Falling Apart (Barely Alive #2) Read Online Free

Lake City and the border will either be dead or following me. Because once I bite, there is no need to hypnotize – they’re mine.” The air went dead and after a moment of stunned silence, the buzz of a disconnected line startled me. I’d dealt with cell phones for so long I almost didn’t recognize the obnoxious beep-beep-beep the land lines made.
    Slowly, I placed the phone in the cradle. In a few steps, I moved to stand before the shelving holding the tea sets and miniature soldiers.
    I’d been right. War. He was waging war and the bastard didn’t follow rules. He’d bite and infect every person – man, woman, child, you name it – on his way to get me. Me. He might say he wanted the others, but I know deep down, he wanted me back. I don’t know why, but narcissists wouldn’t let anyone else win. And for some reason this had become a twisted game to him.
    A heavy hand fell on my shoulder. Shocked, I turned my head and stared at my brother.
    “Thanks for the meat, man. I haven’t felt this good in a while.” Blood laced his lips and trailed down his chin, adding a flavor of menace to his smile.
    It kind of creeped me out. “Hey, what happened? Are you okay? Should you be standing?”
    Connie moved up behind him. “I agree. But his wound is almost gone.” She ripped the bandage off, exposing the fresh pink flesh underneath. I stared, unable to respond. Too much information rattled around in my head.
    James winced and grabbed his shoulder. “Thanks, Connie, but I don’t need you to dismember me. I’m getting better, not all better.” He turned back to me and rolled his eyes. “Anyway, thanks again for the meat. Much better than the fish or that store-bought crud we had. Didn’t we eat a cow or something, too?”
    I didn’t answer, just stared at him. He’d be in Dominic’s range again and vulnerable to the man’s mind attacks when Dominic started traveling toward us.
    James searched my face, the smile falling from his mouth. He grasped my upper arm. “Paul, what is it?”
    I gripped his hand and squeezed. For the moment, words escaped me. For the first time, in probably forever. Hell. I always knew what to say. But I choked. I choked on the memories of what Dominic had done to James in the biology building at UNLV and in the back of the screamingly awesome Nova. I swallowed and forced it out, ignoring the obvious sentiment in my tone and words. Suck it up? Hell, I was a friggin’ mess. “I can’t watch you go through the torture again, James. I might not survive it.”
    Connie’s hand found my other arm. “What are you talking about? Who was that on the phone?”
    I tucked my chin. “Dominic. He’s coming. He’s building an army and headed here.”
    Her fingers fell and hung at her side. I glanced into the older woman’s face, her long blonde hair twined in a sloppy braid. She didn’t show the emotions that had to be there. I was anxious as hell. She’d better not be calm. We weren’t discussing a book or something. Jeesh.
    Anger built within me – at Dominic, at Connie, at Travis, James, and whoever else I could think of. I snapped. “Doesn’t that faze you? Aren’t you concerned? We need something to protect the people here, the town, people .” I pointed at my mom who had joined us and Grandma Jean who stood at the doorway. “ Our people. Eat as much as you can so that you can stay on this research and tell me what the hell we can do to help. Sorry to be such a disappointment to you.” I shrugged off James’s hand. Melodramatic? Hell, I was turning into a damned drama queen. The realization just irritated me more.
    Connie didn’t turn from me as I expected. A hand on each of my upper arms steadied me and she met my eyes full on. “I get it. Our people. But I don’t have enough time to test what we’ve been working on. I need a person who hasn’t been infected. Which of our people are you willing to sacrifice to the cause? If it’s not now, then it’s going to be when