Thicker Than Blood (Thicker Than Blood #1)(60)
Eyes followed us as we passed, dirty faces assessing us from head to toe. Some people offered us friendly smiles, others were more apprehensive. But the men all had the same look in their eyes—greed—evident by their lascivious grins, their hands rubbing together, knuckles cracking, their appraising eyes running up and down the length of us.
Jutting my chin out, I ignored the catcalls, ignored the quivers that ran up Leisel’s arm and into my own. Picking up our pace, I ensured that we stayed directly behind Alex, no more than a distance of two steps at all times. Even so, Alex’s presence didn’t calm me as I’d hoped it would, not when I could still see all those greedy eyes.
Eventually, at the far end of the open area, we turned down a quiet corner and entered a tall building. On either side of us, the walls were crudely painted with names and dates, images of both the past and the present. The hallways were lined with large metal drums, men filling them with some sort of yellowish liquid, as if preparing for something.
The entire place was surprisingly cleaner than I’d thought it would be, the floors swept free of debris, items piled up and organized on shelves or neatly stacked in containers. Amazed, I continued to stare, wondering how many different supplies they must have in a place this size, and how they’d obtained it all.
Finally we approached a set of concrete steps that led to a heavy steel door, two armed guards stationed at the bottom.
“He up there?” our escort asked the guards, jerking his chin in the direction of the door.
One of the guards answered, a short, stocky man with shockingly red hair. “Yeah, you know the drill, knock and wait before you go in.”
We started up the stairs, only to be stopped by one of the guards placing a firm hand on Alex’s chest. “What do you need?” This guard was taller than the other and lankier, but his gaze was hard and forbidding.
Cocking his head to one side, Alex eyed the man disdainfully. “Everything,” he bit out.
The soldier’s gaze slid away from Alex, landing on me. Seeing him, the look in his eyes, I knew what was about to happen, and a shiver of anxiety slid up my spine.
“I can get you anything you want for a night with that one.” Biting down on his bottom lip, the guard switched his appreciation toward Leisel. “Or that one,” he continued. “We haven’t had fresh * here in months, and I’d like a workout with ’em before they end up in the Cave.” He looked back at Alex, his brow arched in question.
“They’re not for sale,” Alex answered, the muscles in his back tensing.
“You’re tapping both?” The soldier laughed once before looking back at me. “He satisfying you?” His gaze shifted between Leisel and me. “Both of you?”
It was Alex who answered. “I am,” he practically growled.
The guard let out an unsatisfied breath of air, yet his smile remained. Stepping aside, he gestured to the door, allowing us access.
One by one, we climbed the stairs, and for reasons unknown to me, I chanced a glance back down. Both guards were still watching us, smiling widely, and I couldn’t help but think that maybe we’d made a huge mistake, that maybe we shouldn’t want to find out what was behind that door.
When we were through the door, we were faced with yet another set of stairs that led to a corridor, then two more sets of stairs. Finally we came to a long dark hall lined with broken windows. A lone door was at the end, painted a bright red. As we trudged down the hallway, we couldn’t help but peek out the windows. From our vantage point here, high above the camp, we were able see a great deal of the entire spread, and even I had to admit that I was slightly awed by it all. This place was huge, much bigger than Fredericksville, and a lot less Truman Show, with more of a Mad Max vibe.
We came to a stop in front of the opulent red door where our escort raised his fist and knocked twice. Several heartbeats passed, during which my apprehension mounted, and then a gruff, inaudible reply sounded from within.
I gave Leisel’s hand another squeeze; she looked like she needed it. In fact, she looked downright petrified, and knowing that was all the incentive I needed to swallow my own fears and reservations.
“We’ll be okay,” I told her quietly, and breathed a sigh of relief when she nodded in response. “Together, okay?” I smiled at her. “Always together, I promise.”
The room we entered was a huge open expanse, large concrete pillars standing from floor to ceiling and spaced evenly throughout. Sections of the space had been cordoned off to create the ambience of an actual home, and it was just that—homelike, yet in a f*cked-up sort of way.
There was a living area consisting of three sofas, none of them matching, all of them with an insane array of colorful throws and mismatched cushions. The bedroom area was covered in mirrors—the walls, the ceiling, even the headboard. Near a row of partially boarded-up windows, I saw a bathroom area with a large claw-foot tub, which caused me to cringe in sympathy for whoever had been responsible for lugging it up all those stairs.
Like the rest of the building, the place was clean yet eclectic, with colors splashed over walls, and a variety of throw rugs of different sizes and shades scattered over the floor. It was visually jarring and oddly welcoming at the same time.
Through the center of it all, a man and woman approached us, unsurprising in my expectation of their appearances. The man was huge, not just muscular, but downright huge, covered with muscles. And as he continued toward us, a fierce scowl on his face and his bare chest on display, I was slightly more impressed by the sheer strength he radiated than by the place he presided over.