The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 508

+15 Bonus

Marcus had not only seen Nicole before. He had given her a hard time when she worked at his custom car club.

Back then, he strutted around like he owned the place. If she hadn’t needed footage for her videos and the traffic they brought in, she never would have swallowed her pride and put up with him.

Nicole smiled. “Are you hitting on ine?”

The question caught him completely off guard.

Sure, she was beautiful and had a strong personality. In the dull gray world of the apocalypse, she stood out like a bright red rose covered in thorns.

But seriously? He might enjoy a challenge, but that did not mean he was interested in every woman he met.

Everyone thought of him as a shameless playboy who had slept with more women than he could count. But after spending seven figures on a pink diamond, he planned to settle down and leave that life behind.

Then his girlfriend disappeared during the disasters.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t been with anyone in a long time.

“Sorry, but I’m already taken.” Nicole linked her arm through Zeph’s. “And after three years of the apocalypse, that pickup line is still painfully bad. You really need some new material.”

She gave him a polite smile.

“I’m not interested, so stay away from me from now on, okay?”

Poppy immediately stepped forward, her cheeks puffed out in anger. “Nicole belongs with Zeph. You’re a bad guy!

“Woof!” Cola bared his teeth and glared at Marcus, clearly eager to sink them into his leg.

Surrounded by hostility on all sides, Marcus was speechless.

What was wrong with these people? What had he said or done to make them think he was interested in her?

By the time Marcus recovered, Nicole and the others were already far down the street.

She had played him.

He turned and noticed that the security patrol was still nearby.

Marcus took a slow breath, pushed down his annoyance, and called Kyle over. “Does anyone on your team know anything about the people living in Villa 50?”

The security team was supposed to protect the entire neighborhood, but Kyle knew who actually paid their wages.

“Ethan, stay behind.”

Ethan stepped out of formation while the rest of the patrol moved on.

Marcus seemed satisfied that Kyle had understood so quickly. He glanced at the red handprint on his face and smiled. “You took a hit for doing your job. Go collect five pounds of food later.”

“Thank you, Mr. Robinson.”

1/2

+15 8chus

་699འ་

Once the others were gone, Marcus lit a cigarette. “You know the people in Villa 50?”

“Yes.”

“How did you meet them?” Marcus asked, his interest sharpening. “What’s their background?”

“They rented a house in Oakhaven Gardens during the extreme heat. I don’t know where they came from, but they. knew how to fight. In exchange for teaching self-defense, they got an entire building to themselves. Other than teaching the classes, Mr. Dawson mostly kept to himself.”

Marcus narrowed his eyes. “Mr. Dawson. Was he in the military?”

“I don’t know, but he trained us with military-style combat drills, and everyone called him Mr. Dawson. Whenever we asked about anything unrelated to training, he shut us down. Eventually, we stopped asking.”

Marcus had spent years dealing with all kinds of people. He might once have been reckless and carefree, but the apocalypse had taught him some hard lessons.

Marcus could tell immediately that Ethan was lying, or at least holding something back.

The people in Villa 50 were getting more interesting by the minute.

He didn’t press the issue. He simply waved Ethan off and walked away.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify