Love in the Time of the Dead Read Online Free PDF Page B

intended. The man in the Hummer screamed at her, but she couldn’t make out a single word he was saying over the rushing sound in her ears. She had fallen hard and rolled to the side, and when she came up, the machete was already poised. Not her weapon of choice, but it would be efficient enough. She spun and sliced, and when the huge blade found itself stuck in a Dead, she pulled out the next knife, spinning low to avoid being grabbed. So many Deads were closing in on her that progress toward the Hummer slowed to a halt. She turned to hit a Dead on the side of his face with a hidden blade in the butt of her rifle when she stopped suddenly, barely avoiding a direct hit to a set of the most vivid and angry blue eyes she’d ever seen.
    “This way!” the man yelled.
    The massive truck was close, and had been inching closer under the weight of the bodies that had thrown themselves on top of it. The man shoved a hand gun into her palm, and she took out the closest attackers while he unloaded clips into the crowd to clear a path.
    The man yanked her through the door and slammed it behind them, clipping off a few Dead digits that held on to the door frame stubbornly. The driver hit the gas immediately while her rescuer pushed her roughly into the back seat where Jarren had been waiting. Jarren pulled her to him and hugged her until she couldn’t breathe.
    “Where is Reynolds?” the man in the passenger seat asked as he looked around.
    “Didn’t make it, sir,” came the sullen reply.
    “What do you mean he didn’t make it? He was just here. Go back!”
    The driver shook his head. “Sir, I saw them get him. He’s gone.”
    The man with the blue eyes cursed and threw his helmet hard onto the console. He hadn’t purposefully thrown it at Laney, but the helmet ricocheted off the plastic and flew up to cut her across the temple.
    She didn’t expect the sudden pain and gasped in shock.
    “What the hell, man?” Jarren mumbled and pulled her back to get a look at the gash.
    The passenger’s unapologetic eyes found hers. “Reynolds was a good man and he’s dead now because of you. You better be worth it.”
    “She is,” Jarren said quietly.
    The Hummer jerked and strained for every foot of ground. Laney had no idea if Mitchell and Guist had made it, or where their Hummer was in relation to theirs. Rotting corpses blocked all views outside of the tinted windows.
    A box toppled on top of her at a sharp jerk of the truck, spilling tin cans and bottled waters. So the men hadn’t come from the colony gates. They must have happened upon them while they were heading back from a supply run. She frowned thoughtfully at the man in the passenger seat. He was giving hushed instructions, void of hesitation or fear. Every so often he would turn his head just enough for her to get another look at his breathtakingly blue eyes. She had never seen eyes more pure, furious, animated, or glorious. She found her gaze transfixed on a thin scar that ran from his hairline down the side of his jaw. It added to his mystery. He had a masculine profile and straight nose. His jawline was chiseled, and his high cheekbones added a feline quality to his eyes, which slanted at an angle ever so slightly. Not the here kitty, kitty kind of feline quality, but the lion that ate the ringmaster kind. His brown hair was cropped short, and the darker color played up the intense blue in his eyes. Before the end of the world, he was exactly the type of guy who would have ignored her completely in school. Current times found her not easily intimidated by anybody. Still, the man inspired awe.
    A glint of gold caught her eye. How disappointing. He was married. Of course he was married! A man like him probably had every eligible female falling at his feet. Look at her. He had probably just given her a concussion, didn’t care in the least, and she was still spontaneously ovulating for him.
    A concussion. That had to be it because men didn’t affect her like that.