The Badass Protector

Iris

I MUST have fallen asleep until a soft hand nudged me on my shoulder. “Iris, wake up.”

I stretched and instantly stilled, blinking as the halogen lamp assaulted my pupils. “Oh, we have electricity?”

She laughed softly. “You sleep for the whole day. Again. And you missed your lunch and dinner.”

“And you’re back safe. How’s the run?”

“Pretty good. That’s why it took us a few hours. We’re lucky today that we did not encounter looters.”

“Thank God. You’re all safe.”

“I talked to Gael earlier. Maybe next time you can come with us. I don’t like going when Cora. The annoying and demanding bitch came with us today.”

I chucked. “Figured.” I looked at the two plastic bags on her bed.

“Colt wanted to see you.”

“Why?” I eyed her suspiciously.

“I don’t know. I guess you have to go and find it out yourself. His cabin’s the last on the left.”

I stood up from the bed and took a deep breath. “Okay.”

“Relax, Iris. He’s a good guy. You still didn’t tell me what happened at Gael’s office last week.” She had insisted that something happened back there, but I kept denying it just to honor my promise to keep Colt’s secret.

After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I led my way to the lion’s den.

I let out a sigh before knocking, and I could hear a faint conversation from inside. If I guessed it right, the other voice was Frost.

“It’s open,” Colt yelled from the inside.

I pushed it open only to find Frost grinning at me. Blond was not really my thing in a guy, but it was hard to ignore how handsome Frost was. He had the same body and height as Colt, but he had this overconfident and cocky grin that amused me instead of getting turned off.

Lois told me that he was pretty popular, a playboy, and the only son of a billionaire. Frost was traveling around the country when the virus wreaked havoc.

“Hey, Iris. Wanna join me hunting tomorrow?”

“No, she won’t. Now, out,” Colt quickly interrupted before I could reply.

He smirked. “Man, she’s safe with me. I promise to keep my hands on the hunting gun.”

“Even if you’ll ask Gael, he won’t allow her.” His unwavering gaze bounced between Frost and me.

“I am here, you know. And I can decide for myself. I don’t mind going, and I can ask Gael to join you.”

“Good luck with that,” Colt dismissed me.

“I got the message, man. Some other time, Iris. Oh, wait.” He opened his plastic bag, pulled out a shirt, and offered it to me. “This would be perfect for you.”

“You’re giving me that?” I asked in disbelief, smiling as I had just received the best gift ever.

“This is a ladies’ shirt. So, it’s definitely for you.”

I took it from him-a shirt with a strawberry print. “Thank you. That’s so kind of you, Frost.”

“You’re welcome.” He then asked Colt, “You’re off tonight?”

“Yeah, and I badly need some sleep.”

“Night, man. Bye, Iris.”

“Bye.” I watched him as he closed the door. I wandered my eyes around. The same style as ours, but he had a double deck that served as a divider and a six-drawer dresser. I guessed Colt liked his own privacy. His room smelled crisp of paper, deodorant, and manly.

My breathing suddenly turned shallow when I could feel his gaze on me. My heart started to pound in my chest when seconds stretched to a minute, and none of us talked.

I cleared my throat. “Why am I summoned, Colton?”

“Come over here,” he said softly, and I could tell that that was the less deadly voice I had ever heard from him.

“Why?” I asked warily.

“I did not ask you to come over to harm you.”

“Then why am I here exactly?” I walked closer to where his voice was coming from.

His bed was covered with a dark blue sheet, two pillows, and a small nightstand with his 9mm pistol, a holster, and a knife. Three plastic bags and a backpack are on the floor.

He grabbed the first plastic bag and offered it to me. “I picked things that I thought you might need so that you don’t have to share them with Lois.”

“I don’t think I can take that.” I pushed back the plastic.

“But you accepted from Frost.”

“Because I don’t feel it was a charity case,” I told him honestly.

