Authors: Downs Jana
Relay for Life
Relay for Life
Andrew Ainsley is a Deadzone-sponsored runner participating in the most intense cross-country race of his life. However, a double marathon through the wilds outside the safety zones will bring trouble he didn’t anticipate.
Marcel Carter has been in love with Andrew since he started running for Deadzone five years previously but never had the courage to ask him out. It isn’t until Andrew is lost that he realizes he’s been wasting time.
Matthew Gibson volunteers frequently for dangerous field missions, leaving little time for real relationships. He thinks he’s ready to put that life behind him until his cousin, Brooklyn, asks him to help rescue Andrew. When the three meet, sparks fly, and Matthew thinks he’s finally found what he’s been missing.
As they fight to survive zombies unlike any they’ve faced before and uncover dangerous government conspiracies, they’ll have to determine if their newfound love is real or if it only exists in the dead zone.
Genre:
Alternative (M/M or F/F), Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Science Fiction
Length:
55,353 words
Deadzone 2
Jana Downs
MENAGE EVERLASTING MANLOVE
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IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting ManLove
RELAY FOR LIFE
Copyright © 2013 by Jana Downs E-book ISBN: 978-1-62242-913-4
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Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
If you have purchased this copy of
Relay for Life
by Jana Downs from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
www.SirenPublishing.com www.BookStrand.com
To Corinne Davies for being a wonderful supporter of the series and a very cool person. ;) No pressure.
RELAY FOR LIFE
Deadzone 2
JANA DOWNS
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
“Whose dick do I have to suck to get some service over here?”
Andrew winced as Brooklyn made his rumbled statement in the crowded cafeteria of Deadzone Zombie Insurance corporate headquarters. The towering black-windowed building seemed to absorb the sound and send it echoing back to them. He pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to look anywhere but at the company presidents’ son. Brook was a great guy, a great field agent, but he was a bit… blunt.
Finally, a petite brunette girl with a cafeteria uniform came over to take their drink orders, and Brook calmed down. As soon as she’d disappeared to go fetch their dual orders of orange citrus drinks, the field agent turned his attention to Andrew. “Now tell me, Andy, where do my dads have you running this time?”
It was a legitimate question. Deadzone was his corporate sponsor, and they gave him a crazy list of races to compete in every year. He’d been running for them since he was sixteen, and now, at twenty-one, he was used to their crazy schedule. However, this new sector run took the cake as far as runs went. “I’ve been assigned to run the wilds from sector three to sector four. It’s a double marathon run, so it’s a little over fifty-two miles. I’ve been training like crazy for it.”
Brook whistled low. “
Damn
. Through the wilds? There is no telling what you’re going to encounter along the way.”
“Fourteen checkpoints, twenty-three scheduled stops. Medichecks every third check point. It’s pretty intense.” It was going to be his most intense run yet. With all the stops, it was a miracle it would only take a week. Since running had become the national sport, the length and danger levels of the races varied from short-distance sprints to open-country marathon runs, all of it televised from coast to coast. Every large corporation sponsored a set of runners. Andrew was one of three. “I’m going to need a field unit with me. Jimmel called me earlier and told me to come to a meeting at three. Your dad sounded pretty chipper on the phone, so I figure it can’t be too terrible news. He’s probably just going to introduce me to the new field team.”
Brook snorted, rolling his apple-green eyes with gusto. “Oh please. ‘Field team’ is a loose term where babysitting a run kid is concerned. They are as close to useless as one can get and still be considered an agent. In all the runs you’ve had, how many z-kills have they made?” Leave it up to Brooklyn to make it a competition. In all the time he’d known him, five years to be exact, he’d always been super competitive, super arrogant, and super hot. The last Andrew would rather die than let him know.
“I don’t know, Brook. Maybe a dozen? It’s not like they sign up to be in the hotbed of danger. They kill the zombies who are trying to kill me on my runs. It’s not supposed to be super intense like normal field missions.” He drew his smartphone from his pocket and checked the time. “It’s about time for me to go.” He took a sip from his cup before pushing his seat back.
