Connor couldn’t disagree as he thought about the abandoned wilderness resort they’d been living in for the past year. Tucked in the foothills of the Rockies, the camp consisted of two dozen cabins and a main lodge nestled in the trees. After scouting the area for weeks, the men had claimed the old place and promptly turned it into a fortress. The resort was more secure than a military facility, just the way Connor liked it.
Rylan returned to the table with a full bottle of whiskey and five shot glasses, which clinked together in his hand. Unscrewing the bottle, he poured a stream of alcohol over the glasses, the excess liquid joining the other stains on the rotting wood.
“Hey, don’t waste it,” Xander grumbled. “Who knows when we’ll have another chance to get shit-faced?”
Rylan flopped down in his chair, slugged back a shot, then poured himself another. “So what’s the final consensus?”
Xander rubbed the thick beard covering his jaw. “Pike thinks we should go. Kade wants to stay. Con is undecided.”
Rylan was quick to throw in his two cents. “I vote for staying. I like it here. And by the way, brother, what’s with the beard? You know it’s like a gazillion degrees out, right?”
“If your pretty-boy face were capable of growing a beard, you’d look like me too right now.” Xander sighed. “Shit. I hope we find some razors on the raid tomorrow. Maybe even an electric one.”
“And candy,” Kade added, brightening at the thought. “Some real sweet shit. It’s been ages since we came across any chocolate.”
“And some really filthy porn,” Rylan added with a grin.
Connor didn’t join in, mostly because he was scared he’d snap and piss everyone off. But seriously, chocolate and porn? A war had ravaged the entire globe, for fuck’s sake. Bombs had fallen on cities like raindrops and eliminated entire populations, and those who survived were now prisoners – sorry, citizens – of the Colonies.
And Kade’s biggest problem was that he couldn’t satisfy his sweet tooth?
They’re making the best of this shit.
Yeah, maybe. Maybe Connor was a negative motherfucker for dwelling on the chaos and destruction, but what was he supposed to do – act like everything was fine and dandy? Pretend that his life was filled with rainbows and lollipops?
Fuck that.
He raised his glass to his lips and gulped the alcohol. It burned his throat on the way down, heating his stomach in a familiar, welcoming way. Screw candy and porn – the only thing he wanted from the raid tomorrow was a crate of booze. Even cheap wine would do. Anything to numb the angry, powerless feelings swirling in his gut.
“You know what? Who needs porn when you can settle for the real thing?” Rylan scraped back his chair. “’Scuse me, boys.”
Rylan headed to the counter, where he leaned forward and murmured something that made the bartender giggle. A few seconds later, the blonde eagerly followed him toward a corridor in the back, but not before tossing a not-so-discreet look at Connor and the other men.
“Think she’d be down for some company?” Kade wondered aloud.
Xander grinned. “One hundred percent yes. Did you see the way she looked back just now? That hot little number is dying to be tag-teamed.”
“Can you assholes forget about your goddamn cocks for one goddamn minute?” Pike snapped. “We’ve gotta make a decision. If Dominik’s on his way here, I say we go.”
“Since when are you scared of a fight?” Xander taunted.
Pike scowled at him. “Some battles aren’t worth fighting. Let Dominik do his thing, as long as he leaves us alone.”
And right there was the problem – Connor didn’t want Dominik to leave him alone.
He was itching for a face-to-face with that bastard, and if he didn’t have the other guys to think about, he would’ve taken off and fed his hunger for vengeance ages ago. But his men looked to him for guidance. Somehow, despite his many protests, he’d become their leader. They did what he said, even Pike, who didn’t like to take orders from anybody. Connor didn’t want any of them getting killed just so he could satisfy the bloodlust that had been poisoning his body for years.
Getting to Dominik was virtually impossible. Not only was he constantly surrounded by his legion of soldiers, but nobody knew where the West Colony Enforcers were headquartered. It wasn’t in the city, where those who survived the war had been shipped off to after the Global Council took control. Rumor had it the Enforcers moved around constantly, never making themselves targets. This was the first time Connor had an inkling of where Dominik was going to be. It was an opportunity he refused to let pass, but… did the men who trusted him deserve to die during his own quest for revenge?
Uncertainties rolled through his head like tumbleweed, then faded as the creak of the door grabbed hold of his senses. His head jerked up, hand instinctively reaching beneath his jacket to hover over the butt of his pistol.
Even after he decided the threat level was low, he still couldn’t look away.
The woman who appeared in the doorway held his gaze captive. Tall, slim, with wary gray eyes and long hair the color of warm honey. She wore tight black pants that showcased a spectacular pair of legs and a white tank top that revealed plenty of mouthwatering cleavage. A leather jacket and knee-high boots completed the bad-girl ensemble.