Page 69 of Ruled By The Alpha

Aiden chuckled. "Baby, he'll be back before nightfall, so unless you want to do this with a sore ass and hours of getting chewed out—and probably a blow job to get him on board—better get this show on the road."

See, that was what I liked about Aiden. He never questioned me. He was the worst kind of enabler.

It was why I loved him… and after we returned, after Cooper took the belt to my ass for putting myself in danger, he would remind me why I loved him too.

But that was later. Right now, we needed supplies, and in the interest of survival, my new middle name was Reckless.

*

We loaded up in a battered former military SUV with two of my alpha lieutenants, Dan and Marco, and gunned it. Aiden drove; he knew how to handle the vehicle and had reflexes I envied when reading the road. The sky was a dull, washed-out gray, and the forest enclosed us in shadow as we bounced along the rutted dirt road toward Havoc. We cut off before hitting the outskirts of their community, slipped into an old abandoned barn, and parked.

We'd go the rest of the way on foot.

Weapon checks completed, we donned empty backpacks in anticipation of something to bring back, and set off down the path at a brisk jog. It was a cool autumn day, the air heavy with the threat of rain. Hopefully, the weather would hold out.

It narrowed about two miles down the path, where a rusted metal sign had collapsed into the foliage, partially blocking the sight of a chain-link fence. Creepers had taken over, pulling down a couple of sections, and providing access to the old storage bunker.

As one, we drew weapons and navigated the collapsed fence, listening for sounds, eyes peeled for signs of disturbance.

Nothing.

Toward the center, past weed-riddled tarmac and trash, was a boxy concrete structure that provided access to the storage bunker.

Aiden went ahead, I followed, then Dan and Marco came up behind.

Silence greeted us.

We crossed the open reception area, boots crunching on broken glass layered with dust, and walked through the busted double doors at the end. Once enclosed, we switched flashlights on low and took a long corridor with rooms to either side and from which broken furniture, filing cabinets, and the occasional blackened corpse spilled out. I'd been here last year, but they had picked it over several times since, from the looks of it. At the far end was the elevator bank. To the right, the stairwell door hung from a single hinge.

The stench of rotting flesh greeted us as we entered—something had died here recently. Five flights later, I could feel the weight of the earth above me.

"You okay, babe?" Aiden asked, ever perceptive of my mood.

"Yeah," I replied. "Let's just get this done."

Dan had reconnoitered this site before and knew his way around, leading us directly to the cavernous room chock full of containers. A dozen rows three containers high, most busted open, discarded boxes, and a jumble of contents littered thefloor. He led us between the containers to the far end, where thick metal doors were blackened and marred by deep grooves.

"Someone had a crack at it since I was last here," Dan said, shucking off his backpack and hooking up an explosive charge.

"Hopefully, whatever is inside is worth using a load on," Aiden said.

We cleared the area.

A dull thud followed.

It had buckled the door. A little old-fashioned brute force opened it up for us. Beyond was another corridor, offices in pristine condition leading from either side, desks and chairs in a perfect state of abandonment. My flashlight revealed laptops on a few desks, which would be helpful, if nothing else.

"Antiviral," Milo called, opening a tall cabinet against one wall. "And antibiotics. Vitamin shots, too."

Emptying boxes, we were busy loading up our backpacks when a thump came from the direction of the stairwell, and all the lights came on.

"Fuck," Aiden muttered as all eyes turned toward the door. Aiden motioned us back and slipped behind the door. Turning flashlights off, we trained our weapons ready.

My heart rate jacked up as footsteps and voices neared.

"Who the fuck busted the door?”

“Dunno, Karl… last time we came, I swear…"

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