The Key to My Hart

Chapter 13

Grayson appeared to be about my age. His sharp hazel eyes took me in as I fully stood up. He had the same sharp jawline as Rowan. His stance was lazy, leaning against the stall. He didn't look like a cowboy the way the others did. Instead, his taste in fashion seemed more classical. Dress pants. Nice shirt. However, he did wear a large rodeo buckle.

"I was a lawyer in my previous life." He chuckled.

"You look too young to be a lawyer." I left the battery where it was, not wanting to draw attention to it.

Grayson belly laughed. "Ma'am, I'm 28 years old, same age as Rowan. I know. I look younger than I am."

"That is still really young, but it doesn't matter. Why didn't you out me? And why are you seemingly trying to help." I kept my stance loose, ready to move at a moment's notice in case he decided to attack or alert anyone.

"This place is hell. I wouldn't want to see anyone have to endure the things my fiancée and I have had to go through. If Rowan gets trapped here, he will have hell to pay." Grayson's eyes bored into me. "My fiancée is too weak to leave. Otherwise, we would have left ages ago, but I cannot risk taking her out there were we would have to face down those creatures or other people intent on harming."

"You must have known what this place was like as a child. Why did you bring her here in the first place?" I demanded, wondering if I had seen his partner at lunch earlier in the day after we first arrived.

"I didn't, actually. You see, my mother was the sister of the old man. She was much younger than him. Once she married, she moved far away and went no contact with her family. However, she died when I was still a teenager. My father passed a few years later. After I had passed the bar exam, the old man reached out to me, stating he was family and wanted to hire me to be the lawyer for the ranch. I was desperate for a family connection as my father had been an only child and his parents had passed before I was born. I had only been here a handful of times, and while it was obvious there was tensions, I never saw how evil this place was. When the outbreak happened, the old man reached out to all the extended family members and told them to come to the ranch. We have been here ever since." Grayson ran a hand through his hair and blew out a breath.

I rolled the inside of my cheek between my teeth. "I want to believe you, but I'm having a hard time trusting anyone."

"I can understand that." He gave me a mournful smile. The black horse nudged him, wanting more of his attention.

"Tell me more about this place. How it's ran. Who does what. If they have patrols. How you all have survived this long. I want to know as much as possible." If I was being honest with myself, I didn't just want to know so I could properly prepare myself for an escape, but also because I wanted to know more about Rowan's family.

"Where to begin..." Grayson's eyes unfocused for a second while he absently stroked the horse's head. "The old man had seven children. Rowan's father was his oldest son. Gunner's mother was his oldest and only daughter. Both are deceased now, but the old man's other five sons are alive and here. All five of them do the old man's bidding. They aren't the smartest lot, which is probably why they are so easily controlled. Each of them has grown children who are also here with their families. There are also some distant relatives that showed up after the outbreak. Altogether, there is approximately 50 people residing here."

"I didn't even know there was that much room in the house to hold that many people. I also didn't see that many at the meal we all ate together." My eyes narrowed at him. He had suggested leaving at breakfast, but if the table inside the house couldn't fit 50 people, where did the rest go.

Grayson must have understood where my thought process was taking me, for he stated, "There is another building on the property. It's the old servants' quarters that was renovated several years back. The children of the five sons as well as the extended family stay there. Except for the first born of each son. Gunner, Dawson, and I also stay in the main house. So those were the people you saw earlier."