Veronica’s face fell. “Great.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “You tell me that you’re dating a psycho and then you tell me that she’s jealous of me?” She tapped her chest. “Am I supposed to be flattered?”
Simon nodded and leaned back in the chair. “I think I have her under control.” He gave her a knowing look. “She wants me to take charge of this little group.”
Veronica raised a brow again. “Seriously?”
“Every group needs a leader.” He sighed heavily and searched for the right words. “She thinks I’m the one. We both think that you’re the key to the others accepting me in such a role.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Veronica asked, visibly upset.
Simon sat forward and eyed her. “Because I know I can trust you. And I promised myself I’d never lie to you.”
She narrowed her gaze at him and slowly shook her head. “What game are you playing?”
Simon sighed again and shrugged. “A very dangerous one.” He raised a brow at her and pleaded with his eyes. “We both know that she’s…not right. If she wants me to be the leader here, fine. I say we do it. We give her what she wants, even if it’s in name only.”
“So? You want to run for president of the campground and I’m supposed to do what? Campaign for you because I believe in your policies?”
Simon gave her another slow shrug. “Call it what you like.” He glanced back at the RV where Lana slept then lowered his voice even more. “I just want to keep her calm and happy.” He motioned toward the other campers. “You think I want to run this ragtag group of misfits?” He shook his head. “I just wanted to get away and live my life.”
“Then why even bother?” Veronica asked. “Why not pull up stakes and go someplace else?”
He grinned sadly at her. “You really don’t get it, do you?” He motioned toward the road. “There’s really nothing left out there except a bunch of empty buildings.”
Her face fell and she stared at him. “You’re serious?”
He nodded slowly. “There are small groups of survivors scattered about, but for the most part? Everything we knew was gone.”
Veronica sat back and sighed. “I’d heard you say it, but…” She loosed a nervous chuckle. “Some part of me hoped you were just saying that to keep Trent and the boys under control.”
He nodded slowly. “Trust me, doc, I wish I was lying.”
She sat back and stared at the circle of RV’s and camper trailers. “So…we’re it?”
“For the most part.” Simon sighed and leaned his head back, stretching his neck. “Even if we could find the scattered groups of people…what would we do with them?”
Veronica felt a tear run down her cheek and she sniffed back another. “My family…”
He nodded knowingly. “I know.” He reached out and took her hand. “Mine too.”
She squeezed his fingers and gave him a sad smile. “Okay, so…what? We elect you Chief and then what? You start laying down laws?”
He shook his head. “Nothing formal.” He gave her hand one final squeeze then let it loose. “Just…maybe spread the word amongst the others. Tell them that you think I should be the decision maker for big things.” He caught her gaze and she gave a slight nod.
“To prevent your old lady from losing her shit.”
Simon winced. “That’s only part of it.” He sat upright and took a deep breath. “As I said, every group needs a leader. Somebody to speak on their behalf when another alpha shows up and tries to start trouble.”
She narrowed her gaze at him again. “You’re expecting trouble?”
He gave another slow shrug. “It’s possible.” He glanced towards the trees and felt eyes on him. “Either way, we need somebody willing to get their hands dirty to protect us all.”
“And that somebody is you.”
He nodded. “I think I’ve proven that I’ll do what needs doing.” He pushed up from the chair and stared down at her. “Trent might not have hurt you, but he was definitely going to hurt Trailer Park Barbie.”
“Her name is Darla.” Veronica felt her voice crack as she spoke. She swallowed hard then looked up at him. “And for the record, she’s grateful for what you did.” She looked away then added, “Stopping Trent, I mean.”
Simon squared his shoulders and glanced at the other camp trailers. “Think about it.” He laid a hand on her shoulder. “If you don’t honestly think that having me here watching out for everybody is a good thing, just tell me. I’ll leave and you people can go it on your own.” He gave her a soft smile. “And no, that’s not a threat. I’m serious.”
“What about Lana?”
“I’ll deal with her if it comes to that.” He patted her shoulder. “Just, think about it, Vee.”
She watched him turn and make his way back to his RV. Once the door was shut she let out the breath that she hadn’t realized she was holding. It was only then that she noticed her hands were shaking.
7
Missy tugged at the threadbare curtains and huffed. “I need a blanket.”
“Blocking the windows won’t help.” Hatcher leaned forward on the bare couch and flipped another card onto the game of solitaire. “If they smell us in here, they’ll knock the walls down.” He turned and gave her a blank expression. “Ask me how I know.”
“I thought you said the cure came through here.”
He nodded and flipped another card. “I did.” He paused and turned to her. “Actually, you told me that it did. The strep throat that was so harsh?”
She nodded and paced the small area in the center of the station. “Just because I caught it doesn’t mean the others were exposed.”
“True.” He flipped another card then tossed the deck to the table, losing interest. “Look, there’s no sense in worrying about things that we have no control
