The Fires of Atlantis (Purge of Babylon, Book 4) (32 page)

Will smiled. “Yeah, we’ve met. Where’d she go, and how long ago?”

C
arrie and Lorelei
had good things to say about Keo, but more important was what they told her about the “soldiers” and Keo’s reaction to them. He wasn’t their friend. Far from it.

The enemy of my enemy is friend. Isn’t that the old saying, Will?

Then Will called on the radio and told her about Kate. A part of her was still annoyed his ex-girlfriend was visiting him in his dreams.
In his dreams.
But that was the kid in her talking. The pre-med student who had survived The Purge on pure luck. The new her, the one who had been running Song Island for the last few weeks, was concerned about other things.

Like survival. Hers. And Carly’s. Elise’s and Vera’s, too. The new people who had joined them, hoping for a fresh start. Or, at least, a less terrifying existence. All these people who had come here and now depended on her, and she didn’t know when it would all fall apart.

That was what concerned her the most. The not knowing. Today, tonight, or tomorrow. Or the week after. She knew one thing: they were sitting ducks. The enemy knew where they were at all times. The island that was such a godsend also made them an easy target. There was nowhere to run or hide, just fight.

Just fight…

Those thoughts swirled around her head as she walked to the back of the hotel.

Survival. Their chances would increase when Will and Danny returned. But that wasn’t for a while. A day at least. Maybe two. Gaby was still out there, too. The thought of losing her because Will had to rush back home tormented Lara.

Roy was sitting on a chair outside the makeshift jail cell, an old inventory room with a steel door, when she turned the corner. He glanced up when he heard her footsteps.

“Did you eat yet?” she asked.

“Not yet. Blaine’s supposed to show up in thirty minutes.” He looked nervous this morning, and she guessed he had been waiting for this—the two of them talking—since last night. “Lara, about what happened …”

“We’re not talking about that right now, Roy.”

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry. Going out there was stupid—”

“Later,” she said, cutting him off. “For now, go get something to eat.”

He looked confused. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” She peered through the security glass.

“Lara, about last night, with Gwen…”

She gave him a reassuring smile. “Roy, we’re all adults here, aren’t we?”

“Yes.”

“It’s fine. You found someone. I’m happy for you. For Gwen, too. And about what you did… Well, it worked out for the best. I’m not saying it was the right thing to do—and yes, I’m still pissed off you did it—but no one died. That’s all that matters for now.”

He nodded, looking not pleased exactly, but relieved. “Just be careful with him. I’ve seen guys like this before.”

“What kind of guys is that?”

“The dangerous kind,” Roy said.

She nodded. He was talking about West and Brody, two men Roy had traveled with since The Purge. He was right. Those two were dangerous men. Every now and then, she wondered whatever became of West…

“Go grab some breakfast, Roy.”

“Just be careful with him,” Roy said again before heading down the hallway.

“Roy,” she said after him. When he stopped and looked back, “Don’t ever do that again without asking for my permission first. Do you understand?”

He nodded and pursed his lips. “I understand.”

“Go eat some breakfast.”

She waited until he turned the corner before reaching for the key that hung from a hook. She unlocked the makeshift cell door and pulled it open.

Keo looked up from the floor where he was sitting with his back against the far wall. A white plastic plate with thick dripping syrup rested between his bent legs while he shoved the last piece of fluffy pancakes into his mouth using a flimsy plastic spork. Crumbs from biscuits were sprinkled liberally on his clothes and around him.

“Frozen pancakes,” he said.

“Frozen pancakes,” she nodded.

“Tastes just like the real thing.”

“They are the real thing. Just thawed out. How’d you like the biscuits?”

“What’s not to like? The only thing missing are eggs and sausages.”

“We were thinking about bringing a hog or two onto the island and letting them run wild in the woods.”

“I always wanted to try my hand at being a pig farmer.”

She picked up Roy’s chair and set it down in front of the open door, then sat down on it. She leaned forward and smiled at him. “You don’t strike me as the farming type, Keo.”

“What do I strike you as?”

“Dangerous. That’s what everyone says.”

He shrugged. “I’ve been called worse.”

