Deep Freeze: Protocol One, Book 2 (Protocol One Saga) by Jacqueline Druga Page A

used to be. I trusted you. I really did.”
    “Anna, I haven’t changed. You just never got to see me in this scenario.”
    “It’s just hard to believe. But seeing that the whole divorcing Gwen was a lie, it only makes sense.”
    He slowly shook his head. “You don’t get it. I don’t care about Gwen. I would have and still would give my right arm to be with you.”
    There was one thing that was certain. If you have a conversation in a community area such as a stairwell, in a bunker, and you don’t want someone to hear what you say … they will.
    Gwen did.
    While her expression and gasp were priceless, it was my out and I excused myself from that stairwell.
    There were two things I needed to do, one was talk to Peter and the other meet Joie for dinner and then Joie and I would head back to my room with Tony.
    I missed my room.
    But the bunker didn’t hold the same effect as it did before I met Larry and the others.
    I couldn’t even call myself a survivor any longer. What I did was beat the odds due to being privileged. Larry and the others beat the odds of the comet and were truly the survivors. I carried that with me. I wished I could have brought them all back to the bunker.
     
    <><><><>
     
    Peter was easy to find. Other than his room, he was usually in one of three places. His office, the safe room or in the kitchen getting a drink box. Luckily, he was alone in the safe room when I found him and I closed the door, locking it.
    “I’m going to take it this isn’t some sort of seduction,” he said.
    “No.” I smiled and sat down next to him.
    “Thought I’d ask. What’s going on?”
    “Tell me. What happened when I was away?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean with Gil. How was he?”
    “He was Gil. I mean, he was worried about you.”
    “What did you find out or hear?” I asked. “That you needed to talk?”
    “I overheard him and Gwen talking about a replacement doctor. I figured he was kicking them out. Because, Anna, he was freaking pissed they took the plow truck.”
    I leaned back. “It doesn’t make sense for him to get so mad he’d throw people out.”
    “It’s Gwen,” Peter said nonchalantly. “She has something on him.”
    “What?” I laughed out my response.
    “Seriously, it’s something. I mean, why is she here? She hates it here. I realize Gil’s her husband and all even though the divorce was a ruse, but there’s no love lost there. Why come up here?”
    “Because I think she is trying to find out where everything is. The fuel and other things he has hidden out there. I mean she knows about them, the location and Gil’s plan is what she needs to figure out.”
    “For what purpose?”
    “Whoever has the fuel has the power, maybe.”
    “Nah, that’s not it. Maybe they don’t want Gil having that much control,” Peter said. “I mean, he gets things up and running, the government is gonna have to bow to him. They don’t want that. And apparently, it’s Gil’s secret apocalypse fantasy to rule the world.”
    “I would have doubted that a year ago,” I said. “It just doesn’t make sense. I keep saying that. But this is really not Gil.”
    “How are we sure that she even knows all his secrets?”
    I actually debated on telling Peter about how Gwen knew, but then again, it was Peter and after telling him, I was glad I did.
    “When Tony and I took the Humvee, we found a bag she left behind.”
    “What kind of bag.”
    “What kind of bag? Like a gym bag, but small, soft leather.”
    “Sounds nice.”
    “Peter,” I snapped. “Oh my God, this has nothing to do with the bag. It has to do with what was in the bag. Aside from really nonsense items she had a BlackBerry.”
    “She had her phone? Why? Who uses their BlackBerry in the apocalypse?”
    “Apparently, Gwen, because she was communicating with someone at Damnation Alley, that’s how I got the message call for help. But other than that, is what she has all the documents. Everything about what Gil