Page 75 of Refuge (The Wanderers 2)

Chapter 21

“I don’t like this.” Ariel paced back and forth while Kes and Stu packed their bags.

Tarin reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her into his embrace. He kissed the top of her head. “They’ll be fine. Six men are going. They know exactly what they’re up against.”

Ariel leaned back, rubbing her temples. “And what about the rest of that group? There are at least seventeen more men. Doesn’t anyone think they will double back and look for their lost friends when they don’t ever catch up?”

Stu zipped up his bag and came to her, cupping her face. “Nope. The rest of the men in that group are weeks away. They’re probably already in California. There’s no way they care enough to return for three missing men. They can’t possibly know where the men were last seen. Grecia and Cora both confirmed that none of the men left behind had family in the group.”

“Why not just let them wander around until they give up?” Ariel asked.

Kester joined them, his hand on Ariel’s lower back. “Because it’s better to take them out than risk them catching up with their people and possibly causing anyone to return for revenge. This way there will be no trace of any of them.”

Ariel sighed. She knew they were right, but she didn’t like it. Going after those two men was risky. She knew it was rare that The Wanderers were sent out to intentionally kill anyone. They were inherently pacifists except when necessity stepped in.

Stu pulled her into his embrace and cupped the back of her head, kissing her forehead. “This is what we do, babe. We keep our community safe by whatever means necessary. We don’t like to have to end a life if we can avoid it, but sometimes we have no choice. Unhinged men out for revenge aren’t safe for any of us. They could wander around in this area for weeks or months looking for someone to blame for their friend’s death.”

She slid her arms up his back and rose onto her tiptoes to kiss him. “Be careful.” She released him and turned toward Kester, doing the same to him. “I love you guys.”

“We love you too,” Kester said. “Please stay inside the compound with Tarin while we’re gone, okay?”

“Yes.” There was no way she would argue that point with them today. They didn’t need the added stress of her stomping her foot about their overprotectiveness.

She took a deep breath as two of her three men left the apartment and shut the door. It was damn hard caring so much about other people.

“They’ll be fine,” Tarin reiterated into the silence, his hands on her shoulders.

“I know.” She tipped her head back to meet Tarin’s gaze. “Why can’t we just have a normal day? An entire normal day. One in which we don’t have any responsibilities and no one’s life is in danger?”

Tarin smiled. “I’ll see what I can do to get you one of those.”

* * *

The next forty-eight hours were harrowing. Ariel knew Tarin was just as stressed as she was. They went to work both days because it seemed best to return to their normal routines. After all, they would be faced with days like this often for the rest of their lives. They needed to learn to put it out of their minds and keep their regular schedules anytime Kester or Stuart or both men were out of the compound.

Occasionally, someone would pop their head into the clothing exchange and give Ariel an update, but the information was always vague. The six men were still out there. Everything was fine. No one was injured.

It wasn’t until late at the end of the second day that Ariel got word that Kes and Stu had returned to the compound. She and Tarin were finishing dinner when word spread throughout the bunker.

Ariel jumped to her feet and grabbed Tarin where he’d been returning their dishes, and the two of them rushed to the main entrance. She’d never been so relieved in her life as she was when she saw all six men entering. No one appeared to be injured. Just tired.

She didn’t care that Kes and Stu hadn’t showered in two days. She threw herself at them as soon as she managed to get close enough, letting both of them catch her in the air and lift her off the ground.

Stu grinned down at her. “I can easily get used to this kind of welcome home.”

“Me too,” Kes agreed, kissing her before hugging her closer.

“Were you successful?” she asked as they lowered her back to her feet.

Tarin exchanged man hugs with both men too.

“Yep,” Stu responded. “Grecia and Cora can rest easy. No one is ever going to find them.”

That was all Ariel needed to hear. She didn’t need the visual about what had gone down to eliminate the threat to their society. It was enough to know that her men had put an end to it.

She stood in the circle of all three men’s arms, her hands wandering over their chests as she spun slowly from one to the next, reaffirming that all four of them were alive and well.

Life wasn’t ever going to be easy. The world was no longer an easy place to live. But she had love. She had a family unit that was strong and could withstand any challenge. They had each other.

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