Page 17 of Worth the Ruin
The woman’s eyes bulge for a moment before she blinks and schools her features. She tucks her hair behind her ear, revealing a long, angry scar from her temple to the middle of her cheek.
“O-of course, sir.” She obviously knows better than to question Traeger’s commands. My eyes flare and heat radiates through my chest, quick and angry. Hadhedone that to her?
Traeger turns to me.
“Renee will show you to your room. Stay there until I send for you.”
That grates on my nerves, but I hold my tongue—barely. My downfall has always been my stubborn pride. It had always driven Mitch crazy, my superiors too. My evaluations usually went something likeAgent is smart, resourceful, and an asset to the team. However, she continues to have trouble with authority figures.I nearly smile at the memories. I obeyed orders…mostly. I didn’t always follow them to the letter, exactly, but I did things in thespiritof said orders, and almost always got the desired result in the end, so usually they overlooked my “insubordination” as they liked to call it. I called it getting the jobdone in my own way and not listening to stupid assholes when they were being stupid.
Now, having Traeger of all people tell me to stay put until he calls for me? Like adog? I ball my hands into fists so tight my knuckles whiten, and I bite the inside of my cheek, letting the pain distract me. He gives me a knowing smile, as if he knows exactly how his command irks me, and I blink. Is…Isheprofilingme? I narrow my eyes and he fucking winks at me before strolling off down a hallway to the left of the reception desk. I stare at his back, wondering who the fuck this man is.
Renee clears her throat softly.
“This way.”
The man with the bushy mustache that had given me food that first night—Holloway, I’d learned—drops my duffle bag at my feet without a word, inclines his head, and strides off. I blink, surprised they’re actually letting me keep my stuff, but heft the bag on one shoulder. I follow Renee as she crosses the lobby and heads down a hallway to the right.
“Well, as Traeger said, I’m Renee, and I know that you’re Melody.”
“Mel,” I interrupt. “Just Mel.”
Renee bobs her head, a lock of hair falling back across her face to hide her scar.
“Mel. It’s nice to meet you. You came from The Cove?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve heard it’s lovely.”
I give the woman a nod, not wanting to think about The Cove. We go down an oversized corridor with beautiful hand-scrapped wooden floors and large windows looking out onto the lake, pass the elevators, and head into the stairwell. About halfway up, we pass a woman in a tight, black dress. I blink in surprise. Little black dresses aren’t exactly standard apocalypse apparel.
“Is he back, then?” the woman asks Renee. She’s pretty, with dark blonde hair and pouty lips.
“Yes,” Renee says, sounding a bit exasperated. The woman smiles and shifts her gaze to me, the smile fading a bit as a challenging look settles in her dark brown eyes.
“Who’s this?”
“A new resident.” Resident? Not prisoner? Not hostage? “Mel, this is Tricia. Tricia, this is Mel.”
I nod in greeting and adjust the strap of my duffle on my shoulder. Tricia narrows her eyes as she looks me up and down.
“Wednesdays are mine, so steer clear.”
I blink in confusion, but she flounces off, her heeled boots thudding loudly on the stairs.Wednesdays are mine? What the fuck is she talking about?
Renee shakes her head and sighs, this time in clear annoyance.
“Sorry, she’s…” She seems to be casting about for the right word to describe this Tricia woman, and lands on, “one of Traeger’s girls.”
“One of his…ohhh,” I say as realization hits. One of his girls. A member of the harem. “So, that rumor is true,” I say, mostly to myself.
“He’ll probably want you as one too,” Renee says as she looks me up and down, the same way Tricia had, but while Tricia had seemed challenging and predatory, Renee seems appreciative and admiring.
That won’t be happening, I want to say, but I honestly can’t be sure that won’t be happening. If that’s what he demands of me to keep everyone safe, then I’ll do it, but…I nearly shudder at the thought of being one of “Traeger’s Girls,” of having a fucking scheduled day of the week when I’m designated to be his plaything.
I just stay silent and we both let the topic drop as we continue up and up and up. We huff it to the fifth floor, Renee breathing a little hard by the time we reach the door. I guess FOSers don’t take cardio as seriously as the rest of us,I muse. Too many times in this world, your life comes down to if you can outrun the thing chasing you. Your life can literally depend on cardio. I’d made sure that anyone who left the gates of The Cove could run for at least two miles before needing a break. You couldn’t go on a run or to work at the farm if you couldn’t run for your life, simple as that.
Renee ushers me into the hallway, and I’m surprised to find that there are only two doors along the right wall.The suites must be fucking huge. We stop in front of the door closest to the stairs, and a moment later, a FOSer emerges from the other, rifle in hand, and posts sentry outside. Another enters from the stairs and I know without a doubt that he’s about to be taking up his post outside of my room. Renee locks eyes with the man, a small smile playing on her lips and her cheeks heating a bit. The guard inclines his head and gives her a crooked grin.Well,that’sinteresting.
