What Little Remains (The Fallout Trilogy Book 1) by Gabriella Wise

on
the front of his vest. They are throwing knives designed for him. There is a
shotgun slung across his back, two semi-automatic handguns on his hips and two
more on his thighs.  
    “You used to kiss me like that,” he says, looking down at
me, his eyes kind.
    “You used to treat me like I was the most incredible thing
you ever saw,” I say, tilting my head to look at him. “Looks like things
change.”
    A sad smile crosses his face. “Things do change. Which is
why I have hope.”
    “For what?”
    “For us,” he says, and when I sigh he cups my face with his
free hand, stepping close to me.
    He doesn’t give up. Despite all the horrible things that he
has seen, he has never lost sight of hope. Especially when it comes to me.
    “Let’s just talk about this when you get back,” I say. I
don’t want him to leave and something to happen to him with us fighting.
    “Okay,” he says with a smile. He leans down and presses his
lips on mine.
    I break the kiss, wrapping my arms around him. Hugging him
when he has all this gear on is awkward.
    “Be safe,” I say, pulling back and wrapping my arms around
myself. “That’s an order. I don’t like you going out knowing there is a large
scavenger group nearby.” Even though I’m about to do the same thing.
    “Will do,” he promises with one last kiss.
    He leans up, a smile on his face. He takes a step away from
me, and his expression melts. His puts his game face on, ready to face any
threat outside the walls.
    “ Alright men, let’s move out,” he
says, leading them out of the gate.
    He walks out without looking back. He never looks back.
    Nicole loops her arm through mine. “I hate to see them go,
but I love to watch them leave.”
    I roll my eyes and look around for Daren. He’s standing off
to the side, with his arms crossed, hands tightened into fists. He’s watching
them walk away, and shakes his head. His eyes are troubled. What does he know
that I don’t?
    A gentle tug from Nicole nudges my curiosity away, ushering
in excitement instead.
    “Everything packed?” I ask her.
    “Yep,” she says, grinning. “We need to leave soon.”
    “I’ll take care of Daren,” I say, bumping my hip against
hers. I take her with me.
    “Hey sexy man,” I say, getting Daren’s attention.
    He looks over at me, surprised. “What can I do for the two
most beautiful ladies in this place?”
    “I’m not feeling too great,” I say, putting my free hand
over my stomach. “And neither is Nic. Last night was rough, and I didn’t get
much sleep. We’re going to stay in today, probably sleeping. I was wondering if
you could find someone to take over cooking dinner for us.”
    “Yeah, sure,” he says, looking worried. He looks at the gate
that Ricky just left through. “Is everything okay? Do you need to go see John?”
    “No,” I assure him with a smile. “This is something that
comes around every month.”
    His eyes widen as he gets the picture. “Okay, yeah. Why
don’t you go relax? Dinner is taken care of. Do you want me to bring you
anything?”
    “No,” Nic says with a soft smile.
“I have food in my cabin, so we’ll be set.”
    “But thank you for offering,” I say, reaching out and
touching his arm.
    He gives me a smile, but someone calls for him. He gives me
a nod and walks away.
    “He won’t be checking on me at all today,” I say with a
laugh. Men are so weird about girls and their feminine problems.
    “Come on,” Nicole says. “We need to do this right.”
    We split up to gather supplies. Nicole goes to the bunker to
get some food, and I go back to Ricky’s cabin for a few things. He keeps knives
under his bed, and I am going to borrow them. We meet back at her house and
change clothing. Since we are going to be walking around in a forest, I
suggested that we wear pants to protect our legs from unwanted bug attention. I
slip a knife under my pants leg and give another to Nicole to do the same.
    I think that we will be safe, but