I drift into sleep, waking only when I feel Wyatt leave the bed. He quietly dresses and grabs his boots. I don’t get up until he’s gone, needing just one more quiet moment alone before we go.
I dig through my drawers, finding a couple of T-shirts I left behind. I find two pairs of jeans. One pair was too small before but now it’s a little big. I slip those on, doubling the shirts and pulling on three pairs of socks. It’s cold outside and I never regret having enough layers.
I take one last look and step in the hallway. A noise drifts up the stairs. I move to the landing. I hear a voice and the door shut. Grabbing my hatchet I rush quietly down the stairs. Wyatt’s pack is on the table. One of his guns is sticking out of the pocket.
He never leaves without his pack.
He definitely never leaves without his guns.
I creep to the door and curse when I remember we covered the window with plywood. Carefully I twist the knob, hearing the familiar creak of the hinge. I peer through the doorway, hatchet gripped tightly in my hand.
Wyatt stands on the porch. Hands shoved in his pockets, head tipped back in laughter. The sound of his voice shatters the quiet and I fling open the door, startling him and the other man.
I stare at the man—my friend—the one built like a tank, wrapped in a bear, topped off with the Incredible Hulk. He smiles at me and any anger I have from being frightened disappears.
“Hey girl,” he says and I almost trip pushing past Wyatt to give him a hug.
“You’ve been following us?” I ask Davis, his arms wrap around me like a vice.
“Since you left Catlettsburg.”
I look at Wyatt. “And you knew?”
He shrugs.
Of course. He told me he still had sources. I sigh and wave them both inside. As much as I want to be mad and possibly smack them both in the head, I can’t, because things just got a lot more interesting.
Chapter Twenty
“I was already plotting my escape when Hamilton told me to go chase after the Hybrids. I would have left with Parker but she didn’t give me the chance.” Davis shifts in his saddle and Wyatt urges our horse to keep up. We’re on the edge of Raleigh, taking a different and hopefully faster route out of the city. “Walker and Jackson—they were sold the second we walked into New Hope. I could see the glint in Walker’s eyes. She’d found her new home. It had all the structure, discipline and the touch of authoritarian madness that she seems to crave.”
“And Jackson? Did he do it just because of her?” I ask.
“Maybe a little, but you have to remember Jackson was one of your sister’s personal Fighters at PharmaCorp. It’s likely he thrives in the same conditions. Some soldiers thrive in situations like that.” He glances at Wyatt. “Others, not so much.”
“So you ran,” I say. “Then what? You found us in Catlettsburg?”
“I figured it was a good place to start. The Hybrids and Mutts scattered like the wind. Hamilton had no idea what he was doing or what he was up against but he’s too stubborn and egotistical to admit it.”
I nod. “That sounds like our assessment.”
“When I got to Catlettsburg I found Paul and Cole.” His jaw tightens. “I hadn’t seen that bastard in months. Not since we left Georgia and when I heard what he did to you…”
“What Chloe did to me.” I correct him. “Cole was nothing more than a pawn in this game.”
“He made his choices Alex.”
“To fight his sister.” I’m not hashing this out with Davis. I know how I feel. Wyatt does too which is why he’s silent in front of me. “Did you hurt him?”
“I wanted to. But we need as many able-bodied men as possible and Paul assured me he would fight.” He gives me a wary glance. “He’s also still scary as hell.”
Wyatt and I both laugh because Cole is beyond dangerous, but I do think he’s trying.
“Speaking of,” Wyatt asks. “Where are we meeting him?”
“At the off ramp to Burlington. Hopefully he won’t be alone.”
Paul, Cole, and Davis holed up in Catlettsburg while we were being processed in New Hope. They knew they had a split second before the dust settled and Hamilton would send us out to catch them. They worked out a plan; Davis would track us, Cole would go on the search for Mutts, and Paul would head west.