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.Maybe it’s the pistol holders crisscrossing her hips that turn him on.Again, interesting.“That was a bit awkward.”“Ya think?”I help him to stand, and he takes a moment to settle himself.He leans against me, the side of his chest brushing my breast and sending tingling jolts through me.Damn it.“Careful,” I admonish, sounding a bit more harsh than I want because it’s easier to hide behind aggravation.“You probably have a concussion.”“I do not have a concussion,” he retorted.“If I did, my neuro net would tell me… Shit.”I cock an eyebrow at him.“It must have been disabled by the blow.”“Kris’s got knocked out too.”“Great,” he says.“Flying blind.Haven’t done that in a while.”“Let me help you get your pants on.”“I have to confess,” he says with a look of deep concentration on his face, “I’ve honestly never had a girl tell me that.Usually she’s trying to get them off.”“If you don’t shut up, I’ll make you walk out there in your tighty-whities.”Hyde only chuckles and then proceeds to dress himself.He keeps looking at me, checking me out, and I’m not stupid.I’m a long-legged blonde wearing leather and packing a gun.Let’s face it—for some men I’m a sexual goddess come to life.I’ve known about men’s fantasies since I was twelve.My mother had a boyfriend with a Lolita fetish, and one hot summer day, when the humidity had been thick enough to cut with a knife, I had gone into my house for some ice.The bastard had cornered me, seeing the promise of womanhood in my prepubescent body.Luckily, I had grown up in a poor area where bullies were bred like tadpoles in a pond, so I was able to fend him off by smacking him with a broom.After that I tortured him till he left my mother, who usually was too drunk to even know he was around.Some laxatives in his beer, sugar in his gas tank, lemon in his cereal, and mousetraps in the shoes work every time.But the look Hyde is giving me isn’t lust; at least it isn’t pure lust.I see male appreciation, of course, but he watches me with curiosity deep in his eyes.His first glance at the underground is one of amazement.We step from our little room, and he simply stares with his jaw dropping a little.“Amazing, huh?”“How do they power all this?”“Shalana has a solar engineer that keeps all this running,” I reply.“I’m afraid the mechanics are a little much for my understanding, but Kris seemed to comprehend all the technobabble.He even understood how that damn cattle prod worked.”Hyde glanced at me.“Kris has an amazing mind,” he said with a note of genuine admiration.“Out of all of us, the 281, that is, he’s the one who can build a nuclear reactor out of a soda can and a piece of string.”“And just who are the men of the 281?”As I ask the question, I start to walk toward the city center point, which isn’t far but far enough to keep the conversation going.“Well, patrolling the West Side are Tobias Noble and Orion West,” he says with fondness.“About as different in temperament as you can get.They’re good partners because Orion controls Tobias, and that in itself is a miracle.And then there are the brothers, Gabe and Sar Ranieri, hitting the South Central portion of LA.Gabe is the medic in the team.His twin, Sar, is—” And here Hyde falters for a moment.His lips curl a fraction as if he’s struggling to figure out what he wants to say.“Sar is a fighter.A soldier through and through.He was burned really badly a few years ago, so he’s not real good with people.”“Hmm, I think the first two probably got the better deal patrolling along the beach.” I love the beach.For a while I had lived on the coast of South Carolina, near Myrtle Beach, and it was heaven.That was the closest I had ever come to total freedom.“I don’t know,” he replies.“I think Kris and I got pretty lucky.”I shoot him a look, and his stares straight at me with an intensity that sends shivers down my spine.It’s heat infused with fire and wrapped up in erotic magnetism.His green eyes practically glow with the promise of wonderful, masterful sex, and it makes me want to drag him back into the little room so we can fuck like bunnies.My heart hammers in my chest, and I think I actually sway toward him a little.“Hola, Evie!”The squeal of a little girl’s voice shatters my lust-filled thoughts, and I stagger a bit.Hyde shoots out a hand to steady me.“Friend of yours?”I clear my throat and put on a big smile to greet the little girl.“Hola, Isabel!”Thank God for Isabel.She walks with us, chattering the whole time, though it’s not enough to distract me from Hyde.When we arrive in the area dubbed “center point,” a crowd has already formed.It’s a large area where tables have been set up with platters of food.People hold out plates, and others give them proportioned food as they shuffle their way through the service line.We go to the end, and I see a stack of plates and utensils that everyone can share.The line moves quickly, and it isn’t long until we’re sitting and lapping up the hot breakfast.I don’t know if it’s because it’s exceptionally prepared or if I simply haven’t had a decent meals in days, but I eat like a starving pig, inhaling my food instead of chewing it.It’s the best beans and fried dough I’ve ever eaten.I notice Hyde is doing a great imitation of me.Once we’re done scarping down our food, I sit our dishes aside and enjoy the moment of a full belly and no one shooting at us.I see Hyde look around the “city,” taking in the oddly constructed houses, the little streets that run in between them, and the overall feel of togetherness these people have managed to build together.I know he has questions, but so far he’s managed to keep them to himself.Just then Isabel comes running back over, smiling, to take our dishes and utensils, telling me in Spanish that she will wash them.I thank her, and she trots off with the others who are the cleaners to the area designated for washing.“Who is she?” Hyde asks.“And how did you and Kris find this place?”All right, here it is, the point of lies or no lies.I’ve never been the type of person to hide, for whatever reason.I grew up in an in-your-face type of way, and I’ve lived my life the same.My gift is simply that, so there’s no use pretending it’s not a part of me.“I can see certain things.”But I can tell Hyde is lost since he’s missing key points of the story.“I have visions of future events,” I revise.“Not all future events, only certain ones.And I can’t predict when or where I’m going to have them, nor can I tell you the lottery numbers.”I give a halfhearted chuckle, trying to lighten the mood, but Hyde doesn’t laugh.Well, I thought it was funny, at least.“Wait a minute,” he states, holding up a hand.“You said earlier that you’re not from here, that you volunteered.Did you, perchance, follow the 281?”“No, I followed you and Kris.”He sucks in his breath.“You had a vision of us? Is one of us in danger? Is Kris okay?”“Actually, I’ve been having dreams of you and Kris all my life, and I’ve been following after you both for some time.But your company must move around a lot.”“Yes,” he replies softly.“We do
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