“No, I don’t,” Fred said.
“Fred, if you take a fall and break a leg or something, you’ll die if you’re all alone. I can’t have you die before you see your child.”
“I’ve been doing this for a while now, I don’t make mistakes,” he protested.
“Fred, do you remember the nightmares?”
Fred’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing. Rachel looked over at the other three. “He shot an asshole not too long ago and was so messed up over the fact that he couldn’t put a quarter over his shot grouping, he had nightmares about it for the rest of the week.”
“Rachel, honey, please change the subject,” Fred said.
Rachel grinned and winked at him. She continued grinning, and after a second, they saw a reluctant smile form on Fred’s mouth.
Chapter 19 – The Scratched Label
The room was dark, with only a hint of light coming from the gap between the bottom of the door and the floor. Riley could see his outline in the dark. He was several years older than her, but she liked him anyway. He was smart, and his body was lean and taut, but most of all, there was something about him that attracted her to him. His aura or bearing, or something.
He was not a talkative kind of guy. There was an aloofness about him, and she wondered if he’d always been that way or if the apocalypse had made him like that. She’d heard that he’d survived the apocalypse on his own for a while before showing up at Marcus Hook one day, but he never talked about it. Even his name was odd.
“How would they know?” she asked.
“You know them as well as anyone,” Johnny G said. “They come across as big dumb oafs, but it’s an act. They’re clever, intuitive, and can read people. I bet they were damn good cops back in Pittsburgh.”
Riley stroked his chest. “But you’re smarter.”
“Well thanks, but I’m not that smart. I have no idea what they’ll do next. It would be nice to know what they’re thinking. If they figure it out, what do you think they’ll do?”
“I guess I’m not sure either. I can try talking to Logan,” she suggested.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. He may suspect you’re trying to get information out of him or manipulate him. Besides, I think you still make him a little insecure.”
He was referring to that time where she and Logan had almost had sex, but things went awry. The memory made her laugh.
“Yeah, probably so, on both counts. So, what should I do?”
“Act normal. Like nothing is wrong. Tell your father and brother to do the same,” he said. “I’ve got my listening ears on and if something happens, if they make accusations, I’ll hear about it.”
She thought about it for a moment before responding. “Okay. I’m putting a lot of trust in you. You know, I can always move out of here and live at our trading post.”
“How is it progressing?” he asked.
“We found some solar panels but we’re not real sure how to hook them up. Dad says we need at least one power inverter, whatever that is.”
Riley had worked her way halfway on top of him and he felt himself becoming aroused again.
“I’ll have a look at our inventory and see what we have. I suppose I could go down there with you, look it over and see what you guys need,” he said.
“Really? Can we drive down there tomorrow?”
Johnny G thought a moment. Everything he had planned for tomorrow were not high priority issues and could be done later. “Sure, I suppose so.”
“We’re going to need some diesel too,” she said.
“Yeah, that’ll be doable.”
Riley kissed him. “I’m already excited. We can stay a night or two. Just the two of us. It’ll be like a romantic getaway.”
He chuckled. She reached down and started stroking him. After a moment she threw a leg over and straddled him. He lay there and let her do all the work. The woman was ravenous and full of energy. She orgasmed twice before he felt himself reach climax. She continued gyrating, but he’d had enough for the night and pulled her down. She huffed but didn’t complain and gave him a passionate kiss before getting out of the bed. Johnny G looked at her questioningly.
“Are you spending the night?” he asked.
“Not tonight. I need to tell dad what we’re going to do. Don’t worry, he’ll love it that you’re going to help.”
She got out of bed and went into the restroom. Johnny G listened to the water running, and after a minute she came back into the bedroom and gathered her clothes. He watched her dress in the dim light. She had a lean, fantastic body. Her breasts were smaller than he preferred, he’d preferred D-cups or larger ever since puberty, but Riley was by far the best-looking woman at Marcus Hook. But, and he wasn’t sure if this was a good but or a bad but, there was also a hint that she was a little bit off-center. The way she looked at a person with those feral eyes could be unsettling and Johnny G knew she had the capability of being a cold-blooded killer. He wondered how many she’d killed and at what age she killed her first human. He was tempted to ask. Maybe later.
She finished dressing, leaned down, and kissed him again. “I’ll see you in the morning. We can leave after breakfast if that’s okay.”
“Yeah,” he said.
She cracked the door open slightly, peered down the hallway, and slipped out, softly closing the door behind her. Johnny G lay in the darkness, exhausted but not yet sleepy enough to close his eyes.
He had no doubt Riley’s sudden attraction toward him was filled with ulterior motives. Why else would a younger woman want to sleep with him? He knew he was average looking, nothing special. It served him well at his former employment. He was so average looking he could blend into crowds