“I’ll walk you up.”
That was what Andrew thought Brook would say. They walked side by side across the lobby to the three elevators guarded by three burly field agents. It was standard protocol that all entrances and exits have a guard posted to scan for infection before anyone was allowed to go to the upper floors. During any kind of emergency situation, the three elevators were triggered to shut down.
He stepped to the security guard as a man half a head shorter than Andrew with cute little chubby cheeks and an equally padded bottom cut in front of him. The large man took out a safety scanner and ran it over the cutey’s front. He wasn’t Andrew’s normal type, but he was certainly beautiful. He had light-brown hair, wide gray eyes, and skin the color of milk. It looked delicate, like porcelain.
Brooklyn tsked. “Daniel, Daniel, Daniel, you are a bad kid. You just cut the line of one very important Deadzone employee.”
The cherub’s head turned, and an expression of confusion passed quickly over his face. “Huh?”
Brook pointed at Andrew. “That is our Deadzone sponsored national hero, Andrew Ainsley, wilds runner and New Olympic hopeful.”
Andrew waved awkwardly as panic came over Daniel’s face. “Hi.”
“Um, uh, hi,” Daniel said in a strangled voice. Brook seemed to get a kick out of his reaction because he started chuckling. Andrew was tempted to kick the shit out of the field agent as a swell of protectiveness welled up inside him. Picking on the cherub was like picking on a kitten. After much stumbling, the other man finally managed to get another sentence out. “Would you like to ride the elevator up with me?”
“We’d love to, Daniel,” Brook answered for the both of them. “Let the lobby jockeys scan us and we’ll ride up with you.”
A blush suffused the cherub’s face. “All right.”
They waited patiently for the lobby security guys to check their clearance before they keyed in their codes in the elevator to take them skyward. They were going all the way to the top floor, to the president’s suites and where the company owners, Jim, Jason, and Ager Tanner, worked. They’d been married a year ago, and it was one of the many things that had changed in the past year. Jason Tanner no longer worked field missions. Brook had taken over that job and was apparently loving it. Andrew had caught the televised conference where Jason had officially turned over his duties to Brook.
“Daniel here is the guy to go to for all your personal needs,” Brook said as they hit the third and then fourth floors. Daniel shifted like he was uncomfortable.
“Brook, lay off him, man,” Andrew said, feeling a little protective. It was obvious Brook’s flirting was almost giving the guy a heart attack.
“I’m not doing anything,” Brook drawled. He winked at Daniel. “Just bragging on my favorite PA.”
Andrew rolled his eyes. Brook was a hell of a guy, but, just like when they’d been younger, he was a little rough around the edges when it came to flirting.
“He’s fine, Mr. Ainsley.” Daniel interrupted the rebuke he had been formulating. “Brooklyn and I go way back. He just likes giving me a hard time.”
The elevator pinged to announce their arrival on the executive level, and Andrew was grateful when Daniel gave an awkward little wave before taking a sharp left toward an office at the end of the hall. At least now he wouldn’t have to listen to Brook harass him anymore.
“He’s mine, you know.”
The unexpected words had him turning his head in Brook’s direction. He was staring at the retreating form of the cherub with a rueful half smile on his handsome face.
“He’s been mine forever,” Brook continued. “He just doesn’t want to see it for some reason. I’m not repulsive, am I, Andy?”
Andrew shook his head. “You are far from repulsive.”
“Then why, when I ask him out, does he think I’m joking?” The frustration was easy to hear in Brook’s voice.
“Have you tried to ask him seriously?” Andrew said, walking the familiar carpet toward the door that led to the private offices, separate from the plush couches and refrigerator.
“What do you mean?” Brook asked.
Andrew shot him a look. “Um, you kind of talk to him like you’re constantly picking on him, Brook. The tone doesn’t lend itself toward being serious.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Huh.”
