Page 22 of Hyde

Distance, speed, and silence became the guiding factors.

“Dad said that the Flagstaff Chapter has contacts that might negotiate on our behalf, but he didn’t want to take any chances in the meantime. Besides Flagstaff, he’s closest with the Virginia Chapter, so that’s why I was sent east,” she says, concluding the story. “And now, they have to figure out who told the Navaja where I’d be.”

“Being young and dumb is no excuse for how blind I was about Trinity,” I say more to myself than as an explanation to the girl sitting across from me.

Pleased that she settles for glaring at me rather than pointing out the fact that I was well into my twenties, and old enough to know better. I finally reach out for the glass and toss back the whiskey that she had poured for me at the beginning of her tale.

I wisely hold onto it, shaking my head when Leslee offers to refill it, knowing I need to keep my wits about me while she’s in my care.

My phone pings and I hate that I have to force myself to look at it, somehow knowing that I’m not going to like the message.

“What’s wrong?” Leslee asks after I’ve read it twice.

“No backup for the time being,” I tell her. “The Virginia Northern Grizzlies that were coming to watch our backs, picked up a tail immediately. Your fan club doesn’t seem to know where you are, so no one’s in a hurry to point them in the right direction.”

“How do you know they don’t know about this place?”

“Because they haven’t come knocking already,” I drawl out the words and she looks down, seemingly embarrassed. “Time to break into the reserves. Come with me.”

I brace myself when I stand up but other than a slight pulling sensation, the wound doesn’t hurt as bad as I feared. Leslee follows me back to the master bedroom and her eyes widen when I close the door behind us.

“This was designed to be the safe room when Alex rebuilt the place,” I instruct her.

Reaching out, I make sure she’s watching when I slightly open the bottom drawer of the dresser next to the door. That releases the catch which holds it in place, and it swings around to hold the bedroom door shut. The back side of the dresser also reveals a cache of guns and ammo.

“Any shit that goes down, this is where you have to get to,” I state the obvious before pointing to the other door in the room. “In the back of the linen closet in the bathroom, you’ll find an entrance to a tunnel that’ll get you about a hundred yards away. There are go-bags stored at the far end of that. If you’re in the other bedroom, push on this panel to crawl through into thisroom. Once you’re in this room you secure it with these support bars. Doesn’t matter where I am, you fucking lock yourself in.”

“This is quickly becoming my dream home,” Leslee whispers, reaching down to latch, then release the levers that secures the panel I indicated.

“Leslee,” I snap her name out, drawing her attention back to me. “Promise me you’ll lock it and get out.”

She looks between the doors and back at me. “No. I won’t ever leave you behind.”

I open my mouth, wanting to argue with her and make her give me her word. But I know her well enough to know she won’t. Leslee’s never lied to me, and she won’t start with a promise that could cost me my life.

Studying her face, I finally see what I’ve been missing and want to kick myself. Behind her cocksure attitude, she’s terrified and way out of her depth. For all that she’s always acted so mature, Leslee is eighteen with a price on her head—that’s enough to break most people.

Opening my arms, she doesn’t hesitate. Even though she’s careful not to hit my wound, she wraps her arms around my torso in such a way that I’m not sure she ever plans to let go.

I wind one hand into her hair, dipping my head down to deeply inhale her scent as I hold her against my chest.

I’m not going to kid myself.

I’m keeping her pinned in place because I’m not sure that I can bear the full weight of those amber eyes if she looks up at me again.

“Joe?” Leslee’s voice is hesitant when she speaks. “I’m exhausted, but since we’re on our own do you need me to take watch with you? Or at least in shifts?”

“I turned on the motion detectors when we came in,” I tell her. “If anyone makes it past the first perimeter, we’ll know it. Just past the second perimeter, there areotherdevices I can activate—if needed.”

“Alex doesn’t mess around does she?”

It’s hard not to smile at the tone of Leslee’s voice, especially since it sounds like she’s mentally adding all the features I told her about to a demented Pinterest board.

“I’d rather you take this room, so go grab your bag,” I say by way of response, without releasing the grip I have on her.

“Stay with me,” she murmurs, seemingly content to stay in the circle of my arms a little longer.

“No,” I whisper the single word close to her ear and force myself to let go of the most beautiful woman I’ve ever held.

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