Promise Me Darkness (22 page)

“We had a woman die last year in the ER from heat stroke,” Eva muttered, weakly.

Ryder thrust his water bottle out toward me. “Here, have the rest of my water.”

I squinted at him under the brim of my hat. I couldn’t take his water.
What would I do if he suffered from heat stroke?
We all needed to stay hydrated, even him.

“Don’t argue with me, Maddie,” he said with a low, cold voice.

“You drink it. I’ll be fine. I just need a place to sit, preferably under some shade,” I said, the heat zapping the last of my energy.

“I’m not asking you, I’m telling you to drink it.” His ball cap was able to shade his red face from the sun but it couldn’t hide the frown on his lips. I knew that when Ryder wanted something, he usually got it.

Taking the water bottle, I gave him a go–to–hell look as I drank the rest of his lukewarm water. He watched me closely, his eyes never leaving my face until the last drop of water was gone. It wasn’t much, but at least it wet my mouth and dry throat.

Satisfied, he led me to a small group of trees. It didn’t offer much in the way of shade but I didn’t care.

“I’m going to scout ahead, see if I can find an empty home or some kind of shelter,” Ryder said. He handed the knife to Brody and started walking away, his stride full of purpose.

Squinting against the sun, I watched him. His muscular back was outlined under the mud–encrusted t–shirt and his bottom looked perfect under his shorts. He looked rugged and wild with his whiskered jaw and tanned skin. The heat must have been affecting my mind because all I could think about was grabbing him as he moved on top of me. Whimpering and crying out as he took me to a place I had never been before.
Oh, hell! I was becoming delusional. Heat stroke was now imminent.

I watched until he went around a curve in the road. For what felt like hours, I worried. He had no weapon, no way to defend himself. I couldn’t think of anything else until he rounded that corner. At last, I saw him in the distance.

“Let’s hope he found something,” Eva said.

“If he didn’t, we’re in trouble,” I warned, standing up on wobbly legs.

Soon he was stopping beside me, his tall frame blocking the sun. “There’s an empty house around the corner. Looks locked up tight but I think we can get in.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice. Let’s go, girls,” Brody said, picking up his and Eva’s backpacks. Ryder slung ours on his shoulder and waited for me to follow.

When we walked around the curve in the road, I saw the old ranch house. It sat in the middle of an overgrown yard. White paint peeled from the siding and a few shingles were missing. Not far from the house set a large barn that had seen better days and behind it, acres of farmland.

Eva and I followed Ryder and Brody down the gravel driveway. Fear made me jumpy.
What if Ryder was wrong and there were people still here? We had already fallen for one trap, were we walking into another?
I remembered Greasy’s smirk and his revolting breath. My step faltered as the memory made a shiver wash over me.

“I’m going to check out the barn. You two stay here with Brody,” Ryder said, giving me a stern look before walking away.

A few feet from us, he stopped. I watched as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the ground. With something akin to frustration, he swung around and stalked back to me.

“Run like hell, Maddie, if there is trouble,” he said.

I swallowed nervously and nodded my head in understanding. There was no way I was leaving him behind but he didn’t need to know that.

I watched him walk away with an uneasy feeling. If there were people in the barn, Ryder could be walking into an ambush. With all his tattoos and bad attitude, he could easily scare a person into doing something rash and stupid.

I held my breath as I waited. Time seemed to move slowly. Every sound had me jumping. Every noise, a reminder of how vulnerable we were.

When Ryder reappeared, relief washed through me.

“I think it’s safe. Looks like no one has been here recently. Whoever lived here is long gone,” he said, picking up our backpacks.

“So we’re staying here?” Eva asked.

“Yeah, but we need to get in through the back door so no one sees us from the road,” Ryder said. He started walking to the house, followed by Eva and Brody.

His words soaked in. “Hold on. We’re going to break in?” I asked with disbelief.

Ryder kept on walking, his back to me as he answered. “Yeah, what did you think we were going to do? Have a tea party?”

“We can’t break in! People live here!” I said, outraged.

Ryder stopped and turned around to look at me with exasperation. “We’re doing this, Maddie. It’s not your decision.”

