Afterglow: An Apocalypse Romance Read Online Free PDF

it down gently on the coffee table. “You’re a good shot,” he said finally. “Where’d you learn to shoot?”
    “My grandmother.”
    “Really?” He laughed. It wasn’t quite the answer he’d expected.
    “Yeah. She’s... special.” Nina ripped a strip of the paper label off the water bottle, curling it around her finger.
    “Must be.”
    “That’s where I’m going. That’s why I want a bike. I tried taking my car but the roads are all blocked up. People abandoned their cars.”
    He nodded. “You think your grandma’s still alive?”
    “If anyone is, she is.”
    “Tough broad?”
    “The toughest. My whole family will be meeting there. At her house. My parents and my little brother. She’s got a, well, it’s a shelter. Fully stocked.”
    “Your grandma ?” He couldn’t help the disbelief from showing on his face.
    “Yes.” Nina scowled at him. She began to tear the strip of label into pieces. “Not all little old ladies sit around watching soap operas and knitting blankets for their church.”
    “Really? That’s exactly what I see you doing when you’re eighty.” He winked, mostly to fuck with her because he knew it would make her mad.
    “Shut up,” she retorted, but the smile she tried to suppress was obvious to Creed. “I have a proposition,” she continued. “I want to show you something, and I bet you’ll find something you’re willing to trade for your bike. In fact, since I’ll be leaving, maybe I’ll trade the whole place.”
    “You’re talking about your house?”
    “My parents’ house. Yeah. Let’s go.”
    “Is it far?”
    “Just a few blocks. How’s your arm?” she asked as she got up, and Creed followed her to the door. Her hand was on her gun, holstered around her hips. That were, by the way, sexy as hell.
    “Perfect. Your face?” He winced as he said it, the guilt over having hurt her returning.
    “Perfect,” she echoed, her voice even. “Let’s go.”
    They made their way the few blocks to her parents’ house, careful to stay hidden as well as possible. Nobody was in sight, and Creed didn’t know if he should feel relieved or afraid. He was glad nobody was shooting at them. But the fact that there were no signs of life was unsettling. Could that many people really be dead?
    Approaching the small house, Creed saw an old Acura in the driveway, the back seat stuffed with bins. So this must be the car Nina tried to drive out of here. If she was really planning to take a motorcycle, she’d need to cut way down on what she brought, but he suspected she already knew that and could figure out on her own exactly what to bring and what to leave. And she’d be good at raiding abandoned houses and stores along the way.
    He wanted to fix up a bike for her. He wanted to help. But the thought of her alone, fending for herself—no matter how tough she’d already proven to be—made his heart thump uncomfortably in his chest. She would balk at the notion that she needed someone to take care of her, but traveling solo in this new world wasn’t safe. And he knew, with a sudden and insane certainty, that he wasn’t going to let her go alone.

CHAPTER THREE
    –Nina–
     
     
    “So if you’re good with electronics, you might be able to fix the generator,” Nina said, after she’d shown Creed the basement shelter in her parents’ house. “I’m leaving almost everything here, since I can only take what I can carry and fit into those—what are they called?—side bags?”
    “Saddlebags,” he grunted.
    “So you’ll have tons of food, lots of ammo, medical supplies—of course I’ll leave enough antibiotics for a while for your arm. Batteries, a few extra flashlights. There’s even some board games. You know. For entertainment.” She shone the light directly at his face and he shielded it with his hands. “Sorry. Let’s go upstairs. It’s stuffy down here. But if there’s trouble, it’s a great place to lock yourself in until it passes.”
    “Do I look