He hadn’t moved from the floor and his eyes watched her curiously, first dropping to the Glock in her hip holster, then to the open door behind her. Ten feet of space separated them. It wasn’t very much and she wished it were more.

He was tall for an Asian-American. Six-one, easily, and was obviously in good shape. Muscled; more toned than huge like Blaine. Fast, too, she thought, remembering last night. If she had any doubt that he was, as Roy said, dangerous, one look at that long scar along one side of his face took it away. This was a man used to violence, even before the world came to an unceremonious end.

So what were the chances she wasn’t about to make the biggest mistake of her life right now?

You wanted to be the leader, so lead. This is what it means to lead.

The hard choices. The tough calls. This is it.

So lead.

She replayed everything Carrie had told her about this man in her head for the fifth time in as many minutes. The soldiers at the marina in Dulcet Lake. The ones on the shoreline of Beaufont the next day. The man was dangerous. A professional, she had thought when she heard about what he had done. She had come so close to telling Will about him during their radio call this morning.

So why hadn’t she?

Because Keo is dangerous. Too dangerous.

And after West and Brody, Will would never agree to let me do this. And maybe he’s right, and I’m dead wrong, because that’s exactly what I’ll be if I misjudge this man.

But she had other information Will didn’t. She had seen Keo up close and in person. She knew what he had done, why he was even on the island. The fact that he had saved Carrie and Lorelei and never asked for anything in return and in fact had shouldered the responsibility of bringing them down here with him…

“I’m Lara, by the way,” she said. “We didn’t get a chance at introductions last night.”

He stuck a finger into the leftover syrup and licked it clean. “You know what I miss most about the end of the world, Lara?”

“What’s that?”

“IHOP. Best damned pancakes in the history of the world. Their French toasts with fruit topping and sweet cream? To die for.”

“I don’t think we have any of that in our kitchen.”

“Heaven without the fluffy clouds?” he smiled.

She smiled back. “Carrie told me you were headed somewhere else, that you only came here to find out whatever became of your friends.”

“I’m keeping a dead man’s promise. It was the only reason he came down here with me in the first place. I figured, what the hell. It’s already on my way.”

“The seven people.”

“Yeah.”

“So you don’t know if they actually made it to the island.”

“Nope.”

“But I didn’t lie to you last night. If they did make it here, then they’re probably dead. My group only survived because we got lucky. Does that answer your question?”

“Yes, if you’re telling the truth.”

“What reason would I have to lie? Look at where you are now.”

He chuckled. “Point taken.”

This time, it was her turn to watch him closely. She thought he looked almost relieved by what she had told him. Then again, she didn’t know this man at all, and she could be misreading him completely.

God, please don’t let me get everyone here killed.

“So what’s next for you?” she asked.

“I move on.”

“Santa Marie Island.”

“That was the original plan.”

“Who is she?”

“What makes you think there’s a ‘she’?”

“There’s always a she, Keo.”

He grinned. “I met her when all of this first happened. We got close, and like a fool, I told her I’d meet up with her later. It’s been four—five?—months since, and I’m still trying to make good on it. Hell, I don’t even know if she’s still alive.”

“So all of this could be for nothing?”

“A big fat nothing, yup.”

“Must be true love.”

“Sure, that’s one way to look at it.” He nodded at the Glock at her hip. “Can you use that thing?”

“Yes,” she said without hesitation.

“I believe you.” He picked up the spork and sucked at the syrup clinging to it. “So what happens now? You going to lock me in here for the rest of my life? Even after how Carrie and Lorelei told you what a swell guy I am?”

She leaned back in the chair. “I have a proposition for you, Keo.”

“I thought you already have a boyfriend.”

“You wanna hear it or not?”

He gave her a noncommittal shrug. “Not like I have a choice.”

“I’m expecting an impending attack. It might be today, or tonight, or tomorrow. But it’s coming.”

He gave her a knowing look. “The soldiers I ran into yesterday.”

She nodded. “You told Carrie you thought it was a staging area. She also told me about the boat that was going up and down the lake. It was watching us.”

He nodded. “They were reconning you.”

“Here’s my offer, Keo. Lend us a hand, and I’ll give you everything you need to reach Santa Marie Island. It beats swimming over there.”

