me? That’s all your could think of?” I blew out an exasperated breath as he shrugged sheepishly. “So, you’re really not one of them, huh?” I said but I knew the truth, that he wasn’t one of them and that he also believed that his kissing me was his only option for the situation.

“If I were, honey...you’d be dead.”

“No one gets to call me honey but my husband,” I said despairingly, once again trying to extract myself from his grasp.

“Dang. All the good resistance girls are taken.”

He smiled trying to lighten the tense mood with a joke but I was still flustered even as he let me go and stepped back.

“Look. My husband is outside right now. He’ll come in any minute if I don’t get back to him soon and that’ll blow everything.”

“He would blend in just like you did, for a few minutes anyway. It’ll be ok but let’s go. I want to show my family. You go first and I’ll follow you out to him. I’d love nothing more than to meet more of us.”

He was sincere and I knew how he felt. Though I was extremely upset with him, and flustered about the kiss, I was still ecstatic at the idea of others still to meet like us.

“Ok. I’m Sherry by the way.”

“Cain. Nice to meet you, Sherry,” he said reaching out a hand to shake and smiling brightly.

“Yeah...I got that.” I laughed as did he, finally giving him some semblance of the forgiveness he was looking for. “Follow me.”

“Hey...” He grabbed my arm gently as he spoke. “Don’t run, ok? I...we need you. We all need to stick together.”

“I wouldn’t run,” I said as I caught his sea green gaze to let him see I was serious.

I turned and made my way out. The possibilities of there being even more people out there and I was about to meet them was overwhelming. Questions of this new kissing stranger were circling too. How was he able to be around the TV’s and it not bother him? How did he work and no one notice that he wasn’t affected? Why had he kissed me and been so convincing about it?

I led him to the car where hopefully my husband was still there waiting patiently for me.

Thank you to my God and my family for supporting me through my endeavors of writing. It was a whim one day that has turned into this thing that I love. Thank you all who have helped me and to the ones who purchase my books, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Thank you!

Be on the lookout for the sequels in the collide series, uprising in July 2011 and catalyst in march 2012.

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