Shattered World (Broken World Book 2) (3 page)

“You okay?” she asks as she gets to her feet and crosses the room, studying me calmly.

I nervously play with my hair, twisting a chunk of it around my finger like you see little kids do when they’re sleepy. I used to do it all the time when I was little. Would do it all night long and wake up with giant knots in my hair. My mom would cuss her head off while she tried to brush them out. I haven’t done it in years, though. I’d actually forgotten all about it. Why the hell did it come to mind now?

I try to push the thought of my mother out of my mind as I follow Hadley to the door. That bitch is the last thing I want to focus on. Mostly because there’s a small part of me that wonders if she’s still alive. If she’s immune, or if she lived long enough to get eaten. Which way do I want it to be? Sometimes when I picture her dying a horrible death—either from the virus or from one of the dead eating her—a sliver of satisfaction shoots through me. Like she finally got what she deserved. But other times, it just makes me all the pain and sadness swimming through me more intense. I’m tired of feeling sad.

Hadley opens the door, and Parvarti stares back at us. She tugs on her black hair, and her dark eyes get huge when they rest on Hadley. They dart around to meet mine and she relaxes a little, but not much.

“What’s up, Parv?” I say, calling her by the nickname Trey’s been using. Hopefully, it will help her relax. She’s so tightly wound I’m afraid she’s going to burst into tears at any moment. I don’t have a clue why, though.

She tugs harder on her black strands and shrinks about three inches while she stares at the ground. God, she reminds me of a kid, standing there in what has to be Trey’s Cornell sweatshirt and a pair of yoga pants that are way too long for her.

“I was wondering…” She doesn’t look up, and her cheeks turn so red that it’s visible even on her dark skin. “I just wanted to know if you had—”

Hadley looks at me and raises an eyebrow. She does that a lot. I shrug and look back at Parvarti, waiting for her to continue. But she just keeps pulling on her hair and beating around the bush. I have the sudden urge to yell at her, to tell her to just spit it out. She obviously needs something she’s embarrassed to ask for. It’s probably tampons or something.

“Parvarti,” I say firmly.

She looks up.

“What is it?”

Her cheeks get even redder. “Condoms. I need condoms.”

Oh.
That’s
why she’s so uncomfortable.

She looks back at the floor, and I fight the urge to laugh. I don’t want to scare her off or freak her out. I take a deep breath and work on keeping my voice level. “You don’t have to be embarrassed to ask for condoms, Parv. It’s not a big deal.”

She looks up and finally smiles. It’s still strained. “I just hate announcing to the world that I’m going to have sex. It’s not really how I imagined my first time…”

My mouth drops open, and her cheeks gets even redder. I’m not sure if it’s because of my shocked expression or the little sound of surprise that popped out of Hadley’s mouth.

I force my mouth shut and take a deep breath. “First time? You mean for you and Trey or…”

She shrugs and kicks at an invisible ball on the floor, making her look even more like a child. “Both. Trey and I…We didn’t really get much of a chance before now. Sleeping in the motel with Angus, being on the road with you guys, just finding out our families had died. It never really seemed like the right time, you know?”

I do know. Axl and I actually had the chance—more than once. But the timing sucked. I’m not really surprised she never did it before, either. She always struck me as the type of girl you’d find at the library on a Friday night more than the type you’d catch doing keg stands at a frat party.

“Don’t sweat it. You don’t need to be embarrassed. We’re not going to tell anyone.” I look over my shoulder at Hadley, who nods in agreement. “You got any condoms?”

She shakes her head but turns toward the bathroom. “I doubt it, but I’ll check.”

She walks away, and I cringe inwardly. There’s one place I can find condoms for sure, but I don’t want to go down that road if I can avoid it. Hopefully, Hadley finds some. I want to help Parvarti out. Lord knows the girl deserves to get laid after surviving the end of the world. But asking Angus for condoms would really suck.

Hadley’s back in less than a minute, empty-handed and frowning. I turn back to Parvarti, who looks like someone just killed her dog. Shit.

I sigh and look up, like I’m asking God why. It occurs to me that God—if he does exist—may not be able to hear us at this particular moment, though. Several floors underground with a horde of zombies above us…seems unlikely.

“I know where I can get some,” I say. “I’ll get them and bring them to your condo.”

