We finished up the meeting, although I didn’t give Riley a clear answer to her previous question. I told her I’d consider it, and we’d have more time to dwell on things after the tunnel was finished. I wasn’t even sure why I was dragging my feet. Riley was an asset to have. She could organize things in ways I never could. Furthermore, I didn’t want to be on the front line risking my life. I just wanted to scour this world for resources that would make me rich in my world, and use the convenience of my world to make the people I care about safe and comfortable in this world.

  Riley would help me achieve that, and she didn’t seem like the kind of person who would betray me. If we set up a deal that was advantageous to both of us, she would see it through. Even if she did end up taking off, there wasn’t a whole lot she could do that would cause me to suffer too much. Even if I lost all the supplies I had teleported to this world, they came cheaply and I could always get more. Perhaps, that was the kind of mentality that prevented me from already becoming a millionaire.

  I knew deep down that things didn’t have to be this hard. Cecelia could just hack and steal all of the money I needed. I could probably just download a library of books and then have her flood the market with self-publish novels. I could have her do stock trading and quickly amass wealth. On the other side, I could just move to Twin Elms and make my fortune quickly by trading there. I already had a property there, and the amount of money he offered for me to operate exclusively for him far exceeded the agreement we had ultimately settled on. He had even promised extremely rare items like another one of the Allco 5s drug recipes and Perco mods.

  Yet, in the end, I didn’t take any of those other paths. I didn’t want to be handed my success. I wanted it to be something I ultimately built on my own. I didn’t know if that made me stupid or smart, but I wasn’t willing to change my course either way.

  As I was dwelling on it, I heard a light knock on the door. “Come in.”

  I was sitting on the bed in my bedroom. I had given everyone orders on how to proceed forward. I came to get some rest before my meeting with Jacques came around nightfall. I didn’t know if my journey with him would be fruit full, or a death trap. I still didn’t trust the guy, even if he did indirectly help me recover my sister. I had to remind myself that Jacques only cared about Jacques and no one else.

  The door opened up and a familiar face poked its head in. “Do you have a moment, Daniel?”

  I softened the hard expression on my face. “I always have a moment, Katarina.”

  She nodded, and slid her slim form through the door, closing it behind her. I wasn’t sure what she wanted, but she held her head low and didn’t look at me right away. She seemed to be in a bit of a struggle, arguing with herself over the right words to use.

  “You plan on leaving again soon?” She asked, clearly putting aside whatever she had originally intended on saying.

  I looked around awkwardly and then nodded. “Uh, yeah. He wants to meet a few streets away from here at sunset. I already sent out a regiment to make sure the route is clear and safe.”

  “And what’s going to keep you safe from him?” She asked.

  “Is that what this is about?” I asked, making a face. “Are you worried about me?”

  Katarina turned her back to me, but she didn’t try to leave. “I’m sorry… I don’t mean to be difficult. I’m just not used to this kind of thing.”

  “What kind of thing?” I asked.

  “C-caring…” She spoke so softly I almost didn’t hear her before speaking louder. “I’m not used to having someone I need to worry about. In the colony, I lived in safety and isolation every day. Although they spread that lie to get everyone to come to that slave auction and I was worried for a bit, everyone in the colony is protected and I don’t need to worry about them.”

  “Katarina…”

  “Since being out here, I’ve refused to get close to anyone. The only time I even talked to Wastelanders is when I needed to trade goods. It kept me safe and protected… until the time it didn’t.”

  “You mean when you met me.”

  She looked back at me, and I realized her eyes were a bit red. “I thought we were both going to die back then. When we miraculously escaped, I thought you were just some na?ve colonist. I thought I’d show you a lesson on how harsh the wasteland was. You’d either run back to your colony or learn not to trust so easily. Yet, in the end, I was the one who was left with nothing and you were the one saving my life.”

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  “Ah… it wasn’t my intention to screw you over…”

  She shook her head. “It was my intention, but you still chose to feed and protect me. You still chose to trust me. Even after I was captured by raiders, and by all accounts I should have lost my purity and been just a used husk of my former self, you still came after me and saved me again. That’s why… I gave myself to you… by all rights, I should have lost it before then anyway.”

  Her cheeks turned pink, and she looked embarrassed, not willing to meet my eyes even as her mouth continued to run. I felt a bit embarrassed too. It had been my first time as well, and although I had since been with Raven a few times, it wasn’t the same as with Katarina.

  “Katarina, I do care about you.”

  Instead of looking pleased, she winced. “That’s exactly the problem. This is the Wasteland. People die all the time. This isn’t a colony, and it isn’t like your w- your world either. You’ve been taking too many risks every time you leave the compound, and it’s a miracle you haven’t died yet.”

  “I have a few tricks up my sleeve.” I coughed. “I won’t die so easily.”

  She gave me a side look. “I know about most of your tricks. They won’t stop you from falling into a radioactive cavern and dying before you can even treat yourself, or being shot by a stray bullet, or being eaten by some abomination…”

  “Alright!” I cut in and then blushed. “Yes, the Wasteland is dangerous, but if we’re going to have a future here, then risks have to be taken.”

  She slowly shook her head. “It’s not just about you. I take risks as well. The women who were snatched from the bazaar were all women of the Dragon’s Claw. They were someone’s wife, someone’s mother, someone’s lover. They died and didn’t come back. I could have easily been out there when they attacked and been one of the ones they snatched. It could have been me dead just as easily as any of them.”

  “Yeah, but it wasn’t you…”

  “Because of luck.” She finally looked at me, walking up and grabbing my hands. “Our relationship can end at any point. You could die on this next trip of yours, or I could die by a loose Neerrat. If I died, you still have others to depend on. You’ll have ki- you still have Kiera and Raven, and probably Red too if you ask.”

  “Katarina, I care about you. If this is about Raven, you said…”

  “It’s not about Raven.” She shook her head. “I already told you that someone who can provide deserves to have the women who will have him. Even if you bed Jeri, Red, and Riley, it won’t change my feelings.”

  “Really?” I looked in disbelief.

  She blushed slightly, a crooked frown on her face. “I’m not saying I wouldn’t be jealous… I just mean that I understand my place. Which is why I want you to understand your place as well. If I died, you could find comfort in any of the other girls here. However, if you died, we wouldn’t be able to continue. The only reason we’re even standing here having this conversation is because of all the resources you bring in. Those are your resources, and I won’t even try to imagine a world where you can procure such commodities with ease, but I need you to understand just how important you are to all of us. Of everyone present, you’re the one who must stay safe.”

  As she spoke, there seemed to be pleading in her eyes, and I knew that Katarina was telling me her true feelings at heart.

  “I will try to be safe,” I promised. “I’ve had similar thoughts myself. This will be my last big adventure for a while.”

  “Okay…” She gave a nod, her hand squeezing mine.

  We sat there like that silently for a bit until it started to feel awkward.

  “Um… I still have a few hours before I need to go…”

  She blinked and then blushed. “I understand.”

  She finally stood up, and I took a breath feeling a bit relieved. I really should rest a bit. Katarina walked over to the door, and while I was expecting her to open it and step out, instead I heard a click. I looked up just as Katarina undid her pants, causing them to fall to her ankles. I stared at her fit body in shock.

  “What?” She blinked as she noticed me frozen and staring. “Isn’t this what you meant?”

  I wasn’t going to tell her no.