Page 53 of Refuge (The Wanderers 2)

Ariel turned toward him, eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?” She glanced at Tarin. “Can you grab my pack while I talk sense into this jughead?”

Tarin lowered his head and closed his eyes, but he nodded and left the room. No wonder he’d been nervous. He’d known this would happen. He’d already suspected Ariel would volunteer to go on this mission.

Kester turned away from her, hands on his head. “Shit,” he exclaimed loudly enough for people in the hallway to hear.

“She’s right,” Barak agreed. “Better than Willa. Ariel’s the perfect choice. She’s strong. She has survivor skills. She knows directions.” He pointed at the table where a map was spread out. “Let me bring you up to speed.”

Ariel hurried toward the conference table and leaned over, nodding every few moments as Barak pointed out where they were now and where they were going. Landmarks in between. Things she could use if she got lost or separated.

By the time Tarin was back with her backpack, she was ready. She grabbed Tarin’s face and met his gaze. “We’ll be fine.”

He looked like she’d just informed him she was going to jump into an active volcano, but he managed to make a small joke. “I’ll be at the gym when you get back.”

She chuckled and kissed him. “You don’t have to become some sort of Rambo to impress me, Tarin. I’m already yours. You’re perfect the way you are.”

He rolled his eyes. “The gym. See you soon.” He kissed her again and released her.

Kester was still seething as she followed him from the room, Rush at her tail. “Stu is going to have me beheaded,” he mumbled.

Ariel had been outside just a few days ago for the clothing run, so at least the sunlight and fresh air wasn’t as huge of a shock to her as it had been after three months underground before that, but it still felt good and she inhaled deeply when they emerged from the bunker.

She hurried toward the tree line, keeping up with Kester and Rush with no issues. They had to climb over a few branches and through some brush to get to the hidden car, and then she saw it.

Kester popped the trunk and turned toward her, facing her for the first time since he’d silently agreed to her coming along. He took her shoulders in his hands and looked her in the eyes. “You sure about this?”

“Yes.” She didn’t hesitate. “I don’t know why you’re so stressed. We’re just going to pick up the woman and bring her back. Everyone’s right. She’ll listen to a woman. Probably not the two of you.”

“I know,” he conceded, his shoulders relaxing. “I just don’t like it. And I hate even more that Stu doesn’t know we did this.”

“He’s not always going to be around for us to get his permission before we make decisions, Kes. And besides, he’s not the boss. I’m my own person. I make my choices. Let’s get going.”

He kissed her soundly, ignoring the fact that Rush was standing awkwardly next to them. After he released her, he reached into the trunk and pulled a lever along the back. “Climb in. It’s not as comfortable as riding under the seat in the van. It’s smaller and darker. But it’s well-hidden. No one will know you’re in there if we get stopped.”

She scrambled into the trunk and squished herself into the tight space. “I’m good. Let’s go.”

Kester handed her a bottle of water. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as he put the false back in front of her, shutting off the world.

“If anything ever happens, you can easily kick this forward to get out. And there’s a lever to open the trunk from the inside too, but only in an emergency, understood?”

“Yes,” she responded through the barrier.

“You good?”

“Never better,” she joked. Thank goodness she wasn’t claustrophobic.

The drive was long and often bumpy. She lost track of time. She’d expected it would take them over an hour to get to the shack where they were picking up the woman, but it seemed like longer.

She was relieved when the car finally came to a stop. And even more so when Kester wasted no time getting the trunk open and removing the false barrier. He reached in and helped her wiggle free of the confined space.

He also lifted her out of the trunk with his hands on her waist and held on to her as soon as she was on her wobbly feet. “You okay?”

She nodded.

He held her close for a few moments. “Sorry. I can’t imagine how awful that must be.”

“It’s fine.” She rolled her head in every direction to work out the kinks and then stretched out her legs one at a time. “Let’s go. We’re burning daylight.”

Kester grabbed her hand and they joined Rush who was putting his backpack on. “Ready?”

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