Page 50 of Heart of the Sun

“Exactly. We should be on those phones, Charlie. We should cross finish lines for the cause and maybe even—” I drew in a breath as I looked over at him, a new idea suddenly coming to me “—perform a benefit concert!”

“That’s a great idea, Emily. With great privilege comes great responsibility.”

“Exactly.” Maybe I’d start writing a single for it while we were out on the road.

Up ahead, Tuck’s smooth gait didn’t change, but I swore I saw his shoulders move as he pulled in a long-suffering sigh and then let it out slowly.

He hefted the backpack higher on his shoulder and I did the same with mine. Along with the backpack Katelyn had given me, the sheriff had provided two more for Tuck and Charlie,including sleeping bags to roll up and strap beneath. He’d also given Tuck several other items they could spare: some food to get us through a couple of days, a canteen of water, a first aid kit, some matches, a map… They’d been very generous, and I knew it was in large part because Tuck had helped their son and brother who was now pain-free and on the mend.

We followed in his footsteps like we’d done when traveling from the plane to Silver Creek, speeding up when he did, and stopping when he took out the map to study it for a moment before refolding it and returning it to his backpack.

And honestly? I appreciated being led in this situation. Tuck had very naturally assumed the job of leading me and Charlie. Taking charge. Forging the path ahead. And despite that I was grateful for his role, part of me also felt irrationally resentful about the fact that Tuck was happier walking solo.

He was such a damn loner. Always a one-man show. It’d started when he was a teenager and compounded by a million when his mother died.

But he hadn’t always been that way. And that was the part I hated. Once, we’d been a pair. Once, he hadn’t shut me out. And sometimes, when my mind was quiet, and I was thinking about Tuck, like right now, all I could wonder was what I’d done wrong.

We passed abandoned cars and trucks here and there, some that had their front hood open, the insides black with the evidence of a fire that had since burned out. Tuck leaned inside one of the vehicles and dug through the glove box, grinning when he stood up, holding what looked like a couple of food items. Charlie and I walked closer. “Three Fruit Roll-Ups!” I said, my voice rising with excitement.

He tossed one to me and one to Charlie. “Someone threw these in their glove box for their kids and forgot about them. Lucky us.”

I tore the wrapper open and peeled off a piece of the red sticky sweet,my mouth puckering with the taste of it before I’d even put it in my mouth. “Oh, that’s good,” I said, sucking on it as Tuck and Charlie opened theirs as well. My eyes met Tuck’s as he peeled off a piece of his and set it on his tongue. His eyes seemed to soften as he looked at me and I wondered if he too was remembering how we used to eat these as kids, rolling them into balls and then popping the entire things in our mouths.

The sound of Charlie ripping the dried fruit from the wrapper brought me from my childhood musings and I glanced around to all the empty vehicles. “All these people are gone. Where did they go?”

“Home, I’m sure. The vehicles we’ve passed have almost all had Missouri plates. I’m assuming the majority of these people walked home when their car or truck died,” Tuck said.

The morning was cold but bright, and I shaded my eyes to look out beyond the paved back road we were walking. “It looks like there are farms out there,” I said.

“Maybe one of them will have some lunch,” Charlie offered as he joined us. “Because a Fruit Roll-Up isn’t going to cut it.”

“Maybe one of them will know something more,” I said.

Tuck shook his head. “We’ve only been walking for a couple of hours. There’s no sign that there’s any power here and we haven’t come across one operational vehicle. I think it’s safe to say circumstances here are the same as in Silver Creek. These people are hunkered down and waiting. We’ll take things as they come.”

“Should we check the glove boxes for more food?” I asked.

“Not now. It’ll just slow us down and the Goodfellows gave us enough for the next little while. If we start getting low, we’ll find some cars and search for snacks.”

Unless other people were already raiding the abandoned cars.But Tuck was Tuck, and I was sure he’d already considered that. Plus, the hope was that the farther we walked, the fewer abandoned cars we saw until all the cars we came upon wererunning.And then we’d negotiate a ride home.

“I’d also love to find a weapon, if possible,” Tuck was murmuring. “If you spot a rifle rack in an abandoned truck or anything like that, let me know.”

Right.Because of characters like Leonard. I thought it was pretty unlikely that someone would leave their weapon in their vehicle, but I guess you never knew. But in any case, I wasn’t totally helpless. “I took a self-defense class at my gym last year,” I told him. “I can hold my own, you know, if I need to.”

Tuck turned toward me slowly, his face neatly blank. “A self-defense class isn’t going to do much against a firearm,” he said. “Plus, people tend to forget all that type of training with a flood of adrenaline.”

“I’m not saying self-defense moves could go up against a gun, Tuck, but they might help me get out of a bad situation, should something arise. I was the star of the class,” I said, bristling with offense. “I didn’tforgetanything.” The coach had told me that in all his years, no one had caught on as quickly. Even if he’d made a pass at me later, he’d accepted my polite “no thank you” with seeming grace, so I didn’t think his compliments were contrived. I’d felt strong and…capable.

Tuck’s lip quirked and he appeared deeply amused. I lifted my chin, offense increasing. I bent my knees, taking a defensive stance. “Come at me.”

One eyebrow shot up. “Emily. If Icome at you, you’re going to get hurt.”

“Put your money where your mouth is, then. Scared, Tucker?”

His gaze grew dark, and a thrill shot through me.

Tuck very slowly took off his backpack, letting it slide to the ground, then strolled purposely toward me. I dropped my own gear and right before I went to grab him and flip him the way we’d practiced in class, he went low and picked me up off the ground.He flipped me around with a quickness that made me squeal and then laugh, his strong arms locked around my waist. I screamed and I flailed, but he only squeezed me tighter. “Who’s the star of the class now?” he demanded, breath hot at my ear.

---