Page 93 of Nuclear Option (Owens Protective Services)

He nodded, standing up straight. “I gotcha. I know exactly what you mean, man. This one time, they caught up with me and did all kinds of experiments. They said I was their most promising subject.”

I nodded slightly. “And then they just let you go,” I said, not believing a word he said, which made it really difficult to trust that he wasn’t leading us into a fucking ambush or just wandering around No Man’s Land.

“Well, I never said they let me go. It was more of an escape, see.”

Christ, we were going to end up back at Rafe’s facility at this rate. This guy was a fucking nut job.

“Then I guess it’s good you escaped,” I said, motioning for Eva to get on my back again. “Let’s get moving again.”

Eva was still pissed at me for my earlier actions and hadn’t spoken to me since I told her to get on my back the first time. At this rate, we were more likely to end up hating each other than the alternative.

After hiking the rest of the way into town, we all groaned in relief when we spotted a diner right on the outskirts of town. The sand had been biting at my skin for the past mile, and we hadn’t drunk any water since I inhaled some while struggling to keep Eva from drowning.

As I shoved the door open the bell above dinged, drawing the attention of everyone inside. Ten faces turned to stare at us, all of them frowning at our appearance. Our dried clothes were dirty and wrinkled. We looked like we’d just been in battle, which I guess technically we had, though not the kind we were used to.

“Oh, thank God,” Eva muttered as she slid off my back. “I need to pee.”

“Rae,” I snapped.

She nodded and led Eva to the restrooms while Fox, Jones, and I assessed the rest of the room. I was itching to go check the kitchen, but knew that would set off too many alarm bells. Not to mention, the staff would never go for it. We didn’t want to draw more attention than we already were.

We headed for the corner table that could seat eight, still watching everyone around us. When Mole tried to sit on the outside seat, I hauled him up by the collar and shoved him toward the inside. Fox and I both shoved the extra seats aside, moving our chairs so we could both see all of the diner. It would look ridiculous, all of us squished toward one side of the table, but there was no way any of us were going to have our backs to any threats.

I stood as Eva approached and pulled out her chair. She scowled at me, plopping down into it. “You’re welcome,” I muttered under my breath.

As soon as I sat down, the waitress came over, looking at us funny. “I’m not sure if you know this, but you’re allowed to sit all the way around the table. You don’t all have to be squished together.”

“We’re fine,” I said testily, earning a scowl from her.

“Fine, what can I get you to eat?”

One by one, we placed our orders. The uncomfortable feeling of being watched picked at me, but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. I caught Jones’s eye, nodding slightly to him. He understood what I was saying and returned my look. It grew uncomfortably silent as we all waited for our food to arrive. We sipped our coffee and tried to pretend this was all totally normal. Even Mole suspected something was up, if his darting eyes gave anything away.

I leaned across the table, keeping my voice low. “Where are we headed from here?”

Mole quirked an eyebrow at me. “Back where we came from.”

“What?” I asked, cocking my head at him. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged, laughing lightly. “Well, I tried to tell you, but you said I should let the professionals take over. So, I did.”

I glanced around the table at everyone. Rae, Fox, and Jones seemed more than a little pissed, but Eva was trying her best not to smile. I cleared my throat. “Right, and we needed food.”

He shrugged again, a smile tilting his lips. “Who am I to argue with the professionals?”

When the food arrived, we ate with gusto. The feeling of being watched hadn’t passed, but walking out of here in a rush, with nowhere to go and no escape vehicle, wasn’t the smartest idea. I wiped my face and drank the last of my coffee as I tried to come up with a plan. Going back the way we came was sure to get us spotted. And if someone was watching us, we were already fucked. The problem was, I didn’t know if Rafe was watching us or another threat. Though, I couldn’t figure out who the other threat would be to save my life.

“Let’s hit the head and get out of here,” I said, shoving back from the table.

As everyone else went to the bathroom, I paid the bill, watching for anything unusual. Everyone in the diner was openly staring at me, but I just stood there, guns concealed as best I could to not frighten off the natives.

“Ready?” Jones asked, walking up to me, eyeing the diners the same way I was.

“Yeah, let’s get out of here before we draw any more attention.”

I purposely hung back to wait for Eva. Now that she had been fed, she looked a little less angry about the whole situation. “Feeling better?”

“Yeah,” she grumbled. “Do we really have to walk all the way back?”

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