Shit, do we wait, try to find them, or leave them to their own devices?
“I’ll go look for them,” Manny says, his mouth curved in a thin line.
At his expression, I silently sigh because there’s no arguing with this one, but when Cole looks from him to me and back again, I know what he’s going to say before he says it.
I’m about to disagree, vehemently, but he gets there first. “I should go with him.”
Fuck. I stare at him for a moment, unwilling to be left behind but also seeing that Cole cannot not save people. This whole no-man-left-behind shit is in his blood. I understand it intellectually, but I’m scared shitless, so I can only nod at him.
He searches my eyes, his own softening around the edges, before he nods briskly, motions to the door, and says, “Wait outside for us. If we don’t come out, go back to the ranch immediately.”
When I open my mouth to argue once again, he leans forward, cutting me off with a kiss to my lips, before saying roughly, “Please do this for me.”
Tears prick my lids, but I urge them back and return his kiss, memorizing the feel of his soft lips. He doesn’t need to add worrying about me to his list of people to save today.
“Please be careful, both of you,” I say, my gaze including Manny, who nods and turns away toward the darkness.
As soon as they disappear, I scan the windows that act more like mirrors with the interior lights off. They reflect my worry and refuse to let me see beyond it as I gaze back and forth fruitlessly into nothing. It’s maddening to be the one waiting with no way to see inside, and after a few minutes, I step away from the door.
I shouldn’t have my back to it because it puts me in a vulnerable position, and with an irritated grunt, I reach into my bag and grab both the flashlight and the handgun I’ve been assigned.
I’m not sure if I can do as Cole asked, but being alone out here makes me feel horribly exposed.
Cole and Manny must have drawn the attention of our zombie stalkers because they don’t appear, and the knowledge ratchets my anxiety to another level while I wait.
About half an hour passes, in which my heart pounds painfully in my chest. With sweat dripping from every orifice, I glance around wildly because the more time that passes, the harder my heart beats. I can’t see what’s going on, and for all I know, they’re all dead in there—a hopeless thought to be sure.
I’m considering what to do when I see figures approach the door, and my heart leaps to my throat but sinks to my toes when Enzo and Sofia exit quietly.
Although they appear uninjured, they’re both grim, glassy-eyed, and my stomach churns when Enzo glances up with raised brows. I can’t shake the feeling of foreboding. Where the fuck are Cole and Manny? And why the grim fucking faces?
“What’s going on? Where’s Manny?” Sofia demands, stepping a little too close for comfort.
I’m too worried to care about her semi-aggressive approach and back away from her, waving at the entrance. “There were zombies in there, too many. They went back in to find you. You didn’t see them?”
Sofia and Enzo exchange glances, which raises my paranoia, and stepping forward, I get in her face this time and demand, “What? What did you do?”
“Calm down,” she sneers, her pretty face scrunching. “We didn’t see them.”
I look past her into the store, my skin itchy. Something about her feels off, but I can’t put my finger on it. “If you hurt them, I will gut you with a knife,” I grit out, getting all up in her face.
She laughs at me and shakes her head. On any other day, this probably would have brought out my don’t-fuck-with-me attitude, the one that doesn’t back down. But I’m too scared about Cole and Manny to even really note it.
“Tough girl, eh? This oughta be fun,” she purrs before Enzo steps forward, grabbing her arm.
She shakes him loose but thankfully, Cole and Manny emerge.
Moving away from the bitch, I exhale before running forward and jumping into Cole’s arms. I’m so fucking relieved that I fight back a sob when he holds me to him.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Sofia greet Manny with a hug, and his eyebrows raise in surprise, but his eyes glint with appreciation just the same. With a pang of guilt, I realize I should have greeted him as well.
Cole drops me to my feet, and we turn to face them as he asks, “How long have you been out here?”
“Not long, just enough time for her to accuse us of hurting you,” Sofia says, pouting prettily.
Manny’s eyes track her lips, his dark eyes shining, and I frown at him—not that he’s paying attention. Sofia is staring at him like the cat who got the cream and my chest burns at that. With a surge of irritation, I snarl, but Cole catches my arm with narrowed eyes.
When I tug, he raises a brow, and I subside, gritting my teeth. Am I being stupid?