Beautiful Death (Bella Morté Trilogy Book 1) (10 page)

“True. So how do we plan on keepin’ watch?”

“The men can sleep in four-hour rounds.”

Groaning, Ian looked at Montana. “
Just
the men?”

“Yes.”

“Why not the women too?”

“You must be single.” Zach shrugged. “Because we’re better.”

Candice rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that’s why.”

“What? It’s true.”

“Uh-huh.” She looked around the room. “So does anyone know what happened?”

Rachel shook her head while drinking Diet Coke. “No, but like I can bet it was like the government.”

Ian arched a brow. “
Our
government?”

“Yep. They probably like planned it.”

Erica glared at her. “
That
is annoying!”

“Like,” turning she looked at her. “What is?”

“Like
that
! Stop saying
like
so much.”

“If you don’t like how I talk,” Rachel glared back. “Then
like
don’t listen!” Turning, she looked back at the group. “I’m telling you, it was like our government.”

Howard chuckled. “You think they planned our demise?”

“Yep and have like scientists hidden somewhere safe.”

Ian stared at her, incredulously. “Someone doesn’t believe in our judicial system.”

“Like they created this mess to like fuck with us.”

Looking at Rachel, Sophia paused in mid-bite. “Let me get this straight. You think the
Government
did
this
for
our
destruction. Why?”

“Like, I dunno. Maybe they like meant to send it to like our enemies and the wind like shifted.”

Shrugging, Howard grabbed a candy bar off the shelf. “That sounds like a conspiracy.”

“Like some of the hardest truths were like thought of as conspiracy.”

“What purpose would they have?”

“Like seriously? You don’t like see the benefit in that?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Like, if they sent this shit to like our enemy, they’d be like wiped out.”

Trevor looked at her. “Why do ya think it was them?”

“Who else could like mastermind something this big? I’ll bet they like knew this was going to happen, but like shoved the info away in a mislabeled folder. After that, they like purposely lost it so no one would know.”

Erica nodded. “Even though she says
like
way too much, she’s got a point.”

Ian shook his head. “There’s no way. Our government isn’t like that. They wouldn’t just kill off innocent people.”

Erica rolled her eyes. “Yeah, cause they’re so concerned with our rights.”

Shaking her head, Sophia took another bite. “Not necessarily. Ya forgot about Africa.”

Rachel looked over. “Like what do you mean?”

“They had a mean outbreak of Ebola.”

Brandon grabbed another chocolate donut. “Isn’t ‘at the virus where ya bleed a lot?”

“Yes, an’ it’s highly contagious. Many died. It wasn’t pretty. There was speculation the government knew about it an’ covered it up.”

Candice nodded. “Why did, whatever happened tonight, turn so many people into… whatever those things were--”

“Freakazoids,” Ian interrupted her.

Confused, she looked at him annoyed. She hated when people interrupted her. “Excuse me?”

“I think we should call them by
one
name. It might make it a lot easier.”

Montana sighed. “Let’s not forget those
things
are still people. We don’t know why they’re doin’ ‘is, but they
are
still people.”

Erica scoffed. “What kind of whacked out fuckers do you hang out with? They aren’t like anyone I have ever met. They’re most definitely
not
people.”

“Yeah, she’s got a point. In my line of work, I have dealt with all kinds: the government, the mafia, the FBI, the CIA, and all those other three-letter organizations. I think it’s safe to say they stopped being…
people
… the moment they bit into another to eat them,” Zach agreed.

Trevor bit into a chip. “It sounds like a buncha cannibals.”

Brandon nodded. “Yeah! That’s what they call people who eat other people, so why not call ‘em cannibals?”

“Makes sense to me.”

“It doesn’t matter what it is. This way if someone screams about a Freakazoid, we’ll know what the hell they mean.” Ian nodded. “Just to lessen the confusion.”

Candice rolled her eyes. “Fine, we’ll call them Freakazoids. So, what happened in one night to make so many?”

Reaching over, grabbing her fork, Zach stole a bite of cake. “Yeah, and are the rest of us going to get it too?”

Brandon shook his head. “If we do, who’s gonna protect you guys?”

Montana sat down with a cup of coffee. “I think we should get to know each other first. We can discuss the rest of it after.”

“I want a refund,” Erica said, pointing at him. “We paid out the ass and this isn’t what I was promised!”

Scowling, Candice glared at her. “You really think money matters now?”

Raising his hands in the air, Justice stood. It was about to get nasty in there. Even though, he loved to see two women fighting, especially in the mud, they didn’t have time for all that. “Okay then. I’ll start us off. I’m Justice. A guide here trained from zip linin’ all the way down to janitorial work. I know how to do it all.”

Brandon smirked. “In other words, he’s our bitch.”

Scowling, Justice flipped him off. “Next.”

Candice looked around as all eyes turned to her. “Oh! Well, I guess that’s me. I’m Candice Larkin. Usually, I work in an office. I’m a beast on the computer and can hack any system.”

Justice looked at her. “I heard some can’t be hacked.”

“You heard wrong. If you know where the back door is, with just a little coding, you’re in.”

“What about this one?”

“I don’t know. I’d have to look at it, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Brandon chuckled. “Isn’t that against the law?”

“Not when you work for the government,” she told him before turning to look at Rachel. “And before you ask, no, I didn’t see anything about this in any files.”

Zach raised his hand. “I’m Zach Stewart.” He put his arm around Candice’s shoulder, possessively. “And this gorgeous woman is my fiancé and has been, happily, for two years now.”

