Page 133

Nan’s Rules

I ’m conscious we are leaving in the morning, so I don’t drink too much, and once the crowd is distracted by the women and fighting, we slip away, heading to Nan’s place to get our room ready.

The doors are open and a crowd of men peek into the hotel with scared expressions.

I push through their midst, ignoring their warnings as I step through the door to see Nan wielding her shotgun, screaming.

“Ya fucking bastards! Fucking stains! Fucking bodies everywhere, ya animals!” she hollers, waving her shotgun around.

I spot one scav who has clearly been shot, so I’m betting she put some of the bodies here herself.

Stepping over it, I move through the lobby of the old hotel, leap up on the counter, and swing my legs, watching the show.

The men are cringing away, terrified of the little old lady.

Grinning, I look down at Dray who leans next to me, neither of us moving to interrupt the show.

“Ya clean it up! Ya hear me? Or ya all fuckin’ dead, useless fuckin’ men!” she screams, and men rush in, grabbing the bodies and tossing them outside.

She turns away then, looking furious, but stops when she sees me, her eyes narrowing with a huff. “Ya here to put more bodies on ma floor?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I offer, swinging my legs back and forth.

She shakes her head, muttering to herself as she hunches back over and shuffles behind her desk, stowing away her gun as the men clean up the mess obviously left while she was at The Rim.

I mean, really, they should have known better.

I’m surprised she didn’t kill more. “You checked your rooms?” I ask.

She huffs, cleaning up her desk before looking at me, so I hop down and lean on the counter, watching her. “Aye, they wouldn’t dare leave them a mess, least they got some sense. Come with me, will ya? I have something for ya.”

I tilt my head in question, but she just turns and shuffles away.

I grab the key to my usual room and pass it to Dray with my bag.

“Take this, last room, I’ll meet you there.

” I kiss him quickly before hopping over the counter and following Nan to the open door, which leads to the office—not that I’ve ever been back here.

The men aren’t the only people scared of the old grouch.

I shut the door behind me, closing out the sounds of grumbling scavs as they clean.

The office is a mess. A desk with an old, small TV with an antenna on top sits in the corner, while a radio stands on top of silver drawers, and then a shelf unit covered in keys, maps, and newspapers is pushed against one of the walls.

The floor is carpeted, and one window is situated at the back with the blinds drawn, throwing the room into darkness.

“Nan?” I call out. I hear her shuffling to the left, so I move around the drawers and spot the door hidden there. It’s open with Nan’s grumbling coming from within, so I follow after her.

“I swear, old bitch, if you are trying to kill me, I will come back and haunt your old wrinkly ass every time you are fucking Reeves,” I mutter.

“If a wanted ya dead, ya would be dead, now stop your whining,” she hollers.

Whining? Narrowing my eyes, I stop at the threshold of the room and raise my eyebrows.

The room is darker than the others and I wince when she lights a match, the flame flaring in the dark room as she moves around lighting candles.

I let my eyes adjust and take in the little back room.

It’s clearly her bedroom. A table with two rickety chairs stands in the middle of the room, and on the back wall runs a counter with a sink and what looks like a coffee machine.

Cupboards hang on the wall above it, the doors missing to show boxes of food in one, clothes in another, and one filled with books.

A small, single bed with a metal frame is pushed up against the wall opposite the door with a shelf above it, holding a half melted candle and a trunk at the end, which is closed and locked.

There are no windows here, just another door, which I’m guessing leads to her bathroom.

Is this where Nan lives? It’s in better shape than the rooms, but it’s small and kind of constricting.

She doesn’t seem to mind as she shuffles around the room, no longer bent over as the wood under her feet creaks with each step.

She yanks off her cardigan, throws it on the bed, and shakes her hair before looking at me.

“Ya want a drink?”

“I just had one,” I admit. Before, I wouldn’t have hesitated, but I no longer need to numb myself with alcohol.

She scoffs then moves over to the counter.

“Not tha piss swallow out there, the good stuff,” she explains, laughing as she pulls away boxes to reveal a bottle.

She brings it to the table and sets it between us, grabbing two mugs with a hotel name on them before putting them next to the bottle, and sitting down with a sigh as she looks at me.

I sit down opposite her, leaning back in my chair and throwing my arm over the wooden back, and watch as she pours a mug and pushes it across the table to me.

I reach for it and take a sip. She’s right, it’s not the cheap kind or home brewed.

It’s smooth with a pleasant aftertaste, more fruity than the whiskey and booze I’m used to.

She sips at hers and leans back, studying me. I watch the years melt away then as her facade falls. “Ya reminded me a lot of myself when a was younger and I could see past ma tits, my back was broken like a hooker, and ma fanny was tight as a virgin.”

I snort the booze through my nose then, my eyes watering from the sting. “Fuck, that hurts like a bitch,” I complain, and she laughs.

“That’s why I took a shining to ya, that and I saw the pain in your eyes, tha ghosts there and how lost you were.

You were looking for a purpose, so I gave ya one and a roof over ya head.

I saw that shielded look get stronger and tha ghosts start to recede, and then those men came.

” She smiles then, her eyes sparkling. “Damn fine men, tell ma ya fucked em, or I will when ya get them back.”

“Hands off, you dirty old bitch.” I grin and she chuckles again. “You don’t have anyone? I’ve always wondered.”

She shakes her head, playing with her mug.

“I liked men too much, never wanted to settle down and limit myself to just one cock, ya know?

There were so many out there to try, so why waste myself by tying down to one man?

Nah, that was never ma style, girlie. Probably a good thing, ‘cause when tha end came, I had no one ta lose. The Rim became ma home and ma family.”

“Is that what Reeves is to you then?” I wriggle my eyebrows, unable to help myself.