“I don’t want to be a part of breaking and entering! We’re not criminals!”

He separated the distance between us quickly, his strides matching his sudden ill temper.

“You need water and shelter. I’m breaking and entering for you.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and stood my ground, refusing to budge or look away from his heated eyes.

“I refuse to do this!”

“Maddie, don’t make me mad. I’ll carry you into that house if I have to.”

“You wouldn’t!” I said, backing up slowly.

Ryder took a step toward me, dropping the backpacks on the dusty ground. Fury glowed from his eyes. If I was a small animal and he was the predator, I was about to be his dinner.

“Ryder! Don’t you dare touch me!” My voice quavered as he came closer. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me but, dammit, I was tired of giving into him.

"Or what?" He walked slower, tracking me. "What are you going to do to me if I touch you?" His words said one thing but his voice said another.

I turned to run. He lunged forward, wrapping his arms around my middle and hauling me back to him. I tried to escape but he swung me up on his shoulder like I weighed nothing. The air was knocked out of my lungs when I landed hard on him. Shooting pain raced along my ribcage from the impact. My face bumped into his strong back, reminding me of what was underneath his t–shirt.

“Ryder! Put me down!” I yelled as he started walking.

SMACK! His palm connected with my backside, lingering on it longer than was necessary.

“OUCH!” I shrieked.

“Shut up, Maddie! I’m not in the mood for your games,” he said with force.

“I’m not playing games! I just don’t want to break into an innocent person’s house!”

Ryder ignored me and continued around the house. Hanging upside down, the blood started to rush into my head. The slowly healing gash on my forehead started to pulsate with each step he took.

“I’M NOT DOING THIS!” I shrieked.

As we reached the back, I looked up to see Eva and Brody standing on an old wooden porch, staring at us in astonishment.

“I don’t want you to starve to death or die of heat stroke so shut the hell up!” Ryder said sharply as he walked up the steps with me bouncing on his shoulder.

He was willing to break in for me?
That was so wrong but I had to admit, also romantic. He had officially turned my mind to mush, I decided with despair. I was now one of those girls. The lovesick, out–of–my mind bimbos he always hooked up with.
Great!

I looked up at Eva. Her green eyes were round with shock. I mouthed ‘help’ to her and she had the nerve to smile sweetly at me.
What happened to the girl who threatened to beat up Ryder earlier? Where had she gone?

“Now are you going to behave?” Ryder asked.

I fumed.
I wasn’t a child! How dare he treat me like one!

I was about to retaliate when an idea hit me. Letting myself go limp, I weakly said, “Put me down, Ryder. You’re hurting me.”

It worked. He instantly set me on my feet, keeping his arms around my waist. Worry replaced the aggravation on his face.

“So should we break a window or try the door?” Brody asked, growing impatient.

“Let me try the door,” Ryder said, letting go of my waist. The door was old and hanging on its hinges. He jiggled the door handle, rammed his shoulder against it, then bent down to look at the lock.

“You got that knife?” he asked, sticking out his hand to Brody.

Brody handed the knife over and watched as Ryder stuck the tip between the door and lock. Using all his strength, he tried to wedge the door open.

“No use. We’ll have to break the window.”

There was only one window that we would be able to reach. It was near the door and looked small, barely big enough for a person to fit through.

I watched in wonder and amazement as Ryder tugged his t–shirt over his head and started to wrap it around his hand. Each movement caused his muscles to flex, the tattoos to move, and his biceps to bulge.

“Close your mouth, Maddie,” Eva whispered beside me.

Ryder’s eyes caught mine and his lips twitched in amusement. Blushing, I looked away.
Darn!
I thought I was in control again and then he pulls the taking–off–shirt move.

Turning his attention back to the window, he pulled back his fist and let it fly, smashing the window. Glass shattered. If it wasn’t for that t–shirt, he would have torn up his knuckles, reminding me of all the nights he had shown up at my house with bloody hands after bar fights. I would tape them up and sent him on his way, hiding the blood from his parents.

“Is Maddie going in?” Brody asked, motioning to the broken window.

Ryder put his shirt back on before glaring at Brody. “No, I’m not sending her in there alone.”

