Page 120 of His to Burn
She was close enough that I was the only one who heard her. I glanced over at her. “No, but we need supplies.”
I knew she didn’t need the reminder.
We’d made it almost thirty miles.
Thirty very hard, uphill, brush-thick, near-silent miles that left every muscle aching and tense breath measured.
So yeah, this gas station right along thehighway wasn’t ideal. But at the very least, we needed water. Asking for anything else felt like tempting fate.
Leaving the restaurant was uneventful.
So was getting out of the city.
But the walk—staying hidden, constantly watching for movement—drained more than just energy.
It frayed nerves.
We didn’t run into real trouble yet, which was almost more concerning than if we did. The anticipation had everyone on edge, and I just waited for the first person to break.
Bridget was wearing down. Expected, given her age, but she actually handled the walk pretty well. The wild swing in her emotions, smiling when she told some silly story about her husband, Irv, and bursting into tears in the next breath had my attention. After what she’d been through—after what we’d all gone through—emotions were all over the place.
But I kept an eye on her.
Caitlin was wearing down, too, in her own way. She put up a good front, but I saw the fear that was constantly in her gaze. Caitlin neveracknowledged it, but I knew that fear was what drove her to act erratically, and that could bite us in the ass.
Asia wanted to disagree. I knew her well enough by now to tell she didn’t like the plan. The question was, would she?
I didn’t have to wait long for the answer. “I think we should keep going.”
“I get it, but we should stop,” I said.
She looked at me, brows twitching like she might argue more. But she didn’t. “All right. Let’s do it quickly, then. We’ll take Miles and Lourdes to scout and leave the others out here,” she said.
I shook my head.
“I’ll take Miles and Lourdes. I need you out here.”
“Okay,” Asia said.
I was surprised she let it go so easily, but I was glad she did.
If she pushed the point, I would have been forced to lie to her, because there was no way I could tell her the truth.
I wanted her out here because I trusted her more than most people I had ever known.
Asia studied me, then she gave me a slightsmile. “I feel the urge to say something ridiculous like ‘Be careful,’ but I’m going to restrain myself.”
Her smile grew, and this time it was confident. Comfortable. Like she belonged in this new world. She had her gun in her hand, her stance solid. Everything about her was calm.
It wasn’t an act.
“Miles. Lourdes,” she called. “Go with Jack. We’ll stay out here and keep watch.”
They moved without question.
That wasn’t about me—it was her. Even before all this, they knew her. But now it wasn’t just memory or familiarity.
She was the one they looked to. And so far, it worked.