When I look back, Parvarti is actually smiling. The first genuine smile I’ve seen on her face since we met. It almost makes the task of going to see Angus endurable. Almost.

“What floor are the ‘redneck brothers’ on?” I ask Hadley.

“Eleven.”

I return Parvarti’s smile as I head to the elevator. She’s right on my heels. “I’ll bring it to you. What floor are you guys on?”

There’s no way in hell I want her going with me to ask for condoms. Exposing her to Angus right now could scar her for life. Then she may never end up losing her virginity.

“We’re on five.”

I tense up the second we step into the elevator. What’s causing me more anxiety, asking Angus for condoms or seeing Axl? After Hadley’s comment—and my insane reaction—I really wanted some time to figure out what to say before I see him again. Guess that isn’t going to happen.

Parvarti hops out at five, practically skipping, and I ride the elevator down to eleven. It seems to take forever. Being claustrophobic down here would suck. Normally, I’m not even a little concerned about tight spaces, but even I get a little antsy when I think about being so far underground.

When the elevator stops, I step out. There are two doors on this level, one to my right and one to my left. I have no idea which one the brothers are in or who might be in the other, so I decide to play eenie, meenie, miney, mo.  My finger stops on the door to my right. I knock and cross my fingers.

Angus answers, and I let out a sigh of relief even though my body tenses at the smile on his face. “I don’t remember askin’ for a booty call, Blondie, but if you insist.” He wiggles his eyebrows, and his smile widens. Of course, he’s staring at my chest. Damn fake boobs. They were an asset in the club, but now that the world is over they may end up being a liability.

“In your dreams, Angus.” He opens his mouth to say something that I’m sure would make me gag, but I don’t give him a chance. “I came to get some condoms. I know you have them.”

Angus purses his lips and leans against the doorframe. “You hookin’ up with somebody?”

Irritation prickles up my spine and I bite my lip, fully intent on not answering him. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction. But my eyes go past him to where Axl is standing, his shoulder resting casually against the doorframe. His gray eyes are expressionless as he watches me. Waiting for me to answer.

The words come out before I even have a chance to think about it. “They’re not for me.”

“Who they for?”

Angus doesn’t make a move to get them. Even though we both know he has some. We took them when we were at Walmart stocking up on supplies. Before we even knew about all this undead nonsense.

“None of your business. Someone was looking for them and I said I knew where I could get them.”

Angus frowns, and his eyes narrow. “Can’t help ya. Lost ‘em,” he replies just as Axl pushes himself off the wall and says, “I’ll get ‘em.”

Angus spins around and glares at his brother, but Axl just shrugs and turns away. He heads through the doorway he was just leaning against. I smile at Angus when he turns back to me. He glares at me like he’s ready to wrestle me for the condoms. He’d just love that.

Axl comes back with the box and holds it out.

Before I can take it, Angus rips it out of his hand. “Don’t give ‘em all to her!”

He tears the box open and pulls out the string of packets, ripping a few off and tossing them my way. They hit my fingertips and bounce off, almost falling to the floor. I manage to save them, though. Once they’re safely in my hand I look down. Three. He gave me three condoms.

I look up at Angus with a teasing smile on my face. I can’t resist. “Seriously? Three condoms out of twenty-four? You must really think the end of the world is going to get you lucky.”

He isn’t one to be deterred, though. He smiles right back and stuffs the remaining condoms in the box, puffing his chest out as he raises his head. “Never know. Women might start gettin’ desperate real soon here. Want to be prepared.” He wiggles his eyebrows again.

I laugh despite myself. “I’m not going to, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“You ain’t the only one here.”

I shake my head and turn away, yelling over my shoulder as I head toward the elevator. “Thanks.”

The elevator opens as soon as I push the button. I walk in and push the button for five before leaning back against the wall. Just as the door starts to slide shut, Axl ducks in. Casually. His expression is blank, and he’s just as laid back as always as he pushes the button for the pool.

“Going swimming?”

He nods while his eyes sweep over the numbers. They focuse on the small number five, lit up on the control panel. He clears his throat, trying to act more casual than usual. “Trey and Parvarti?”

“Did you think I was lying?”