Candice rolled her eyes, reaching for a drink, pulling away from him at the same time. “Yep.”

He continued. “We came here for a vacation, but this isn’t what I had in mind.”

Ian nodded. “Join the club.”

“I own a construction company and can work on any and all equipment. I can also build and tear down a house. I have a warehouse filled with things, but it’s about an hour from here.”

Montana nodded. “That information will come in handy.”

Taking a seat next to Justice, Brandon offered another chocolate covered smile. “I’m Brandon Ayres. Most of you’ve seen me flyin’ over your heads.”

“Oh! That was you!” When he smiled, Candice smirked. “Flying around on a broom is one way to go, I guess.”

“Oh ha-ha. You’re so funny.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m one of the zip linin’ guides, but I can handle the water too. I like long walks on the beach an’ could really go for a midnight swim.” He winked, but when no one smiled, he continued, pointing at Candice. “I remember you.”

“You do?”

Zach looked from Candice to Brandon, glaring slightly.

“Yep. You were our problem child.”

Candice laughed. “How did I know that stupid name was gonna stick?”

“Because it fits.”

“Out of that whole trip, you just remember me as the
problem child
?”

He winked. “I guess you’re unforgettable.”

Trevor scoffed. “More like trouble. I remember. Ya kept tryin’ to throw people off the tower.”

She laughed softly. “Nuh-uh.”

“You thought we’d forget about that?”

Interestedly, Montana looked at her. “You were tryin’ to throw people off my towers?”

Candice giggled, shaking her head. “No, not
people
. I’m not like some serial killer.”

“That’s what it sounds like to me.”

“It was just
one
guy.”

“Oh, well if it was
just
one guy.” He laughed. “That doesn’t sound much better.”

Zach looked inquiringly from one to the other. “What are they talking about?”

She smirked. “When Todd and I went zip lining.”

“
They
were your guides?” He looked from one to the other, before turning back to her. “What happened?”

“Todd was his usual dick self. I tried to get Brandon and Trevor to look the other way so I could throw him off the tower a few times.”

Brandon laughed. “A
few
times?”

Trevor sneered. “It wasn’t just a
few
times. It was
every
tower.”

“I think she was tryin’ to get us fired.”

Candice laughed. “Nuh-uh.”

Trevor nodded. “Yuh-huh! She said the cops knew him an’ would understand.”

“Well, that much was true!”

Brandon agreed. “He
was
bein’ an ass. By the end of the trip, everyone was ready to help her.”

“Yeah, they were all plottin’ by that point,” Trevor laughed. “It was kinda funny.”

“They kept us on our toes.”

Nodding, Zach stole another bite of her cake. “I knew we should’ve gone ziplining that day.”

Furrowing her brows, Candice snorted, stealing back her fork. “Go get your own damn piece of cake! And you’re full of shit! You refused to go because it was so hi--”

“I think it’s
his
,” he interrupted, pointing at Trevor, “turn to make introductions.”

Trevor smirked, clearing his throat. “I’m Trevor Santella. Just remember everythin’ Brandon said, minus the midnight swim an’ the broomstick ride, an’ that’s all me.”

Shaking his head, Brandon jeered. “I
wasn’t
on a broomstick. That’s such a cop-out repeatin’ me.”

“Maybe so, but it’s the truth. I can do everythin’ you can, so why say it all again? Next!”

Montana chuckled. “I guess that’s me if we’re goin’ in order. Y’all know me, but for those of you who don’t, I’m Montana: the safety director. That’s what I’m gonna do at all costs.”

Sophia nodded. “How can we help you keep us safe?”

“Don’t go outside without a guide. It might be safer if we live by the buddy system. Take a
buddy
, bein’ one of the guides, with ya everywhere.”

“Sounds good to me, but I’m not sure why anyone would have to go outside.”

“True. It’s your turn.”

Sophia had silver hair; a touch lighter than Montana’s, keeping it pinned back. She was thin, with brown eyes. “I’m Sophia Trowbridge. I was here with my husband.” She smiled tenderly at the memory. “He thought I spent too much time at work, so it was his idea for a nice quiet vacation. It was more silent at work.”

“What do you do?” Candice asked.

“I’m a surgeon. It was somethin’ I wanted to do since I was a little girl. I just wanted to help people. I worked at a very busy hospital an’ was one of the best.” She lit a cigarette. “If ya don’t smoke, get used to it cause I’m not goin’ outside.”

“Well, it’s good to know we have a doctor on our side just in case we need one.” Brandon nodded.

“Speakin’ of which, is anyone hurt?”

Erica raised her hand. “I’ve got a cut on my arm.”

“Let me check ‘at for you.” Standing, she walked over to Erica.

The next in line brushed back her shoulder length black hair as brown eyes looked around the room. “I guess like I’m next. My name is like Rachel Stratus. This reminds me of like an AA meeting. My friends all call me like a drama queen because like I have a conspiracy theory for like everything. Oddly enough, it’s always like the government’s fault too.”

Brandon laughed. “Well, that’s like random information just like thrown out there.”

“Yeah, like thanks for sharin’,” Trevor teased.

She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, my job is doing like landscaping designs.”

“What does a landscapin’ designer do?”

“It’s my job to like tell you if a bush looks good, or if like a flower garden would look better like in front of the house or the side. I’m like the one who puts in the pond.”

“Oh. That sounds… excitin’.”