Page 64 of Sanctuary (The Wanderers 1)

Tarin stepped off the porch to join Nile, Gatlin, and Ledger closer to the car.

Layla knew they were discussing what to do with their cargo. She was also smart enough to know that Jay’s job was to distract her on the porch to keep her out of the deliberations.

Layla forced her attention back to Jeremy. “What made those men think you’d had a woman with you?”

He dug her sunglasses out of his front pocket and held them up. “Must have dropped them in your haste to climb down the stairs. They went skidding across the floor when one of the men hit them with his toe. We tried to play dumb and insinuate they must have been left here from some prior group, but they were salivating and didn’t buy our story.”

Layla cringed.

Jay’s arms held her in a bear hug, consuming her. He lowered his lips to her ear. “Tell me what happened to the other guy.”

Layla drew in a breath, her gaze coming to Jeremy’s. “I was out of options.”

“Yeah?” Jay chuckled as he hugged her closer.

“He was twice your size,” Jeremy pointed out. “I don’t know which one’s in that trunk, but both of them were large.”

“He might have tripped and fallen on my knife.”

Jay buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. “Good girl.”

Jeremy smirked. “On second thought, maybe we don’t need more protection when we travel. We may need to consider you our protection.”

Jay growled again in his big bear way. “Not a chance.”

She tipped her head back to look at him. “I’d like my knife back if we get a chance. It was my favorite.”

Jay nodded. “We’ll retrieve it at daylight.”

“What are they going to do with Stan?”

Jay lifted a brow. “That’s his name? Stan?”

She nodded. “The other man was Ike.”

“Not sure yet, baby. Let’s go inside.”

“They won’t kill him, will they?” she asked as they ushered her into the small cabin.

“The guy tracked you all over the forest this afternoon and into the night, and you don’t want revenge?” Jay asked as he took a seat at the table across from Jeremy, pulling Layla between his legs. He clearly had no interest in releasing her even for a moment. There were no lights in the cabin, but they could see well enough in the dim light coming in from the moon.

She winced. “I’m not in favor of killing anyone unless it’s absolutely necessary. My parents were pacifists.”

Jay kissed her neck. “The Wanderers are pacifists by and large too, baby. No one is going to kill anyone who isn’t an imminent threat.”

“You’re preventing him from seeing me, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely,” Jay confirmed. “No reason to give the guy any ammo he might use for revenge later. The asshole still doesn’t know for sure there ever was a woman in the woods. No one is going to tell him.”

“How long do they intend to keep him in the trunk?”

“All night. They will interrogate him to make sure we won’t be expecting any other unexpected visitors tonight, but they won’t let him out of the trunk.”

Layla winced again. The thought of anyone spending the night in that car trunk made her uncomfortable, but she understood. It was actually a kindness. Her men didn’t have to let him live. They could have killed him the moment they got their hands on him and left his dead body in the woods. She wouldn’t have ever questioned that choice. But she liked knowing they would make another, better one. It endeared her to these men more than the bond they’d already developed.

Jay stood and led her to the loveseat against the wall of the cabin. “Why don’t you get some rest? You have to be exhausted.”

Jeremy handed her a water bottle. “Did you eat anything?”

She twisted the top off as she dropped onto the cushion with a sigh. “Yes. I had plenty of food in my pack.” She rubbed the back of her neck and then stretched. “It’s been a while since I’ve worked that hard. I should spend more time in the gym.” There was a well-equipped gym in the compound, but she had yet to use it more than a few times since she’d arrived.

“We’ll make it happen,” Jay stated. His brow was still furrowed with concern. He pointed at the small, upholstered pillow against the arm of the loveseat. “Get some rest.”

“I can take a turn on watch,” she pointed out as she accepted his offer and curled up on her side.

He bent over her, kissed her temple yet again, and tapped her nose. “We’ve got it. Sleep.”

As he stepped toward the open door, she let her eyes slide closed, and moments later she was out. Exhaustion consuming her now that she felt safe enough to let her guard down. Six men were guarding her. Nothing was going to happen.

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