He looks down, and something flashes in his stormy eyes. That’s it. I hit the nail right on the head! He got in the elevator so he could see where I was going, because he didn’t believe me.

An odd sense of pleasure surges through me, and I have to resist the urge to smile. It takes a lot of effort to maintain a straight face. The muscles in my mouth twitch. “You going to swim in your clothes?”

He looks down, and his cheeks turn a little red. I caught him. I almost laugh.

He clears his throat and meets my gaze, just as cool as always. “Don’t like to swim, just thought I’d check it out.”

The elevator dings and the door slides open on the fifth floor. I step out. “Sounds good. Maybe I’ll head down there after I drop these off.” I hold up the condoms and give him a flirty smile. “If you decide to make use of the ones Angus kept…” I time it so the door shuts before I can finish the sentence.

I didn’t get to see the expression on Axl’s face, but I laugh anyway.

I pause outside the condo door and stare at the three condoms in my hand. Two should be good, right? We can find more. I rip one off and stuff it in my pocket before knocking.

3

I GAPE AT THE LITTLE STRINGS spread out on the bed in front of me. Hadley has to be kidding. “These are the only swimsuits she had here?”

I may have been a stripper, but when I went to the pool I always wore a sensible bikini that wasn’t going to leave my ass—or tits, for that matter—hanging out. The things laying on the bed in front of me will probably do both.

Hadley shrugs and sorts through them, holding the bikinis up individually so she can get a better look. “Guess she wanted to make sure the men had a good show when the world ended.”

I snort and a smart-ass comment goes through my head, but I think better of it since she was Hadley’s best friend. And she’s dead now. I should be respectful.

Hadley holds up a red bikini that must have come from a trashy lingerie shop. “At least they’ll look good on you. You have curves. Can you imagine my skinny ass in this thing? It will probably fall off!”

Hadley shakes her head and starts undressing. When she’s naked, she grabs the least revealing swimsuit. If she’s going to tough it out, I guess I can do the same. I strip down to nothing without even batting an eye and pull a hot pink
string
bikini on. Once it’s in place, I study myself in the mirror, turning so I can get a good look at every curve. I could have danced in this thing and gotten plenty of tips without even having to take it off. The bottom barely covers my ass and the top is just two tiny triangles that were never intended for my double D’s. I hope Al’s not at the pool. The poor kid will probably have to run for cover. On the flip side, I’m kind of hoping that Axl
is
there.

“Damn,” Hadley says with a shake of her head. Her eyes go up and down my body, and my cheeks actually heat up under her scrutiny. “A few years down here and you won’t be able to leave the condo in that. You’ll get attacked.”

I laugh and despite the joke, a little thrill goes through me. Thinking about Axl being down there, about being attacked…doesn’t sound half bad.

I do my best not to stare at Hadley when we head out of the condo. She’s so thin. They say the camera adds ten pounds, but this is the first time I’ve really believed it. I’ve seen her in movies and always thought she was skin and bones, but in person, in a swimsuit, she’s thinner than skin and bones. If there is such a thing. Why do actresses think—thought—that being this thin is what men want? It sure as hell isn’t sexy.

The elevator door opens on level twelve, and I’m hit in the face with steam and laughter. Almost everyone is at the pool, and the sound of people enjoying themselves is relaxing. Wonderful, really. For just a second, I pretend I’m on vacation at some fancy resort. The pool is in front of us and the wall behind it is painted in a huge mural. A beach and palm trees, blue skies and puffy, white clouds that make it almost seem like you’re outside. Plus, the ceiling down here is higher and painted blue. It’s peaceful, and I let out a sigh as I walk forward with Hadley. I need some time to relax, to forget about everything on the surface.

People turn our away when we walk in and I have the sudden urge to cover up. Their eyes bore into me, and it makes me want to run back to the elevator. I’m not used to being self-conscious like this. Why am I embarrassed? Being naked in front of other people was what I did for a living.

I scan the crowd, and my eyes land on Ava and Jake splashing around in the shallow end of the pool, and Arthur sitting in a lounge chair chatting with Anne. It hits me. This is like being naked in front of your family, which is not a comfortable feeling at all.

I almost go back to the elevator when Sophia notices me. She lets out a little whistle, and my cheeks get even hotter. “Holy cow, girl! That’s some bathing suit!”