“Jesus! A little gratitude would be nice,” he said dryly. “And we brought for everyone if that makes you feel better.”

I sat on the empty bed across from his. “I just don’t wanna be a burden to all of you.”

“You would be if you keep rejecting what we offer. You deserve a place, and as far as I know, you’re already a part of the group. Just take it.” He placed the two bags beside me, lied down on his bed, and crossed his legs.

“Why so many?”

“Just checked them out, and you’re welcome,” he answered harshly.

I watched him close his eyes. He must have been so tired from the run.

I checked the first bag. There were two boxes of toothpaste, three toothbrushes, bars of soap, a razor, a big bottle of shampoo, lotion, face cream, hair remover cream, a pack of tampons, and… condoms?

My eyes widened. I took it out and threw it at him. “I think this is yours.”

“Damn him!” His jaw clenched upon seeing the box, and he pressed his lips in a thin line. He tossed it in his drawer.

“This is too much, Colton.” The other plastic were shirts, tights, shorts, and jeans, a pair of shoes. I burst into laughter when I pulled out the panties and brassieres. “Don’t tell me this is Frost’s idea?”

His dark brow rose. “What? Don’t tell me that’s not essential.”Why does he always have a say in everything?

I sighed. “I missed my brother. He used to bring me things while we were on the run.” I put everything back inside. “He was like you, never asked what I wanted, and just brought things to me. He tried to be strong for my sake, though deep inside, I knew the situation was killing him.”

“What was he like?” Colt seemed to have an interest in my brother.

“He was three years older than I and had just returned from the Middle East. He came to pick me up from our apartment for a weekend camping- just like we used to do during summer. He used to be funny, but his job destroyed him mentally and emotionally. He laughed less, was always awake in the middle of the night, and became overprotective of me. He was the reason why I’m still alive, though.” I met his sympathetic eyes.

“That’s why when you took this necklace away, it felt like you stole my soul and my life away from me. I did not get a chance to meet my parents again, Colton. This is the only thing that connects me to my family.”

“I’m sorry. I was just careful. I considered it collateral since it means a lot to you.”

“It’s Mom’s gift. It was odd, actually, but this is the only thing that reminds me of them.”

Colt stood up and opened his drawer. He came back with shirts nicely folded in his hands. “I want you to have these.”

“Why are you giving me your shirts?”

“These aren’t mine. He liked long sleeves, and I think these will fit you.”

“Then whose these belong to, Colton?”

“They belonged to Colton.”

My eyes widened, completely shocked. “W-what do you mean, C-Colton?”

“My brother.”

“Oh, my God! I’ve been calling you Colton where in fact, there’s actually a real Colton?” My breath caught in my throat. Silence overtook the atmosphere as we stared at each other.

“Was.” He nodded. Strength seemed to withdraw from him. He took my wrist and placed the shirts on my hand.

Oh, God! No wonder he hates me.

“Why didn’t you ever stop me?”

“I don’t know. That’s what was bothering me, actually, because I like how you call me Colton. I corrected you once, but I thought it was your way of pissing me off.”

“I’m sorry. I thought Colt was short for Colton or maybe your Surname. I’m so sorry.” I stepped closer to him, meeting his magnetic gray eyes.

He shrugged. “Don’t be.”

“Are you sure you want me to have these?”

“You make me feel he’s alive, and I see him in you.”

“I don’t mean to make you feel like that. I don’t intend to bring back the pain of losing someone. I know how it feels. It still hurts, like it all happened just yesterday.”

“I know.”

“I promise to take care of these.” I ran my hand on the shirt, feeling I just took the responsibility of keeping the real Colton’s memory in me.

“What happened to your hand?”

“Huh?” I lifted my gaze, meeting his.

Concern immediately filled his eyes. “The last time I saw it, it didn’t look like that.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Oh, uh. I was cleaning and accidentally-”

“Don’t lie to me now, twig.”