Page 51 of Refuge (The Wanderers 2)

Maya nodded. “Someone else from the compound has been sent to find her. Hopefully, they got to her last night.”

“Thank you so much.” She pursed her lips, but a few tears fell, and she wiped them from under her eyes.

Stuart thought she’d been on the run for a while. She didn’t look like she’d had a bath or washed her hair in a long time. Her clothes were ill-fitting and in rough shape too. Her hair was nearly black and her gorgeous eyes indicated she was probably half Asian.

Stuart stood. “If you’re feeling strong enough, we can get going. My van is only about a mile from here.”

Cora rose to her feet. “I can do it.” She was wobbly. She was barely going to do it. But if she didn’t have the stamina, Stu could carry her. She didn’t look like she weighed much, and she wasn’t very tall. It would be better to get her back to the compound where she could get cleaned up, fed, and have a safe place to sleep. Lingering any longer out here wasn’t doing her any good.

Cora grabbed a backpack from next to the cot and shrugged into it while Maya heaved her substantial pack onto her shoulders. She was nearly always on the road, so she carried a lot of stuff with her. She was one of the strongest women Stuart knew—both emotionally and physically to be precise. The fact that she was alive at all was a testament to her strength in both areas.

“I could carry that for you,” Stuart pointed out, trying not to chuckle as he took a step back to avoid a possible swing she might take at him for being all macho with her.

“I bet Ariel likes your balls right where they are though, right?” she retorted.

He chuckled. “Yep. I kinda do too. Let’s go.” He didn’t open the door to the cabin either. Maya was damned independent. No way would he insult her by insinuating she needed assistance with anything. Not even a door.

It took them almost twenty minutes to get back to his van. They had to move at a pretty slow pace to accommodate Cora’s weakened state. Stuart didn’t want to insult her by carrying her either if he could help it. And luckily, she made it on her own.

Finally, they were in the van, Cora and Maya nestled together under the bench seat behind the driver’s seat. The bench had a hidden compartment that wasn’t noticeable in case they got stopped by someone looking for trouble. When Stuart transported women, he nearly always hid them unless there were too many to keep out of sight.

It was tight quarters for two people, but they could manage until he got them to the compound.

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