… forty-nine … fifty … Yeah?” He stopped
and sat on top of his knees while shaking his arms out.
“Why am I naked?”
He rubbed his neck. “What do you remember last?”
“I think we hit a guardrail?”
“We wrecked into a creek, then we got from the car to the bank. You couldn’t go into
the sleeping bag soaking wet, or you’d have died of hypothermia.”
She laughed at him. “ We ? You saved my life. You’re allowed to take credit, and you
could make it sound a little less dull. But let me get this straight—you undressed
me?”
“Just, kind of, while I got you in the sleeping bag. Kade’s going to kill me.”
She shrugged and gave him a sly half-smile. “It’ll be our secret. Where is Kade?”
“I’m guessing Houghton by now. We were pretty far from the road by the time we made
land. I couldn’t leave you alone.”
Ashton sprang to her feet, and the sleeping bag fell to a heap on the ground. X’s
mouth hung open, and he couldn’t stop his eyes from scanning her up and down. Being
an outlaw, as the women liked to call him, he had seen more than his fair share
of naked bodies, but there was something striking about Ashton’s sense of self-confidence.
“Really? You already saw me naked once. Let’s get a move on,” she said pulling her
clothes from the cord.
X pushed off of the cold ground and slowly stood to his full height. He felt like
a seventh grader at a school dance who just realized girls didn’t have cooties. “I
mapped out a path to the nearest town. We’ve got about thirty miles on foot.”
“Then stop talking and break camp.”
He hesitated for a moment because her tone and demeanor were something he was used
to from Kade, but not from this beautiful girl. Shaking off the shock, X dressed,
loaded his pistol, and returned it to his belt. Ashton dropped the cord and stuffed
it into the pack with the rest of their supplies, keeping a protein bar for each
of them. She hoisted the backpack and was sliding her arm through the first strap
when X yanked it from her and slung it onto his own back.
“It’s fitted for me,” he explained.
“Is my name Victoria?”
X cocked his head at her.
“If you’re going to treat me like I’m fragile, I’m telling Kade you saw me naked.”
“Then put the fire out.”
“Fine, Boy Scout.”
“Eagle Scout.”
“Really?”
“Be prepared.”
* * *
The corridors were a chocolate color, with electronically locked fire doors. The
overhead fluorescent lights illuminated every torn thread of the brown carpet. Kade
pressed open one of the heavy fire doors, letting Argos enter ahead of him and keeping
Grace, who was still handcuffed, behind him. On the wall was a poster urging students
to go home to get the Feline Flu shot, since the school would only have limited quantities.
Grace came up alongside him. “Is Tiny your girlfriend?”
“No.”
“Did you guys ever date?”
“Just do your job.”
She went to the first door and knocked. Kade’s heart raced. He didn’t know if he
wanted to hear an answer or not. His eyes narrowed as he focused down his sight.
He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. He would kill to save his friends. Grace
knocked a second time, pushed the handle down with both of her cuffed hands, and
kicked the door open. Kade stepped into the doorway and swung his aim across the
room.
The room was arranged with a small single bed, a wooden desk and chair, and a chest
of drawers on either side. Judging by the pink sheets and green fluffy pillows,
he was in a girl’s room. He sighed when he found it was empty.
Kade, Grace, and Argos continued down the hallway, checking the rooms; the next six
were empty. As they approached the seventh, Argos emanated a low rumble as his hair
stood on end like a forest of pins. Kade’s hands became clammy as he gripped his
shotgun. The police-standard, pump-action shotgun was beginning to feel familiar.
The black rubber–wrapped grip of the handle and the ribbed pump
and sat on top of his knees while shaking his arms out.
“Why am I naked?”
He rubbed his neck. “What do you remember last?”
“I think we hit a guardrail?”
“We wrecked into a creek, then we got from the car to the bank. You couldn’t go into
the sleeping bag soaking wet, or you’d have died of hypothermia.”
She laughed at him. “ We ? You saved my life. You’re allowed to take credit, and you
could make it sound a little less dull. But let me get this straight—you undressed
me?”
“Just, kind of, while I got you in the sleeping bag. Kade’s going to kill me.”
She shrugged and gave him a sly half-smile. “It’ll be our secret. Where is Kade?”
“I’m guessing Houghton by now. We were pretty far from the road by the time we made
land. I couldn’t leave you alone.”
Ashton sprang to her feet, and the sleeping bag fell to a heap on the ground. X’s
mouth hung open, and he couldn’t stop his eyes from scanning her up and down. Being
an outlaw, as the women liked to call him, he had seen more than his fair share
of naked bodies, but there was something striking about Ashton’s sense of self-confidence.
“Really? You already saw me naked once. Let’s get a move on,” she said pulling her
clothes from the cord.
X pushed off of the cold ground and slowly stood to his full height. He felt like
a seventh grader at a school dance who just realized girls didn’t have cooties. “I
mapped out a path to the nearest town. We’ve got about thirty miles on foot.”
“Then stop talking and break camp.”
He hesitated for a moment because her tone and demeanor were something he was used
to from Kade, but not from this beautiful girl. Shaking off the shock, X dressed,
loaded his pistol, and returned it to his belt. Ashton dropped the cord and stuffed
it into the pack with the rest of their supplies, keeping a protein bar for each
of them. She hoisted the backpack and was sliding her arm through the first strap
when X yanked it from her and slung it onto his own back.
“It’s fitted for me,” he explained.
“Is my name Victoria?”
X cocked his head at her.
“If you’re going to treat me like I’m fragile, I’m telling Kade you saw me naked.”
“Then put the fire out.”
“Fine, Boy Scout.”
“Eagle Scout.”
“Really?”
“Be prepared.”
* * *
The corridors were a chocolate color, with electronically locked fire doors. The
overhead fluorescent lights illuminated every torn thread of the brown carpet. Kade
pressed open one of the heavy fire doors, letting Argos enter ahead of him and keeping
Grace, who was still handcuffed, behind him. On the wall was a poster urging students
to go home to get the Feline Flu shot, since the school would only have limited quantities.
Grace came up alongside him. “Is Tiny your girlfriend?”
“No.”
“Did you guys ever date?”
“Just do your job.”
She went to the first door and knocked. Kade’s heart raced. He didn’t know if he
wanted to hear an answer or not. His eyes narrowed as he focused down his sight.
He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. He would kill to save his friends. Grace
knocked a second time, pushed the handle down with both of her cuffed hands, and
kicked the door open. Kade stepped into the doorway and swung his aim across the
room.
The room was arranged with a small single bed, a wooden desk and chair, and a chest
of drawers on either side. Judging by the pink sheets and green fluffy pillows,
he was in a girl’s room. He sighed when he found it was empty.
Kade, Grace, and Argos continued down the hallway, checking the rooms; the next six
were empty. As they approached the seventh, Argos emanated a low rumble as his hair
stood on end like a forest of pins. Kade’s hands became clammy as he gripped his
shotgun. The police-standard, pump-action shotgun was beginning to feel familiar.
The black rubber–wrapped grip of the handle and the ribbed pump
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