The Last Peak (Book 2): The Darwin Collapse by William Oday Read Free Book Online Page B

trouble.”
    Theresa gave a theatrical salute. “Yes, sir, Sergeant West!”
    Mason rolled his eyes at her. “One, you don’t call an enlisted man ‘Sir’ and a Sergeant is an enlisted man. And two, I haven’t been an active duty soldier in more years than I’d like to count. Dad is fine.”
    Theresa struck her sneaker heels together with a dull click. “Yes, sir, Sergeant Dad!”
    “Get in the Bronco, Private.”
    Elio appeared at the back door. “You guys about to leave?”
    Theresa bounded over and wrapped an arm around him. “Yep. Someone’s got to do the manly work.”
    “Hey, I’m on the injured reserve.”
    Theresa pinched his cheek. “Don’t make excuses! It only makes it sound worse.”
    Elio pulled her close. Their arms created a bubble that sucked the air out of the rest of the world. “I’m serious. Be safe.”
    The space between them shrank and Beth waited to see what might happen. She was genuinely curious and saw no harm in it.
    “We’ll be fine,” Mason replied in a flat tone. “Private Theresa, Bronco.”
    Elio seemed to snap back into confused reality. “Yeah, uhh, you should get going.”
    “Wait up for me?” Theresa asked.
    “How could I not?”
    Theresa smiled and pecked his cheek.
    He was a good kid. His affection was both earnest and endearing. Beth hadn’t said it explicitly yet, but he had her seal of approval. Mason was another matter altogether. He couldn’t be blamed though. He was a father, and he’d eventually come around.  
    He would if he knew what was good for him.
    Theresa tilted her head and kissed Elio before dashing to the Bronco’s passenger door.
    Elio’s mouth gaped open.
    Beth’s heart warmed to see the two in their first faltering steps toward romance. It was sweet. It was natural. She glanced at Mason. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head.
    He didn’t share her opinion. He needed time. A lot of it by the look of the bulging veins in his neck.
    “Easy, tiger,” she said as she patted his chest. “Don’t push her away just because you’re afraid to let her go. She’s growing up.”
    His eyes settle back into his head. “You’re right.”
    “I know,” Beth replied with a smirk. “I thought you knew that by now.”
    Mason kissed her lips and then hopped up into the Bronco. “You’re right about half as much as you think you are, and twice as much as I’d like you to be.” He slammed the door shut.
    Be safe.
    The words choked in her throat.
    Mason nodded. “We’ll be safe.”
    Beth didn’t doubt Mason’s intention. She doubted what could happen when that intention encountered the chaos in the wider world.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

    As much as she might not like to admit it, watching Iridia clean the toilet gave her a certain smug pleasure. The model’s gloved hand squeaked as she scrubbed at the stain ringing the bowl. A lock of hair fell out of her ponytail and dipped into the water. She jerked it out and flung droplets on her cheek.
    “Disgusting! I need scissors! Where are some scissors?”
    “Calm down,” Beth said. “It’ll wash clean.”
    Iridia looked up at her in horror. “Clean? It just took a deep dive in toilet water! It’s contaminated!” She held it at arm’s length like it might try to bite her.
    Beth laughed. As annoying as Iridia was, she also brought much-needed humor into the household. She was a real look on the bright side kind of deal.
    The impossibly skinny and aggravatingly immodest supermodel wore a pair of Beth’s shorts and a tank top. She’d taken to wearing her clothes after Beth put a stop to her wearing Theresa’s undersized garments. Unfortunately, Iridia had almost no clothes of her own. On second thought, maybe it was a good thing she didn’t have more of her own clothes on hand.
    She’d worn one of Mason’s old UCLA sweatshirts one time and one time only. After enduring the gorgeous bimbo blabbering on and on about how yummy and manly it smelled, Beth forbade her wearing any more of his