Refuge Read online

  Refuge

  The Wanderers, Book Two

  Becca Jameson

  Copyright © 2021 by Becca Jameson

  Cover Artist: OriginalSyn

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. And resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Newsletter

  About the Book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Author’s Note

  Also by Becca Jameson

  About the Author

  Join my newsletter to stay up to date on all things Becca Jameson!

  Becca’s Newsletter Sign-up

  About the Book

  The world is no longer a safe place, especially for women. For several decades, the birth rate of females has been declining. Militants, the government, and private citizens alike will do anything to find young women and force them into unthinkable arrangements.

  * * *

  The Wanderers are a secret underground society, born to provide sanctuary for anyone who believes in free will and democratic notions. They have grown in numbers for many years and have several compounds where their citizens live in safety.

  * * *

  Ever since Ariel joined The Wanderers three months ago, she’s been battling the belief from everyone in the compound that she’s too young to enter into a relationship. She’s well-aware who started this rumor and continues to perpetuate it. Stuart. The man is infuriating, and she’s so done with him meddling in her life. No matter how gorgeous he is.

  * * *

  Most of the men won’t come near her. Thank goodness two men have chosen to ignore the idle threats from the surly Stuart and have been courting her. Kester and Tarin have helped her transition to life underground like the gentleman they are.

  * * *

  Stuart is a stubborn mule. He lives under the premise that he intends to keep Ariel at arm’s length, but no one else can have her either. Too bad for him Ariel isn’t mousy, and her life experience makes her far more mature than he gives her credit for. She’s ready to take her relationships to the next level. Stuart can either get on board or take a hike.

  * * *

  Life in this new world isn’t easy. They face danger every day. People die. It’s time for Stuart to face his past and decide if it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

  Chapter 1

  Ariel rubbed her hands together to keep from shaking as Kester punched in the code to his apartment in the keypad. She flinched when the door popped open, and was downright trembling as she passed him to step into his living space.

  What the hell was I thinking?

  They’d been on a total of four dates, if you could call them that. The first time she’d been eating lunch alone in the cafeteria and he’d asked her if he could join her. The second time, she’d run into him in one of the hallways and he’d walked her back to the Schamas’ apartment where she was currently living. At that time, he’d asked her to meet him for lunch the next day. That made three.

  Were those even dates? More like bumping into each other twice and then meeting a friend for lunch. But who knew what constituted a date when one was living in an underground bunker with a few hundred people during what basically would need to be deemed an apocalypse?

  Tonight had been their fourth…encounter? Dinner. Specifically planned. Again in a cafeteria where dozens of other people were also dining. But Ariel and Kester had shared a table without other people. A date, right?

  At the end, he’d asked her to go back to his place. It had to be a date.

  She drew in a breath as she entered his apartment. It was nearly the same as any other living space in the compound. Gray walls and concrete floors. Sparse furniture. A kitchen table that didn’t accompany appliances. Two bedrooms.

  Every apartment was basically the same, with the exception of the number of attached bedrooms. This one had two, and she knew Kester Carbon lived here with Stuart Duggan. She also knew the two of them weren’t close. They simply lived together out of convenience since they’d both arrived with no families. Hell, no one was close to Stu. The man was always cranky and disgruntled. Ariel had rarely seen him smile.

  “Would you like to have a seat?” Kester pointed toward the couch. “Water?”

  “No. I’m fine.” She lowered herself onto the end of the couch, sitting on her hands to keep from fidgeting. She glanced around. “You’re sure Stuart doesn’t mind me being here?” What she really meant was: are you sure Stuart isn’t coming back tonight?

  Kester chuckled as he sat in one of the armchairs, pointedly not next to her. “It’s my place too. I don’t really care if Stu does mind. But, he’s out on a run. He won’t be back for a few days.”

  She nodded slowly, uncertain how she felt about Stuart’s presence or lack thereof. He’d been one of the first people she’d met when she’d joined The Wanderers three months ago. He’d been the one to pick her and her sister up from a rendezvous point and bring them to the compound.

  The moment she’d met him, she’d been enamored. He had messy brown hair, deep brown eyes, and perfectly straight white teeth. Granted, the day she’d met him had been about the only time she’d seen his teeth. He’d smiled, making her heart race, and then he’d found out she was nineteen and put up a wall so high it was impossible to see over.

  Nineteen. An adult. She knew her mind. She’d lived a life that made her feel older than her age—assuming she subtracted the fact that, until she’d left her childhood home, she’d never met another man besides her father up close. That fact did leave her a bit naïve, but only concerning relationships.

