Waves of Fury (Surviving Earth Chronicles)

Chapter Eleven

Kellen

I don’t like feeling weak or being injured or needing caring for. Ever since Mom died—I’ve been officially on my own and doing a damn fine job all by myself. I survived my father, survived moving across country, survived entrepreneurship.

And here I am surviving the apocalypse too.

Except I’m not doing it alone.

I have seven employees and Tyler .

Honestly, without Tyler, I feel like this would be a helluva lot harder than it already is. He’s proving to be more than a capable leader. Tyler is strong and remains composed in the face of terror. Compared to him, I’m weak, just like my father always said.

Yet, somehow, Tyler doesn’t make me feel that way.

He’s easy on the eyes too…

I desperately try to squash down that thought. I’ve been fighting that part of me for far too long. Having a conservative, strict rancher father, being gay wasn’t accepted. Hell, it wasn’t even allowed. His scornful laugh when I’d come out to him and Mom as a teenager still haunts me to this day. She’d run interference like always, assuring me that though she didn’t understand my sexuality, she still loved me.

But Dad?

He thought I was a joke. That this was some phase I’d grow out of and later regret. My father truly never understood my attraction to men or the fact it wasn’t something I’d simply get over one day.

I never got over it.

What he did instill in me, though, was insecurity over my sexuality. I don’t date and I certainly don’t get into any sort of relationships. I’ve successfully scratched the itch from time to time via dating apps, but it was never for more than a hookup.

Tyler stirs something deep inside me. His youthful face is hardened with stories I’m curious to know about.

If I’d met him through the app, I’d have enjoyed the random hookup, no doubt, but I’d have gone back for more. He’s the kind of guy that had I permitted myself to date, I might’ve finally allowed myself to let go of all my hang-ups.

In another life, maybe.

In this one, I’m forced to be with him as we fight for our lives, but nothing will ever come of the attraction I feel. Hell, he probably sees me as a water-fearing dinosaur who needs saving every time he turns around.

Pathetic.

I still can’t believe what an asshole I was to him just hours ago. He’d only been doing his job, got stuck in an elevator, and then took the brunt of my stress. Tyler is worried about his brothers and has managed to hold his shit together. It’s admirable.

As far as my brother goes, I’m trying not to worry about him. He’s done well for himself over the years, helping with the ranch and making a name for himself in my hometown. If any of these weather happenings or catastrophes are affecting Texas like it is here in California, Knox will know just what to do. He’ll probably find a way to save everyone in town and all the livestock too.

Please, God, let him be okay.

Tyler’s hand squeezes mine, letting me know he’s awake. It’s dark in the stairwell with the door closed behind us now that it’s nighttime. My watch isn’t working anymore, but if I had to guess, it’s probably well after midnight. We haven’t had any water surges or boat crashes in hours. Maybe the worst is behind us.

“You awake?” Tyler murmurs, his head turning toward me. Hot breath tickles over my cheeks, sending heat blooming in my chest. “This is uncomfortable as hell.”

I can hear Gerry snoring the loudest above the others, who appear to still be asleep.

“Not for Gerry,” I tease, greedily inhaling Tyler’s hair that brushes over my nose. He smells like lingering shampoo and salt water. I like the scent a lot. “Gerry could sleep anywhere. I’ve caught him napping at his desk many times.”

Tyler softly chuckles. “So even big corporate zombies have slackers in their group too?”

“Corporate zombies?”

“Yeah, you know the type. Mindlessly going to their tower in the sky, working their nine to fives over and over again until they die.”

“Hmph,” I grunt out. “My job is a little more entertaining than that.”

“Not Gerry’s, though.”

We both snicker. I don’t pull my hand from Tyler’s. In the darkness, I can cling to him, pretending for just a moment everything is normal and it’s not the end of the goddamn world.

“What are we going to do, Kellen?” Tyler asks with a defeated sigh. “We’re trapped with nowhere to go.”

“Help will come,” I assure him. “It will.”

I don’t know how or from whom, but it has to.

“Yeah,” he mutters. “Maybe.” His other hand blindly fumbles over my chest, sending a thrill straight to my dick. “How’s your wound?”

“It hurts,” I admit through clenched teeth as he roves his fingers over me. “Not much can be done about it, though.”

He locates my injury and then slides his hand beneath my shirt to check the bandage. Lightly, he presses his fingers to it. “I don’t think it’s bled through. That’s something.”

“Could’ve been worse,” I say with a shudder. “I could have got sucked deeper into the stairwell and drowned.”

“I would have saved you.” His hand remains on my stomach under my shirt. My heart hammers wildly in my chest. Of all the times to decide I’m interested in a guy, now is definitely the most inopportune.

“It’s kind of our thing,” I joke, unable to keep from grinning. “You saving me over and over.”

Kind of our thing? Close your mouth, dumbass. You sound like an idiot.

What if my employees are awake? None of them even know I’m gay, much less stupidly crushing over the food delivery guy who, hours ago, I was massively bitching about. I’m an embarrassment, just like Dad always thought.