A laugh bubbles up inside me. Her expression isn’t judgmental or catty. She’s honestly teasing me, and it helps my insides settle a little. Anne and Arthur turn my way, and they join in the laughter. Their attitudes are just as casual as Sophia’s.

“All the swimsuits in our condo were like this.” Hadley lifts her arms and spins in a circle like she’s modeling the damn thing. She looks more like a skeleton than a model, though. “At least Vivian fills it out. I look like I’m twelve years old.”

After that, it doesn’t take long to really, truly relax. The threat is still here, but it’s miles above us and I’m able to push it to the back of my mind. For once in my life, I want to take it easy and enjoy myself. I’ve never been worry-free before. But at this moment, I am. The emotional turmoil is still present. My heart still aches and I still feel like a part of me has been ripped away, but I can deal with it later. For now, I want to pretend the last few days never happened.

I laugh with the others and listen to Hadley’s friendly chatter. She’s cheery. Happy. Like someone who will throw out a joke to ease the tension in the room. It will be a welcome addition to or group.

My cheeks ache from smiling. It makes me laugh even harder and I shake my head. I actually like her. It’s not something I was expecting.

Everyone else seems to like her, too. Sophia and Anne ask her about her life like she’s a regular person, and she describes in detail growing up in a middle class family in Ohio. Then she starts telling us about moving to Hollywood and auditioning for movies. About eating crackers and bologna for dinner while she was waiting for her big break. She makes it all sound light and casual. I constantly have to remind myself that she was rich and famous just a few short weeks ago. It isn’t uncomfortable being around her at all.

A high-pitched squeal of delight breaks through the air. I look toward the pool to find Ava being thrown around by Jessica and Winston. The little girl giggles and squeals with delight. Jake is next to them. He jumps up and down excitedly with a huge smile on his face. The sight of the kids tears at my heart just a little more. If things had turned out differently, Emily would be here now. She would be splashing around the pool with the other two kids. It hurts too much to think about, and I have to look away.

I do my best to tune out the children’s laughter as I study the room. There’s a teenage girl, who I can only assume is Lila, on the other side of the pool. Lying on a lounge chair like she’s getting a tan. She’s beautiful, even from a distance. Her long, dark hair is silky and shimmers under the lights. She has olive skin and the perfect body of a girl who grew up with money. And probably a personal trainer.

Al sits in a chair next to her, desperately vying for her attention. I guess he found something to distract him from the lack of computers. Lila plays at being annoyed. She gives him smoldering looks from time to time, but I know teenage girls. She’s loving the attention. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t arch her back the way she is or adjust her bikini top quite so often. And Al is playing right into her hands, hanging onto every look she gives him.

I laugh quietly to myself and turn back to the others. That girl is trouble, and Al is already caught in her web.

“What’s so funny?” Sophia asks.

I tilt my head toward Al and Lila. “He’s a goner.”

“She’s something else,” Arthur says. He looks even unhealthier in this light. Like he’s inches from death’s door. “He’s been drooling over her since she came down.”

“Someone needs to teach him how to play it cool.” Hadley glances at me and arches a brow. Her eyes sweep over my too-small bikini. “You should go over and talk to him.”

I throw my head back and laugh. I can just imagine Al running off toward the elevator, holding a towel over his crotch. He turned about six shades redder just from hearing that my boobs were fake. It seems like such a mean thing to do, though.

“Poor Al,” Anne says. “If you walked over in that tiny little thing he’d probably have a heart attack.”

“It would distract him from the she-demon at least,” Arthur says.

Even he’s grinning at the idea, so it must not be too mean. In fact, getting him away from Lila and talking a little sense into him might actually be nice. He’s going to make a fool of himself if he keeps acting like that.

I watch Al for almost a full minute, and he doesn’t take his eyes off Lila once. At this point, she could probably snap her fingers and he’d do anything she wanted. And she knows it, too. Yes, it would be a very nice thing to distract him from that girl.

“I’m going for it.” Sophia starts to protest, but I shake my head. “Just to get him away from her for a few minutes. Someone needs to have a serious talk with him about playing it cool. If he keeps throwing himself at her like that, she’s never going to respect him.” I like Al too much to let him make a fool of himself.

