Page 12 of Following Their Heart

Well, if Cora needs a chaperone when she’s with me, I guess that’s my shame to deal with. Time to get past it and focus on what really matters: her.

Sitting between us, she’s snuggled up to Shep’s side. He’s gazing down at her like a man utterly content with his lot.

Wish I could be there, man. Wish I could be there.

Shep might have his arm around her, but I’ve got her hands. Both of hers cling to both of mine, and I feel a little less shitty because of it. At least she’s not afraid to touch me. Though, it’s possible she doesn’t even know she’s holding my hands. She’s got this thousand-yard-stare thing going on, and it worries me. I haven’t seen her look like this since she first showed up on our mountain.

“What’s going on,chér?” I rub her knuckles with my thumbs and hope she’ll choose to talk to me.

I’m rewarded when she blinks out of her daze and meets my eyes. A sense of connection sizzles through me as she squeezes my hands and holds my gaze without flinching. I breathe a sigh of relief, because there’s no fear in her eyes, no disgust. But there is worry.

“I didn’t know you had a bomb shelter,” she says.

Ah. So that’s what she’s concerned about. When I put my own insecurities aside and consider things from her perspective, I can’t blame her. If I knew I’d be tucked away underground, possibly for a long time, while above ground, people I care about fight a battle for my protection—yeah, that would be stressful.

“Ja,”Shep says. “I had not been here long when Jud planned the project.” He folds his arms over his massive chest and leans back into the couch. “He chose a spot deep in the mines, and we dug out the hole by hand then brought in prefab sections to make the shelter. There was a manufacturer in Idaho Falls, so all we had to do was scavenge for what we needed.”

I remember those days. It was hard work. Welcome work. It was nice to get dirty and fall into bed each night exhausted after doing something that pushed my physical limits, even if I thought a frigging nuke-proof shelter might be overkill. Jud, of course, disagreed. “We need to be prepared for anything,” he’d said, when I’d doubted there was anyone left alive who cared enough about our little settlement to launch nukes at us. “We come under serious threat, we draw straws and stick two men underground. The rest of us fight with everything we got. The good guys don’t go extinct on my watch.”

So, we’d built a bomb shelter, and after it was completed, we stocked it full of nonperishables, including three huge tanks of water with a filtration system to keep it from getting stale. The fun part was disguising the route in. The old mines snake throughout the mountain, crisscrossing over several levels with only three hidden entrances in and out. Even if our enemies found the entrances to the mines, they’d never locate the shelter without knowing where it was. And anyone who goes into those mines not knowing the safe route will fall prey to some creative booby traps that’ll make them wish they’d never been born. Hell, not even airborne scans would be able to detect the shelter since it’s deep underground with veins of various minerals running all over and around it. It’s basically the perfect hiding spot, the perfect place to survive. Or to preserve our Heart if the worst happens and Eagle Peak falls to this Raptor guy.

“We took the best model they had.” Shep goes on. “All the amenities. It is a very nice, modern shelter. Living in it will be like staying in a windowless camper. You will be safe there, but comfortable, too. There is plenty of food. I made sure of that.” He nods, as if he’s sufficiently addressed her worry.

I lift Cora’s hand to kiss her knuckles. “You’re going to be all right,chér,you hear me. You have nothing to fear. Grim will keep you safe.”

“We will all keep you safe,” Shep says.

Cora looks between us. Her eyes are wide and wounded. “It’s not me I’m worried about.” She reaches up and cups my face. “It’s you.”

Her touch warms my skin through my beard. It also warms my heart. She’s worried aboutme.

“And you,” she says to Shep, and she slips one of her hands from mine so she can hold on to both of us. Weirdly, I’m not jealous. My insecurities have faded in importance. They don’t seem like such a big deal, considering our circumstances.

“We will be fine,” Shep says. “We have many weapons, and we have Doc to heal any injuries.”

“Plus, we have home field advantage,” I say. “We know this mountain. They don’t. We’re going to be all right.”

Unfortunately, I’m not exactly confident in what I’m saying. Jud’s decision to put Cora behind an impenetrable wall with Grim as her guardian—with enough supplies to last them up to a year—means one thing. He’s not positive we can win this fight. He hasn’t said as much, but I know how to read between the lines.

I’ve never known Jud to be anything less than one-hundred-percent confident where defending his turf is concerned. He’s showing caution, possibly for the first time in his life. I wish I knew if it was just precaution because he can’t stand the idea of anything happening to Cora, or if he really thinks Raptor’s crew could be a serious threat.

“But what if you’renotall right?” Cora says, her grip so strong I worry my rings will bruise her fingers. “Rev said there’s thirty of them. If Grim is with me, that only leaves six of you. That’s not a fair fight. You need Grim to help you. You need all the manpower you can get. And if I can learn how to shoot, I can help too. I should help.” She nods with determination, and her sheer innocence melts me.

“No,” I say.

“Out of the question,” Shep says at the same time.

It’s a testament to her common sense when her shoulders sag, and she says, “I know. We can’t risk me. Not when I’m the only woman you all have seen in two years.”

“That’s right,chér,” I tell her. The thought of harm befalling her, or this Raptor guy taking her, fills me with rage. I try not to let it come through in my voice when I say, “Your life is worth more than the rest of ours put together.”

“No.” It’s her turn to be adamant. “Life is life,” she says. “Every life is valuable. What good would I be without my guys? My family?” She turns the tables and lifts my hand to kiss it. Shep’s big mitt gets the same treatment.

Family.

Wow. She thinks of us as her family. My eyes mist up. My heart is full.

“I swear to you, we’ll win this,” I say, and my voice is practically a growl.

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