Isolation , Jones, Nathan [top 20 books to read TXT] 📗

“Why is she making you go?” Tallie asked. “Is she making Mommy go, too?”

“No,” he said slowly. “Your mom is going to be staying here, and so are you guys.”

“Wait, you're leaving us?” Ricky asked, looking far more fearful than Nick had expected. “But what if something happens to you, and we have no way of knowing?” His voice rose in pitch. “What if something happens to us, and you aren't here?”

Nick abruptly realized why his son was so worried. Ellie had been traveling when the pandemic started, and it had taken her a long time and a lot of hardship to get back to them. During much of that time they had been out of contact with her, fearing the worst.

It had taken its toll on the children, and it tore him apart to have to put them through that again.

“It won't be like when your mom couldn't get back to us,” he said gently. “Zolos isn't a threat anymore, and I'm going to be helping get things back to how they were. Soon we'll have phones, and cars, and airplanes, and internet with video chats and everything. And relief convoys will be coming through here all the time, so I'll try to send you guys letters.”

He hoped all that was true.

Nick wanted to promise them that he'd visit if he could, or have them come visit him, but he couldn't be sure about either of those things and didn't want to get their hopes up. So he assured them with what he could.

“It won't be too bad,” he continued, making his tone as bright and hopeful as he could. “It'll be just like when Mommy has to travel for work, except it'll probably be for a bit longer.” He hugged them both tightly. “But even though I'll be gone, you know I love you and I'll be thinking about you all the time.”

Ricky was stiff in his arms, obviously still worried, but Tallie hugged him back fiercely. “I'll miss you every day, Daddy,” she said, big eyes full of tears. “I don't want you to go.”

“I don't want to go either,” he said, voice thick. He forced a smile. “But I do have some good news. You know how I've been going out with Gen? Well she and Billy are going to be coming with me, so at least I won't be alone.”

That brightened his kids' mood a bit, although they were obviously sad about their friend and his mom leaving.

Nick carefully stood, still holding Tallie with one arm and putting his other around Ricky's shoulders. “Come on,” he said. “How about you help me and Gen and Billy all get packed?”

✽✽✽

Chet paced furiously in the small chain-link cage he and Ben had been shoved into by Gorstrom's soldiers, swearing under his breath.

How was this even happening? The war with Jay had ended almost a month ago, and they'd all moved on. He'd actually been able to forget most of that nightmarish time, even the jarring way that bald maniac had ended things.

All his focus recently had been on planning for the wedding with Aimee, and working on day to day survival. Things like trapping small game, hunting bigger game, helping Statton and the others with their ambitiously large garden, and getting Ben's and their dad's new house on the property built.

And then after weeks of peace, suddenly for no good reason here he was under arrest for that arson in Wensbrook BS.

And even worse, they'd dragged his little brother into it, too.

How did they even know about that? What cowardly little rat pretending to be their friend had told them? And what gave them the right to make arrests when they couldn't prove anything?

What gave them the right at all, a glorified pencil pusher and her cronies? They didn't have the law on their side here.

On the other side of the cage Ben was poking at the fastenings between the modular chain-link fencing that made up their cage. “We could probably get out of here without too much trouble,” he said.

Chet peered warily through the fence at the guards lounging nearby, keeping a close eye on the couple dozen prisoners they'd gathered. A few of those in the other cages were people Chet had heard rumors about having done this or that during the crisis, usually theft or assault. Stuff that had been worked out already by the town's leaders to the satisfaction of all parties.

But that didn't seem to matter to Gorstrom; she was really going on a rampage here.

He hurriedly pulled his brother away from his suspicious behavior. “Cut that out. We don't want to give them a reason to take back their “generous” offer.”

They'd been watching a parade of bigwigs from the town and quarantine camp going into Gorstrom's tent for the last hour or so, but apparently they weren't important enough for that dubious honor. Instead, one of her aides had come around to their cage to explain their situation and give them the deal:

Serve the maximum sentence for multiple counts of arson with no hope of parole, or join the rebuilding efforts in a work program for five years, with time reduced for good behavior.

Chet had been tempted to tell the smug bureaucrat to shove his deal where the sun don't shine. The fact that they were throwing justice out the window to pressure him into giving them free labor was infuriating, and the stubborn part of him couldn't imagine taking it.

But the reasonable part of him knew that, as BS as this situation was, refusing the offer would be much worse. And he had more than himself to consider.

His brother was in hot water too because of him, and he also had to consider Aimee; he had to get out of this mess and back to her as quickly as possible, so they could continue with all the plans they'd made.

Assuming she was willing to wait so long, after he'd messed up so badly. He was genuinely afraid it would