Page 64 of Choosing Jenny
“We’re here,” I called back, my heart beating faster than ever. “Can you and everyone else crawl through that hole at the top?”
“Is Jenny okay?” Tiger asked.
The fact that his first concern was for our girl made my chest tighten. “Yes, she’ll be okay, can you—”
Before I could finish, a couple of full rucksacks fell through the hole.
“I’m coming out,” Surge announced.
He climbed through the hole at the recently opened top angled edge of the boulder. Lanai caught him when he jumped down.
He smiled at her. “Hi.”
“Hello,” she replied, then set him on his feet, ready to catch the next person.
But it was Omen and trying to catch her would have been impossible for anyone, considering she was a conduit. She fell through Lanai’s arms, landing hard on the ground.
The android grimaced. “Terribly sorry for that, Omen.”
Omen rolled onto her back and breathed deeply. “Air. Gods, I love fresh air.” She crawled to her feet and reported to Deacon what had happened, confirming everything that Tiger had already told us on comms.
A man I didn’t know popped his head through the hole next, and when he leapt out, Lanai was there to catch him.
I figured it was Gram Skir, not that I cared.
Finally, Tiger popped through the opening, feet first, slowly lowering himself on the other side of the boulder. Relief washed through me when I saw he was safe and unharmed. Lanai didn’t have a chance to catch him. I was there.
The moment he turned around to us, I was on his lips. We laughed and held each other, overjoyed to be together again.
I smiled at him, my throat tight as I said, “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Mal. I’m so sorry about everything—”
Everything, meaning our argument, I knew. I waved it away. “We can talk about that later. Or never. I don’t care.”
He grinned. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
But Longshot said, “We can’t just leave the boulder like this.”
I turned toward him. “Like what?” I asked, confused.
“The Vulavi are trapped in there,” he said, indicating the cave. “If we leave the boulder as is, they’ll die—”
“Good,” Omen said firmly.
I was inclined to agree with her, but I knew Longshot was serious. He had a deep affinity for deadly beasts, because his family thought he was one.
I sighed and rubbed a hand along my jaw. “Lanai, can you push the boulder out of the way for them?”
She nodded once. “Only once we have wedged a few stones on the other side, to give me something to trip it against.”
Deacon chimed in, not happy with the delay. “While I appreciate your affection for reptilian creatures, Longshot, these animals have killed untold thousands.”
“And if we don’t help them, that isallthey will kill. This istheirisland, and we are the ones who trespassed.”
Deacon frowned in confusion.
Tiger stepped forward and smiled at Longshot. “How can I help?”
