Bay of Sighs (The Guardians Trilogy 2)

“You’re on.”

He took the compass; she took her phone, and together they killed an hour and a few targets.

“Tiebreaker,” Riley said, but he shook his head.

“Let’s leave it as a tie. I’m dinner chef tonight, and I should get started.”

“It’s early.”

“It’s the first night of your three, right? You need to eat before sundown. I’m going for beef manicotti. I figure you could use the red meat.”

“Yeah. Appreciate it.” She pulled the phone out of her pocket as they walked back. “Watch this White call after sundown, when I can’t talk to him.”

“Told you. Bark in Morse code.”

She elbow-punched him, then split off to head up to her room. She wouldn’t sleep that night, so a nap wouldn’t hurt.

Later, they ate a quiet meal, each of them preoccupied. Since the next day’s agenda was already set, it came down to waiting.

“That should hold me till morning.”

“You still have time,” Sasha said when Riley rose.

“Yeah, and I’m going to try to contact this White guy again. Push some other buttons that may get through to him. The harder it is to reach him, the more I think he’s got some answers. If I crap out on that, I’ll just see everybody in the morning.”

“Stay out of the neighbor’s chicken coop,” Sawyer advised, and earned a narrow stare.

“I’ll take her turn,” Annika said when Riley went inside.

“Turn?” Distracted, Sasha rubbed a small ache at her temple. “Oh. Oh, the chart. It’s Riley and Doyle on cleanup.”

“I don’t mind. Maybe she’ll find the Dr. White, and learn what we need. And after we clean up, if there’s time, I can take her some of the gelato that comes in the box.”

“Right.” With some reluctance, Doyle rose when Annika did. He’d solved his cooking duties—he bought pizza—but had yet to figure a way out of cleanup when his turn came around.

“It’s nice to make things clean again,” Annika said after they’d carted dishes inside.

“It’s nice to have them clean.”

“You cleaned your guns today, and polished your sword, even your knives.” Content enough, she went to work at the sink. “This isn’t so different.”

And she liked filling the big sink with water and the suds, liked the smell of the suds when she scrubbed the pots Sawyer had used.

“The meal was very good.”

“Yeah, the man can cook.” Doyle clattered dishes into the dishwasher. Since he knew what it was to try cleaning a pot or plate in a fast stream, he figured he shouldn’t complain.

“I can cook a little now. It’s fun. You’ve lived so long, but don’t cook.”

“I can get by.” He pulled out a dishcloth, started drying the pots. “I learned to cook over a fire, on hunting trips.”

“You’ve seen the wonders come. Riley let me look at some of her books. Once land people walked or rode horses. Then they learned to make cars, and motorcycles like yours. And there was no phone like Riley so enjoys, or the movies Sawyer likes to watch.”

“Things change. People not as much.”

“But things can’t change themselves. People can. Sasha has changed so much in hardly one turn of the moon. She’s stronger and she’s learned to fight. And she can do six pull-ups where she could not do one.”

“You’ve got a point. And I’m betting she’ll get up to ten before we’re done with this.”