Page 83 of Shelter (The Wanderers 4)

CHAPTER26

Haley was embarrassed when the five of them emerged from the apartment two days later. She felt like everyone in the compound could tell what she’d been doing for forty-eight hours.

Sure, they’d eaten and slept a lot, but in between, they’d had sex more times than she could count. She wasn’t sorry either. They all said she was insatiable and that only made her more self-conscious.

The only person who left the apartment during all of that time was Rush. He went to pick up food for them and bring it back several times. He also returned one time with the sexiest black lingerie she’d ever seen, and not a single one of them was sorry when she displayed it, though it didn’t stay on her for long.

The day they finally came out to join society they spent the first several hours in the library, learning the rules of the compound and meeting with several people to think about what jobs they’d like to do.

It ended up being easy to choose. Bray and Riggs would take positions with the water-treatment department. The entire compound was excited to learn what they could bring to the table.

Storm would start shadowing Stuart and become a member of the protection team. That idea made Haley nervous, but she kept her mouth shut. She knew she was going to have to live with the fact that some of them would leave the compound to do their jobs.

The best part of all was seeing how many books were in the library and then touring the education wing. Children of all ages played and learned in classrooms while their parents worked in other departments. The Wanderers had mastered every aspect of life.

Haley was itching to join other women who’d also missed out on an education. Already her mind was excited to learn and absorb information. She knew she would want to work with children, either helping them learn or in the daycare with the younger ones.

The school was amazing, but when she stepped into the nursery where the babies and toddlers were being cared for, her heart clenched. A very kind woman named Grecia greeted her and showed her around. The woman was quiet and shy. Haley wondered what horrors she’d seen before joining The Wanderers.

Grecia had a baby of her own. A little girl who stole Haley’s heart. She learned that Grecia had been found by The Wanderers while she’d been in labor, so she’d only recently come to the compound. She told Haley to feel free to visit the nursery anytime she wanted while she was making her decision. They could always use a spare set of hands with the youngest members of society.

Later that afternoon, Haley sat down with a team of men who showed her the aerial views of several homes for girls they knew about. She was surprised to discover The Wanderers had an actual team set up to gather information and stay in touch with everything related to The Republic.

Four men—Mykel, Eldin, Blane, and York. They had numerous photos of the girls’ homes as well as blueprints of the interiors. Haley was surprised to be able to immediately point out which one she’d been raised in. She was also able to add extensive detail to the sketches of the inside of the building.

Every time she thought of Harmony and her mother, Marian, her heart clenched. Every time she looked at Rush while she helped add to the sketches of the girls’ home, she fell in love with him even more.

Rush was determined to send a team to rescue Marian and Harmony. His brow was furrowed and he kept pacing. He knew the clock was ticking. Once Harmony was married off, it would be much harder to find her.

“What do you think?” Rush asked the group of men, setting his hand on top of Haley’s.

Mykel’s brow was furrowed. “We’ll need to act fast if we have any chance of rescuing this woman.”

Haley couldn’t believe they were even considering it. The risk was high. It was so far away. She was beyond grateful though. She hated knowing the fate Harmony faced. She shuddered as she recalled her wedding night and what would have happened to her if she’d been married off to anyone besides Braylon.

“Do you know exactly when her birthday is?” Blane asked.

Haley twisted around to glance at Bray. He, Riggs, and Storm were standing against the wall behind her. The room was too crowded for everyone to sit, but they hadn’t been willing to part from her.

Bray nodded. “She has six months.”

Eldin was frowning too. He rocked back in his chair on the other side of the table. “At least we know where she is and how much time we have.”

“Do they ever marry a woman off before her twentieth birthday?” Rush asked, glancing at the team and then at Haley.

Haley shook her head. “No. It’s some sort of rule.”

York chuckled sardonically. “These fuckers have very strange rules.” He winced and glanced at Haley. “Sorry for my language. I get heated when dealing with the idiosyncrasies of The Republic. It’s okay to murder a child’s parents, kidnap her, keep her in essentially a detention center for her entire childhood, but they draw the line at releasing the female to whoever bought her until she’s twenty.” His voice rose.

Haley understood his ire. It was insane. Senseless. Maddening.

Mykel scowled. “At least in this case, it’s in our favor. We know where she is.”

“What are the chances you could rescue her?” Rush asked.

They all glanced at each other. Blane sighed. “We’ve never tried it, but we will.”

“I don’t see how you could possibly rescue someone from inside the home,” Haley pointed out. “No one leaves the home for any reason. It’s self-contained. Even all medical and dental care takes place on-site.”

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