  It pissed her off that Stuart treated her like she was a baby, grunting at her and bossing her around. The man was thirty. He acted like he was seventy-five.

  “We didn’t have to come here, Ariel,” Kester said softly. “We can go someplace public if you’d like.”

  She shook her head and forced herself to lean back against the cushions. “This is fine. I’m fine.” She smiled, though she was certain it looked forced as she met Kester’s gaze.

  He was frowning, his dark eyes narrowed because he didn’t believe her. He leaned back slowly too, stretching his legs out in front of him and crossing them at the ankles. He was tall and slender with dark skin. His face was always smooth as if he’d just shaved, and more than once she’d thought about what it would feel like for his cheek to brush against hers. He kept his black hair cut short.

  Kester cleared his throat. “You look like you’re waiting for a tooth extraction.” He unfolded his legs and rose, pushing off the armchair. “Come on. Let’s go someplace public.”

  She grabbed his arm as he passed her. “No. Please. Sit with me.”

  He stared down at her for a few moments before coming to her side and lowering himself onto the couch, leaving about a foot of space between them. He turned his body to the side, bending one knee up onto the cushions, and leaned his che
ek against his palm. His elbow rested on the back of the sofa.

  She met his gaze and then lowered hers, threading her fingers together in her lap. Her blond hair was nearly white, and it fell around her face like a welcomed curtain.

  “You’re uncomfortable alone with me, Ariel. It’s unnecessary.”

  She sucked in a breath and lifted her face. “I’m not. I mean, I don’t want to be. I’m trying to be…normal.”

  He furrowed his brow. “Have you ever been alone with a man before?”

  “Sure.” She swallowed. “My dad.” She grinned at him, hoping to lighten things.

  He chuckled. “That’s what I thought. You arrived here three months ago after living off the grid with only your sister and your parents. Your life must feel like it’s a tornado. I don’t want to add to that tornado.”

  “You’re not,” she defended. “I mean, it’s not you. I would be nervous no matter who you were.”

  “Okay, but maybe you’re not ready to put yourself in a situation that makes you uncomfortable. And that’s okay. The compound and this community exist to ensure you always feel safe. You make your own choices here. No one living here is going to touch a hair on your head without permission. Including me. Especially me.”

  She took a deep breath. “I know.” She untangled her hands and reached out to grab his, the one resting on his shin.

  He let her. In fact, he flipped his hand over and let her thread their fingers together.

  She stared down at their connection, her skin so pale, his skin so dark. For some reason, she found it attractive. She liked how they looked next to each other. Opposites. If they had a baby together, would it be a gorgeous shade of brown somewhere in between its parents?

  She flinched at the thought. Good grief.

  Kester stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. It felt nice. Until this moment, they hadn’t really touched other than arms bumping into each other as they walked or fingers grazing as they passed something back and forth.

  She glanced around again, trying to think of things to say. “Which room is yours?”

  “The one behind me.”

  Darn. That question did not start a conversation. It wasn’t as if she would follow up with, “Can I see it?”

  “How long have you lived here?” she asked, trying another route.

  “Two years. Stuart found me living on the streets in the city. We ran into each other several times before he invited me to come back here with him.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-five.”

  “Do you have any family?” She was almost conversational and gave herself a mental pat on the back.

  “I have no idea. Depends on who kidnapped my mother from our home ten years ago, where they took her, and how many times she’s been forced to reproduce since then.” He winced and squeezed her hand. “Jesus, I’m sorry. That was far too blunt.”

  She lifted his hand to her face and rubbed her cheek against his fingers. “I’m so sorry. You were only fifteen?”

  He nodded. “Let’s talk about something more uplifting. How are you enjoying working at the clothing exchange?”

  She smiled. “I like it. My sister, Layla, says if I’d lived in a different time, I would have been a fashion designer.” She laughed. “As if that’s needed in this completely dystopian society.”

  “Hey, people still enjoy pretty things, even in hard times.” He lifted a brow. “I do.”

  She flushed when she realized he was talking about her.

  He untangled their fingers and cupped her cheek. “I love how your face flushes when you’re embarrassed or nervous.”

  She groaned. “I’m usually both. It’s not hard.”

  “It’s cute.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I hate that everyone thinks I’m cute. I’m kind of tired of being treated like I’m too young to know my mind or make my own decisions.”

  Feeling bold, she licked her lips and sat up straighter. “I know I don’t have experience with men, but I’m not stupid. I’m more educated than almost anyone I’ve met. My parents both had a Ph.D. They made Layla and me sit down every day for homeschooling. I’m trained in self-defense and I have survival skills that rival most humans. I’m a grown woman.”

