Page 20 of Kristoff

“I know.” I nod, joining in on the enlightening moment. “I’ve done the same thing many times.” I exhale in a rush. “We’ve become complacent over the years, thinking nobody will find us here.”

“I’ll have to keep that in mind from now on.” He takes a drink. “But I guess things kinda worked out for you in the long run.”

Part of me wants to tell him to shut the hell up. The rest of me recognizes he’s right. And calling him out would only make me a hypocrite and an asshole after he’s gone out of his way to give me some time.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he says, pointing the bottle at me. “I don’t blame you. But have you thought about her wanting to take you for a ride?” He starts to lift the bottle then pauses. “No pun intended.”

I’m not sure how to proceed. How she’d feel about me saying something to Harlan and about him keeping his mouth shut.

“You don’t think she’s part of a distraction or something?” He cocks his head, shrugging a shoulder. “I mean, how often does a woman come out of the jungle and…well, do whatever she did to convince you.”

Ah hell. I’m probably better off sharing after all. “She was going to go past, but things went wrong.”

“She was going to walk?” He’s as shocked at the thought as I was.

“Only as a backup plan.” I pause, trying to come up with a reason to lie to my brother, but I got nothing. “She was on the Faust drug.”

Straightening his back, he opens his eyes wider than I’ve ever seen. “Oh fuck.”

“I was lucky to maneuver Gerald out of here before he found her.”

“What was he doing here?”

“Someone told him about Dante.”Dante.The thought strikes out of nowhere, sobering me. “I wonder if Dante was really looking for more than logistics.”

“You mean her?”

“The drug. As much as Faust has tried to keep his creation under wraps, it’s gone past his little circle. And word travels.” I set my hands at the edge of the table. “When I confronted her, we struggled on the desk then things…changed.”

“The door to the office was open when I came in. I saw the desk and got worried. I grabbed the shotgun and went to check on you. When I got to your door, I heard her…and figured you were all right.”

Even though this conversation is way too personal, I wish Harlan could stay this concise all the time.

“The drug gives the user strength and stamina, which takes on a different meaning in bed.”

He stares into space for a bit. “Like Viagra on steroids.”

“Exactly.”

He gets a faraway look in his eyes. “Fuckin’ A–”

“Don’t say another word.” I cut him off. “I don’t want to hear what you’re thinking, and neither does she.”

He chuckles. “Considering her feelings is actually pretty decent of you.”

“It’s not that I don’t care about anybody else, Harlan. I just care about you above every other soul.”

“I understand,” he says quietly. “And maybe I haven’t said this enough, but thank you.”

“No need, little brother. We’re all we have left in the world. We need to look out for each other because no one else will.”

“What are we doing about our guest?” he asks, glancing toward the ceiling.

I set the knife down on the cutting board. “I think the only thing we can do is send her up to the coast.”

Harlan nods once. His attention goes somewhere far away, as if he contemplates the plan. “You don’t think having her hitch a ride is going to cause some kind a problem?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I figure he’d sell us out in a heartbeat if he knew who she was. And I have no way to hide her identity from him if he’s running this route.”

---