Guilt (A Zero Spin-Off)

Fourteen - Kyle

"What the hell was that?" I asked, watching Ella skitter up the steps embarrassed. I picked up the nearest object - a throw pillow, not very manly but it would have to do - and threw it at Hunter's face. "You were watching?" I looked for something harder to throw.

"What?" He sat up, pulling a face. "God, no. Come on, Ky. No." He shook his head. "You're the one who decided to get your freak on near the dock. I was coming down to fill a bucket up with water for girls' laundry, asshole. Obviously I turned my ass around, but your ass is burned into my brain."

Well, that was an entirely reasonable explanation and if I had been thinking with my brain even a little bit, I would have considered that the dock seemed to be fairly high traffic. Unfortunately, my brain lost control about the same moment Ella lost her pants. I flopped onto the couch next to Atlas.

"Don't give her a hard time, jackass."

"Sounds like you already did that," Joel added unnecessarily and I shot him a look.

"Seriously, leave her alone about it."

Hunter smirked but I knew he would. Joel raised his hands in surrender but it didn't stop him from snorting out a laugh. I was positive that what had happened between Ella and I was something she thought wholeheartedly would stay private. I had intended to honor that partly because it was no one's business and partly because I was pretty sure if she thought I was sayin' shit that the chances of it happening again would fall to zero pretty quickly. And hell to the yeah I wanted it to happen again. And again and again.

"So much for nothing going on there," Joel muttered loudly enough for everyone to hear. Hunter bit back a laugh but before I could say anything - or do anything, Atlas spoke up.

"Glad you're here," he said loudly enough to force attention his way. I may not have known him very well, but Atlas was a good guy, he was definitely the peace keeper of this little group. Except when it came to their newest addition. I didn't know if I should have been calling her Gremlin or Claire, she was pretty insistent on the latter but Atlas had everyone using the former just to get under her skin it seemed. That aside, I'd seen him break up arguments and sway conversations more than once in the last few days. And that's what he was doing, taking the heat off of whatever went down between Ella and I and forcing the conversation in a more productive direction.

He had a good head on his shoulder. He stayed calmer and exhibited more patience than any of us and if he weren't heading back to the church with the girls, I would have wanted him with us.

"Yeah." It took a hell of a lot of effort to focus on him and not on the girl upstairs. I wanted to follow her up make sure she was okay. That wasn't planned and I wanted to know if she regretted it - thought it was a mistake. I had no idea what was going through her mind and even if she made the first move, I felt like I needed to make sure we were good. And I wanted to do it again, slower, taking my time. "Joel said you wanted to talk."

"Yeah. He mentioned a farm not far from the church. I hoped you could point out where it was to me on a map."

Joel had never been great at reading maps. He probably wasn't able to give more than a general area.

"Sure," I said, nodding. "Something wrong with the church?" I laughed.

"They won't make you convert to stay," Joel added, chuckling.

Atlas laughed but shook his head. "No, but Z's family, her aunt, owns a large ranch."

I nodded in understanding. "And you think it's the same place?"

Hunter leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and bobbed his head up and down. "Joel gave us an area, and it seems to match up, but we want to know for sure before we mention it to Zero. If that's the case, she may want them to wait there."