Tyler doesn’t make me feel like a loser, though, because he laughs, brushing his teasing fingers over my abs before removing his hand. “And to think, you almost sent me away. I’m growing on you.”

That he is.

If we ever get out of here, I’d jump at the opportunity to take him to dinner to show him my thanks. I can think of a lot else I could do after.

“Good thing you’re hot,” Tyler continues, voice low and near my cheek. “It makes you easier to put up with.”

He thinks I’m hot?

Are we flirting?

Heat surges through my chilled body, warming me from my chest to the end of each of my limbs. The last time someone told me I was hot was back in high school. I’d met some guy at the mall who let me practice my new blowjob skills on him in a dressing room. Since then, I’ve been told I’m successful and sugar daddy material, but never hot.

“My ego needed that,” I whisper. “Thanks.”

“You’re not going to kick my ass for flirting with you?”

So we are flirting. Good to know.

“I can assure you, Tyler, kicking your ass is the last thing I want to do to you.” I nuzzle my nose against his hair again, wishing we were far from all this shit, alone in a hotel room.

He starts to say something, but then someone clears their throat. All lust and desire to chase after a man like Tyler are squelched.

Frannie shifts beside Tyler before saying, “How are you feeling, Kellen?”

Humiliated.

Horrified that she may have been listening in on what I thought was a private conversation.

I cough, then wince at the pain just under my ribs. “I, uh, am feeling okay. How are you doing? Holding up okay?”

“I’m worried about Ron,” Frannie utters, emotion making her voice quaver. “With his bad knee…” She trails off and then sobs. “He didn’t make it, did he?”

No one made it aside from a select few of us. The entire city is underwater. Still, I can’t be the one to be the bearer of bad news.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” I say, voice tight. “Just as soon as we get out of here, we’ll go look for him.”

Someone snorts nearby, sending another wave of shame rippling over me. Was everyone quietly listening to me and Tyler speak? Do they all know I’m gay now? Fuck.

“We need provisions,” the voice barks out. Kyle. “Barb hasn’t moved much. She needs more than a few sips of water. She needs proper care, hot food, and a fucking blanket.”

I understand his frustrations, but it’s as though he’s holding me responsible for this shit.

“Where, Kyle?” I grit out. “Where the hell do you plan on getting this stuff?”

Kyle curses under his breath but doesn’t reply.

“The break room on our floor,” Brian says, softly joining the conversation. Yep, everyone heard my mortifying attempt at flirting with a man half my age. Fucking wonderful. “There are cases of bottled water and a vending machine,” he continues. “There might even be a first aid kit or some ibuprofen.”

“That floor is completely submerged,” I remind him, irritated that I even have to. “We can’t get there. Not happening.”

Tyler stiffens from beside me, causing unease to skitter through me. He’s not thinking about… no. Not. Happening.

“Who can hold their breath the longest?” Kyle asks, followed by a bitter laugh.

Frannie, to my horror, chimes in, “I know I’ve grown soft in my old age, but I was quite the swimmer in college. I’ll do it.”

“The fuck you will,” I growl, searching for her face in the impossible darkness. “Are you trying to get yourself killed, woman?”

Tyler plucks his hand from mine and starts fumbling around in his bag. Seconds later, he pulls something out and blinding light floods the stairwell. Everyone, aside from Barb, stares our way, eyes wide and owlish. If I weren’t so pissed about this stupid proposition, I’d be absolutely ashamed that they all heard Tyler’s and my flirty talk.

“Flashlight still works,” Tyler says, waving it around briefly before snapping it off. “We can use this to search the break room.”

“Tyler, you’re not going. Neither are you, Frannie.”

“ I’m going,” Kyle spits out. “Try to stop me, Kellen. Newsflash, we’ll die here if we don’t do something.”

Guilt floods through me. “I know, but there has to be a better way…”

“I’ll go too,” Brian says, “since I know the layout and it was my idea.”

Unbelievable.

“We have enough to get by through morning.” I rub at my temple and release a heavy sigh. “At least wait until then. There might be some light coming through the windows on that floor then. Doing it now would be suicide.”

Tyler’s hand finds my knee and he squeezes it. “Morning then. Until then, we’ll make a plan and have Brian map it out for us.” He turns, bringing his mouth so close to my cheek it makes my heart hammer in my chest. “I’m going to find that first aid kit so we can properly dress your wound and disinfect it.”

While it moves me that he’s motivated to do this in order to help me, it also scares the shit out of me.

“You all better come back,” I rasp out, hating how weak I sound. “That’s an order.”

Frannie, Tyler, Brian, and Kyle launch into their planning while I sit frozen in place. The thought of losing half our group is enough to have bile creeping up my throat. But they’re right. We need food and water. Plus, if we don’t get a first aid kit, it’s possible I could develop an infection from seawater that’s no doubt tainted with whatever it swept up in its successful attempt to drown the city.

I didn’t survive this long just to die from an infected cut.

“Please be safe,” I mutter. “Please.”

Tyler sits back and drops his head down on my shoulder. “I’ll look after them. It’s going to be okay.”

But who will look after you?