I adjust my teeny bikini as I head to the other side of the pool where Al sits fawning over Lila. When I get closer, I have to resist the urge to roll my eyes. Al is talking about computer stuff, rambling on and on without even pausing to take a breath. He must be a nervous talker, because nervous he is. He keeps biting his lower lip and reaching up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. He’s clearly smart and comes from a nice family, but he must have no experience with girls whatsoever.

“Al,” I call out cheerfully when I’m about three feet away from them.

Both teens’ heads snap up. Lila narrows her hazel eyes on me until they’re nothing more than slits. Her expression is slightly evil-looking, but she’s even more beautiful up close. Like an exotic porcelain doll. No wonder Al’s attached to her side.

Al’s chatter stops and his mouth drops open. His cheeks get red and his eyes move to my barely-covered breasts, then up. Poor Al. I can tell he’s desperately trying to focus on my face, but his eyes keep darting down and they’re so big they look like they’re about to pop out of their sockets.

I stop in front of them and give Al a big smile, completely ignoring Lila. “We were talking about computers over there and needed your opinion. You know, since you’re so smart and the resident expert on that kind of stuff.”

Al stutters for a few seconds, then all sound stops while his mouth keeps moving. He pauses and takes a deep breath. When he does finally manage to make sounds they’re not intelligible at all. Just noises that are way too high-pitched to be coming from a seventeen-year-old guy.

“We’re kind of in the middle of something,” Lila snaps. She flips her hair over her shoulder and glances toward Al like he’ll agree with her. He doesn’t even glance her way.

I still don’t look at her. I just smile at Al and hold my hand out to him. “Come on, you can come right back after you help us.”

Al reaches out and takes my hand, and I pull him to his feet. From the way he’s staring at his hand in mine, I’d guess he has no idea how it happened. He mumbles something to Lila that sounds a little bit like,
I’ll be right back
, and I pull him toward the others.

“Kid, you need to play it cool with that girl,” I hiss as soon as I’m sure we’re far enough away that she can’t hear me.

He looks at me with eyes as big as saucers, but still can’t manage to get a sound out. Someone else is going to have to talk some sense into him, because he’s become a mute around me and this ridiculous swimsuit.

I shake my head when we reach everyone else and push him forward. His hand falls out of mine, and I force him into a lounge chair next to Sophia. “Tell this kid that drooling all over snooty pants isn’t going to do him any favors. He’s speechless around me.”

Hadley throws herself into lecturing Al on how to get a girl’s attention just as the elevator dings behind me. I turn in time to see Axl and Angus step out. I’d be lying if I said my heart didn’t jump a little. Angus isn’t in a swimsuit, but Axl seems to be. A red and blue floral thing that doesn’t fit his laid-back personality at all. It’s so comical and out-of-place on him that I actually giggle. Angus frowns. Clearly, he isn’t thrilled to be here. As usual, Axl’s face is expressionless. They stand by the elevator doors for a few seconds, scanning the area, and their eyes land on me at the same moment.

Their reactions are totally different, though. Angus grins, and as usual, I can read him like a book, and the story within those pages is a pretty nasty one. Just thinking about it sends a shudder through me. Axl, on the other hand, barely reacts. Something that could be called a smile tugs at the corner of his mouth, but it’s so brief I have a hard time convincing myself it’s real. I want it to be. So desperately it actually, physically hurts. But I’m not sure if it is.

I walk toward them just as they head my way. My heart kicks up a few notches, pounding against my ribcage like a drum. Angus’s eyes move over me like he’s trying to memorize every curve. Probably storing it away for later. His gaze never quite makes it to my face, but I do my best to pretend I don’t notice.

When I stop in front of them, a slow smile spreads across Angus’s face. His eyes are glued to my tits. “If that ain’t a fuck-me swimsuit, I don’t know what is.”

I fight the urge to cross my arms over my chest. If I could somehow block Angus from being able to see me while ensuring Axl still could, I’d do it. “I didn’t pick it, Angus,” I say flatly. “I had no control over what was in the dresser.”

“And I ain’t got no control over the pictures in my head neither,” he growls. His voice is thick with so much lust and nastiness it makes my stomach turn.

“Shut up, Angus,” Axl says. He watches me. Calmly, quietly. No matter how hard he tries to cover it up, the storm in his eyes is unmistakable.