Page 61 of Refuge (The Wanderers 2)

Chapter 18

Tarin was out of his mind with worry. His entire family unit—one that had only recently coalesced—was away from the compound on two separate rescue missions. He didn’t sleep more than a few fitful minutes in the night and returned to the main entrance to pace in the hallway.

Stu was the first to arrive as expected. He had the woman, Cora, with him, but Tarin was surprised to find Maya coming into the compound also. Maya rarely showed up.

Tarin hated that his hackles rose to see Stu with Maya. After all these years of thinking Stu had taken off with Maya for weeks on end, it was hard for Tarin to shake his belief that the two of them had slept together.

Stu had insisted otherwise, and given the circumstances, Tarin had to trust him. They wouldn’t survive as a family if Tarin held a grudge.

“Hey, man,” Stuart whispered as he grabbed Tarin by the arm and pulled him in for a bear hug.

It took Tarin a moment to react and return the gesture. Even five years ago when the two of them had been best friends, they’d never been touchy-feely, but then again, they hadn’t gotten naked together and had group sex either.

When Stu pulled back, he cupped Tarin’s face with his palm, intimately, meeting his gaze with furrowed brows. “Any word from Kester and Ariel?”

“Yes. Gray had radio contact a while ago. They’ll be here in about an hour I think.”

“Good. I nearly choked when I heard Ariel went with him.”

“You should have been standing in the room when that woman put her foot down.”

Stu chuckled. “Been there. I guess we better get used to it. I don’t think she’s going to take kindly to being told what to do.”

“At least not in public,” Tarin murmured.

He glanced around to make sure no one had heard him. Discussing his sex life in front of other people wasn’t his thing.

Maya caught his eye. She was standing several yards behind them, waiting? He wondered. Stu hadn’t glanced at her since they’d arrived. He’d come straight toward Tarin and hadn’t stopped touching him and looking him in the eye yet.

Tarin’s heart settled and he finally released Stu to meet Maya’s gaze. “You look tired, Maya,” he said as a greeting.

She chuckled. “That’s what I hear. I’ll catch a nap soon. I know you’re anxiously awaiting the rest of your family, but do you have a moment to talk?”

He was surprised. Maya hadn’t looked him in the eye or spoken directly to him in five years. “Sure.” He glanced at Stuart.

Stuart patted him on the shoulder. “Use our apartment. I need to go over some things here with the council and help Cora get a sponsor.”

Tarin nodded and then motioned for Maya to follow. They walked down the hallway and into the main hub of the compound in silence, taking a different hallway to the apartment Tarin now shared with his family unit.

He tapped in the code and opened the door, stepping back to let Maya pass by him. It wasn’t until they were closed inside that he spoke. “Have a seat.” He gestured toward the couch and took an armchair himself.

Maya sat, rubbing her palms on her jeans. She had her signature black leather vest on over a maroon cotton shirt. Typical Maya style.

“I wanted to clear the air about what happened five years ago,” she started.

He nodded. “It’s not necessary. It’s in the past.”

“I think it’s the right thing to do though. I was a coward for not confronting you.”

Tarin didn’t move. It seemed surreal sitting here with her.

She glanced at her lap, and the otherwise always composed, badass, Maya fiddled with her nails nervously. “I knew I was being unfair to you. I was stringing you along. You were a great friend, and I let you believe it could be more. That’s my fault. To be honest, I wanted it to be more. You’re kind and fun and nice and all the things a woman should want in a man, so I wished I could feel things for you that I just didn’t.”

Tarin swallowed, keeping his mouth shut. He wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Not saying a word was inconsiderate of me,” she continued, “but I want you to know that I was never interested in Stuart either. I barely knew him. Nothing ever happened between us.”

“The two of you disappeared for weeks,” Tarin pointed out, trying not to sound accusatory.

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