The Badass Protector

COLT

I KNEW IT.

I fucking know it!Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

In a flash, Iris raised her hands, eyes filled with fear. “Whoa! Colton, what are you doing?”

“It’s time to talk, woman. Who sent you?” I aimed at her head. If she moved, I would not hesitate to pull the trigger.

She couldn’t take the rifle if she would ever think of shooting me. She was already dead when she got a chance to grab the 9mm I gave her.

It had been months since the ambush, and until now, we didn’t have any idea who they were other than they were heavily armed and capable of killing as they wished.

As a law enforcer, it was killing me that I couldn’t even give my brother the justice he deserved.

“I told you I escaped,” she answered, trying to convince me as she showed the pain in her eyes. Still, I knew she was holding something, and I would get it from her whether she gave it to me or not.

I liked her, that was the fact, and she knew we were attracted to each other.

There was something more than just attraction or sexual tension between us, and that scared me because I didn’t know shit about her, but if she was a threat, God knew I wouldn’t think twice about throwing her out of this camp if I couldn’t kill her.

It was not the first time people betrayed me, and I would not add her betrayal to my list.

Gael said that cities were not the safest place for us. So we planned to get out as fast as possible. We were ambushed just a few kilometers outside the city, leading to the death of my brother and other members. Luckily, Gael survived after losing his foot.

I knew someone sold us out because, at that time, we were recruited by a larger group, and they didn’t take well Gael’s refusal. And I was afraid Iris might be one of them, and she was here to finish the job.

Paranoia grew on us since the world crumbled down. This was the kind of living we were in now-we had to expect the inevitable.

“You know I will kill you without a second thought if you ever lie to me again.”

“I swear I’m telling the truth. What’s wrong with you?” She swallowed hard.

“Then why didn’t you tell me how you got the bruise on your hand?”

“Because it’s not a big deal.” She looked down.

“Cora hurt you, didn’t she? And you chose not to fight back. Why?” I asked between clenched teeth. Her answer did not convince me-I needed more than that.

She handled me pretty well, and why on earth she didn’t do anything to Cora?

Iris was never intimidated or scared of me, and I could feel that she was hiding something because she thought I would not hurt her. Then she’s wrong.

“I didn’t want trouble. I knew she hated me the first time we met. I couldn’t hold a grudge against everyone because I wanted to stay here just like I wanted to breathe. That’s all. It’s been months since I met good people that I didn’t have to look over my shoulder all the time. I like it here, and I feel safe.”

“Then you better talk! Who were you running from?”

“Don’t throw me out of here, please. I don’t think I’ll be able to survive once I step out of this camp. I’d rather pull the trigger to my head than experience a slow death out there.”

“Tell me who you are. The truth, Iris.” My body heated and vibrated with anger. “Or I swear to God!”

“You know-” A high-pitched scream came from her before she could finish her words.

Gunfire echoed around us.

I meant not to shoot her, but that served as a warning if she would lie to me again, and she knew what would come next.

“The next fire would be to your leg, Iris, and you know I won’t miss it.”

Her blue eyes widened. “I-I told you.”

I settled myself into killer mode. Without breaking eye contact, I started, “No. You never tell me the whole story. And let me tell you something, I’m good at interrogation, and trust me when I say I don’t give a shit about skinning you alive or pulling off your teeth or nails one by one.”

“Pleas, don’t.” Her eyes filled with tears. She was clearly terrified.

“Do you know why nobody checks us out here? Because they know me, and nobody dares to come to help you. You’re on your own right now, so help yourself while you can. The way you talk, handle a gun, and move, you seem to know many things more than I expected from you. Now, tell me, who do you work for?”

Her fingers trembled. Her face blanched when she noticed I was dead serious about it. “I don’t work for anyone.”

I pointed to her leg.

“Please, Colt. How can I convince you I am telling the truth? Damn it!” How she said my name and looked at me like the first time I pointed a gun at her before she passed out-her stare was pleading and terrified. Good!

“Talk!” I commanded.

“I swear!” she screamed, tears rolling down her face.

I began to realize how much I hurt her and scared her that she would probably remember for the rest of her life, but as Gael said, I couldn’t let my emotion cloud my judgment. I was proving to Gael that I could do my job right without the influence of my feelings.

“My patience is running low.” Something told me that talking about what happened to Iris wasn’t easy for her, but I needed to find out if we could trust her.

She swallowed hard. “A few days after my brother and I visited my parent’s home, we traveled to his outpost in his car, but I’ve never seen people panicking like that. God, it was like a zombie-apocalypse movie.”

She wiped the tears off her face. “People running here and there wanted to get away from the growing sickness. You could hear crying and screaming, children searching for their parents, and people pointing guns at each other. Infected were everywhere, then vehicles just stopped on the road because people died just like that. So quick and seemed painless. I watched them bleed from their noses, ears, and eyes, then that was it. They’re dead.” She looked down, staring blankly at the floor.

“No matter how they cried, it wouldn’t stop. You wanted to help, but you couldn’t do anything. Their screams are still in my head every time I fall asleep. I close my eyes, in the dark, in silence…”