Live Free or Die Complete Series Boxed Set: Age Of Madness - A Kurtherian Gambit Series Hayley Lawson (ebook reader play store .TXT) 📖

Leandro let out a big sigh.

“Can I help?” Ryder asked. She wanted to learn more about how to look after herself. She’d gotten the killing-the-animal part down, so now she wanted to become good at cooking like Leandro.

“Yeah,” Leandro agreed eagerly.

The pair of them went around to the stove while Koda and Carter sat at the table. Massimo took the rocking chair in the corner by the stove and watched over proceedings like a foreman.

Koda’s home was small and perfect, just like the location. Ryder could see herself living in a place like this. It was smaller than Massimo and Leandro’s house and felt a little cozier because of it. Leandro made himself at home right away. He’d already added more wood to the stove and was opening and closing cupboards, poking around for ingredients.

He lifted a wooden bucket filled with potatoes. “We should ask Koda if he has extra for Massimo and the potato vodka.”

Ryder chuckled. “We’ve got loads of potatoes at the bunker. Do you want me to help peel them?”

Leandro handed her a small knife from the drawer he was rummaging through. “Sure.”

Ryder took the knife and got to work. She cut off half the potato when she tried to take the skin off it.

“You’ve not done this before, have you?”

Ryder winced. “Nope.”

Leandro showed Ryder how to peel the potato.

Ryder laughed. “Oh, now there’s some potato left.” She peeled the potatoes and dropped them into a pan of hot water, and Leandro placed it over a flame.

Leandro got to work chopping an onion. A minute later, tears began to roll down his face. “What’s wrong?” Ryder asked as Leandro wiped away his tears.

He sniffed. “Nothing. It’s the onion.”

“Are you sure?”

He grinned through the tears. “I’m sure. We’ll have to watch The Notebook when we get back to our house. Then you’ll see what I look like when I’m really crying. It’s not pretty. Not pretty at all.”

“Sounds like a good movie?” Ryder frowned. It wasn’t a movie she wanted to watch. Last night Massimo had explained to her and Carter that movies were recordings of what had happened in the past. They had planned to have a “marathon movie night,” as Massimo called it, tonight, once they’d freed everyone from the bunker.

Ryder did like the sound of that.

“Fluffy, are you crying?” Carter teased.

“He says it’s from the onions.” Ryder raised her eyebrows, still skeptical.

Carter laughed. “Yeah, yeah, I bet it is. How long till food? I’m starving,” he asked, rubbing his stomach.

Leandro didn’t look up from the pan. “About fifteen minutes, just caramelizing the onions. Koda, do you have any milk?” Koda got up from the table. “Sure, in the larder.”

Massimo perked up. “You have a larder?”

Koda nodded. “Built it myself. Do you want to see?”

Massimo looked at Leandro and Ryder, who were deep in conversation as they prepared the food. “There’s nothing I’d like more.” He waved at Carter, who was yawning. “Are you coming, sleepyhead?”

Carter got up and followed them out of the door. “Sure thing.”

Ryder waved to the guys as they left. “It’s a shame Koda hasn’t got any music we could listen to while we’re cooking. A bit of ABBA would be perfect right now.”

“ABBA, really?” Leandro shook his head in despair. “What has my dad done to you? I really need to play you some good music tonight when we get home, instead of that garbage.”

Ryder nudged Leandro. “I happen to like that garbage.” She started singing Dancing Queen as she spun around, laughing. “Come and dance with me, Leandro.” She giggled and pulled him away from the stove.

“The onions will burn,” Leandro protested.

Ryder grinned. “I thought you said you were caramelizing them?”

Leandro moved the pan off the flame. “Really, Dancing Queen?”

“I don’t know any other songs,” she told him. She repeated the few lines she knew, totally out of tune.

She didn’t really care. It was fun. Last night they’d all laughed so much they’d cried. Ryder would remember dancing in Massimo’s and Leandro’s front room forever as one of the happiest times in her life.

Leandro tried to think of another song to sing, but he couldn’t. As Ryder kept repeating the chorus of Dancing Queen. Leandro took her hands. “Don’t tell my dad, okay?” He leaned in to make sure Ryder understood.

“I promise.” She gave him an arch look, and Leandro raised his eyebrows. “What?” she asked him innocently. She carried on singing.

Leandro joined in. He knew all the words and was a much better singer than Ryder. He let go of one of Ryder’s hands and spun her, taking her by surprise and making her laugh in the same breath.

The pair danced until Leandro finished the song.

“Now you have to start again,” Ryder told him, flushed from the exertion.

Just then the door opened. Carter walked in with a glass bottle filled with milk and a milk mustache. “Here’s your milk. Is the food nearly ready?”

Ryder and Leandro jumped apart like they’d been caught.

Leandro lit the flame under the onions. “Yeah, I just need to finish frying the onions and get the stag out of the oven.”

“Cool,” Carter said as he took a seat at the table. “Wake me when it’s done,” he said, resting his head on the table. Within a few seconds he was snoring.

Ryder widened her eyes. “He can sleep anywhere, that one.” Then she leaned in to whisper into Leandro’s ear, “I know you secretly love ABBA. Wait till I tell Massimo.”

Leandro’s smile disappeared from his face. “You wouldn’t…would you?”

“Wouldn’t I?” Ryder raised her eyebrows. “I won’t if you give me the largest piece of meat.” Ryder pointed at a piece that she’d had her eye on since Carter had brought it in.

“Deal.” He grinned.

He’d been planning on giving her that piece anyway.

Chapter Fifteen

“Lunch is ready,” Ryder announced.

Koda and Massimo came back into the kitchen and took their seats at the table.

“What?” Carter almost fell as he woke from his sleep with a jerk. He brushed his hand across his face. He’d