Play Along

An hour later.

“Brace yourself,” I warn her as she holds onto the straps of her seatbelt.

She closes her eyes.

“Easy… easy,” I woo the chopper.

She grips the belt with white-knuckle force. We have been flying over land for a while now as I looked for somewhere safe to land.

This looks as good a place as any. It’s deserted, nobody for miles, with a relatively flat paddock.

“Woo, girl,” I murmur to the chopper.

The chopper hovers above the ground and I gently place her down. Rosh drops her head into her hands in relief. “Thank God,” she whispers. “How the hell do you do this for a job when it’s scary as Hell?”

I reach over and undo her seatbelt before I take mine off.

We wait for the blades to stop. I open the door and then climb down to go help her out.

“Hang a second, let me grab my backpack.” She bends down and grabs her backpack and handgun.

“You brought a backpack?” I frown.

“Yes.” She shakes her head. “Do you think I’m stupid?” She jumps out onto the ground.

“No comment,” I mutter dryly as I walk off.

She hurries to keep up with me. “I have your two passports and mine and our wallets and your phone.”

I narrow my eyes at her. How does she know I have two passports? I turn and begin to run. “Keep up,” I snap.

“I am,” she bites back.

She’s a ballsy little bitch, I will give her that. I turn and take the backpack from her and put it onto my back. “What’s in here?” I ask as I flick the long grass out of my way.

“Just what I told you,” she calls. “Oh, and I bought you a sweater,” she adds from behind me.

I stop still and turn to her. “You brought me a sweater?” I frown.

She nods quickly.

I smirk.

She smirks back. “It does seem kind of ridiculous now, come to think of it.”

I burst into laughter—deep, bellyaching laughter. This fucking woman will be the death of me.

“You don’t think twice about shooting your uncle who you thought was your father, but you remember to pack me a sweater.”

“It could get cold,” she cries out in embarrassment.

“That will do me.” With a shake of my head, I turn and start to power walk. The terrain is too rough to run. We will end up breaking a leg. We walk quickly at the edge of a forest under the canopy of trees for protection from the skies above.

We have walked for over an hour and it’s hot.

“I stink,” she calls from behind me. “I need deodorant.” She swats the bugs as she walks. “I don’t suppose you have any in your pockets?”

Fuck’s sake. I keep walking and ignore her. Nothing new. I’ve been ignoring her the whole way.