The Badass Protector

COLT

OUR BREAKFAST consisted of protein bars and coffee. I didn’t know if we could call it coffee because it didn’t taste like even the worse coffee I had tasted.

“I think the owner doesn’t drink coffee.” Lois grimaced.

We found the old man’s corpse at the back of the cabin, but he didn’t die from the virus. Someone might have come and raided this place, and he fought back.

“We can’t be choosy, can we? We don’t have teabags either.” Darick rubbed his eyes lazily as he walked in.

“As if you drink tea.” Frost sipped the hot liquid. “Who’s Japanese doesn’t drink tea?”

“Some Brits don’t drink English tea, Templeton,” Gael pointed out.

“I started drinking coffee when I was already in college,” Iris said.

All our attention was pinned on her with surprise.

“What?” Her brows furrowed in a query.

“Really?”

“Yeah. My adopted parents forbid coffee at home.”

“Adopted parents?” Gael asked, seemingly surprised.

“Yep. My parents died when I was seven from an epidemic in a small village-they were ID specialists. So my parents’ co-worker, my adopted mom adopted me, but my older brother, Nuke grew up with the other family,” she explained.

“That’s a little complicated,” Frost said. “So your adopted parents were also doctors?”

“Yup, but my dad was an ER resident. My real parents had a double Ph. D. in ID.”

“ID?” Gael asked.

“Infectious disease.”

Gael and I shared an odd looked. Why did she suddenly share all of these with us? Why did I feel there was still a story behind it? And I could feel she wasn’t going to spill the best part.

“We did not have a coffee machine or grinder at home,” she added.

“Ouch. Thank, God you’re not my sister,” Lois joked somewhat with relief. “What do you have at home then?”

“Tea, milk, juice, something like that.”

“I’ll die from lack of caffeine, but right now, I have to survive without coffee.” Lois wrinkled her nose.

“Of course.” Frost rolled his eyes, causing Lois to scowl at him.

Iris shrugged. “I tried a cup of coffee when I started college. I didn’t like it at first. Then I tried a French coffee. Later on, I could drink and eat anything with coffee flavor.”

“So, what’s the plan? I’m gonna take you with me, little boy.” Frost switched the topic, petting the Greyhound he found wandering around.

“We need to relocate to a place far from here.” Gael stood up.

I emptied my cup and got to my feet. “Get your things ready. We’re leaving in an hour.”

“Is it really necessary to wear this thing?” Darick complained, lifting his vest.

“Consider yourself lucky, Darick. The bullet doesn’t say hello or yell, stay out of my way, Takaga. I’m on my way!” Lois rolled her eyes, grabbed the empty cups, and stomped away.

“Tell me why she suddenly turns bitchy? What have you done to her, Frost?”

Frost snickered. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Are you sure?” Darick asserted.

“Stop asking me and just wear that fucking vest.” He picked up one and offered it to Iris. “You can wear mine.”

Frost ignored the piercing stare I shot him. Did he and Lois get into a fight? I will break his face if he ever hurts her. Friend or not, I don’t give a fuck.

“FYI, they wanted me alive.”

“You may be valuable to them, but you are not invincible, woman. Just take it,” Frost insisted.

“Take it, twig. I’ll go and start the car.” I gripped Iris’ shoulder.

Frost called me before I could reach the door.

“What is it?”

“I don’t wanna find them. The last thing I want is to keep my hopes high. Besides, I already found what I’ve been looking for.”Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“What do you mean?”

Instead of answering me, he shrugged and left me puzzled.

Gael helped to clear out tree leaves while I checked the engine. We were not sure how many men he had left, but for sure, he could efficiently recruit an army, and perhaps he deployed another group to tail us as of this moment. If the plan went well, we could reach South and far from Otis’ army before noon.

“Did you get some sleep?”

“A few hours. Iris had sharp eyes like a hawk last night. Let me drive today.”

“Hmm. Did she mention what those assholes are after?”

I shook my head. “I wish I knew, but she’d been thinking of something to connect the dots. I don’t know, Gael. Why don’t you ask her yourself.”

“I know you care about her, but I want to know why Otis risked his men just to find Iris, and I don’t like another surprise.”

“So do I. I am sure after what we’ve been through. She won’t keep us in the dark anymore.”

“How about the necklace?”

“What about it?” I asked, sounding offensive.

“That might be what they are after if her offense is stealing their property.”

“I trust Iris that the necklace is her mother’s, Gael. Don’t dare accuse her of that stupid idea. There is nothing special about it, trust me. It’s an ordinary pendant and not made from a fucking diamond.”

“If you say so.” Gael sauntered back to the cabin in a limping gait.

Fucking necklace.

Now, I’m beyond pissed.

Why couldn’t he just shut off that fucking idea? I was sure Iris would not risk her life if Otis was after her necklace. She would be glad to deliver it to him in a fucking heartbeat if it meant saving all of us.

“Don’t move.” I stiffened, resisting not cursing. A chill raced up my spine as I recognized the voice. “Or you’ll die slowly and painfully in less than twelve hours, Colt Snow.” A bee stung-like pricked against my neck, and I knew exactly what the thing was.

And they find us.

At this moment, I had only two options; One, to fight back, but I didn’t have any clue if he came alone or bought a battalion of minions with him. Of course, he comes prepared.

And my last option was to deal with him, but I already knew what he wanted, and I wouldn’t just hand Iris to him. No fucking way. Either way, I would die today.

The sting worsened as I was about to swirl to face the fucking asshole.

“Uh-uh. This syringe contains blood infected with the virus.”

“Is it Zypher’s blood?” My body suddenly stiffened, and my urge to swing around and slash his throat was raging inside me as I heard the hum of an engine approaching.

“Yes, and there’s no cure or vaccine yet. One more move hits your bloodstream, and you’ll develop a high fever. You will bleed from your nose, mouth, ears, eyes, and even from your fucking asshole. You also bleed internally, and delirium comes next, then you’re dead. Bye-bye, world.”

“Then bye-bye world also for Zypher. Is he dead or still bleeding from his ass?”

“You don’t do the talking, Snow!” he roared.

“Then what do you want?” I asked-fury scorching up my spine.

“All this time, you have what I’ve been looking for for months, yet you lied to me.” Otis was also raging with anger, and I could feel it through his tone.

Thuds of heavy footsteps approached, and I was sure guns were already pointing at my head.

“And the last time I checked, I haven’t sworn honestly to you.”

“Save your sarcasm, Snow. Either way, I’ll get what I want. Now call your bitch to come out alone, or your brain will splatter on the ground.” The word bitch echoed in my head, and it boiled my blood enough to create violence. “Tie him.”

“Yes, sir.” A muffled voice responded from my back. Strong hands grabbed my arms and forcefully zip-tied my wrists tightly, then kicked the back of my knee, causing me to fall to my knees.

I stayed still because there was no worth wasting my effort struggling.

“Call Blue Iris to come out,” he ordered.

“Call her yourself-” I hissed in pain. “Fuck you!”

He forced the needle into my neck. “I will, but later once I have her back. Now, be a good boy, and do as I say, or I will push this plunger and let the virus disperse directly to your heart.”

“Just fucking kill me already, motherfucker because I would never do what you asked, and there’s no way I will let you have her!” My chest heaved in anger and desperation to fight back.

Although I was aware of losing this battle even with all my group’s effort, I was still completely hopeless and helpless unless some fucking miracle would happen right now.

“Or let me do the easiest way and kill you right now. Either way, I still get what I want. But where’s the fun in that?”

I shut my eyes close, ready to accept my fate.

“Don’t hurt him!”

Fuck!