“I don’t know, I can swim pretty far, as you saw last night.”

She continued as if he hadn’t said anything. “I’ll give you a sailboat with an outboard motor and plenty of fuel and supplies to last for weeks out in the Gulf of Mexico. The way I hear it, boats are in pretty short supply these days.”

“I’m sure there’s one lying around somewhere…”

“Not according to what Carrie told me.”

“Carrie talks too much.”

“She wants to stay here. Lorelei, too.”

“Are they?”

“You mean, am I going to let them?”

“Yes.”

“I am,” she nodded. “There’s no reason not to.”

“That’s big of you.”

“It’s common decency.”

“I’ve heard of that. Never had much use for it.”

She smiled at him. “That’s not what the girls told me.”

“Like I said, they talk too much.” He sucked on the spork again. “I could always just walk to Texas.”

“Yes, you could. It’s a long way, but hey, maybe one day you’ll actually make it. Hide in basements at night, walk in the day. Of course, you might run into those soldier buddies of yours again, or some nutcase with a sniper rifle who decides he wants your stuff.” She shrugged. “Who knows, you might even find a working vehicle.”

“You’ve thought this through.”

“I’ve been out there, Keo.”

“All right. I’ll play along. What exactly do I have to do to win this great prize of yours, Barbie Barker?”

“I don’t need you to fight our battles for us. I just need you to help me delay the attack.”

“Delay it?”

“Yes.”

He seemed to think about it, then gave her that noncommittal shrug again. “For how long?”

“A day. Two. Whatever you can give me. I’m going to get reinforcements from two Army Rangers either later today or the day after. But I’m not waiting around to find out when the attack is coming.”

“You want to attack them first.”

“Yes.”

“Ballsy.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Just desperate.”

He actually looked impressed. For a moment, anyway. Then he was back to pretending he didn’t give a damn about her or the others on the island. “Sounds like you have it all figured out, Lara.”

Except for the part where I mess up and trust the wrong man and get everyone killed as a result.

“The question is,” Keo said, “are you really willing to put your life, and the lives of everyone on this island, into the hands of a stranger with a gun? Because that’s what you’re about to do. Are you
certain
you’re not going to regret that decision?”

“
I
s this smart
?” Carly asked.

“I don’t know,” Lara said.

“Can we trust him?”

“I don’t think we have a choice.”

“What did Will say?”

“I didn’t tell him about Keo or last night.”

“Oh.”

“Should I have?”

“I don’t know,” Carly said. “I guess that’s why you get paid the big bucks. To make decisions like this.”

“Yeah,” Lara said. “The big bucks.”

If I’m wrong, we’re all dead.

Then again, if I don’t do this, we’re probably all dead, anyway.

“If all else fails, there’s always Plan Z,” Carly said.

“God, that’s such a stupid name.”

Carly chuckled. “Isn’t it, though?”

They both smiled. Mostly because they didn’t know what else to do. Carly, more than anyone, knew what was at stake here. Not just her own life, but her sister Vera’s, too. The fact that she was making a decision that could take away both lives hung over Lara like the Sword of Damocles.

“We’re probably all going to die,” Lara said.

Carly laughed. “Yeah. Probably.” Then, after she had settled down, “I have to tell you, the image of Kate out there pulling the strings makes for a pretty icky visual.” She shivered a bit. “I liked her, you know. We were friends.”

“I know.”

“But I don’t think we were ever as close as you and me right now. The age difference and everything. She was always kind of…”

“What?”

“I don’t know. I guess out of my league.”

“I didn’t know the two of you dated.”

Carly snorted. “She wishes.”

They leaned against the railing on the hotel’s front patio and watched Keo and Roy across the open grounds in silence for a moment.

The two men were observing Kendra and some of the kids as they worked on a patch of land that Kendra told them had the best soil for growing vegetables. They had found everything they needed to loosen the earth from the supply shacks in the back, including rakes, shovels, and more variety of hoes than Lara knew existed. Kendra had been disappointed they didn’t have a tiller machine, which would have made everything easier. In one of Will and Danny’s forays on land for supplies, they had picked up a crate full of seeds from one of the home improvement warehouses. It wouldn’t be long now before they could begin planting along the rows being carved out.