Page 25 of Shelter (The Wanderers 4)

She shrugged. “It’s not complicated. The question is, do you want to do this? Leave your family and everything you’ve ever known? You’ll never see them again.”

Braylon didn’t hesitate. “Yes, baby.”

“Would you have ever considered escaping if I hadn’t come into the picture?”

Riggs cringed. They’d talked about this. The three of them had discussed the possibility of leaving this living hell many times over the years. Hundreds. When they’d been in their teens, they’d plotted incessantly, but they’d never had the means or the balls.

The stakes were so much higher now that they had Haley to worry about.

Haley licked her lips. “You don’t have to go, you know. You could send me with Rush and pretend you knew nothing about it. Let everyone believe I helped the prisoner escape and left with him without anyone knowing.”

Braylon’s eyes bugged out.

Storm gasped.

Riggs thought his head might explode.

Braylon responded first. “No. Not a chance.” He lifted her hand. “I know our relationship is weird and unconventional, but we belong together. I know we do.” He glanced at Riggs and Storm. “All of us. Do you feel that too, Hales?”

She reached up to wipe a tear away from her cheek. “Yes.” That one word was soft but it was also gold.

“We’re not friends,” Riggs stated.

“He’s right,” Storm agreed.

Braylon nodded, his gaze on Haley as she glanced at all of them yet again.

Silent tears fell down her cheeks. “I need to know,” she murmured.

Riggs stiffened. He knew what she meant. Damn, she was strong. A fighter. She may have spent a lot of time in her head these past two weeks, but she was clearly done hiding. She straightened her spine and took a deep breath.

Riggs stood and reached out a hand toward her. “Come, honey.”

She scooted toward him and wrapped her arms around his middle before standing.

Braylon followed her to the edge of the bed and straddled her from behind, his arms coming around to clasp Riggs’s, sandwiching her.

Storm joined them in an emotional hug from the side that had Riggs feeling overwhelmed. They had a lot of challenges facing them, but he knew they were making the right decisions. These three people were his family. They meant the world to him. He would never take them for granted.

He stepped back as soon as their hug loosened, cupping the sides of her face. “No matter what, we’re a team.”

She smiled through watery eyes.

Riggs glanced at Braylon who nodded, letting Riggs know it was okay for him to take the lead on this one. Of the three of them, Riggs was often the rock. Braylon tended to get the most emotional when it came to the woman he’d married six months ago.

Storm knew too much. He was with her more than any of them. He knew how often she cried at night and where her headspace was first thing every morning. He shared everything with Riggs and Braylon when he got the opportunity, but she was tugging at his heartstrings.

Riggs had spent the least amount of time with her. Not that his lack of quantity had affected the quality though. He made the most of every moment with her, especially lately when he often snuck into her room in the middle of the night and simply held her.

He reached under the sink in her bathroom to snag the pregnancy test out of its hiding place. He already knew exactly what needed to be done. He’d read the directions four times. So, he didn’t look now. He simply ripped it open and handed her the stick.

“Pee on this end. Set it on the counter. Come back out. We’ll wait together. Okay?”

She nodded as she took it from him.

Riggs stepped out of the bathroom, shutting the door silently before joining his friends where they stood leaning against the edge of the bed. “This is fucked up,” he commented as he ran a hand over his head.

They both nodded.

---