They arrived at the door, and Andrew knocked twice before a muffled “come in” came through the heavy wood. Andrew pushed it open and stepped inside.
The rounded room reminded him a lot of the old historical pictures of the oval office back when New America had housed its presidents in a big white building instead of the cement and steel reinforced structure in the Electoral District in what was formerly known as Nashville, Tennessee. Their desks sat in a semicircle facing the door, Ager’s desk in the middle with Jim’s and Jason’s on either side. He acted as both of their PA at this point, even though he was also a president by virtue of their marriage, so it made sense that he sat between them.
They looked up at him in unison. “Andrew,” Jim said warmly, closing his desk screen which had a spreadsheet open in a projection over his desk top. “How are you doing?”
“Pretty good, Mr. Tanner. Ready to get the run underway.” He meant it. Andrew loved to run. There was nothing better than the relative quiet that he experienced when he was running a marathon. The steady pounding of his feet on the ground coupled with his harsh breath and rhythmic heartbeat was almost meditative.
Jason grinned. “That’s why we love having you run for Deadzone. Did you see the new Andrew Ainsley mugs that are selling like hotcakes on the website?”
Andrew shook his head. He never paid attention to stuff like that. Signing autographs and hocking merchandise was not his thing. He was just grateful his dream job paid the bills. “Nah. You know me. I don’t believe in technology.”
Brooklyn snorted. “That is the most bizarre thing I’ve ever heard. You were born in the wrong century, my friend.”
“And what are you doing here, son?” Jim asked. “We didn’t call you.”
“But it’s a good thing you’re here,” Jason said. “We’ll need you to send up a retrieval team for sector twelve. Seems like Markus and Julian have got their asses in a crack on Mount Mitchell. They took a team out for a training exercise and ended up stuck on a cliff. We have a medical unit standing by, but I need you to send some grapplers in by helicopter.”
“I’ll do it as soon as I get back to my office, Dad,” Brook promised. “I just wanted to walk Andy up before his big run. Did you need me to get a team ready to escort the run kid, too?”
Jason shook his head. “Nope. I already picked them out and they’re on their way up. You coming to the BBQ party this Sunday?”
Brooklyn nodded. “Yep.”
“Don’t forget to bring a date,” Ager teased, smiling widely. “We’ll have an uneven table if you don’t.”
Brooklyn gave a sloppy salute. “Sounds good. I’ve got somebody in mind.”
Andrew really hoped Brook was better at asking than he was at flirting. He crossed the carpet to the chair located in front of Ager’s desk and sat down. He’d been travelling all day and was about to drop despite his brief respite at lunch with Brook. He hated airplane traveling. They said their good-byes, and Brook let himself out of the room but not before he extracted a promise from Andrew to come visit him at his condo when he got back from his run. When Andrew wasn’t running, he rarely left home. He was a little bit of a homebody and was rather content with the fact. He suspected it was one of the reasons he believed he was still single. Dating required leaving his house, and he was just as happy in his pj’s in front of the TV on date night. All his excitement was reserved for his work.
Finally the three of them turned their attention to him, but it was Jason who spoke. “You know the risks of going on a run, Andrew. You’ve been on enough of them to where I don’t feel the need to explain the potential dangers. But this run is going to be your longest and your most intensive. I want you to be reassured that we’re taking every precaution. The additional security is just the beginning. We’re also adding a personal medic and a sniper to the team.”
Andrew frowned. “I know it’s through the wilds, but why the additional security?”
“There are reports coming out of the neighboring sector of a pack of Necros moving through the area. There is a rumor going around that a Necro King is leading them on raids. The zombie numbers have tripled on the trail since the report came out,” Jim said, opening up his holo-file and flipping it around so Andrew could see the numbers and official photographs. “We’d understand if you wanted to sit this one out.”
