Page 46 of After the Burn

Civilized on paper… but underneath? Not so much.

Men still made arrangements.

Promises.

Deals.

And Gideon tolerated just enough of it to keep the settlement from fracturing apart.

That was the problem with controlled corruption. Eventually, the control weakened while the corruption remained.

Finley walked out of the cafe and held up two cups of coffee. “Would you two mind a little company this morning?” He yelled up at us.

Beck glanced at me, and I nodded subtly. “Sounds good, come on up.”

The doctor looked exhausted enough to collapse standing up, his faded CDC badge still clipped near the pocket of his coat like a relic from a dead world.

We’d become tentative friends when I told him I’d worked for NASA before the world collapsed. It had come in handy because he’d shared most of his research with me.

The CDC believed the meteors had caused all of this. When things fell apart, they’d been working on a theory that blood types were the root cause of the differences in contamination levels.

I found it equally fascinating and horrifying that something so simple could cause the downfall of civilization. Now it was up to those of us left to rebuild as best we could.

There was a knock at the door, and I went to let him in. Then we both joined Beck, who was still shirtless on the balcony.

“You both look homicidal this morning,” he said, handing each of us a cup.

Beck took a long sip. “Good morning to you, too, Doc.”

Finley leaned beside me at the railing. “They’re fine.”

I raised an eyebrow in question.

“You’re not as contained as you believe.” He smirked. “No one but Harper noticed when she stepped outside after hearing the news about the girl's arrival.” Finley laughed. “She said you both looked like you’d just been given an enema.”

Beck grimaced. “She has quite the way with words.”

“Nurses.” Finley shrugged his shoulders like that was explanation enough.

Harper emerged near the outside stairwell a second later with Aurora walking close beside her. “We’re coming up.”

“It’s like a fucking party up here,” Beck grumbled.

Finley narrowed his eyes. “She wouldn’t be here if she didn’t have information for you.”

Beck rolled his eyes. “You’re too fucking sensitive.”

“He didn’t mean anything by it.” I ran my hands over the front of my shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles. “We value your friendship.”

If I were the one to soften hurt feelings, things were becoming dire. It helped me recognize the value of my friendship with Lucas, as I relied on his charm to influence others, freeing me to prioritize what truly mattered.

Finley shot us a warning look before heading inside.

Max growled when they knocked but stopped instantly upon seeing Rory.

The little girl was talking animatedly to her dolls, while her mother occasionally contributed to the conversation. That stopped as soon as she saw the big dog. She rushed to his side, and he sniffed her doll before shoving his head under her hand for pets.

Harper smiled. “He looks vicious, but really he’s a big baby.”