“I met him when he was a lot younger.” She grins then.

“He was fine. I was a bit older than him, but he didn’t care.

He passed through here every now and again and we entertained ourselves, nothing serious, we both knew we couldn’t with tha position we were in.

Then he stopped coming.” She shrugs. “I always thought he found someone or died, that’s life. ”

“Then you met him again at The Summit. ”

“Aye, he wanted to pick up where we left off. I fucked him of course, he’s gotten fat, but he’s still a good lay,” she comments, and I snort again.

Jesus, that’s an image I don’t need in my mind.

“Life is too short, girlie, so enjoy it while ya can, take it from an old hag. I never had love, never thought I wanted it and tha chains that came with it, but at tha end I will be alone and that’s my fault. ”

“You won’t be alone,” I say, reaching across the table and covering her hands.

She smiles softly. “Don’t get all touchy feely on me now, girlie. Ya a hard bitch and that’s what ya good for. I ain’t afraid of dying, a had a good life.”

“I’m not afraid either. It was always living that scared me,” I confess, sipping the booze as I lean back again.

“Aye, I could see that, good that those men forced ya, otherwise ya probably would have stayed here forever. You were meant for more, I don’t believe in that destiny crap or go spouting weird religious shit, but even I could see that,” she offers.

“Let’s hope it’s not to lead us to destruction,” I scoff.

“Nah, ya got a good head on ya shoulders, Major knew that. Ya can do this, girlie.”

I blink, feeling confidence spill through me at her belief in me.

Nan tells the truth, brutally so, so if she thinks I can, then I believe her.

It makes me feel better, but we have our relationship to maintain so I don’t get all emotional.

Instead, I smirk. “Is that why you invited me here? To get emotional and talk about your wrinkly cunt?” I ask.

She glares at me, a grin tugging at her lips. “Nah, I wanted to know if ya needed any of this,” she answers, climbing to her feet.

She heads to the chest at the end of the bed, pulls a key from under her shirt, and unlocks it. I stand up, curious about what she has locked up when she lets everyone get an eyeful of everything else. Peering over her shoulder and into the chest, my eyebrows rise and I whistle.

“Shit, you are one lethal motherfucker,” I say proudly and we share a grin.

“Can you use them?” she inquires, and I nod.

“Fuck yes I can.”

Carrying my new bag of goodies, I head to the room I always use while I’m here.

The door is unlocked, and I drop the bag inside before kicking it shut behind me.

Dray isn’t in the room, but he leans out of the bathroom, sees it’s me, and winks before ducking back inside.

Stripping off my jacket, I place it with my bag and flop back onto the bed, staring at the ruined ceiling, and just letting myself breathe and relax.

Tomorrow will be a busy day, and hopefully before nightfall, I will see my men.

Worry courses through me, but I push it away.

Now is not the time to sink into it. I have a job to do and I can’t afford to be distracted.

I hear Dray step into the room and then his face appears upside down above me, smirking. “What did she want?”

“To compare dick sizes,” I tease and he laughs, throwing himself on the bed, and making me bounce as we end up rolling together.

He lays his head on my chest and I stroke his hair, letting my mind be peaceful.

“We leave early. We will go back to Corky before dark, and then try and get some sleep,” I whisper.

“It’s time to get your family back,” he murmurs and I nod, feeling a smile curling my lips. Yes it is.

When we get back to Corky’s, he is just getting ready to close up.

He sees us coming and passes over two bags without a word before slamming the door shut.

What an ass. I grab the bags though, and weave back to Nan’s.

In the room, I get everything ready and lay out my outfit for tomorrow.

Dray does the same, and then we curl up in each other’s arms, the sound of the city coming alive lulling us to sleep.

When I sleep again after this night, I will have them in my arms.

It’s my last thought before darkness claims me, and when I wake again, I can feel time has passed so I get up, use the bathroom, and get washed quickly before sneaking back into the room, but I shouldn’t have bothered, Dray is awake and getting ready.

I get dressed silently, both of us aware of the magnitude of today.

Either it goes well, and my plan works out and by the end of the week we will be fighting in a war, or we will die on sight.

He helps me strap on my weapons, his fingers lingering against my skin, and I do the same.

Stroking him, loving him, showing him I’m here and no matter what happens we face it together.

When we are ready, he leans down, settling his forehead against mine, his icy eyes staring into my dark ones.

“We can do this, soulmate. No other two people could. We won’t fail, no matter what happens, we keep going,” he demands, grabbing my chin and keeping me there. “Together. We live and die together, no matter what.”

“Together,” I whisper, closing my eyes and as I do, he kisses me. Not soft and gentle, not comforting, no, it’s hard.

He’s giving me a reason to keep fighting. He pushes his tongue into my mouth and lays claim to me as I lay claim to him. Our hearts race in sync, and when we break away, we both smile at each other.

“Let’s go,” I demand, stepping back, and letting all softness go as I turn into the woman who wins the fights and destroyed a mad king.

The Champion is back and she’s mad as hell.

I let it fill me up as I head out of the room and into the lobby where scavs and roadies are sleeping.

Nan has her orders, everything is in place, and now it’s our move.

I don’t spot Nan, so I turn to leave, but just as I reach the front door, I hear her telltale shuffling coming from behind me.

“Goodbye, girlie, don’t get dead before I get a chance to shoot some fuckers!” she calls and I wave as I head out into the night.

We stay silent as we wind through the city. The gate opens as we approach and our bikes are there waiting. I heave my bag onto it and then swing on.

Straightening, I give The Rim one last look—it could be the last time I see it—then I turn and face my future, my men. Pulling up my bandana, I fire up my bike.

I’m coming for you.

I look at Dray and he nods, so I race into the night, away from the city lights, and towards the Cities.