“I love you like the sun loves the soil,” said Daniel.
His girl turned her head toward him, eyes somber in the darkness. Which worked. It was a somber kind of night.
They had hidden in a house. Finn, crouched in the front room, kept watch through the remains of a front door. Someone had decided to rip the door off its hinges, and the gaping hole could be seen from the street. No one would settle down for the night in a place with no door. In turn, no foe, infected or otherwise, would come close without them knowing.
Another canny idea from the kid.
The second feature of the night’s shelter was the body decomposing in the tub. Not infected, the kid had reported. The person had chosen to slit their wrists and bleed out. Morbid, but Daniel could almost understand. The place reeked of death. Infected wouldn ’t to be able to easily detect their live, uninfected flesh.
There’d be no bedding down for good times tonight. The dickheads were well and truly stirred up. Gunshots regularly scattered the quiet as they revved their big bikes up and down the streets. Finn had only managed to dispatch one of the gang, but it was sufficient to get their attention. Nearby, fires raged, fil ing the air with smoke. The idiots might yet end up toasting themselves along with their quarry.
Outside, the wind was blowing like crazy and there was an electric buzz in the air. Hopefully the storm would hit soon and douse the flames. God, Daniel hoped it would. Something had to go their way, for once.
“I love you like the moon loves the stars,” he said.
She cuddled in closer.
“I love you like the fishes love the sea,” he said.
“Hmm.” His girl gave a tired little smile, leant her head on his shoulder. “Do the fishes love the sea?”
“They would be screwed if they didn’t, my love.”
She sighed. “True. Where are you going with this, Daniel?”
He smooched the top of her head, rubbed his cheek against it. The softest silk had nothing on his girl. “Well, because I have this great love for you, I feel compelled to confide in you when you are behaving like an ass.”
Her head fell back, and a hurt look flashed, then faded. If anything, she looked a little defeated. Lovely lips turned down at the corners and sadness filled her eyes. “You mean Finn.” She didn’t move away and didn’t proceed to rip him a new one. It told Daniel much. “Yes, Finn. You’re not being fair, baby.”
“I know.” Ali huddled against him. “The way he just … I mean … He didn’t even blink. Just kil ed that guy.”
And as much as he would have wished to protect her from al sorts of stuff, protecting her from this would not be to her benefit. Not in the least. The brave new world required skills just like the kid’s. His girl needed Finn more than she needed her pride or her delicate sensibilities. Jealousy niggled at Daniel but he pushed it aside.
“Shit, Daniel,” she said.
“So, you’re worried someone you know and possibly have feelings for could kill like that?” he offered, finishing the sentence.
“I guess. I don’t know. Shit. Shit. Shit.” There followed further heartfelt sighs. And he couldn’t have fixed this one for her even if he wanted to. Which he didn’t.
“You should never have started up about the three of us,” she grumbled. “I am not equipped to handle this crap.”
“I disagree.”
Her dark eyes honed in on him. “Why are you pushing for this? Real y?”
“I want you to be happy. Also, I want you to be safe.”
“You want him to protect me. That’s using him, Daniel.”
He made a noise of disapproval despite her being spot the fuck on. Sometimes survival came first. Actual y, always survival came first. “He’s already protecting you. He chose to protect you.”
“Be honest.”
“Babe, I’m open to the idea of sharing you. Okay? And the fact is, there’s something between you and Finn. Now there’s a damn good chance the three of us are going to be sticking together for the long haul, so ignoring it is plain dumb. This is my reasoning.” He patted her on the head and gave her a smile, one that he hoped conveyed more love than sales tactics. “But yes, his ability to protect you has been noted. With the world the way it is these days, how could it not be?”
Al’s mouth widened in a pained expression, her lips thinning. “I get why you might think this is a good idea, Dan. I do. Did it ever occur to you that pushing me in this direction might screw things up spectacularly between all of us?”
Yes, it had occurred to him, and fuck he hoped not. Sincerely to the bottom of his soul.
Dan set his chin on her crown, caught one of the hands fiddling with the seam of her jeans and held on tight. “Okay. Let’s focus here.
Finn acted today to protect you. He risked his life and what he did was for you. He does not deserve to reap your shit for his efforts, babe. No matter where you are on the you and him getting together front, okay?”
She said nothing.