Retribution (Secrets & Lies #3)(16)
“BA's needing to get out and squirm a bit, but she's okay,” Katrina says, playing finger games with her daughter, who does look like she's more than ready to get out of her carseat. “We can hang in there for the rest of the trip. The road's smooth?”
“Yes, I believe so. I called the maintenance company I use for this place to prepare everything for us. If he did not have a problem getting up here, we should not, either.” I head back up to the truck and slide back into the driver's seat. “You know you could have driven.”
“Nah, I'm enjoying being lazy,” she says, grinning. “Save energy now for the hard work later.”
The first sight of the compound stirs some memories in my heart, of a time soon after I'd left the Army and after my mercenary days were done. When being in the green forest and cold was ideal because it was as far from the hurt in my heart as possible. My right hip aches, not in real pain but at recalling an old memory. The large scar on my skin is evidence of why I should be paranoid about Isis Bardot.
“Wow,” Andrea says quietly as we pull up. “It's... stark.”
“I will admit it could use a coat of paint,” I reply, chuckling as we get out. The outer walls are unpainted, sealed concrete, nothing else adorning the outside. “But this place could possibly take a full-on assault and remain standing. I guess that added to the appeal of the property. I was a bit paranoid back then.”
Melissa gets out and looks around, turning in a slow circle before giving me a big smile. “It's beautiful, Nathan. Top of a hill, and what's that in the distance?”
She points to the northeast, and I smile. “That's Mt. Mitchell. If you ladies will follow me, I'll give everyone the tour of the property.”
We wait for everyone to get out of the van, BA looking around in wonder like Melissa as she feels the cold on her skin before she clings to Katrina, who laughs and adjusts the baby sling. “I don't think she's ever felt this cold before.”
“Well, let's get the walk of the property finished, then we can get things unloaded, and get a fire going inside, she can warm up that way,” I say, waving. “Follow me.”
The first thing that catches everyone attention is the creek that flows through the side of the nearby property. Jackson kneels down and touches it, tasting his finger and giving the creek an appreciative look. “Whoa. Fresh water.”
We keep walking, Jackson finally chuckling as we finish. “This place would be great for the zombie apocalypse. You sure you're not a bit of a prepper, Nathan?”
I shrug, knowing exactly what Jackson means. “Maybe. Come, let's get things unloaded, and we can get the main fireplace started. One side effect of the construction, the rooms tend to be a bit cold.”
A bit cold turns out to be an understatement, as right off the bat we have a problem. The furnace is busted, and while we'd prepared by buying some electric space heaters for emergency purposes, they're not as helpful as we'd want. “Dammit,” Andrea grumbles as she rubs her hands together.
“Don't worry,” I reassure her, hauling in a box of food. “The fireplace has enough heat to warm more than just the main room, and we can get through. Hey, at least the beds are still in good shape.”
“Speaking of which, what type of church was this place, anyway?” she asks, grabbing a clothing bag from the back of the truck. “Nothing but twin mattresses on iron frames.”
“Methodists. What, you don’t like the fact the rooms were set up to prevent immoral activities?” I tease, and Andrea laughs.
“You got me. Then again, if we push those together, I bet Carson could think of something to do with the bedposts and the tie-down straps we used to secure all this junk.”
“TMI, Andrea,” Jackson says with a groan. “Seriously, way too much info.”
“Aww, why, oniichan? Maybe Katrina will get some ideas for you two to have fun with.”
“Not needed,” Jackson grumbles. “Having plenty of fun as it is.”
We get most of the important things unloaded and a roaring fire going before the sun goes down, where we start to make adjustments. “I do appreciate the lighting,” Jackson says, looking around. “After the heater issue, I thought we'd be going just by firelight.”
“After we split up last year, I spent some time here before doing other things, including replacing all the old lights with LEDs, and I had the maintenance crew up here putting in solar panels on the roof. If we keep the usage low, we can get by without using the generator.”
“No computers?” Katrina asks, pained, and I shake my head.
“I said keep it low. I know, we bought that satellite Internet hookup for a reason, and we are going to use it. I am just saying we need to try and limit our usage of the generator. I would prefer to limit our driving back to town, especially when we are talking about getting gas to run a generator,” I correct her gently. “It cannot run this whole place.”
“And if we get a string of cloudy days?” Carson asks, and I shrug. “No lights?”
“No lights, but we can still keep a fire going, and keep the computer up as needed. Honestly, I’m just glad we only brought the two laptops. I’ve seen your home rig, Katrina. I think we would need our own nuke plant to power that thing.”