Page 22 of Harbor (The Wanderers 3)

Chapter 13

Advic was gone when Maya woke up the next time. Not just from the bed but from the room. It surprised her. The bed wasn’t even warm next to her. He’d left a while ago.

She winced as she pushed herself to sit up and then groaned when her arms gave out and she dropped back down on her back. “Shit.” She hated being weak. For the second time in her life, she was completely helpless and at the mercy of others.

Her leg wasn’t throbbing as badly. That was a good sign. But if she didn’t get her strength back, she would be stuck here for much longer than she’d like.

She needed to get back to the compound. People were undoubtedly already looking for her. They wouldn’t know to look here. Hell, Stuart would be one of those people. He was protective of her. They had a bond, a friendship, that ran deeper than any other relationship she’d ever had. They’d never once been lovers, but they were tight.

Yeah, by now, Stu would be scouring every possible outpost she’d ever used. He would be worried and frantic, which also meant he would be away from his newly formed family unit, causing Ariel, Tarin, and Kester to worry too.

Dario stepped into the room. “You’re awake.”

“Where’s Advic?” she asked before she could stop herself. Why did she care?

Dario came to her side. “He needed to leave for a few days.” Dario didn’t meet her gaze. He busied himself checking her pulse, staring at her arm.

“What? Why?” And why do I care?

“We don’t stay underground all the time, sweetheart. Sometimes one of us leaves to run errands.” He shrugged, still not looking at her.

“But that’s not what happened this time, is it?” She grabbed his arm. “Dario, what aren’t you telling me?”

He sighed and finally met her gaze. “You don’t give up, do you?”

“Never.”

“He went to get word to your people.”

She gripped Dario’s arm harder. “Why? That’s dangerous.” And why didn’t he talk to her? Why would he just take off while she was asleep?

“He’ll be fine. Obviously, you have people looking for you. They need to know where you are and that you’re safe.”

“And he suddenly decided that while I was sleeping?” Something wasn’t adding up. “How does he even know where to go?”

“He knows the location of some of your outposts. He’ll go there first. If he doesn’t find anyone, he’ll leave a note so they’ll know you’re safe.” He moved down to her leg and lifted it, flexing her ankle back and forth several times.

The pain was lessening. It was more tolerable than earlier. She was healing.

“Do you need to use the bathroom again? I can carry you in there.”

“You can stop changing the subject and tell me why Advic really left the clinic.” She frowned. Yes, she’d felt his strength when he’d carried her from the bathroom to her room earlier. She knew he was strong, but how street smart was he? Did he have any experience tracking people? He was a medic. He was trained to save people’s lives in a hospital setting. She wasn’t at all sure he was savvy enough to fend for himself wandering around outside.

Dario ignored her and switched to bending her leg at the knee, the stretch making her wince, which helped cover her scowl.

After a few minutes, she spoke again. “Yes. Please take me to the bathroom.” She needed to start getting proactive about her recovery. The only way to do that would be to get out of this bed, stretch more, and start working on her arm strength. She might need crutches for a while, but without upper body strength, she would be exhausted.

Dario didn’t mention the wheelchair, and it was nowhere in sight this time. He simply came to her side, scooped her up in his arms, and carried her to the bathroom.

He didn’t make as much fanfare about it as Advic had, but he did keep his hands on her shoulders to ensure she was steady after setting her on the toilet. He tipped her head back with two fingers under her chin. “Don’t try to stand, sweetheart. You’re not strong enough. I know you’re used to being independent, and I have no doubt you’re fierce, but not today.” He lifted a brow.

She rolled her eyes.

He leaned closer, so close she could smell his scent. The soap he’d used to shower. His toothpaste. Did he have aftershave?

She held her breath while he held her gaze. For a moment she thought he might kiss her, which was absurd. He even let his gaze wander to her lips.

When she licked them, he inhaled slowly and then released her. “I’ll be right outside.”

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