Page 47 of Come Fill Me

Beyond it, arid landscape stretched for miles, dotted with boulders and stunted Joshua trees that looked thirsty for water. The sun took away that hope, dominating a sky empty of clouds. Large black birds coasted on air currents, their wings outstretched, their cries intrusive and unwelcome.

His frustration continued to build, and his lieutenants knew. Two stood on either side of him. None dared to make any unnecessary noise as they scoured the area with high-power binoculars, searching for anything that approached.

Three days had passed since the battle and Zeke’s escape…or rather his seeming disappearance with Liz into miles of desert.

The man on Carreon’s left stepped forward suddenly, his binoculars trained on something. The other men turned in the same direction. Carreon squinted, trying to see what they did, his body going rigid with expectation and a spike of fear. Had Zeke returned with his men? In daylight? Was he that insane or determined to have his revenge? Killing his daughter and woman hadn’t cowed Zeke as it had done others who’d defied Carreon. If anything, it had unleashed Zeke’s rage.

Carreon rocked on his heels, prepared to run back into the stronghold, the shelter of his safe room.

One of his lieutenants blew out a sigh.

Carreon stared at the man then looked past, finally recognizing what approached. Nothing more than a dust devil. It rose for a moment, gaining altitude, then spun itself out, the sparse vegetation wiggling in its wake, leaving the groundpristine, unmarked by human tracks.

He swallowed in relief then frowned at the trouble Zeke continued to cause him. The prick should have been his prisoner by now, all of his men dead. But no, they’d proved as difficult to kill as roaches. As impossible to find. They were hiding underground, Carreon was certain of it, and yet his lieutenants had yet to locate any tunnels.

He’d worked them day and night, not allowing rest or food. All the fools had managed to accomplish was restoring the stronghold’s security system and upgrading it to ward off another attack. How Zeke’s men had managed to disable the alarm and cameras, Carreon had no idea. But the bastard now knew where the main stronghold was. He’d taken Liz, leaving Carreon with the problem of her father.

Dr. Munez sat on one of the wooden benches protected from the sun, the steady breeze ruffling his thick hair, shirt, and pants. He was alert but not entirely cooperative, failing to heal the two men who’d managed to survive. At least in the way Carreon wanted. Oscar and Anthony were seated on a bench next to the doctor’s, still wearing their bloodstained clothes, their expressions blank, limbs listless, their brains not functioning to capacity.

From the moment Munez had seen them, he’d claimed they were too far gone for him to help and refused to lay his hands on either man. “There’s nothing I or anyone else can do for them,” he’d said.

“Bullshit,” Carreon had countered. “You’re a healer, so fucking heal them until they’re back to the way they once were, or my men won’t rescue your daughter. We’ll let Neekoma do whatever he wants with her.”

The older man refused to believe that Zeke had abducted Liz. Carreon dragged the fool through every room of the stronghold, showing him the clothing she’d left, proving hewasn’t hiding her anywhere. When Munez still wouldn’t accept the truth, one of Carreon’s men called her practice. The doctor listened as the lieutenant asked for Liz. Her staff told him she hadn’t shown up as usual, hadn’t called, they didn’t know where she was.

“I do,” Carreon told her father. “But I need all of my men to rescue her. If you want your daughter back, you’re going to call her practice and tell her people that she’s with you, visiting a sick relative or whatever the fuck they’ll believe so they don’t call the authorities and report her missing. And then you’re going to heal my people.”

Reluctantly, Munez had followed his commands, at last laying his hands on Anthony and Oscar. He’d kept them from death while leaving them as they were now—useless as corpses to him.

Approaching the doctor, Carreon gestured to the two men. “Surely, there’s something else you can do for them.”

Munez regarded the panoramic stretch of land rather than his captor. “I’ve already told you, the damage to their brains was too extensive because of their wounds.”

“And I’ve seen your daughter heal those who were so close to death the distinction between being alive and gone barely existed.” He blocked the doctor’s view and leaned down, clamping one hand on the bench’s armrest, the other on its high back, cornering him. “You’re a far stronger healer than she’s ever been. One touch from you and the injured aren’t only healed, they’re better than they were before being hurt. You’re holding back. Do you actually want Liz to die at the hands of Zeke Neekoma?”

Munez’s mouth trembled with fear or grief, perhaps both. White stubble roughened his weathered cheeks and jaw, aging him further. He was as beaten as Carreon had ever seen him, no longer the defiant idealist who wanted nothing of the battle, onlypeace that could never be. Seizing the moment, Carreon taunted him further. “Want me to tell you what Neekoma is doing to her right now? How he’s using her, how he’s—”

“Stop.” Munez turned to Carreon, misery in his expression. “If I could heal these men to save Liz, don’t you think I would?”

“Try again now.”

“It’s no use.”

“Do it,” Carreon ordered, straightening so the doctor could go to Oscar and Anthony.

Munez didn’t move.

“I said do it,” Carreon repeated, “or you’ll be the one who dies without ever seeing your daughter again.” He gestured to his other men.

They drew their weapons, pointing the muzzles at Munez.

The doctor faced death with a mixture of relief and regret.

He wasn’t getting off that fucking easy. He was going to do exactly what Carreon wanted. Tempering his rage, he murmured, “What do you think your death will do to Liz if we finally do get her back? How do you think her face will look when we show her your grave?” He leaned down to the elderly man, whispering in his ear, “She’ll be alone, Munez. No parents. No siblings. No close relatives to comfort her, giving her a reason to live. Your death will finally break Liz. Is that what you want? Your daughter without hope? Your daughter looking to me and my men as her new family? What do you believe will become of her then?”

A faint cry of pain rose from the man. He grabbed Carreon’s arm. His thin fingers held such brutal strength, Carreon started.

His men rushed forward, their weapons trained on Munez.

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