“But she’s tiny.”

Eva started to fume beside me. “And what am I? An amazon?”

Brody grimaced. “I didn’t mean it like that, Eva.”

“Whatever, Brody,” she said, walking closer to the broken window. “Lift me up, Ryder.”

With his help, Eva slowly eased through the window, avoiding the small shards of glass on the window sill. A second later, she disappeared on the other side. We waited patiently as she unlocked the door.

Entering the house, my eyes adjusted to the darkness. We stood in a very small living room. It contained a couch, an old recliner, and an older TV. It was stifling hot inside but at least the room was dark and we were out of the blazing sun.

“You two stay here. Brody and I will check out the rest of the house,” Ryder said before moving away.

As we waited, I wondered about the people who lived here. Where were they? Were they alive? Safe? The thoughts wouldn’t stop bombarding me. I didn’t feel right being in someone else’s home but I guess if we wanted to make it home, we needed supplies. This house was the answer.

“It’s clear.”

Before the words were out of Brody’s mouth, Eva grabbed my hand. “Let’s check the kitchen for food.”

In the kitchen, we found dirty dishes in the sink and an empty coffee cup on the small kitchen table. One chair had been knocked over and a few cabinet doors were left opened. Apparently, whoever had been here had left in a big hurry.

Eva didn’t waste any time. Dropping my hand, she rushed over to the sink and turned the faucet on. No water flowed from it. Next she opened the refrigerator door but quickly closed it when the smell of rotten food filled the room. I started checking the cabinets for anything we could use. Finally, I hit the jackpot.

“Eva!”

She ran over to me and looked with awe in the open cabinet. There was bread, peanut butter, two bags of potato chips, cans of soups, and canned chili. Enough food for three or four days.

“Thank God!” she squealed, throwing her arms around me.

I had never been so happy to see canned food before in my life. I pulled some out and sat them on the counter. We couldn’t eat it all and I refused to take everything.
What if the homeowners made it back home only to find there was no food left?
I couldn’t live with myself if someone went hungry because of us. Ryder could just be mad at me. I wasn’t taking all the food.

“We have to find water,” Eva said, letting go of me to start searching. She opened the remaining cabinets then a tiny pantry.

“Damn, nothing,” she said in a despondent whisper when the kitchen came up empty for the one thing we desperately needed.

Ryder walked into the kitchen, his eyes cutting over to me. “Anything?”

“Food but no water,” I answered, rubbing a hand over my eyes.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked, his footsteps loud on the old linoleum floor as he crossed the room to me.

I reluctantly raised my eyes to meet his. Nodding, I leaned against the counter.

“I’m fine,” I lied. The truth was I was tired and hungry. Thirsty and covered in dried mud. I wasn’t fine but none of us were.

He reached out to lift my chin up. “You’re not fine, Maddie. Sit down.”

“I said I was fine, Ryder,” I snapped, pulling my chin away. I hated that his touch made me burn, that his nearness made me aware of the control he had over me. But more than anything, I hated that we could only be just friends.

He clenched his jaw in frustration, an angry scowl replacing the soft look on his face.

“I’ll take care of her, Ryder. You go find some water,” Eva said, grabbing my hand and tugging me to follow her.

I gladly left the room, the anger still burning in me. One of these days, Ryder would learn not to push me around. And one of these days, maybe I wouldn’t need him so much.

The people that lived in the tiny house were older, retired. There were pictures of them around but it was the colorful drawing of a horse, taped to the bedroom mirror, that gave it away. Someone had wrote in bright red crayon "for gramps and gram." My heart ached as I looked at the drawing. Someone’s grandmother and grandfather were gone, for today or for always, I didn’t know. But I did know that if we were having trouble surviving, the chances that this couple would make it home were slim to none.

Not wanting to think about it any longer, I gathered what I could from the bathroom. Toilet paper, Band–Aids, aspirin, bandages. It was all like gold now.

In the kitchen, Brody and Ryder had emptied the fridge of all the unspoiled food. Pickles, jelly, two soda drinks, a few plastic bottles of water, and a bottle of wine were now sitting on the counter along with what we had found in the cabinets.
We would eat like kings tonight.