And the possession of any one of those items was an offense punishable by death.
“Where did you get all of this?” she breathed.
Rylan chuckled from the couch. “Raids. We can open a clinic, huh?”
“And face a firing squad if the Enforcers found out about this stuff.” Medicine was strictly forbidden in the Colonies – the GC held the firm belief that Mother Nature should be the only deciding factor in life and death. The sick and injured were meant to die, and withholding medical treatment was not only necessary to control a population that had once totaled seven billion, but it also served as motivation for citizens to be more careful.
Avoid injury, avoid disease, stay alive. The motto had been branded into Hudson’s head from the day she was born.
She pulled a few items off the shelves and went back to Rylan. His blue eyes dipped to her chest, a reminder that she was wearing nothing but a skimpy bra.
She turned to Kade. “You think you can find a shirt for me to wear?”
“No problem.”
Rylan laughed as his friend dashed off. “Well, nobody said he was smart.”
Hudson poured iodine on a gauze square. “What do you mean?”
“Just if it were me, I wouldn’t be hurrying to find you a shirt.” His gaze smoldered, still fixed on her cleavage. “I’m gonna come out and say it, Blondie. Your tits are amaz— Shit! That fucking stings! Warn a guy next time.”
She batted her eyelashes. “Don’t be a crybaby. It’s not attractive.”
“Neither is what you’re doing to my neck.”
He continued to grumble and complain as she cleaned him up, but quieted down when she told him to shut up so she could assess the wound. She might not be schooled in the outlaw way of bartering and trading, or making camp, or dealing with bandits, but this was where she excelled. Treating battle wounds, making snap decisions and barking out orders. Although she’d been trained to fight, she’d chosen to work in the city’s medical sector instead of joining the military, and a sense of relief washed over her as she realized she could be useful out here in this unfamiliar land. She could be an asset, if these men only gave her a chance.
Rylan’s neck had stopped bleeding, but the bullet had taken off a nice chunk of skin. More of a burn than a cut, and it would definitely leave a scar.
“I don’t think stitches are necessary. All we can do is bandage it up,” she concluded, reaching for more gauze and a roll of medical tape.
Kade returned, followed by Connor, who still wore a scowl on his handsome face. Hudson gathered up her bloody shirt and iodine-stained gauze. “What should I do with these?”
“I’ll take care of it. Here, this is for you.” Kade took her items and handed her a flannel shirt.
She accepted it gratefully, quickly slipping it over her shoulders and doing up the buttons. The worn fabric hung down to her knees, but it was better than nothing.
“How you doing?” Connor asked Rylan.
The other man grinned. “All better. Hudson fixed me up and kissed all my boo-boos.”
Connor just frowned.
She cast him an apprehensive look. “Why aren’t there more people here? You’ve got so much space, and the place seems secure. People could have a nice little community here.”
His features sharpened. “We don’t take people in.”
“Why not?”
“Because we don’t.” His voice brooked no argument, and she decided not to keep pushing.
“Where do you get your electricity?” She awkwardly gestured to the glowing light fixtures on the ceiling.
“Generator,” he said curtly. “There’s a well on the property, and the plumbing works, but we try not to use hot water unless we absolutely have to, because heating the water tank drains the genny. There’re a few outhouses too, and every cabin has a shower and a bathtub.”
Her breath caught. A bathtub. Holy hell. The thought of sliding into a tubful of water, even cold water, made her shiver with pleasure. She’d been traveling for seven days, so eager to put distance between herself and Dominik that she’d barely had time to sleep, let alone bathe. She’d passed streams and lakes along the way, indulged in quick dips, but she still felt dirty and unkempt.
She sensed Connor’s eyes on her. They were more green than hazel, she realized. The color of the dark leaves on the trees outside.
“You want to take a bath,” he said with a sigh.
“More than anything else in the world.”
She thought she saw the corners of his mouth twitch. “Fine. I’ll take you to one of the cabins.”
Happiness danced through her. “Really?”
“I just said it, didn’t I?”
“Thank you —”
But he was already stalking off, forcing her to hurry after him.
They’d reached the door of the lodge when he spoke again. “One night,” he said brusquely, his big hand landing on her arm. He squeezed her wrist as he stared at her. “One night, and then you’re gone.”