  Kester held her gaze. “No one is suggesting you’re not, Ariel.”

  She rolled her eyes, groaning. “Of course they are. You’re treating me with kid gloves, and Stuart growls at every man who comes near me as if I were twelve and he needs to ward them off. It’s maddening. I’m surprised you’ve been willing to talk to me or eat with me. And I’m doubly surprised you brought me back to your apartment.”

  Kester scooted closer and gripped her hand in her lap this time. “First of all, I spend time with you because I like you. You’re fun and fucking smart and sharp and gorgeous. When you laugh, the tinkling sound lights up a room.”

  “Kes…”

  He moaned and then spoke in a lower voice. “I really like when you call me Kes.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t think…”

  He shook his head. “I said I like it, Ariel. It makes me feel like I’m special to you or something.” He waved a hand through the air, dismissing the thought. “As for Stuart, I can’t tell you for sure why he’s being such an asshole around you. I’m not sure anyone really knows. But I can tell you, albeit reluctantly, that it’s not because he doesn’t like you.”

  She narrowed her gaze, skeptically.

  “I’m confident he’s so attracted to you that he can’t think straight around you. He warns everyone away from you because he wants you for himself. I don’t know why he’s stuck to this strange narrative in which he insists you’re too young to approach, but literally, no one else agrees with him.”

  She gasped, eyes wide. “He does not want me for himself.” I wish he did. “He treats me like I’ve got a communicable disease, Kes.”

  Kester laughed. “It’s a front, I tell you. I’m not sure he even realizes it. He’s using your age as an excuse.”

  “For what?”

  Kester shrugged. “Damned if I know. But the way he grumbles and growls about you is a sure sign to everyone that he’s claiming you for his own and we should all back off.”

  Ariel blinked at him. “That’s absurd.”

  Kester shook his head. “I’m serious.”

  “He’s never said a kind word to me. He barely looks me in the eye. He never comes near me. It’s obvious he can’t stand me.”

  Kester chuckled again, his chest rising and falling. “It’s like middle school all over again.”

  She cocked her head to one side. “I have no idea what that means. I have only a vague understanding of what middle school even is.”

  Kester smiled at her and dropped his arm along the back of the couch, lifting a lock of her hair and letting it run through his fingers. “Damn, your hair is as soft as it looks.” He turned back to her face. “Middle school is where kids go between elementary and high school. The awkward ages of twelve to fourteen. Girls are far more mature than boys at that age, and boys tend to act like idiots tripping over each other to try to catch a girl’s attention.”

  She frowned. “Not following.”

  “When a thirteen-year-old boy likes a girl, he’ll tell everyone around that she’s gross so they will back off and she will look at him.”

  “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” She smiled.

  He chuckled. She loved the sound of his laughter. “Agreed. But it’s true.”

  “Okay, let’s say for one second that Stuart does have a childhood crush on me as you’re suggesting. Why do you keep pursuing me then? He’s your roommate. Surely, you don’t want to make him mad.” A flush raced up her face and she winced. “Unless, you’re not pursuing me at all, and I’ve misread you. Or…” She narrowed her gaze. “You’re doing it to annoy Stuart or to get me closer to him.”

  Kester’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. “None of the above. I’m most definitely vying for yo
ur attention because I’m attracted to you. I couldn’t give two shits whether or not Stuart knows or cares or gets angry. His loss.”

  She licked her lips. “My mother never mentioned how complicated men were.”

  Kester laughed again. “To be fair, your mother didn’t live in a world where men outnumber women by such high margins. When your parents went into hiding over twenty years ago, the world was holding on by a thread, but it was still a mostly monogamous society.”

  Kester stroked a finger down her cheek. She liked it. A lot. She wished he would do more than just that brief contact. She liked him, and like he’d said, even though she liked Stuart too, his loss. The infuriating man had pushed her away so many times, she’d lost count. It was impossible to believe he cared about her at all from the way he acted. In fact, his behavior suggested he saw himself more as a protector or father figure than a man attracted to a woman.

  Kester released her hair on a sigh and gripped her hand again. “I’m under no illusion that there’s some kind of contest and in the end, I’ll win and get the girl. We don’t live in a world where that would be fair. I know you have feelings for Stuart. Your frustration with him speaks volumes, and I’ve seen the way you look at him.”

  She winced. “And that doesn’t bother you?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t let it. I can’t. I’d be a jackass if I claimed you for myself, especially since I know for a fact that Stuart and I aren’t the only two men who have noticed you.”