Andrew scoffed. “And miss the most intense run of my life? You must be joking. We’ve had very little information on some of my run zones and have still gone ahead with the plans. Are the other sponsors pulling out?”
Ager shook his head. “No. General Zs has actually added two more runners to their team. The public is highly anticipatory of the event.”
“Then Deadzone needs to be there. You guys have been advertising this run for months. Risk or not, I don’t want to back out now,” Andrew said. “I trust you guys to handle my security. I always have.”
Jason chuckled. “You would’ve made a hell of a field agent in another life, boy. Well, I’m glad that’s settled. We’re very excited to see you get out there and compete.” A hard knock sounded on the door, and Jason’s grin widened. “Those must be the field agents I sent for. Boys, come on in.”
The door swung inward, and Andrew swiveled in his chair to see his run team file in through the door. Marcel and Jax had been on missions with him before, but he didn’t recognize the others.
Andrew smiled at them, hoping to put them at ease. “Hello, gentlemen. Andrew Ainsley. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” They lined up one by one to greet him, and Jason made the introductions without hesitation.
They seemed like a good group of guys, and Andrew thought they would have a good time on the run so long as they kept out of his way and didn’t interfere with the integrity of the race.
“So, as long as everyone is clear on what we’re doing, you guys can go back to your homes to prepare for the upcoming run,” Jim said, interrupting their conversation as it dissolved into the statistics of last year’s Daytona runs. The sector had converted the old race track into an indoor jogging track that hosted a significant national run once a year. It was one of the reasons that the sector was one of the richest in New America. “I want all of you rested and ready to go in fourteen hours.”
“Fourteen hours?” Andrew asked. If he knew he had all that time, he wouldn’t have come into the city so soon. He hated sleeping in the bunks at Deadzone. He frowned. There was probably a hotel he could stay at around here somewhere.
“Oh, I didn’t think about you living farther out, Andrew,” Jim said as the run team dispersed. “Why don’t you stay with Ager, Jason, and I? We have plenty of room and the beds are comfortable.”
Andrew pushed himself to his feet. “I wouldn’t want to put you guys out.”
“It’s really no imposition,” Ager said. The guy was always incredibly gracious. It was probably one of the many reasons he made such an effective insurance agent and assistant to Jim and Jason. He suited the other two owners of Deadzone.
“All right,” Andrew said, giving in to their invitation. Their place was a fortress, and it was also one of the most beautiful homes in the country. At least that was what the online
Homes of New America
magazine said when he’d looked at the pictures of it last fall. He’d never actually been there. “I appreciate you putting me up.”
“Where did you stash your luggage when you got here?” Jason asked. “I’ll have a couple of the boys put your bags in our car.”
Andrew shrugged. “Brook put it in with the guest parcels downstairs. I’ve got the ticket number if you need it.”
“That’ll be handy,” Jason said. “If you want, I’ll go ahead and take you to our place. That way you won’t have to worry about waiting for us to get off work. We’ve got a staff meeting that might run a bit late. Jim, Ager, can you hold down the fort for me while I’m gone?”
Ager smiled, nodding. “Of course. Get going. I need you back here to go over tonight’s budgetary plan and to discuss the tents for the medi-checks along route.”
Jason gave a mock salute. “I’ll be back in a flash, baby.” He winked at Andrew. “It’s nice having a couple of very efficient men around to keep me on task.”
He motioned toward the door, and Andrew followed him out of their office and into the hallway once again. A couple of men in suits were headed down the same hallway that Daniel had disappeared in a few minutes ago. Jason waved to them as they passed, his pace quick. Andrew was always impressed with Jason’s vitality. The man really had a lot of energy and was as charismatic as they came. Brook had that same type of energy.
“How’s Brooklyn getting along with Ager? I meant to ask him earlier, but I forgot. I haven’t really talked to anyone since I was here last year. I didn’t check in the past few runs.” He’d been a little bit absorbed in his new Japanese Zen garden he had made in the small outdoor balcony he’d been meaning to do something with for ages.