Chapter 27 Bargains in the Heat
Kiara stopped by her place, pretending she’d come to grab supplies. She slipped several packs of bread, cartons of milk, and bottled water from her storage into her backpack before heading down to the seventh floor.
Joy was frowning at Alec, still lying unconscious on the floor. “So… what are we going to do with him?”
Kiara laid out her plan, then unzipped her backpack and set the food beside him so that, when he woke, he could eat right
away.
From the moment they’d met, Joy had pegged Kiara as someone who kept people at arm’s length. Leaving Alec here—yes, that was exactly the sort of thing Kiara would do.
Kiara, unaware of Joy’s silent judgment, was pulling out the last of her supplies. She was ready to stand up when a strong hand clamped around her wrist,
Her instincts kicked in. She yanked the switchblade from her pocket and pressed it hard against Alec’s throat. “Let go.”
“Take me with you.” Alec’s voice was faint, but his words came out clipped and deliberate, each one forced from deep in his chest
Even half–conscious, he was coiled like a spring.
Fresh from a close brush with death, his survival instincts were razor–sharp.
The moment someone came near, he’d snap awake.
He’d heard every word she and Joy had exchanged.
And if they left him here, he knew he might not survive.
But he couldn’t die. He wouldn’t.
The memory of his teammates brutal deaths burned in his eyes, turning them a deep, dangerous red.
Ignoring the blade at his throat, Alec tugged Kiara closer until his breath was warm against her ear. His voice was low, rough, and deliberate “Kiara, I know your secret. If you leave me here, I’ll make sure the whole world hears about it.
He was gambling. Previously, Kiara had driven miles out of her way to dump three men’s bodies in the wilderness. She’d done it to keep certain things from getting out.
Alec was betting she wouldn’t risk exposure.
The pressure of her knife against his neck increased.
That was all the confirmation he needed.
He’d won Again
Kiara’s pupils narrowed.
If Alec really knew about her storage–the secret she hadn’t even told Sibley–she’d kill him.
She brielly entertained the idea of severing his carotid artery and ending it.
Hut she forced the impulse down, her voice flat and cold. “What exactly do you know? And who else knows it!”
Alec didn’t answer.
When she looked again, she saw that he had already passed out.
“Damn it!”
She wanted to finish him off right there–but what if he wasn’t the only one who knew? That uncertainty stopped her.
Still, how could he possibly know about her space? She’d been so careful.
Chapter 27 Bargains in the Heat
The questions churned inside her, unanswered, leaving her seething-
With clear reluctance, she hauled Alec up to the tenth floor and dumped him onto the sofa.
Finished
The rooftop solar generator kept the AC running, which meant he’d get to recover in an air–conditioned room during the apocalypse–a luxury that felt far too generous for him.
She’d been gone all night. Honey, her tiger cub, was slumped in the corner with drooping ears, looking utterly dejected.
Kiara mixed goat milk powder into warm water for him, changed his bandages, and cleaned up after him.
The only upside to being his caretaker was that once it had eaten and drunk its fill, she could scoop him up and bury her fingers in the thick fur of its striped head.
After a few days together, Honey’s energy had noticeably improved, and it had grown fonder of her too.
It kept its claws in now, purring as it rested in her arms, kneading her pant leg with tiny paws. It was unbearably adorable.
This was the first time in either of her lives Kiara had ever kept a pet. At first, she’d taken Honey in simply because a tiger was a formidable fighter.
But now, she had to admit she was starting to like it for real
After giving Honey a long, indulgent scratch, Kiara went to Alec, fed him a vitamin pill, and gave him a shot of nutrients. Then she turned back to Honey, “Keep an eye on him, Honey. I’m going to check on the ninth floor.”
Honey bared its tiny teeth and gave a gruff
Mas if promising to guard the place.
The ninth floor was livelier than Kiara had expected.
Joy was the kind of easygoing extrovert who could strike up a conversation with anyone, and even Sibley’s quiet nature didn’t stand a chance against her social charm. Before long, the two were chatting like old friends.
No one had lived here in years, and the condominium was coated in a film of dust.
Sibley wore an apron and a mask as she worked, methodically mopping the floors.
Joy, thrilled to have company, hummed a tune as she wiped down the doorframes with a rag.
Kiara pitched in, and together they had both units cleaned in no time.
After finishing their work, the three of them sprawled out on the couch, catching their breath
Joy, who hated the heat most of all, wiped the sweat from her forehead and groaned. “When is this awful weather going to end? And the power’s still out–no AC, no relief. It’s driving me insane.”
Kiara sat up straighter. “Actually, I was just about to mention this–I’ve got a few solar generators. I’m not using them all right now, you can each take one.”
Word had already gotten around that she owned more than one generator, so she didn’t mind returning the favor Joy had
done her.
